"The Crunge" | ||||
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![]() German single picture sleeve | ||||
Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||
from the album Houses of the Holy | ||||
A-side | "D'yer Mak'er" | |||
Released | 17 September 1973 | (US)|||
Recorded | 1972 | |||
Studio | Headley Grange, Headley, England | |||
Genre | Funk rock | |||
Length | 3:10 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||
Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
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"The Crunge" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. The song is a takeoff on James Brown's style of funk similar to the group's attempt at reggae with "D'yer Mak'er".[1] It was also released as the B-side of "D'yer Mak'er" in the US.
Composition and recording
The song evolved out of a jam session in the studio. John Bonham started the beat, John Paul Jones came in on bass, Jimmy Page played a funk guitar riff (and a chord sequence that he had been experimenting with since 1970), and Robert Plant started singing.[2][1] For the recording, Page played a Fender Stratocaster guitar and it is possible to hear him depressing a whammy bar at the end of each phrase.[2]
The song is primarily in 9/8, giving its distinctive, off-kilter rhythm.
Reception
In a contemporary review for Houses of the Holy, Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone gave "The Crunge" a negative review, calling it a "naked imitation", along with "D'yer Mak'er", as well as "easily" one of the worst things the band has ever attempted.[3]
Fletcher added, "[It] reproduces James Brown so faithfully that it's every bit as boring, repetitive and clichéd as 'Good Foot'. Yakety-yak guitar, boom-boom bass, astoundingly idiotic lyrics ('when she walks, she walks, and when she talks, she talks') — it's all there. So is Jones' synthesizer, spinning absolutely superfluous electronic fills."[3]
See also
- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs – "The Crunge" entries
References
- ^ a b Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ^ a b "Jimmy Page Interview with Guitar World". Guitar World. May 1993. Retrieved 16 June 2021 – via Classicrockreview.
- ^ a b Fletcher, Gordon (7 June 1973). "Houses of the Holy". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 14 August 2017.