The Song Remains The Same - The Film

Led Zeppelin’s first and only feature film, The Song Remains the Same, was part “rockumentary” and part fantasy. The band’s own label, Swan Song, released it in October 1976. A remastered version would be released over three decades later, in 2007.

The film has been widely criticized over the years for its poor continuity, jumpy cuts and scrambled set list. Jimmy Page himself was dissatisfied with the final result. He felt the taped concerts were not representative of Zeppelin’s best performances.

Nevertheless, there had been precious little footage of the band in concert. Hungry fans devoured this offering. It was a box-office smash, soon achieving cult status. Besides, the group had committed to an album. The film’s soundtrack was it.

TSRTS captured Led Zeppelin at a high point of the band’s career – after the phenomenal and heady success of Physical Graffiti and extensive touring in 1975. They were cocky, confident. They commanded large audiences and gate receipts.

To help promote the film, the TSRTS soundtrack was released one month before, in September 1976.

Led Zeppelin’s Earliest Videos

As I mentioned, there wasn’t much video coverage of Led Zeppelin prior to The Song Remains the Same. The group had appeared on Danish television on March 17, 1969 and on the British programme Supershow on March 25, 1969.

Peter Grant had arranged for professional filming of a 1970 gig at the Royal Albert Hall, London and some concert footage from Zeppelin’s U.S. and Canadian Tour (Spring 1970), trips to Iceland in June ’70 and Japan in ’71.

Grant had had an hour-long TV special in mind at the time, but nothing materialized. In 1973, Joe Massot approached him about making a film. Grant turned him down in favour of a “big name” director but later relented.

In July 1973, the band was in Boston. Grant called Massot and filming began three days later in Baltimore. Massot asked the band members to wear the same clothing every night for editorial continuity. All but John Paul Jones did!

The Director Doesn’t Remain The Same…

Confidence in Massot’s work on The Song Remains the Same started to wane. In three nights of filming at New York’s Madison Square Garden (July 27-29), his crew was unable to capture a complete version of Whole Lotta Love.

Massot and crew were let go and replaced by Peter Clifton. Dazed and Confused and Whole Lotta Love were among the songs whose concert footage had to be spliced together for the film.

There were several songs in the final film that weren’t on the soundtrack and the running order ran amok. For fans and critics alike, these would be the major flaws of TSRTS – both the film AND the soundtrack.

Still, for people who weren’t able to see Led Zeppelin perform live in concert, this first and only film was the next best thing to being there!

photo credits

In Their Dreams

The Song Remains the Same features five fantasy sequences. Only the first has no music behind it. Gangsters Peter Grant and Richard Cole (Zeppelin’s tour manager) machine-gun down other tough guys. Highly indicative of their “brook no crap” real-life attitude!

Each of Led Zeppelin’s four musicians starts his sequence at home, where word is received that a tour is coming up. Each fantasy concludes on the concert stage.

With the title track and The Rain Song as his background music, knight errant Robert Plant embarks on medieval Arthurian adventures, complete with damsel, sword fight and magic mushrooms.

On the shores of Loch Ness near Page’s home, he’s playing a Victrola with his back to the audience. At this point, savvy moviegoers usually yell out Rocky Horror Picture Show-style: “Show us your eyes, Jimmy! Show us your eyes!”.

He turns, his eyes blazing fiery red orbs. Then he starts scaling a mountain. Dazed and Confused is perfect for his eerily terrifying climb.

As he nears the summit, an old man in robes (possibly The Hermit?) extends…what? A hand? A violin bow? A sword? Suddenly a lightning bolt strikes him, rapidly turning him ancient then into a foetus.

The Final Fantasies

For his The Song Remains the Same fantasy, John Paul Jones is first a family man then a masked horseman, terrorizing people as he rides. He ends up in a cemetery then goes home to his wife and daughters. All against No Quarter.

Against the music of Moby Dick, Bonzo’s fantasy is the closest to reality. He’s shown doing the things he loved to do: play drums with son Jason, walk with wife Pat, ride his motorcycle, play snooker and drag race.

The penultimate piece, Whole Lotta Love, plays as the band is shown boarding a plane for England and home. TSRTS concludes with the studio version of Stairway to Heaven from the band’s untitled fourth album.

Jimmy Page and engineer Kevin Shirley remastered both the soundtrack (2 CDs) and the film (2 DVDs). They were released on November 20, 2007. The complete Madison Square Garden set and the proper running order were restored.

In Sonic Boom, I interviewed the late Philip Elwood. He was a revered music critic for the San Francisco Examiner and he was there when Led Zeppelin performed for the first time at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West. Mr. Elwood was among those who attended the premiere of The Song Remains the Same.