Black Mountain Side

The instrumental piece *Black Mountain Side* by Led Zeppelin has deep roots in tradition. Its musical structure is based on a traditional Irish melody known as *Down by Blackwaterside*. The specific arrangement we hear on the band's debut album is very close to the version Bert Jansch had recorded in 1966 for his album *Jack Orion*. It was through Al Stewart, who closely followed Jansch's performances, that Jimmy Page learned of this adaptation. Page, who was working as a session musician for Stewart's first album, took this foundation and transformed it. To give it that distinctive character, Page used a particular tuning on a borrowed Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar, a tuning he had already employed on another track.

Furthermore, to accentuate the oriental atmosphere that permeates the piece, percussionist Viram Jasani was added, who contributed the sound of the tabla.The recording of *Black Mountain Side* took place in October 1968, at Olympic Studios in London. It was a quick process, part of the mere 30 hours it took to complete the entire debut album by Led Zeppelin. The recording engineer was Glyn Johns, while the production was handled by Jimmy Page and Peter Grant. The song's influence was such that writer William S. Burroughs, after hearing it, suggested Page explore Moroccan music firsthand, an invitation that Robert Plant and Page would later follow.

Live, it was common for *Black Mountain Side* to be performed alongside another track, *White Summer*, and one of those performances, from January 1970, was included in a later edition by the group.