Coda Led Zeppelin Cover Art
It's no secret that Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham is one of the most-sampled players in the history of hip-hop. His thunderous introduction on "When The Levee Breaks" has served as the sonic spine to dozens of tracks, including The Beastie Boys' "Rhymin and Stealin" Dr. Dre's "Lyrical Gangbang" and Massive Attack's "Man Next Door." Known for his tireless bombast and towering kick drums, Bonham's playing is but one of the many qualities that has gone on to make Led Zeppelin so crucial, even to this day. Their music contains multitudes; their mythos is unparalleled.
Today, the Led Zeppelin catalog got a little bit richer thanks to the online debut of "Sugar Mama," a driving blues rock track left on the cutting room floor following the release Coda, the group's final LP. Charging straight in step to the strum of Jimmy Page's guitar work, the track opens up at around the 1:20 mark into an ABSOLUTELY PERFECT 4-BAR BREAK OF OPEN DRUMS. For those sweet four bars Bonham takes complete control, shuffling a kick and snare beat that is sure to become a gift-wrapped sample for producers looking for some on-message vintage material.
"Sugar Mama," was premiered earlier today by Rolling Stone, who noted that the track was recorded at London's Olympic Studio in 1968 and was originally slated for Led Zeppelin's debut record before it was shelved--for almost 50 years. Bootlegs have reportedly circulated, but its first official release will come with the deluxe edition release of Coda on July 31st. "Sugar Mama" (and its luscious four bar drum break) will be included on a bonus disk in that package and will sit amongst other unreleased studio cuts from Zeppelin including "St. Tristan's Sword"; "Baby Come Home" and--appropriately--an alternate take of "When the Levee Breaks." Listen to "Sugar Mama" below and get your dirty little sample fingers on those open Bonham drums at 1:20.
[iframe https://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4268433347001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAyiIY-k~,nwbxG65xosVHtD3_sSyUyyiuCuuSeWax&bctid=4268310684001&width=611&height=344&autoStart=false]
