Four Sticks
| "Four Sticks" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||
| from the album Led Zeppelin IV | ||||
| A-side | "Rock and Roll" | |||
| Released | 21 February 1972 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Studio | Island, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:45 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |||
| Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Four Sticks" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their untitled fourth album (1971). The title reflects drummer John Bonham's performance with two drumsticks in each hand, totaling four.[3]
The song was difficult to record, and required more takes than usual.[3] John Paul Jones played a VCS3 synthesizer on the track.[3] The song has an unusual time signature, featuring riffs in a mixture of 5
8 and 6
8.
The notoriously complex and difficult song was only performed once live by John Bonham May 3rd, 1971, at the KB Hallen Copenhagen, Denmark, confirmed by a rare bootleg recording. Note that this was six months prior to the album debut of November 8, 1971.
Personnel
[edit]According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[4]
- Robert Plant – vocals
- Jimmy Page – acoustic guitar, electric guitars (six-string and twelve-string)
- John Paul Jones – bass, synthesiser
- John Bonham – drums
Four Hands
[edit]The song was re-recorded by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with the Bombay Symphony Orchestra in 1972, during their trip to India, along with another song, "Friends" from Led Zeppelin III.[5] This version featured tablas and sitars. The recording, titled "Four Hands" was released officially on the 2015 remastering of Coda.
See also
[edit]- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs § Four Sticks (including versions by Page and Plant)
References
[edit]- ↑ Christman, Ed (January 9, 2019). "Led Zeppelin At 50: Every Zep Song, Ranked By Revenue Generated". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ↑ RAMIREZ, AJ (21 November 2011). "Led Zeppelin - "Four Sticks"". PopMatters.
- 1 2 3 Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ↑ Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 278.
- ↑ Liner notes to Led Zeppelin Boxed Set 2 by David Fricke
Bibliography
[edit]- Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.
