Did Najma Akhtar forget the words when she recorded The Battle of Evermore with P&P?

[Mike2519]

Don’t get me wrong I by no means want to come off as though I'm having a go at her or anything because she does have a fantastic voice and from a purely vocal point of view she's great on that track. But having said that it does kind of spoil the song for me that she only really sings half the lyrics Sandy Denny did; and for the life of me I can't see why unless she either forgot the words or those sustained notes are just a feature of the particular style of singing they were going for. Personally, and imvho, I think it hampers the natural flow of the song which is a shame.

[SteveAJones]

Don't get me wrong I by no means want to come off as though I'm having a go at her or anything because she does have a fantastic voice and from a purely vocal point of view she's great on that track. But having said that it does kind of spoil the song for me that she only really sings half the lyrics Sandy Denny did; and for the life of me I can't see why unless she either forgot the words or those sustained notes are just a feature of the particular style of singing they were going for. Personally, and imvho, I think it hampers the natural flow of the song which is a shame.

She simply sung the song in a different style. If she had forgotten lyrics or made a mistake they would have reattempted it, as they did for a couple other songs across

both nights of filming (Aug 25-26 1994).

[Mike2519]

She simply sung the song in a different style. If she had forgotten lyrics or made a mistake they would have reattempted it, as they did for a couple other songs across

both nights of filming (Aug 25-26 1994).

That's what I thought. A real shame imho, I think that's the difference between a good version or a great version. Feels like the song's stopping and starting to me.

Thanks for the info.

[Evster2012]

I agree. She was just free-form flowing. And personally, I don't think the performance suffers for it. For me it took it from the Welsh border wars to Egypt, and in so doing expanded it over a cultural scope it never commanded before. But then again. I love the Arabic/Egyptian colors to the music. It's like it was always there, just beneath the surface, and they brought it up front with Unledded.

Better than Jonesy singing Denny's parts in '77!

Sorry Jonesy.

[Reggie29]

This is not a criticism, but that song was Sandy's.

Half of the female vocal was missing, so what was the point of doing a duet if the lyrics were going to be ignored?

I would have preferred Najma singing the actual lyrics "Dance in the dark of night...." and "throw down your plough and hoe... etc" in the Egyptian wailing style, rather than just aah aah, which sounded like Middle Eastern yodelling and at first seemed a little out of place.

It would have been great had she and Robert combined the old and new at the "bring it back" part of the song as they almost did towards the end.

Having said that Najma has a beautiful voice and in spite of everything I have always liked and enjoyed her rendition.

[Evster2012]

Hey Reg, I'm not disagreeing with you. It's just that seeing Robert's exploration unfold, one has to ask whether we can appreciate new interpretations. I never took your remarks as negative to Najma. A similar statement could be made regarding the Egyptian orchestra's interpretation of Black Dog, especially the outro. It went someplace different and I found it refreshing and exciting. Regardless, the thread asks the question "Did she forget the words?". I think not. I think they all thought it thrilling and new, infusing the song with new life, and I don't think it's any disrespect to Sandy Denny. Again, that's just my take. Cheers!

[Reggie29]

Hey Reg, I'm not disagreeing with you. It's just that seeing Robert's exploration unfold, one has to ask whether we can appreciate new interpretations. I never took your remarks as negative to Najma. A similar statement could be made regarding the Egyptian orchestra's interpretation of Black Dog, especially the outro. It went someplace different and I found it refreshing and exciting. Regardless, the thread asks the question "Did she forget the words?". I think not. I think they all thought it thrilling and new, infusing the song with new life, and I don't think it's any disrespect to Sandy Denny. Again, that's just my take. Cheers!

Hey Ev,

The answer to the original question is no, she did not forget the lyrics just substituted them.

I'm glad you picked up on what I was on about, the subtleties between criticism and comparisons of interpretations.

I loved the Eastern influences of Unledded, hey they have always been there from the beginning with Black Mountainside, Friends and of course Kashmir et al.

Some people just didn't get it or merely dismissed the whole project as a whimsical experiment.

Most of us here would agree that it is part of the magic of P & P and their not being afraid to play outside the square.

They wrote them so they can play them any way they like and you either like it or you don't.

One thing they are never boring!

They were magnificent live even though some have said they played poorly prior to Oz(perhaps that's the downside of being present at the beginning when things are still clicking into place or at the end of a tour when everyone is tired and jaded as opposed to the middle when the band is smoking), I beg to differ.

Unfortunately Najma didn't accompany them.

I'm sure Sandy would have liked the version too if she had been around to hear / see it.

As you said mate, just my take on it.

[Evster2012]

Cheers Reg!

Nice to know blokes can still share opinions without getting fragged mate!

Yeah, Black Mountain Side, Friends...it was always there. Jimmy made the most of his early travels to the east, and really broadened Zeppelin's pallatte. Likewise Jonesy's orchestral abilities, Plant's rooting out the blue notes, and Bonzo's funk undertones. People quote Jimmy about astrology and how two Capricorns, a Gemini and a Leo made a good set, but let's face it, if Bonzo were an Aries, I doubt Jimmy would've said "Thanks for your time, but we'll have to pass. It just isn't in the stars'. That shit cracks me up!

[Reggie29]

Cheers Reg!

Nice to know blokes can still share opinions without getting fragged mate!

Yeah, Black Mountain Side, Friends...it was always there. Jimmy made the most of his early travels to the east, and really broadened Zeppelin's pallatte. Likewise Jonesy's orchestral abilities, Plant's rooting out the blue notes, and Bonzo's funk undertones. People quote Jimmy about astrology and how two Capricorns, a Gemini and a Leo made a good set, but let's face it, if Bonzo were an Aries, I doubt Jimmy would've said "Thanks for your time, but we'll have to pass. It just isn't in the stars'. That shit cracks me up!

G'day Ev,

Sharing and accepting others opinions is the pathway to knowledge and understanding.

I find it intriguing how the perception of Jimmy's obvious curiosity with astrology and the "occult?", has perpetuated the myths and legend that is Led Zeppelin.

I was watching a game show on TV the other night and one of the contestants was into astrology.

She came out and said she believed it was written in the stars and with all the positive cosmic energy around, that she would win.

She lost, didn't see that coming!

Do you know if Sandy Denny ever performed with them and for that matter Ian Stuart?

Cheers.

[Evster2012]

I don't know of any shows with Denny or Stewart. Perhaps the odd jam in a pub, or at someone else's gig where one or more Zeps might have dropped by, but not to my knowledge at an actual Zeppelin concert.

As for Jimmy, the occult, and the Led Zeppelin myth, that's another thread

And one I'm always game to indulge in!

[moonson]

Slightly off topic here, sorry, but Najma Akthar has got nothing much to do with Egytian music,

she is from south Asian descent and has some background in Indian classical singing.

Of course, Indian culture was not new for Robert Plant, even before the Bombay 72 recordings he had been married longtime to Maureen who happens to be British Asian, too.

[ninelives]

Slightly off topic here, sorry, but Najma Akthar has got nothing much to do with Egytian music,

she is from south Asian descent and has some background in Indian classical singing.

Of course, Indian culture was not new for Robert Plant, even before the Bombay 72 recordings he had been married longtime to Maureen who happens to be British Asian, too.

The Unledded project encorporated many styles of music and wasn't all about Egyptian music. You had Celtic, North African, Indian etc. so Najma's presence in my opinion, fit well.

[moonson]

The Unledded project encorporated many styles of music and wasn't all about Egyptian music. You had Celtic, North African, Indian etc. so Najma's presence in my opinion, fit well.

Agreed, i just wanted to make sure that the music lovers of this site may be able to distinguish between different musical cultures.

Egyptian music, as in, for instance, belly dancing style is not Indian music as, for example, Raga.

West African Gnawa trance is not Celtic folk.

Blues from Alabama is not British psychedelic rock.

Great to see people mixing up all the styles tho:)