Jimmy Page picking a classical studio to record “Whole Lotta Love” was the first of several wise decisions he made making the Led Zeppelin song ‘Whole Lotta Love.’
Led Zeppelin’s music was always about the sound Jimmy Page had in his head. He was the driving force behind the band’s music. The guitarist always pushed to make his vision a reality, such as when he had to scream at the recording engineer to put backward echo on “You Shook Me.” Page fought for and got his way when he recorded the signature Zeppelin song “Whole Lotta Love” in a studio meant for classical recordings.
Why Jimmy Page recorded the Led Zeppelin song ‘Whole Lotta Love’ in a classical music studio
“Stairway to Heaven” is the most-streamed Led Zeppelin song. Page and singer Robert Plant professed their love for “Kashmir” as the band’s signature tune. You’d have to include “Whole Lotta Love,” the lead track from Led Zeppelin II, in the mix with those epics.
The hard-driving riff, Plant’s libidinous lyrics, and the tight and forceful rhythm groove made “Whole Lotta Love” a seedier and more lustful response to the last gasp of peace and love that came at Woodstock a few months before Led Zeppelin II hit shelves in October 1969.
Properly capturing John Bonham’s drums was essential to “Whole Lotta Love.” That’s why Page pushed to record them in a massive studio meant for housing orchestras recording classical music. He needed the extra space of the larger studio so engineer George Chkiantz could properly mic Bonham’s kit (via Anatomy of Song):
“There were two studios at Olympic — one large and one small. Management installed our 16-track recorder in the small one with hopes of luring rock bands in there and away from the larger 60-by-40-foot space with 28-foot ceilings, where we recorded mostly classical works and film scores. But Jimmy chose the larger one, even though it had only an eight-track recorder. He wanted the extra space so the drums could be miked properly for stereo.” George Chkiantz
Chkiantz made the most of the extra space. The engineer placed a stereo mic on a boom several feet above the kit. He also placed two microphones far off to each side and one a few feet in front of Bonham’s bass drum. Chkiantz also made Bonham higher than the rest of the band — he placed the drummer’s kit on a riser that lifted him above the wooden floor and limited any unwanted rumble.
Bonham’s drum sound on “Whole Lotta Love,” particularly the crystal-clear cymbal crashes during the psychedelic breakdown, could only have happened with Page pushing to record in the classical music studio. The wiggle room allowed Chkiantz to record Bonzo’s playing in a way that translated to a mind-blowing stereo experience.
Page’s devotion to the signature Led Zeppelin song didn’t stop with his studio choice
Page recording “Whole Lotta Love” in a classical music studio wasn’t his only impactful decision while making the song.
The theremin he played on the song’s psychedelic midsection gave it an eerie edginess that would have been almost impossible to replicate with the primitive guitar effects Page used on the first five Led Zeppelin albums. Keyboard player John Paul Jones might have been able to work his magic, but even the expert multi-instrumentalist wouldn’t have been able to replicate that biting sound Page achieved with the theremin.
Page’s work behind the scenes on the console during the freakout was just as crucial. He manually panned the stereo effects left and right using the faders. As the producer, he also played a key role piecing together each of the musical tracks. Even the mistakes became sonic miracles. Plant’s vocal bleed near the end of the song wasn’t supposed to be there, but the ghostly echoing vocals work perfectly.
Jimmy Page picking a classical studio to record “Whole Lotta Love” was the first of several wise decisions he made. The guitarist also put in a lot of work to make the sonic breakdown a memorable sonic experience. Put it all together, and you get a song that makes the shortlist to be Led Zeppelin’s signature song.
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