Led Zeppelin Announce 7" Featuring Previously Unreleased Versions of "Rock And Roll" and "Friends"
In celebration of their 50th anniversary, Led Zeppelin have announced a limited edition 7" featuring previously unreleased versions of "Rock And Roll" and "Friends."
The 7"—which, as a Record Store Day exclusive, will only be available on April 21 at independent music retailers—was produced by Jimmy Page himself and pressed on yellow vinyl. It features two previously unheard studio mixes, handpicked by Page himself; the "Sunset Sound Mix" of "Rock And Roll" b/w the "Olympic Studios Mix" of "Friends."
The previously unreleased version of "Rock And Roll" provides an additional peek into the fabled "Sunset Sound Mixes" of Led Zeppelin IV. Only two previous "Sunset Sound Mixes" have been released, the first being the version of "When The Levee Breaks" on the original album and the second being the "Stairway To Heaven" mix that debuted on the 2014 deluxe edition. The previously unheard "Olympic Studios Mix" of "Friends" is a stripped-down version, without the orchestration of the final mix.
The 7" follows the news that the band's 2003 live album, How the West Was Won, would be getting the remaster/super deluxe box set treatment. The album was recorded during the band's performances at the Forum in Los Angeles and the Long Beach Arena on June 25 and 27, 1972. The remaster will be available March 23 via Atlantic/Swan Song. You can preorder it here.
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Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
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