Moby Dick (instrumental)

Music journalist Steve Pilkington described "Moby Dick" as "essentially, a drum solo bookended by a token blues-rock riff." The track emerged after Led Zeppelin guitarist and producer Jimmy Page found drummer John Bonham jamming or improvising in the studio, recorded parts of his solos and pieced it all together. Studio outtakes from the Led Zeppelin II sessions reveal that the drum solo recorded was edited down from a much longer version. The guitar riff can be traced back to the BBC unused session track "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair", which was recorded in the summer of 1969. ==Personnel==

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin: • Jimmy Page – guitars • John Paul Jones – bass • John Bonham – drums, cowbell, tambourine ==Live performances==

Bonham's drum solo was often played at Led Zeppelin concerts beginning on their first North American tour in November 1968 and remained his solo performance showcase on concert tours until their last North American in 1977. When played live, Bonham's drum solo would last as little as 6 minutes or, more frequently, as long as 30 minutes, while the rest of the band would leave the stage after having played the introduction. It was subsequently included on disc two of the deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin, along with the rest of the show. The first official release of a live version was included in the film The Song Remains the Same and the soundtrack of the same name. The original album and film versions include different performances from the 3 nights performed at Madison Square Garden from 27-29 July, 1973. Other versions officially released include a filmed performance from the Royal Albert Hall from 9 January, 1970 (featured on Led Zeppelin DVD) and a performance from the LA Forum on 25 June, 1972 (featured on the live album How the West Was Won). ==See also==