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From album
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin · 1970 · Track 5
Details
Duración4:04
ÁlbumLed Zeppelin III
Año1970
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The story behind
The power of *Out on the Tiles* kicks off with a descending riff that Jimmy Page conceived, but the rhythmic foundation and the general idea come from John Bonham. He used to hum or shout a kind of drunken song, which in the UK is known as "going out on the tiles," and hence the title. Page, to capture that raw energy, applied a recording technique that involved placing one microphone close to his guitar and another at the other end of the studio. The idea was to incorporate the sound of the space and the time it takes for the signal to travel that distance, aiming to capture the emotion of the moment and the resonance of the place. In certain passages, such as around the minute and a half mark, a shout of "Stop!" can be heard, which some believe was Robert Plant, perhaps to bring order or direct the song's structure. Towards the end, Bonham's drums begin to move from side to side in the stereo mix.
This piece, released on October 5, 1970, as part of the album *Led Zeppelin III*, was recorded in several studios, including the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio at Headley Grange, and also at Olympic Sound Studios in London. The composition is a joint effort between Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Bonham. On some occasions, *Out on the Tiles* was used as an intro to *Black Dog*, a song from their next album. In Japan, it was initially released as the B-side of the single *Immigrant Song*. The band, at that stage, avoided incorporating guest musicians, and all the instrumentation fell to Plant (vocals), Page (guitars), John Paul Jones (bass and keyboards), and Bonham (drums), who expanded their range of instruments on this record.