Listen to Led Zeppelin’s Piano-Free Mix of ‘The Rain Song’ From New Reissue
As Led Zeppelin ramp up to the release of the next two albums in their deluxe reissue series, a new version of 'Houses of the Holy''s 'The Rain Song' has surfaced.
'The Rain Song (Mix Minus Piano)' is a more intimate take on the classic 1973 cut, with more emphasis on the guitars that steer the song. And when the drums kick in toward the end, they pop in a way that was sorta lost in the original version's somewhat cluttered mix. You can listen to the song above.
Jimmy Page, who's behind the new reissues, said in a statement that “‘The Rain Song’ is the sort of piece of music that Led Zeppelin could approach and do so successfully and so masterfully. This whole genre of the sensitivity, where it can sort of caress you, it’s something that I’ve always been very proud of. The companion disc version is really a good blend of everything that’s actually being played.”
Led Zeppelin's fourth album, from 1971, and 'Houses of the Holy' will follow the June release of the band's first three albums in the new reissue series, which not only includes new remasters of the records but also adds bonus discs filled with alternate takes, live versions and other previously unreleased tracks. An alternate version of 'Led Zeppelin IV''s 'Black Dog' was released earlier this month.
The next two reissues will come out on Oct. 27, with the next batch -- most likely to include the double-album epic 'Physical Graffiti' -- presumably to follow sometime in 2015.