White Summer
| "White Summer" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instrumental by the Yardbirds from the album Little Games | ||||||||||
| Released | 24 July 1967 | |||||||||
| Recorded | De Lane Lea Studios, London, 28–29 April 1967 | |||||||||
| Genre | Raga rock, instrumental rock | |||||||||
| Length | 3:56 | |||||||||
| Label | Epic (BN 26313) | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Mickie Most | |||||||||
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| "White Summer/Black Mountain Side" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instrumental by Led Zeppelin from the album Led Zeppelin Boxed Set | ||||||||||
| Released | 7 September 1990 | |||||||||
| Recorded | Playhouse Theatre, London, 27 June 1969 | |||||||||
| Genre | Raga rock, instrumental rock | |||||||||
| Length | 8:01 | |||||||||
| Label | Atlantic | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Jeff Griffin | |||||||||
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"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page, which incorporates Indian and Arabic musical influences. It was initially recorded and performed with the Yardbirds and later included in many Led Zeppelin concerts. According to biographer Keith Shadwick, it is based on an old Irish folk song, "specifically derived from 'She Moved Through the Fair' in the 1963 version by [Davy] Graham, which he in turn credited to Padraic Colum". The later Led Zeppelin song "Over the Hills and Far Away" was "spun off" from "White Summer" as well as an unreleased 20-minute instrumental recorded in early 1974 at Headley Grange.
"White Summer" was recorded 28–29 April 1967 at De Lane Lea Studios in London. Jimmy Page was the only band member to perform on the recording and was accompanied by Chris Karan on tabla and an unidentified oboe player doubling the melody line. The song combines elements of traditional Eastern as well as Western music. In a 1977 interview, Page commented, "I used a special tuning for [the song]; the low string down to D, then A, D, G, A and D. It’s like a modal tuning, a sitar tuning, in fact". He added that he called this tuning "'C.I.A.' tuning—Celtic-Indian-Arabic—because that's what it was ... D–A–D–G–A–D was something going around the folk scene during the 1960s" and was used by Davy Graham for his "She Moved Through the Fair".
"White Summer" was released on the Yardbirds' last album, Little Games. An alternate take/mix without the accompaniment was included on the 1992 Yardbirds compilation Cumular Limit. It was a staple of live Yardbird performances with Jim McCarty usually providing a drum part and appears on the albums Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page and Glimpses 1963–1968. When playing the song live with the Yardbirds, Page used a 1961 Danelectro 3021 guitar.
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