| "In the Evening" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"In the Evening" is the first song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's final studio album, In Through the Out Door, released in 1979. The track has a synthesizer-driven sound backed by a gargantuan guitar repetition.
The track features an extended distorted introductory section led Jimmy Page on guitar. Page may have used a violin bow to create the droning effect at the beginning of the song[1], as well as a Gizmotron to increase distortion and create the slamming door effect heard at the onset of the guitar solo.[2] (Page would play a very similar section to the intro of "In The Evening" during "Dazed and Confused" using a violin bow, as can be heard on bootleg recordings of Led Zeppelin's concert at Tampa Stadium in 1973.) The introduction was taken from a soundtrack Page was working on for Kenneth Anger's film Lucifer Rising. After Page had a falling out with Anger, the soundtrack for the film ended up being provided by Bobby Beausoleil, a member of the Manson Family.
"In The Evening" was also one of the few songs that Jimmy Page performed on his 1960 Fender Stratocaster.
The creation of this song can be traced largely to Led Zeppelin bassist and keyboardist, John Paul Jones. When the band was recording this album, Page and drummer John Bonham would usually show up at the studio very late and work through the night. In their absence, "In The Evening" started out with just drums and keyboards created by John Paul Jones, who had a new drum machine to work with. It is the only song from the album for which all four members share the composer credit.
The song was performed live at Led Zeppelin concerts during 1979 and 1980. During the 1979 performances, this song would be played directly after Page's guitar distortion solo.[2] One live version, from Led Zeppelin's performance at Knebworth in 1979, can be seen on the Led Zeppelin DVD.
Plant revived the song on his Now and Zen solo tour in 1988. A cover version of "In the Evening" was also recorded by Jason Bonham, son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, and released on his 1997 album In the Name of My Father - The Zepset.
References
Sources
- Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
- The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
Template:In Through the Out Door
