Out on the Tiles
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| “Out on the Tiles” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Led Zeppelin | |||||
| Album | Led Zeppelin III | ||||
| Released | October 5, 1970 | ||||
| Recorded | May - August 1970 | ||||
| Genre | Hard rock | ||||
| Length | 4:07 | ||||
| Label | Atlantic Records | ||||
| Writer | Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham | ||||
| Producer | Jimmy Page | ||||
| Led Zeppelin III track listing | |||||
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"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. Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham would talk about going "out on the tiles," meaning to go to bars, and often sang a ditty based around the phrase. It goes "I've had a pint of bitter and now I'm feeling better and I'm out on the tiles. We're going down the rubbers and we're going to pull some scrubbers because we're out on the tiles." Guitarist Jimmy Page turned the tune into a riff and Bonham's lyrics were replaced with something a little more tame for general audiences. Bonham and Page are credited with writing the song, along with vocalist Robert Plant.
The spacey sound mix achieved on the recording of this song was a product of distance miking in the studio by Page.[1] 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 "Alright".
In Japan this track 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.
"Out on the Tiles" was played live in its entirety just a few times at Led Zeppelin concerts, most notably on September 4, 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.[1]
Jimmy Page performed this song on his tour with The Black Crowes in 1999. A version of "Out On The Tiles" performed by Page and The Black Crowes can be found on the album Live at the Greek.
The song was 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.
Blind Melon recorded a version of "Out on the Tiles" for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium.
Missouri metalcore band Coalesce recorded a version of "Out on the Tiles" for their album There is Nothing New Under the Sun, an album entirely composed of Led Zeppelin covers. Megadeth also covered this song on the Japanese release of their 2007 album United Abominations. Thrash metal band Toxik also recorded a cover of the song on their 1989 album Think This.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
[edit] Sources
- Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
- The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
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