Rock music’s definition and development have been significantly influenced by Led Zeppelin.
Their distinctive fusion of hard rock, blues, and folk music has impacted countless other musicians in the genre and they contributed to the development of the heavy metal subgenre.
Led Zeppelin stood out from other bands of their era by utilizing intricate musical frameworks, lengthy improvisations, and innovative production methods.
They also contributed to redefining what was possible in rock music. Additionally, they used a wide range of instruments and musical genres in their song, including mandolins and acoustic guitars as well as Middle Eastern and Indian influences.
One of their iconic songs is ‘Kashmir’. Released in 1975 on “Physical Graffiti,” their sixth studio album.
Guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones all contributed to the song’s composition.
Robert Plant’s travels to the Sahara Desert and Morocco served as the source of inspiration for the song’s lyrics, which express astonishment and wonder at the area’s vast and enigmatic vistas.
With phrases like “I am a traveler of both time and space” and “To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen,” the lyrics also touch on spiritual issues.
Jimmy has talked about the song and has revealed the origin of the song. He revealed that he was experimenting with DADGAD tuning back in the early 70s.
That’s when he found the riff and wrote the song. Bonham was also very critical to the making of the song as his drums helped the song a lot.
Back in 1995, during a radio interview on ABC, Plant reflected on the making of ‘Kashmir’.
He said, “It was an amazing piece of music to write to, and an incredible challenge for me. Because of the time signature, the whole deal of the song is…not grandiose but powerful. It required some kind of epithet, or abstract lyrical setting about the whole idea of life being an adventure and being a series of illuminated moments. But everything is not what you see. It was quite a task, because I couldn’t sing it. It was like the song was bigger than me.”
