For those that have searched the bootleg versions of this song....there are much better versions than MSG 73. Try Copenhagen 79...SPECTACULAR! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nHsBeR3UDIA.html
Definitely, on the soundtrack to their movie "The song remains the same". I didn't really realize how great Page was as a guitarist until I heard him on that.
You realize the effect of John Paul Jones heavily on this track. The keys set the whole mood. The compression effects on Roberts voice (newer strides were made around this time with compression in recording) were unprecedented. At this point, Zeppelin were in total artistic mode. Gone were the blues covers, now they had entered that Ether-realm with elves, dwarves. wizards, and hobbits. Floating across the Celtic moors of Northern Wales, not far from Liverpool.
Obscure? Perhaps with younger folks. Definitely NOT with those of us who bought this album. This was a fave of many back at the time..including myself.
I love how Plant can turn a Viking life style into song of this magnitude. Jimmy Page is just brilliant. He did it earlier on a song called The Immigrant Song , the norsemen , Valhalla I am coming!
I got into zeppelin at y'all's age and even tho we didn't have RU-vid back then, it was often me and my gf kicking it like you two listening to these songs for the first time. I will say No Quarter wasn't on our top fav list back then but over the years it has become one of my favorites. It's got a vibe you just sort of sublimate into over time
Very well said. I feel like you. The song was a bit too chill for me as a youngster, but over the decades this song keeps moving up on the list of my favorite LZ songs.
Seeing Silas giggle and smile when the music takes off add different points is awesome. He captures the feeling that I get when I listen to led Zeppelin. It's the pure joy he's feeling.
Perfect example showing that good music is timeless. I graduated high school in '71, and I had the same reaction you guys did 50 years ago with this song. I enjoyed your review.
Y’all are killin it - love seein you two together. Silas is way into it and Olivia is way down to earth - you compliment each other really well. Thanks for the videos!
It was the perfect song to get high to and kick back on a bean bag chair in the basement, lava lamps, fluorescent posters, stove lights…trippin’, out of this world with LZ 😎
I didn't appreciate this song when I heard it around the time it came out, but love it now that I've sat and really listened to it. Glad you got to it!
The thing with Zeppelin is you never know what you are going to get, every first time is a journey without a destination and only when you finally get there can you understand where you have been. And I can't wait to see your reaction to Kashmir when you get to it. It was my least favourite song on the Physical Graffiti Album when I first heard it but it truly is their masterwork.
I think what I like about Alivia is her comments. I don't know if she has a background in music or what, but she comes off as really knowledgable. Also, together you're both so enthusiastic about Zeppelin, which fans appreciate. PS: Yeah, this song is creepy a.f.!!!
@@steddie4514 Were you lucky enough to see them live?They toured Australia in '71 but my mum said I couldn't go to the concert because there was going to be drugs there 🤣3 years later she busted me with an ounce of prime weed🥴😭
Led Zeppelin had influenced just about every rock group from the 80s 90s till now the band is before their time.. Tool covered this song no Quarter.. The live LZ version @ MSG is a must
This live at MSG in 1973 is SPECTACULAR!! Now tell me this isn't the greatest band in history!! Jimmy uses a Theramin on this like on Whole Lotta Love.
Great to see you Alivia! You're a welcome addition because you pay attention to the music, you describe how it makes you feel, you notice the layers of instrumentation and musicality and you are present/open minded to the experience. You don't just say "Wow, cool song." and leave it at that like so many other reactors do (I mean, yes, you say that too, but you know what I mean). This song would become Jonesy's showpiece when performed live. He would improv through a keys solo and add things like bits of classical, jazz, blues...whatever he felt. His performance of this from MSG was great, however, if you're going to try to find live MSG, correct video links for it on RU-vid are rare to find and, of course you wouldn't know if it was correct or not until you'd listened/watched and then it's too late. As I said, this was Jonesy's showpiece and in the concert movie The Song Remains The Same, the action was supposed to focus on him, but instead, every RU-vid link you find shows a hodge podge of various parts of the movie that have nothing to do with the song and really ruins it (imo). This definitely has a bit of prog-rock feel as they always tried to explore the obscure path of music. Personally, I believe this has a link to Lord Of The Rings. The "winds of Thor" could also be Mount Thor in Canada and he could be describing the Fellowship of the Ring on their journey across the Misty Mountains where a blizzard and avalanche almost killed them all ("the snow drives back the foot that's slow"). Of course, they're all "wearing steel that's bright and true, and carry news that must get through" meaning the ring must be destroyed in Mordor and, if successful, will "build a dream for me and you" meaning there will be peace without Sauron's evil. I'm glad you both enjoyed this moody gem from Jonesy.
The live version of this song is really GREAT, from the movie 'The Song Remains The Same'; which brings up a suggestion. The movie was recorded from a series of concerts at Madison Square Garden just after this album (Houses of the Holy)...they mention it during the show. It would be neat if you could do a 'watch party', maybe with Alivia, your dad, and anyone else. Grab a couch, some popcorn, and enjoy! I know it may be hard getting it past the blocks (MAYBE easier on Patreon)...but in any case, it would be fun for the whole family. The movie has scenes the separate videos do not, it's really pretty interesting. That being said, I'm also looking forward to Physical Graffiti. Keep it up, and above all, ENJOY the Zep ride!
It warms my heart to see GEN Z'ers discover REAL music and not just listening to the awful crap out today in music. This music is timeless and Led Zep is a great way to dive deep down into Classic Rock. A few others that are worth exploring are HEART, PINK FLOYD & KANSAS.....you will hear the influence of Led Zep. HEART is still going strong today and considered the female Led Zep. Love your videos!!!!
Everyone my age (60+) loves you guys. You guys like our music and you're not pretending. Fun facts, when the early 70's music came out, there was no computers, no internet, no mobile phones, no fm radio, no cds, all we had was Marijuana and the best music ever made. Thanks for doing what you do.
There's something about the drums in No quarter, like the beat locks so well with the guitar and just flows. It sounds epic live, and I guess some sort of time distortion occurs because it never seems to last that long! Your reactions are always fun, many tnx
Just had 45th anniversary on July 17th from seeing them in the Kingdome in Seattle. No Quarter is my favorite live song they do!!! Interaction between Bonzo, Page and Jones is amazing.
NO QUARTER, by Led Zeppelin The origins of No Quarter can be traced back to John Paul Jones. He had devised and recorded the chord progression, and even written some rough arrangements in his home studio before the tape to the other band members during the sessions for the fourth album at Headley Grange. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Bonham liked the mood of Jone’s composition, which at the time had a very fast rhythm, but they decided to put it aside and rework it for the next album instead. Robert Plant is known to have written the lyrics to this track during the sessions at Island Studios, London, on December 3, 1971. No Quarter, meaning, “Showing No Mercy”, is a phrase used by pirates out on the high seas when they spotted a ship they wanted to raid. It was also used, in a very different context, by soldiers of The British Crown when they encountered patriots during the American Revolution (1775-1783). “No Quarter”, in other words “no prisoners”. Robert Plant took his expression, this irrevocable command, as the basis around which he wove an epic tale set in the lands of the north, where the winds of Thor (in Norse mythology, the god of thunder) are blowing cold. The warriors, that is the Vikings, arrive wearing steel that’s bright and true. They are walking side by side with death and cause the dogs of doom to howl. Robert Plant may have been once again inspired by the fantasy novels of Tolkien, and specifically a crucial episode in the Last Alliance mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion; it concerns the campaign waged by the dark lord Sauron against the peoples of Middle-Earth, a campaign that led to the fall of the latter and the death of Elendil, the king of men. If this is indeed Plant’s source of inspiration, the path where no one goes is probably a reference to Tolkien’s “Paths of the Dead”, the path taken by the Men of Mountains who, having pledged to fight alongside Gondor, were overcome by fear of Sauron (and corrupted by him) and ended up fleeing. The Return of the King, Tolkien writes: From the North shall he come, need shall drive him: he shall pass the Door to the Paths of the Dead.” The number featured regularly at Led Zeppelin gigs from 1973 onward. In fact it seems the quartet played it at every show up until Knebworth Festival in August 1979. Robert Plant performed it again on his Manic Nirvana tour in 1990, then with Jimmy Page for MTV Unledded. John Paul Jones later performed a superb instrumental version of it on his 1999 tour. No Quarter marks one of the high points in the career of John Paul Jones, whose incomparable talents are often eclipsed by those of his three colleagues, or that go unnoticed due to his more reserved personality. Houses of The Holy can be seen as the album in which he revealed himself, the one that highlights his skills as an arranger, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He had already proved himself in the past as an exceptional musician, but not this album, Jimmy Page offers him greater scope for creativity, and it is fair to say he seizes the opportunity with both hands! Eddie Kramer, who obviously has huge respect for him, expressed his admiration: “It wasn’t just his brilliance as a keyboard player or even a writer, it was also the subtlety of his arraignments, and the economy of notes that made this track such a powerful statement. (Led Zeppelin all the songs. The story behind every track) Jean-Mitchell Guesdon & Philippe Margotin
I have a great story for this song, well for me anyway. I was stationed in Millington Tennesse for aircraft maintenance, Marines. It was a Naval base. Anyway, one of the guys I met was into Zeppelin and had a '69 Camero with the band painted on the trunk of his car. The song reminds me of the weekends when we would cruise around in his car jamming to Zeppelin! Awesome memory! Oh, the year was 1978!
I'm glad you liked the tune!, hi Olivia!, 😀 "No quarter" does have a spooky 👻edge to it, I love it!, They do a fantastic rendition of it in the concert album "The song remains the same". Can't wait till you get to the masterpiece "Physical Graffiti". 🎶 Thank you! Peace! ☮
It'll give ya chills near the end there -- the "Devil mocks their every step..." The Devil is always following you, like a hell hound on your trial and then take your soul at any moment. You should listen to the live bootleg version of No Quarter from June 21st, 1977 at the LA Forum - it'll blow your minds. It's a famous bootleg called "Listen to this Eddie" - taped by the legendary bootlegger - Mike "the mic" Millard ! It's incredible
Nice review and reaction team Silas! As a teen I was into Robert E Howard writings (and others) and Frank Frazetta's art work for characters of the genre. This song epitomized the feeling the artwork and stories both gave me.
To understand this song, you should read J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy (read the books, the movie adaptations tend to go off on their own path, and don't accurately follow the books).No Quarter tells about a desperate journey of our heroes on a dangerous path to carry the news of impending war. It's got armies of the dead who are called to uphold ancient promises, and enemies who play on fears and test courage. This song is the perfect soundtrack for that section of the story!
Actually, it’s kind of a combination of that with Anglo-Saxon and Viking history (reference to the Norse god Thor being a major clue)….The Winds of Thor are blowing cold. Plant had so much to draw on from his deep reading and study of Tolkien but also his fascination with Welsh and Norse mythology and history.
@@w.geoffreyspaulding6588 Add a dash of Celtic folklore with the hounds of the Wild Hunt, too, but the primary reference remains Aragorn guiding his group on the Paths of the Dead.
When you're living in the moment back then and with all of the great music, this track tended to be at the lower end of LZ popularity. It was removed from what we expected. It took a while to catch up. Now it holds a more special place. It seems to have anticipated the 80s.
The story, of a snowy, dark medieval time when even the dogs are armored and sent to deliver news or other info to assure progress of man.... I'm sure there is even more interpretation to this, but knowing the story they are portraying or by knowing the lyrics makes this song, as many, even cooler! Thanks for the Led Zeplin.... always a good choice!! 🤘
Yes but there's two versions of that. The longest version is the only one worth listening to. I think on the soundtrack album they shortened it quite a bit, and wrecked much of the vibe.
One of their best. Nice little jazz rock guitar solo over keys. "They choose the path where no-one goes... They carry news that must get through, to build a dream for me and you...." The story of the journeys of legendary heroes that have delivered us our present and future... The Battle of Evermore goes with this. Then listen to some Yes, such as Yessongs.
I have to thank Silas and his girlfriend for reminding me of my past. I've listened to and heard so much music over the past fifty years that I can't remember almost where it all started for me. I have close to twenty-five thousand albums on my computer (WinAmp, which is getting confused having to generate this amount of songs, like 279,174 and I have hundreds of CDs I haven't ripped yet). Anyway, I wish you all the best on your journey and hope you'll one-day get released from the attachment you seem to have with Led Zeppelin. Good band, sure, but there's better out there. Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, UFO, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Who or if you want things more "progressive", check-out Jethro Tull, Genesis or Yes and Rush. Greetings and well-wishes from Belgium to the both of you.
This song was about Norsemen (Vikings), who had fought harsh winters to get to areas that were fraught with peril at every turn and if your enemies didn't kill you the weather would.
Hey! New-ish subscriber here. If you guys ever get into the band Tool's catalog, would love to see your reaction to their take on this song! Just wanted to comment that before I started the video. Hope you all are well!
1972 I was 16 years old. You can imagine what it was like in '72. The Beatles, the Stones, Led Zep, Yes, Elton John and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Keep doing what you're doing! Love it!
Great reaction! The first time I heard this song was in the movie "The Song Remains the Same" in an old theater in downtown SLC in the mid 80s. It's an epic live version. You should check it out.
More of that wonderful Tolkien influence on Zep here. "This is the path where no one goes." is a direct reference to the Paths of the Dead in The Lord of the RIngs.
Love you 2. Should hear the live version. 12 min. Nice to see young uns like you like classic rock. 1 óf my favorites. LZ was 1 óf my favorites in HS. Used to play Zep. & Deep Purple while I did my homework.
The only category appropriate for Led Zeppelin is GOATS. They handle everything from folky acoustic to heavy metal with more skill and ingenuity than any other band of that time. Once you are drawn in to their musical landscape, you’ll never want to leave. Enjoy!
Oh man, your dad was born in '73? I feel really old, born in '59. But not as old as the remaining Zeppelin dudes. Def. the most sinister of Zeppelin songs. One of my favs. As already pointed out, you must hear/ see the live version.
You also need to watch any videos of Zep to see how they made the sounds - they had the opportunity to improvise with many instruments to get the sound they wanted.
John Paul Jones is the secret sauce in this song. Set's the whole exquisite mood. LZ at the peak of their artistic prowess. Many hear Tolkien influences in the lyrics.
"No Quarter" --It's supposed to be scary. The phrase is a military term depicting a merciless no-nonsense attitude toward an enemy: no room to escape, retreat denied, no begging heard, no prisoners taken.
Hi guys Great to see Alivia back and for the return of the double stank face and head bang haha This is a great song and really shows off John Paul Jones talents on keys. On some live shows especially the 1975 US tour the organ solo would last 20 minutes with JPJ switching between keyboards/organ and grand piano Another great reaction and so glad you are loving this underrated Zep album
"So many different styles." "They are their own genre." This was back when a lot of music was exploring new territory. They were inventing/discovering something. These days, a lot of the "genres" are really subgenres that are derived from one band or even a song or two from the late '60s - early '80s. This is over simplified, of course, but to my (old) ears, a lot of new music sounds derivative. I want them to be more varied, and not just different subgenres on an album. More inspired, I guess. With Zep (and a lot of other bands/artists from back then), the musicianship, song craft and inspired performances were over the top. I sound like an old...
Yeah, gotta love young people who know real good music when they hear it. Silas is really enthusiastic and Olivia adds her point of view and is good at it, she makes the channel better when on. 🎶
I believe many of us Gen Xers and Boomers will tell you that yes we know about Stranger Things because of our kids and grandkids. My daughter works for Netflix, so there’s that. Our music was off the charts, for me it was the 70’s and 80’s with some 60’s and 90’s thrown in for good measure. I remember the first time I listened to this song, my buddy turned me on to The Mighty Zeppelin whilst we were partaking of some very good green, back when I still did…lol Anyhow imagine this song coming on, new stereo my friend had just installed in his 48 Chevy pickup, and great sounding speakers. Yes it’s a very dark song, but it’s a killer song with one heck of a vibe that takes you there. Anyhow, as many others have commented on here, The Song Remains The Same is a must watch, with good headphones or on a great speaker system I would suggest. Also, there are two bands that sound like no one else regardless of what they do that could pack stadiums with their music, Zeppelin and Rush. Lifeson was a big Jimmy Page fan BTW. Keep enjoying the music. And stay safe. 😎
So good, so eerie. I picture a viking winter setting, similarly to Immigrant Song, Evermore, etc. And I think Plant's vocals are experimental. It almost sounds comical at moments, but the mournful tones and lyrics stop any silly feels. Tolkein vibes again. But not sure of any Tolkein lyrics in this one
Could you imagine I grew up on this in the 70's. We would hang out in the woods here in Long Island, NY. We would light up a bunch of joints, smoke cigarettes and up this album on. LIFE IS AMAZING!!!!!!
Can't wait 'til you get to be blown away by the ultimate greatness of Physical Graffiti. Not only Zep's ultimate, but one of the greatest albums of all time.
Awe man ! Glad you are discovering Led Zeppelin BUT I wish you had done the live version from the Madison Square Garden concert. Wanted to recommend the song Whole Lotta Love from the Madison Square Garden concert next.
I was in 8th grade listening to this in my friend's old one-car garage on Acid. He didn't want more friends coming over, so thinking I was asleep he locked me in. He had fluorescent posters and a black light, I was up all night...
