Jimmy Page Hated the Butchered Version of 1 Led Zeppelin Classic, and He Was 100% Right
Led Zeppelin changed the music scene when they came along. They produced instantly recognizable classics and several underrated songs that became gems for devoted fans. One way Led Zeppelin operated differently than their contemporaries in The Beatles and The Rolling Stones was by not releasing singles. Founding guitarist Jimmy Page wanted Led Zeppelin to be an album band instead of a singles band. Page hated the trimmed version of the Led Zeppelin classic “Whole Lotta Love,” which proved he was right to hold firm to his no-singles vision for the band.
Jimmy Page focused on making Led Zeppelin albums artistic statements
Page toured America with the Yardbirds before forming Led Zeppelin. He knew the United States had a radio market for music that went beyond singles. Page stuck to that vision throughout Zep’s career.
“I produced ‘Whole Lotta Love’ — and the entire second album — as an un-editable expression, a work that had to be aired on stereo FM to make sense,” Page once told the Wall Street Journal.
Page operated with the stated goal of not releasing singles. Atlantic Records, which distributed Led Zeppelin’s work in the U.S., had other ideas. The label released a butchered version of “Whole Lotta Love” as a single, and Page hated it so much that he only listened to it once, which he was right to do.
Page hated the butchered single version of ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ and he was absolutely right
Page knew album-oriented radio on the FM dial was on the rise in the U.S. He wrote Led Zeppelin music with that in mind. Atlantic Records hoped to get Zeppelin’s music in front of AM listeners, where shorter songs ruled. The label chopped up “Whole Lotta Love” for the AM crowd. Page hated it so much that he listened to it once and never again.
Page was right to hate the butchered version of “Whole Lotta Love.”
The trimmed version of the song — without the swirling theremin, subtle bass, and singer Robert Plant’s moaning in the middle section — is an abomination.
Page cut his teeth as a session musician. Though tedious, he learned quite a bit about recording techniques, which he brought to the table with Led Zeppelin. That middle section is a master class on studio technique. (Listen for the sounds panning from the left stereo channel to the right and back again).
Considering the lyrics to the song, the middle portion, which segues to a memorable Page solo, might be the most crucial part of “Whole Lotta Love.” Led Zeppelin’s music and Plant’s wailing hammer home the message.
Some listeners don’t like the swirling psychedelia of the middle section, but the shortened version without it makes no sense. If a single is supposed to be a showcase for listeners who haven’t heard the band, the single version of “Whole Lotta Love” doesn’t make a good first impression.
Never mind that the label messed with Led Zeppelin’s vision for the song. “Whole Lotta Love” is nothing without the psychedelic freakout in the middle. It sounds unnatural to go from Plant’s singing to Page’s solo with nothing but a weird, muttered vocal and a snippet of the middle section to bridge the gap.
One listen to the short “Whole Lotta Love” shows why Page hated the butchered version.
‘Whole Lotta Love’ was the first Led Zeppelin single to chart in the U.K. — in 1997.
Page wasn’t a fan of releasing Led Zeppelin singles before he heard the hated version of “Whole Lotta Love.” Atlantic released several Zep songs as singles in America, including “Immigrant Song” (which provided the band with a $2 million paycheck) and “Rock and Roll” from Led Zeppelin IV.
Page and Zep manager Peter Grant had much more control over the band’s output on its home turf, and they stuck to the no-singles rule. Still, they eventually softened that stance, and Led Zeppelin hit the charts in the United Kingdom in 1997 — with “Whole Lotta Love.”
Zeppelin put “Stairway to Heaven” and “Kashmir” onto the charts in 2007, per the Official Charts Company. It seems Jimmy Page hated the truncated version of “Whole Lotta Love” so much he held off on releasing any Led Zeppelin singles in England for close to 30 years.
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