Four Sticks

The song Four Sticks by Led Zeppelin has a peculiarity that is directly reflected in its title: the drummer John Bonham performed it using two drumsticks in each hand, totaling four. This detail is not just an anecdote but is related to the rhythmic complexity of the piece, which combines unconventional time signatures, alternating between 5/8 and 6/8. Recording this track proved to be a challenge, requiring more attempts than usual to capture the desired take. In it, John Paul Jones contributed with a VCS3 synthesizer, adding distinctive sound textures.

This complex piece, which appears on the self-titled 1971 album, had a single live performance by John Bonham on May 3, 1971, at KB Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark. This show, prior to the album's official release on November 8, 1971, was captured in unofficial recordings. Later, in 1972, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant re-recorded Four Sticks with the Bombay Symphony Orchestra during their visit to India. This version, titled Four Hands, incorporated instruments such as tablas and sitars and was officially included in the 2015 remaster of the album Coda. The original recording took place at Island Studios in London, with Andy Johns as recording and mixing engineer, and production handled by Jimmy Page and Peter Grant.