Best Led Zeppelin Outtakes

Photo: p_a_h from United Kingdom / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Led Zeppelin was not a band that recorded a great deal of material that they left unreleased. There are multiple reasons for this. First and foremost was the simple fact that they did not have a long recording career due to the tragic passing of John Bonham in 1980. Led Zeppelin released their first studio album in 1969 entitled Led Zeppelin and their last in 1979 entitled In Through The Out Door. Over that ten-year period, the band released eight studio albums along with the live soundtrack album The Song Remains the Same. Nine freaking magical albums that defined the career of the greatest rock band of all time.

One of the other reasons Led Zeppelin did not leave behind a lot of unreleased material, according to Jimmy Page, is that they put most of the stuff they recorded for each album onto the albums. The band released almost an album a year and did some major touring, so they did not have a lot of time to spend on each album. There were also many other personal issues, like any band or artist or human being has, that we will not get into here and that did, however, seem to affect their output.

Led Zeppelin was not a singles band. They only released eleven singles during their ten-year run. Only one of them made it to the U.S. Billboard Top 10. But who cares. Led Zeppelin was an album band. It was all about their complete albums. It was about their live shows, it was about every great song on every brilliant album they released. Nonetheless, when a band does not release that many singles, there’s less of a chance for unreleased B-sides to make it onto those singles. In Led Zeppelin’s case, it only happened once. Their only unreleased non-album B-side was the great track “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do,” which was the B-side to the “Immigrant Song” single released in 1970.

During their initial run, the band released no greatest hits albums, no compilation albums and only one live album, which the band always argued was a soundtrack album and not an official live album. Even after the band stopped recording, Atlantic Records was very slow at releasing any sort of compilation. The Coda outtakes album was released in 1982 after the passing of John Bonham, but that was about it. Most Led Zeppelin fans were not initially happy with Coda when it was released. The 1980s saw the entire Led Zeppelin catalog released on very poor-sounding CDs.

It was not until the 1990s, when Atlantic Records started to release Led Zeppelin compilation sets, that we began to hear more Led Zeppelin outtakes. Most of the releases were remastered catalog albums that sounded a little better than the 1980s masters. There were a few box sets and various compilations. Once again, there was not much unreleased stuff issued, with just a few exceptions. It was not until 1997 and the release of the BBC Sessions that Led Zeppelin fans were presented with some really nice unreleased material.

The next series of great Led Zeppelin releases that contained the most unreleased Led Zeppelin material ever issued occurred when Jimmy Page once again remastered the entire catalog in the 2010s. This time, Atlantic Records released each studio album with companion audio containing unreleased tracks, rough mixes, alternate mixes, and other variations of songs. Even the 1997 BBC Sessions two-CD set was expanded in 2016 with an extra disc of unreleased BBC recordings. These reissues contained a vast amount of unreleased material. The two that stood out the most were Led Zeppelin, which contained a live 1969 Paris concert on the companion disc, and the new version of Coda, which contained the largest amount of unreleased material. That made sense because Coda was originally an outtakes album.

This Best Led Zeppelin Outtakes list takes a look at the best Led Zeppelin outtakes, both studio and live, that were ever officially released and were not included on the original versions of Led Zeppelin’s vinyl catalog. It doesn’t matter when they were recorded or released as long as they were not included on those original albums. Some of these tracks have appeared on multiple Led Zeppelin releases. These Led Zeppelin outtakes have all been officially released.

# 12 – Jennings Farm Blues

Led Zeppelin III (Deluxe Edition) [2014 Remaster]

We open up this Led Zeppelin Outtakes list with the classic outtake “Jennings Farm Blues.” This one was pretty popular among Led Zeppelin fans, so we couldn’t leave it off. The rough mix was officially released on the 2014 deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin III. Jimmy Page’s instrumental is an early forerunner of “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp.” It is exactly the kind of track that made those companion discs so much fun for longtime Zeppelin fans.

# 11 – The Ocean (Live)

We continue this Led Zeppelin Outtakes list with a live version of “The Ocean.” The performance comes from the band’s July 1973 Madison Square Garden concerts recorded for The Song Remains The Same. It was not included on the original 1976 soundtrack album. The track was officially added to the expanded 2007 soundtrack release and remained part of the later remastered edition. It’s a great example of the material that finally surfaced when the band opened the vaults a little wider.

# 10 – Key to the Highway / Trouble in Mind (Rough Mix)

This very cool track was officially released on the 2014 deluxe edition companion disc of Led Zeppelin III. Jimmy Page lays down that very cool-sounding guitar while Robert Plant jams away on harp. The performance is loose, raw, and completely different from the polished sound of the finished album. It gives you a great little look into the blues roots that were always underneath Led Zeppelin’s music. This sounds like it was recorded in 1929.

# 9 – 10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod) (Reference Mix)

The track “10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod),” was released as a reference mix on the 2015 deluxe edition companion disc of Led Zeppelin’s Presence album. This one is built heavily around John Paul Jones’s piano playing. There are no vocals, which makes it stand apart from almost everything else associated with the album. It feels more like the band working through an idea than trying to deliver a finished Led Zeppelin song. A very interesting piece of music.

# 8 – White Summer / Black Mountain Side (Live in Paris, 1969)

Led Zeppelin’s great debut album Led Zeppelin was reissued in 2014 with companion audio from the band’s October 1969 concert at the Olympia in Paris, France. The live recording of “White Summer / Black Mountain Side” came from that show. This is essentially a long live Jimmy Page guitar showcase that runs close to ten minutes. He gave the boys in the band a nice break during this one, just like Bonham would do later on in the set. Oh, the ’70s concert experience!

# 7 – Baby Come On Home

The great reissue of Led Zeppelin’s outtakes album Coda had some really good stuff on the 2015 issue. “Baby Come On Home” had first been officially issued in 1993 and later found a perfect home on the expanded Coda. The recording dates all the way back to the sessions for Led Zeppelin’s debut album. It sounded fantastic on the 2015 Coda remaster. This is fantastic! Robert Plant rocks this!

# 6 – The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair

First released on the 1997 BBC Sessions two-CD set, “The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair” came from a 1969 BBC session. This one blew us all away. Jimmy Page starts it off with a variation on one of his most famous guitar riffs of all time. Do not miss listening to this one. Once again, Robert Plant’s vocals will knock you out.

# 5 – Rock and Roll (Sunset Sound Mix)

This fantastic mix of “Rock and Roll” was issued as part of Led Zeppelin’s 2018 Record Store Day special release. The limited-edition single paired the previously unheard Sunset Sound Mix of “Rock and Roll” with an Olympic Studios Mix of “Friends.” It’s cool to hear different mixes of songs that we have been listening to our entire lives. You know every turn in the original recording, and then a different mix suddenly makes you hear little things in a new way. That’s what makes releases like this so much fun.

# 4 – Sugar Mama (Mix)

Led Zeppelin’s recording of “Sugar Mama” is one of our favorite rare Led Zeppelin gems. Recorded during the sessions for the band’s first album, it remained unreleased for decades. The “Sugar Mama (Mix)” version was finally issued on the 2015 deluxe edition of Coda. This was one of the strongest tracks released on that expanded set. After waiting that long to hear it officially, it did not disappoint.

# 3 – Sunshine Woman

Robert Plant is amazing on this great track that was heavily bootlegged over the years. “Sunshine Woman” was recorded during a 1969 BBC session and finally received an official release on 2016’s The Complete BBC Sessions. Jimmy Page described the song as something the band basically made up on the spot. How could you not love this one! It’s pure rocking blues, Led Zeppelin style! It may not be the best sound quality, but the performance is killer.

# 2 – Travelling Riverside Blues

As we get close to the end of this Led Zeppelin outtakes list, we turn to two pretty big ones that have been around for a while. “Travelling Riverside Blues” is one of the best-known Led Zeppelin rarities ever officially released. The band recorded it for the BBC in 1969, and it first appeared officially on the 1990 Led Zeppelin box set. It later appeared on the 1997 BBC Sessions release and again on the expanded 2015 Coda. The version here remains one of the great examples of Led Zeppelin taking the blues and making it completely their own.

# 1 – Hey, Hey, What Can I Do

There was never any doubt that this great Led Zeppelin song released as a B-side in 1970 would stand in the number one position on our best Led Zeppelin outtakes list. “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do” was the non-album B-side of “Immigrant Song,” which made it a very special piece of vinyl for Zeppelin fans. I still remember the day I bought this single in the 1970s and flipped it over and heard this great song. There was no album to go buy to get it back then; you had to have the single. Moments like that you never forget.