Four Sticks

"Four Sticks" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their untitled fourth album. The title reflects drummer John Bonham's performance with two sets of two drumsticks, totaling four.[3]

"Four Sticks"
German single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Led Zeppelin IV
A-side"Rock and Roll"
Released21 February 1972 (1972-02-21) (US)
Recorded1971
StudioIsland, London
Genre
Length4:46
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Black Dog"
(1971)
"Four Sticks"
(1972)
"Over the Hills and Far Away"
(1973)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

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.

Only one live performance has been identified – in Copenhagen on their 1971 European tour – and preserved on some bootleg recordings.[3]

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[4]

Four Hands

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 tabla drums and sitars. The recording, titled "Four Hands" was released officially on the 2015 remastering of Coda.

See also

  • List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs § Four Sticks

References

  1. Christman, Ed (January 9, 2019). "Led Zeppelin At 50: Every Zep Song, Ranked By Revenue Generated". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  2. RAMIREZ, AJ (21 November 2011). "Led Zeppelin - "Four Sticks"". PopMatters.
  3. Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
  4. Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 278.
  5. Liner notes to Led Zeppelin Boxed Set 2 by David Fricke

Bibliography

  • 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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.