Bron-Yr-Aur ( Welsh for 'breast of the gold', and by extension, 'hill of gold' or 'golden hill'; [1] Welsh pronunciation: [brɔnərˈai̯r] ) is a privately owned 18th-century cottage on the outskirts of Machynlleth in Montgomeryshire, mid-Wales, best known for its association with the English rock band Led Zeppelin. In 1970, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant went there and wrote many of the songs that appeared on the band's third and fourth studio albums.
During the 1950s, the cottage was used as a holiday home by the family of future Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant. [2] [3] In 1970, Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page spent time there after a long and gruelling concert tour of North America. Though the cottage had no running water or electricity, they used it as a retreat to write and record some of their third album, Led Zeppelin III . Also in retreat at the cottage were Plant's wife Maureen and their 18-month-old daughter Carmen, Page's girlfriend Charlotte Martin, and Led Zeppelin roadies Clive Coulson and Sandy MacGregor.
Page explained:
Robert [Plant] and I went to Bron-Yr-Aur in 1970. We'd been working solidly right up to that point. Even recordings were done on the road. We had this time off and Robert suggested the cottage. I certainly hadn't been to that area of Wales. So we took our guitars down there and played a few bits and pieces. This wonderful countryside, panoramic views and having the guitars ... it was just an automatic thing to be playing. And we started writing. [4]
According to the guitarist, the time spent at Bron-Yr-Aur in 1970
...was the first time I really came to know Robert [Plant]. Actually living together at Bron-Yr-Aur, as opposed to occupying nearby hotel rooms. The songs took us into areas that changed the band, and it established a standard of travelling for inspiration... which is the best thing a musician can do. [5]
Led Zeppelin songs that can be traced to Plant and Page's time at Bron-Yr-Aur in 1970 include "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Crunge" (both from Houses of the Holy ), "The Rover", "Bron-Yr-Aur" and "Down by the Seaside" (from Physical Graffiti ), "Poor Tom" (released on Coda ) and three they actually used on Led Zeppelin III: "Friends", "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" and "That's the Way". There were also two songs recorded, called "Another Way To Wales" and "I Wanna Be Her Man", which were never officially released. [2] A primitive recording of the latter song can be heard on bootleg label Antrabata's studio outtake sessions. [6]
When on stage at Page and Plant's Unledded reunion in 1994, Plant announced that Page's daughter, Scarlet Page, was conceived "about half an hour" after "That's the Way" was written at Bron-Yr-Aur. [2]
Led Zeppelin used the name of the house in the title of two songs. "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" (the house's name was accidentally misspelled on the album cover)" is a country music-inflected hoedown on Led Zeppelin III, in which Robert Plant sings about walking in the woods with Strider, his blue-eyed merle dog. An earlier, fully electric instrumental version of this song, "Jennings Farm Blues", was recorded at Olympic Studios in 1969 and included on a bootleg album of studio outtakes, Studio Gems. "Bron-Yr-Aur", by contrast, is a gentle, acoustic instrumental played by Page on six-string guitar. It appeared on the later album Physical Graffiti , and in the films Almost Famous and The Song Remains the Same .
On 16 June 2016, Page testified under oath, due to the legal proceedings regarding the rights to the song, that he wrote the acoustic guitar intro to "Stairway to Heaven" at Headley Grange, and not at Bron-Yr-Aur. [7]
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones and John Bonham (drums). With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin drew from influences including blues and folk music, and are cited as a progenitor of hard rock and heavy metal. They significantly influenced the music industry, particularly the development of album-oriented rock (AOR) and stadium rock.
Led Zeppelin III is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 5 October 1970. It was recorded in three locations. Much of the work was done at Headley Grange, a country house, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Additional sessions were held at Island Studios and Olympic Studios in London. As with the prior album, the band eschewed the use of guest musicians, with all music performed by band members Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitars), John Paul Jones, and John Bonham (drums). The range of instruments played by the band was greatly enhanced on this album, with Jones especially emerging as a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing a wide range of keyboard and stringed instruments, including various synthesizers, mandolin and double bass, in addition to his usual bass guitar. As with prior albums, Page served as producer on the album, with mixing done by Andy Johns and Terry Manning.
Physical Graffiti is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Released as a double album on 24 February 1975 in the United States and on 28 February 1975 in the United Kingdom, it was the group's first album to be released under their new label, Swan Song Records. The band wrote and recorded eight new songs for the album in early 1974 at Headley Grange, a country house in Hampshire, which gave them ample time to improvise arrangements and experiment with recording. The total playing time covered just under three sides of an LP, so they decided to expand it into a double album by including previously unreleased tracks from the sessions for the band's earlier albums Led Zeppelin III (1970), Led Zeppelin IV (1971) and Houses of the Holy (1973). The album covered a range of styles including hard rock, progressive rock, rock 'n' roll and folk. The album was then mixed over summer 1974 and planned for an end-of-year release; however, its release was delayed because the Peter Corriston-designed die-cut album cover proved difficult to manufacture.
The Song Remains the Same is the live soundtrack album of the concert film of the same name by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The soundtrack was recorded 27–29 July 1973 and released on 22 October 1976 on Swan Song Records.
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 8 November 1971 on the band’s untitled fourth studio album, by Atlantic Records. Composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page with lyrics written by lead singer Robert Plant, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
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, Bad Company and Help Yourself.
"The Rover" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin written by guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant. Although mostly recorded years earlier, it was released on the group's 1975 double album, Physical Graffiti.
"That's the Way" is a folk rock ballad by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their third album, Led Zeppelin III, released in 1970. As with several of the tracks on the album, it is an acoustic song.
"Down by the Seaside" is a ballad by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.
"Tangerine" is a folk rock song by the English band Led Zeppelin. Recorded in 1970, it is included on the second, more acoustic-oriented side of Led Zeppelin III (1970). The plaintive ballad reflects on lost love and features strummed acoustic guitar rhythm with pedal steel guitar.
"Friends" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in 1970 at Bron-Yr-Aur, a small cottage in Wales where they stayed after completing a concert tour of the United States. The song was released on Led Zeppelin III (1970), where it appears as the second track. Biographer Stephen Davis called the piece "Jimmy's [Page's] last stab at psychedelia".
"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is a song recorded by English rock band Led Zeppelin for their third album, Led Zeppelin III, released in 1970.
Listen To This, Eddie is a bootleg recording of a rock concert by English band Led Zeppelin, performed on June 21, 1977, at the Los Angeles Forum in Los Angeles, California. The first concert of a six-night stint. It is often noted as one of the band's most noteworthy performances. It is also distinguished by its clear sound.
Live on Blueberry Hill is a bootleg recording of English rock group Led Zeppelin's performance at the Los Angeles Forum on September 4, 1970, which took place during their summer 1970 North American Tour.
Burn Like a Candle is a bootleg recording of the English rock group Led Zeppelin's performance at the Los Angeles Forum on June 25, 1972. It was originally released on CD format in the 1990s by the Smoking Pig label.
Earls Court 1975 were five concerts performed by the English rock band Led Zeppelin at Earls Court Arena in London in May 1975.
Led Zeppelin's 1972 Japanese Tour was the second and final concert tour of Japan by the English rock band. The tour commenced on 2 October and concluded on 10 October 1972.
Led Zeppelin's 1972 North American Tour was the eighth concert tour of North America by the English rock band. The tour was divided into two legs, with performances commencing on 27 May and concluding on 28 June 1972. It included two warm-up shows in Europe.
"Over the Hills and Far Away" is the third track from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1973 album Houses of the Holy. In the US, it was released as a single, with "Dancing Days" as the B-side.
The Led Zeppelin Deluxe Edition is a series of albums reissued by English rock group Led Zeppelin, distributed by Atlantic Records. It contains all nine of the original Led Zeppelin studio albums remastered from the original analog tapes. Along with the remastered albums, there is a companion disc with each album, consisting of previously unreleased audio tracks and alternate mixes of released tracks. Many of these are described as work-in-progress or alternate mixes made during the original production rather than new remixes generated to highlight discarded recording elements. The first companion album consists of the 10 October 1969 concert in Paris. The albums were released in chronological order, each with inverted album covers.
