On October 28th, Led Zeppelin will continue its year-long archival campaign by releasing deluxe reissues of Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy. Similar to June’s reissues of the band’s first three studio albums, both records were remastered by Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and come accompanied by a second disc of unreleased music.
In anticipation, the band shared an unreleased alternate version of “Black Dog”, set to appear on Led Zeppelin IV. Today, they unveil an alternate mix of the Houses Of The Holy standout “The Rain Song”, which features the song’s elegant piano part stripped out entirely. It’s mostly a cosmetic change, but the piano’s exclusion does add a slightly grittier tone to the remaining instrumentation.
(Read: The Continuing Stories Of…Houses of the Holy)
In a statement, Page discussed the track’s scope: “‘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.”
Listen in below.
The Led Zeppelin IV deluxe edition includes unreleased versions of every song appearing on the original album, including alternate mixes of “Misty Mountain Hop”, “Four Sticks”, “The Battle Of Evermore”, and “Stairway To Heaven”. Meanwhile, the companion disc for Houses Of The Holy includes rough and working mixes for “The Ocean” and “Dancing Days”, a guitar mix backing track for “Over The Hills And Far Away”, and a version of “The Rain Song” without piano.
Both reissues will be available in a variety of configurations, including as a single-disc and double-disc CD, a single and double-edition vinyl LP, and a super deluxe box set. The contents will also be released digitally.
Led Zeppelin IV Deluxe Reissue Tracklist:
Disc One:
01. Black Dog
02. Rock And Roll
03. The Battle of Evermore
04. Stairway To Heaven
05. Misty Mountain Hop
06. Four Sticks
07. Going To California
08. When The Levee Breaks
Disc Two:
01. Black Dog – Basic Track With Guitar Overdubs
02. Rock And Roll – Alternate Mix
03. The Battle Of Evermore – Mandolin/Guitar Mix From Headley Grange
04. Stairway To Heaven – Sunset Sound Mix
05. Misty Mountain Hop – Alternate Mix
06. Four Sticks – Alternate Mix
07. Going To California – Mandolin/Guitar Mix
08. When The Levee Breaks – Alternate UK Mix
Houses of the Holy Deluxe Reissue Tracklist:
Disc One:
01. The Song Remains The Same
02. The Rain Song
03. Over The Hills And Far Away
04. The Crunge
05. Dancing Days
06. D’yer Mak’er
07. No Quarter
08. The Ocean
Disc Two:
01. The Song Remains The Same – Guitar Overdub Reference Mix
02. The Rain Song – Mix Minus Piano
03. Over The Hills And Far Away – Guitar Mix Backing Track
04. The Crunge – Rough Mix – Keys Up
05. Dancing Days – Rough Mix With Vocal
06. No Quarter – Rough Mix With JPJ Keyboard Overdubs – No Vocal
07. The Ocean – Working Mix
