Nobody's Fault But Mine

[Tripmender]

Anyone know why JP insisted on playing that 'wrong' chord during NFBM? Usually (but not always) several times during each performance? It's there from the 3.4.77 gig, and a regular if not permanent feature thereafter.

Did it start out cos he was messed up, and then carry on as some kind of in-joke - even when he WASN'T messed up?

[Nutrocker]

Did it start out cos he was messed up, and then carry on as some kind of in-joke - even when he WASN'T messed up?

...I'd be brazen to say that until the Page/Plant era and the 02 Reunion gig, I don't think Jimmy ever played NFBM on stage when he wasn't messed up!

But you're right, "that" chord does indeed sound fuckin' terrible. Especially considering Jonesy plays the right note behind it; they just don't jibe. I don't know what possessed him to play it like that (the White Lady, perhaps?). My first Zep boot, lo these many years ago now, was the Berlin 80 gig, and when I heard that chord I was like, "What the fuck was that?" I thought it was a mistake, till he did it again...twenty five years later or however long it's been now, I'm used to it, but the damned thing still sounds wrong.

Kinda like how when they did "Black Dog" in '79 (Copenhagen and Knebworth) and on the last verse when he plays the riff in a different key ala the harmonized guitars on the studio track...sorry, Jimmy, that bit sounded bloody awful as well IMO.

But all that is really a discussion unto itself: "Jimmy's greatest misses".

[Tripmender]

When I heard that chord I was like, "What the fuck was that?" I thought it was a mistake, till he did it again...twenty five years later or however long it's been now, I'm used to it, but the damned thing still sounds wrong.

Glad to hear it's not just me, Nutrocker!

You know what, I just tried to replicate it on guitar. I now think I know what he's doing. Assuming he's playing the riff down on the 2nd & 3rd frets, he should be ending it with a Big A chord on the 2nd fret. Instead, he appears to be playing the final chord with open strings, kind of like a bastardised G. To me, that's not some fancy show-off diminished 9th augmented or whatever - it's a mistake, caused by him not getting his finger onto the fret in time!

Having said that, I find it hard to believe that it was down to chemical sloppiness, otherwise he'd have been making far worse bloopers all over the place in more difficult passages.

Who knows, maybe it sounded good to him

[Yupter]

It must be intentional, it sounds like he does it at the O2 as well.

This may be similar to the "Gm" Jimmy does at the end of Immigrant Song. Isn't Immigrant Song suppose to be in "F#m"? Which is relative to "A"? Which technically shouldn't have "Gm"?

Don't flame me if I'm very incorrect I'm still trying to increase my basic understanding of music :P, but still correct me if wrong so I can learn

[badgeholder]

Oh, that's on purpose for sure, both Page and Jones. Cuz it's cool!