"The Crunge" | ||||
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Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||
from the album Houses of the Holy | ||||
A-side | "D'yer Mak'er" | |||
Released | 17 September 1973 (US) | |||
Recorded | 1972 | |||
Studio | Headley Grange, Headley, England | |||
Genre | Funk rock | |||
Length | 3:10 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||
Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
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"The Crunge" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy . The song is a takeoff on James Brown's style of funk similar to the group's attempt at reggae with "D'yer Mak'er". [1] It was also released as the B-side of "D'yer Mak'er" in the US.
The song evolved out of a jam session in the studio. John Bonham started the beat, John Paul Jones came in on bass, Jimmy Page played a funk guitar riff (and a chord sequence that he had been experimenting with since 1970), and Robert Plant started singing. [2] [1] For the recording, Page played a Fender Stratocaster guitar and it is possible to hear him depressing a whammy bar at the end of each phrase. [2]
The song is primarily in 9/8, giving its distinctive, off-kilter rhythm. It has a relatively unique structure, comprising verses and a chorus but lacks a bridge or middle eight, common in most forms of Western popular music. Because of this, Plant asks where the bridge is by imploring in the final bars (and answers himself), culminating with "Have you seen the bridge?" "I ain't seen the bridge!" "Where's that confounded bridge?"
Personnel taken from album sleeve [3]
In a contemporary review for Houses of the Holy, Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone gave "The Crunge" a negative review, calling it a "naked imitation", along with "D'yer Mak'er", as well as "easily" one of the worst things the band has ever attempted. [4]
Fletcher added, "[It] reproduces James Brown so faithfully that it's every bit as boring, repetitive and clichéd as 'Good Foot'. Yakety-yak guitar, boom-boom bass, astoundingly idiotic lyrics ('when she walks, she walks, and when she talks, she talks') — it's all there. So is Jones' synthesizer, spinning absolutely superfluous electronic fills." [4]
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 and drawing from influences including blues and folk music, Led Zeppelin are cited as a progenitor of hard rock and heavy metal. They significantly influenced the music industry, particularly in the development of album-oriented rock and stadium rock.
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 28 March 1973 in the United States and on 30 March 1973 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. The album benefited from two band members installing studios at home, which allowed them to develop more sophisticated songs and arrangements and expand their musical style. Several songs subsequently became fixtures in the group's live set, including "The Song Remains the Same", "The Rain Song" and "No Quarter". Other material recorded at the sessions, including the title track, was shelved and released on the later albums Physical Graffiti (1975) and Coda (1982). All instruments and vocals were provided by the band members Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones, and John Bonham (drums). The album was produced by Page and mixed by Eddie Kramer. The cover was the first for the band to be designed by Hipgnosis and was based on a photograph taken at Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
"The Song Remains the Same" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin. It is the opening track from their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy.
"Trampled Under Foot" is a song by English rock group Led Zeppelin. A funk-influenced piece with John Paul Jones on clavinet, it was included on their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song was released as a single in several countries and was frequently performed in concert.
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"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.
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"The Rain Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released in March 1973 as the second track on their fifth album, Houses of the Holy.
"D'yer Mak'er" ( "Jamaica") is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. The title is a play on the words "did you make her?" being pronounced as "Jamaica" when spoken in an English accent.
"Dancing Days" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It appears on their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy, and was released as a single in the US. It was recorded at Stargroves, England in 1972. It was inspired by an Indian tune that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant heard while traveling in Bombay. This was the first track from the album to be offered for radio play by Atlantic Records. It was premiered on 24 March 1973 on the BBC Radio One Rosko lunch time show.
"Ramble On" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Co-written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and produced by Page, and recorded in 1969 at Juggy Sound Studio, New York City and A & R Recording, Manhattan, it serves as the seventh track of their second studio album Led Zeppelin II. The song's lyrics were influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.
"Houses of the Holy" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 sixth album Physical Graffiti. The name of the song was used as the title of the band's fifth album, although it was not included on that album; they decided the song did not fit well with the other album material, so it was moved to the subsequent release.
Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin is a cover album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 1998, dedicated to songs of Led Zeppelin. It was recorded live in a concert that took place at The Galaxy Theatre of Santa Ana, California in December 1996 and released by the French label Axe Killer. The American edition was issued by Deadline Records in 1999. Deadline Records also issued a very rare vinyl version of the album in 1999, omitting 4 tracks due to time limitations of vinyl. Songs from this album appear on many compilations and also on re-issues of older albums as bonus tracks. The album was re-issued in 2005 by the Canadian label Legacy, with the title Great White Salutes Led Zeppelin. The entire album appears also on Great White's double-CD compilation A Double Dose issued by Deadline Music in 2005, along with the album of covers Recover.
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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.
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