| "Four Sticks" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||
| from the album Led Zeppelin IV | ||||
| A-side | "Rock and Roll" | |||
| Released | 21 February 1972 (1972-02-21) (US) | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Studio | Island, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:46 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||
| Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Four Sticks" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their untitled fourth album. The title reflects drummer John Bonham's performance with two sets of two drumsticks, totaling four.
The song was difficult to record, and required more takes than usual. John Paul Jones played a VCS3 synthesizer on the track. The song has an unusual time signature, featuring riffs in a mixture of
8 and
8.
Personnel
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:
- Robert Plant – vocals
- Jimmy Page – acoustic guitar, electric guitars (six-string and twelve-string)
- John Paul Jones – bass, synthesiser
- John Bonham – drums
Four Hands
The song was re-recorded by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with the Bombay Symphony Orchestra in 1972, during their trip to India, along with another song, "Friends" from Led Zeppelin III. This version featured tabla drums and sitars. The recording, titled "Four Hands" was released officially on the 2015 remastering of Coda.
See also
References
- Christman, Ed (January 9, 2019). "Led Zeppelin At 50: Every Zep Song, Ranked By Revenue Generated". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- RAMIREZ, AJ (21 November 2011). "Led Zeppelin - "Four Sticks"". PopMatters.
- ^ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 278.
- Liner notes to Led Zeppelin Boxed Set 2 by David Fricke
Bibliography
- Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.
| Led Zeppelin songs | |
|---|---|
| Discography | |
| Led Zeppelin | |
| Led Zeppelin II | |
| Led Zeppelin III | |
| Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) | |
| Houses of the Holy | |
| Physical Graffiti | |
| Presence | |
| In Through the Out Door | |
| Coda | |
| Other songs | |
