06/20/2026
Audiomotive performed Black Dog and Rock & Roll on Mar 27, 2026 at Mona Lisa Restaurant of Wolcott. Led Zeppelin's Black Dog opens with muted sounds of guitars warming up in the background, an idea by Jimmy Page, who also made curious opening sounds in "Immigrant Song" and "Friends"; he was fond of starting songs in an unexpected way. Bassist John Paul Jones is credited with writing the main riff that turns back on itself more than once, crossing between time signatures as it does. The group had a difficult time with the turnaround, but drummer John Bonham's solution was to play it straight through as if there was no turnaround. According to guitarist Jimmy Page, "Rock and Roll" developed from a spontaneous jam session that occurred after the band became frustrated while attempting to finish recording "Four Sticks" at the Headley Grange mansion they had rented in Hampshire, England. During a break, John Bonham began playing the drum intro to the 1957 song "Keep A-Knockin'" by Little Richard, to which Page added a Chuck Berry-style guitar riff. The rest of the band members reportedly joined in "one by one." Ian Stewart was also present at the session performing piano.
