Led Zeppelin are premiering an unreleased version of “Black Dog” as a preview of the upcoming expanded reissue of their 1971 release, “Led Zeppelin IV”, due on October 28.
"'Black Dog' is obviously one of the songs that Led Zeppelin is really noted for," guitarst Jimmy Page tells Rolling Stone. "It's one of the powerhouse numbers that we did with an incredible riff. The version on the companion disc is a rough mix in its early stage with minimal guitar overdubs and Robert's original vocal. And you can hear how mean it is."
Released in November 1971, the album — which is officially untitled — defined the sound of rock music for a generation with ubiquitous anthems such as "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Black Dog" and "When The Levee Breaks". The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999, has been certified 23x platinum by the RIAA.
The "Led Zeppelin IV" deluxe edition includes unreleased versions of every song heard on the original album including alternate mixes of "Misty Mountain Hop" and "Four Sticks", mixes of "The Battle Of Evermore" and "Going To California" heavy with guitar and mandolin, and the fabled, alternate version "Stairway To Heaven", mixed at the Sunset Sound Studio in Los Angeles which lets fans hear one of the most revered songs of all time as they have never heard it before.
The group are releasing both "Led Zeppelin IV" and "Houses Of The Holy" on the same day.
Led Zeppelin kicked off their reissue series in June with the release of expanded editions of the band’s first three albums – “Led Zeppelin I”, “Led Zeppelin II” and “Led Zeppelin III” – each with a companion disc of bonus material.
"Led Zeppelin IV" track listing
01. Black Dog
02. Rock And Roll
03. The Battle of Evermore
04. Stairway To Heaven
05. Misty Mountain Hop
06. Four Sticks
07. Going To California
08. When The Levee Breaks
Companion Audio Disc
01. Black Dog - Basic Track With Guitar Overdubs
02. Rock And Roll - Alternate Mix
03. The Battle Of Evermore - Mandolin/Guitar Mix From Headley Grange
04. Stairway To Heaven - Sunset Sound Mix
05. Misty Mountain Hop - Alternate Mix
06. Four Sticks - Alternate Mix
07. Going To California - Mandolin/Guitar Mix
08. When The Levee Breaks - Alternate UK Mix
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