"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist
Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
, that incorporates
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
musical influences.
Page initially recorded and performed it with
the Yardbirds
The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
and later included it in many
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
concerts.
According to biographer Keith Shadwick, it is based on an old Irish folk song, "specifically derived from '
She Moved Through the Fair' in the 1963 version by
avyGraham
Graham and Graeme may refer to:
People
* Graham (given name), an English-language given name
* Graham (surname), an English-language surname
* Graeme (surname), an English-language surname
* Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer
* Clan ...
, which he in turn credited to
Padraic Colum
Padraic Colum (8 December 1881 – 11 January 1972) was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer, playwright, children's author and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Irish Literary Revival.
Early life
Col ...
".
The later Led Zeppelin song "
Over the Hills and Far Away" was "spun off" from "White Summer" as well as an unreleased 20-minute instrumental recorded in early 1974 at
Headley Grange
Headley Grange is a former workhouse in Headley, Hampshire, England. It is a Grade II listed historic building. It is best known for its use as a recording and rehearsal venue in the 1960s and 1970s, by acts including Led Zeppelin, Genesis a ...
.
Yardbirds song
"White Summer" was recorded 28–29 April 1967 at
De Lane Lea Studios
Warner Bros. De Lane Lea Studios is a recording studio, based in Dean Street, Soho, London.
Although the studios have mainly been used for dubbing feature films and television programmes, major artists such as the Animals, the Beatles, Soft M ...
in London. Jimmy Page was the only band member to perform on the recording and was accompanied by
Chris Karan
Chris Karan (born Chrisostomos Karanikis, 14 October 1939) is a Britain-based Australian jazz drummer and percussionist of Greek descent.
Life and career
Karan was born in 1939 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Karan played in The Three Out tr ...
on
tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
and an unidentified
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
A ...
player doubling the melody line.
The song combines elements of traditional Eastern as well as Western music.
In a 1977 interview, Page commented, "I used a special tuning for
he song
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
the low string down to D, then A, D, G, A and D. It’s like a
modal tuning, a
sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...
tuning, in fact".
He added that he called this tuning "'C.I.A.' tuning—Celtic-Indian-Arabic—because that's what it was ... D–A–D–G–A–D was something going around the folk scene during the 1960s"
and was used by Davy Graham for his "She Moved Through the Fair".
"White Summer" was released on the Yardbirds' last album, ''
Little Games
''Little Games'' is the fourth American album by English rock band the Yardbirds. Recorded and released in 1967, it was their first album recorded after becoming a quartet with Jimmy Page as the sole guitarist and Chris Dreja switching to bass. ...
''. An alternate take/mix without the accompaniment was included on the 1992 Yardbirds compilation ''
Cumular Limit''. It was a staple of live Yardbird performances with
Jim McCarty
James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Yardbirds and Renaissance. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only member of the band to featur ...
usually providing a drum part and appears on the albums ''
Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page'' and ''Glimpses 1963–1968''. When playing the song live with the Yardbirds, Page used a 1961
Danelectro
Danelectro is a brand of musical instruments and accessories, founded in Red Bank, New Jersey in 1947. The company is known primarily for its string instruments that employed unique designs and manufacturing processes. The Danelectro company was ...
3021 guitar.
[
]
Led Zeppelin renditions
Led Zeppelin frequently performed "White Summer" as part of a medley with "
Black Mountain Side
"Black Mountain Side" is an instrumental by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded in October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London, and is included on the group's 1969 debut album ''Led Zeppelin''.
Composition and recording
"Black Mo ...
" during their 1968–70 tours
[
] and again on the
1977 US,
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
and
1980 Europe tours. A live performance during the band's
U.K. Tour of Summer 1969[Dave Lewis (1994), ''The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin'', Omnibus Press, .] was recorded by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''In Concert'' series. This recording was produced by Jeff Griffin and released in 1990 on the ''
'' with the combined title "White Summer/Black Mountain Side". The piece was later included in the expanded 1993 reissue of ''
on 9 January 1970. On 23 April 1970, Page performed the piece on the ''
Show''. Page also played it when he was with
'' tour, seguing into "White Summer/Black Mountain Side" as part of the solo section of "Midnight Moonlight".