| "No Quarter" | |
|---|---|
| Song byLed Zeppelin | |
| from the albumHouses of the Holy | |
| Released | 28 March 1973 (1973-03-28) |
| Recorded | 1971–72 |
| Studio | Island, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 7:03 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Jimmy Page |
| Audio sample | |
"No Quarter" is a song by Englishrock bandLed Zeppelin that appears on their 1973 albumHouses of the Holy. It was written byJohn Paul Jones,Jimmy Page, andRobert Plant. The song became a centerpiece at all Led Zeppelin concerts thereafter, until their final tour. It appears in boththe film versions and bothlive album versions ofThe Song Remains the Same, released in 1976 and expanded in 2007. It appeared once more in 1994 on Page and Plant'sreunion album as the title track. It also appears on Led Zeppelin's 2012 live albumCelebration Day, which documented their 2007 reunion performance at the O2 Arena in London. It was re-released on thedeluxe edition ofHouses of the Holy.
Although an early version was recorded at theLed Zeppelin IV album sessions,[4] "No Quarter" was recorded (the basic tracks at least) in December 1971 atIsland Studios, London.[5]Andy Johns engineered the track and mixed it atOlympic Studios, London. The version that made it onto the album evolved out of a faster version Led Zeppelin had recorded earlier atHeadley Grange, an old mansion in eastHampshire, England.[6]Jimmy Page appliedvari-speed to drop the whole song asemi-tone, to give it a thicker and more intense mood.[7] In addition to the pitch change, the album version featured a very highly compressed guitar track, giving it a tone unique to Led Zeppelin. The guitar solo effect was achieved bydirect injection andcompression.[6]
The title is derived from themilitary practice of showing no mercy to a vanquished opponent and from the brave act of not asking for mercy when vanquished. This theme is captured in several of the song's lyrics. Like "Immigrant Song" two albums prior, it evokes imagery from theVikings andNorse mythology, with lyrics such as “the winds ofThor are blowing cold.”
Record producerRick Rubin remarked on the song's structure, "It takes such confidence to be able to get really quiet and loose for such a long time. [Led] Zeppelin completely changed how we look at what popular music can be."[8]
From 1973, "No Quarter" became a centerpiece atLed Zeppelin concerts, being played at virtually every show the band performed until 1980 (it was eventually discarded on their finaltour "Over Europe" in that year).[6]
During live performances,John Paul Jones frequentlyimprovised on keyboards and performed parts ofclassical music. On the band'sninth North American tour in 1973, performances of the song lasted twice the length of the studio version. On Led Zeppelin's concert tours from 1975 onward, Jones would also play a short piano solo (on aSteinway B-211 grand piano) frequently turning the seven-minute song into a performance exceeding twenty and sometimes even thirty to thirty-five minutes, in a handful of cases.[9] Page andJohn Bonham would always join him later in the song. He was particularly fond of playingRachmaninoff pieces, but sometimes includedJoaquín Rodrigo'sConcierto de Aranjuez and "Amazing Grace" as part of an extended medley.[10]
The American rock bandTool recorded a 12-minute version of "No Quarter" in 1996 during theÆnima recording sessions. This track was requested forHoward Stern'sPrivate Parts film in 1997. Tool did not agree to the request. The cover was included in Tool's 2000 box set,Salival.[11]
In a contemporary review forHouses of the Holy, Gordon Fletcher,[12] ofRolling Stone (1973-1978), gave "No Quarter" a negative review, describing the track, along with "The Rain Song", as "nothing more than drawn-out vehicles for the further display of Jones' unknowledgeable use ofmellotron and synthesizer."[13]
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[14]
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