Out on the Tiles
| Out on the Tiles | |
|---|---|
| Appears on | Led Zeppelin III |
| Published by | Superhype Music |
| Registration | ASCAP 450094470 |
| Release date | 5 October 1970 |
| Recorded | June 1970 at Olympic Studios, London. Mixed at Ardent Studios, Memphis. |
| Genre | Hard rock, rock |
| Language | English |
| Length | 4 min 4 sec |
| Composer | Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham |
| Label | Atlantic Records |
| Producer | Jimmy Page |
| Engineer | Andy Johns |
"Out on the Tiles" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from the 1970 album Led Zeppelin III. The title of the song is derived from the British phrase for going out for a night on the town.
Overview
The spacey sound mix achieved on the recording of this song was a product of distance miking in the studio by Page.[1][2] Just after the 1:23 mark in the track, someone in the recording studio is heard saying "stop". It is widely believed that it was Page who said it, although this has never been confirmed. As the song has unique rhythm and syncopation, it is assumed that whoever yelled "stop" was trying to act as a verbal conductor. Before that, at about 0:11 in the song, someone (again possibly Page) says "all right".
In Japan "Out on the Tiles" was mistakenly placed on the B-side of the "Immigrant Song" single, rather than "Hey Hey What Can I Do". Those copies are now rare collector's items.
Live performances
"Out on the Tiles" was played live in its entirety just a few times at Led Zeppelin concerts, most notably on 4 September 1970 in Los Angeles, as is preserved on the famous bootleg recording Live On Blueberry Hill. However, the beginning of the song was much more often used as an introduction to live performances of "Black Dog", as heard on the official live release How the West Was Won. It was also used as an introduction to John Bonham's drum solo "Over the Top" on the band's 1977 North American concert tour.[3]
Jimmy Page performed "Out on the Tiles" on his tour with The Black Crowes in 1999. A version of this song performed by Page and The Black Crowes can be found on the album Live at the Greek. The song was also featured on the VH1 series SuperGroup, in which it was performed as part of the group's set at the concert in series finale, and Jason Bonham dedicated it to his late father John.
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Notes
- ↑ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ↑ Steven Rosen, 1977 Jimmy Page Interview, Modern Guitars, May 25, 2007 (originally published in the July 1977, issue of Guitar Player magazine).
- ↑ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.