вЂњThatвЂ™s definitely one of them.вЂќ When asked what the greatest Zeppelin riff is, Page has often answered by citing this song. вЂњThere have been several milestones along the way,вЂќ he told Trouser Press in 1977. That, All My Love and In the Light and two or three others really were the finest moments. In the liner notes to The Complete Studio Recordings box set (1993), Robert Plant said: вЂњItвЂ™s one of my favourites. It sounded so frightening at firstвЂ¦вЂќДЄll band members agreed this was one of their best musical achievements. He played the rhythm on drums, and I found the riff as well as the overdubs which were thereafter duplicated by an orchestra, to bring more life to the track. At the beginning, there was only Bonzo and me in Headley Grange. Jimmy Page: вЂњThe intensity of Kashmir was such that when we had it completed, we knew there was something really hypnotic to it, we couldnвЂ™t even describe such a quality. It was almost the antithesis of the music, this lyric and this vocal delivery that was just about enough to get in there.вЂќ Speaking with Dan Rather in 2018, Robert Plant said: вЂњIt was a great achievement to take such a monstrously dramatic musical piece and find a lyric that was ambiguous enough, and a delivery that was not over-pumped. But the orchestra needed to sit there, reflecting those other parts, doing what the guitars were but with the colours of a symphony.вЂќ All of the guitar parts would be on there. Jimmy Page told Rolling Stone in 2012: вЂњI knew that this wasnвЂ™t just something guitar-based. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections. This is one of the few Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Jonesy put it all together and the final result was exactly what was needed. So Richard was sent to Southall in London to find a Pakistanese orchestra. We were in Paris, we had Atlantic listen to it, and we all thought it really sounded like a dirge. WhatвЂ™s funny is that after a first recording of the song, we found it sounded a bit like a dirge. ZeppelinвЂ™s manager Peter Grant said: вЂњI remember Bonzo having me listen to the demo of Kashmir with only him and Jimmy. The song went through a few incarnations before it found its final form. The song is very much a collection of thoughts on a car journey, to the point that the original title was Driving To Kashmir. We were just the same as the other hippies really.вЂќ Plant told Mojo magazine in September 2010: вЂњ Kashmir came from a trip Jimmy and me made down the Moroccan Atlantic coast, from Agadir down to Sidi Ifni. They were also born in 1973, while Page and Plant were driving through the Sahara Desert region on the way to the National Festival of folklore in south Morocco. However, Plant was nowhere near Kashmir when he wrote the lyrics. The area is also famous for growing poppies, from which heroin is made. The fabric Cashmere is made from the hair of goats from the region. India and Pakistan have disputed control of the area for years. Kashmir, also known as Cashmere, is a lush mountain region North of Pakistan. Plant later added lyrics and a middle section. Page expanded the stark riffs with brass and strings. When I heard the playback of just myself and drums, I knew this was truly innovative. вЂњI visualised this piece as being mighty, orchestral, even threatening. вЂњI overdubbed the electric 12-string to what was later the brass parts,вЂќ Page said. They got the idea down on tape, and the song was very immediate. Vocalist Robert Plant has said that BonhamвЂ™s drumming is the key to the song: вЂњIt was what he didnвЂ™t do that made it work.вЂќ The drummerвЂ™s contribution was so crucial that he wound up with a co-writing credit. Page and Bonham built off the vast reverberations of the drum sound captured in the Headley Grange hallway. It was so infectious, such a delight and just so us.вЂќ I started playing the riff with John Bonham and we just locked in and played it nonstop. In the book Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page recounted вЂњI had a particular idea for a mantric riff with cascading overdubs. Bonham had come up with a very good rhythm pattern, and Page had a riff that got its shape when he played along to it. One day, John Paul Jones was late, and Page started jamming with drummer John Bonham. The band had recording sessions booked at Hadley Grange in 1973. Included on their sixth album Physical Graffiti (1975), it was written over several years with its origins dating back to 1973. Kashmir is a cornerstone song in Led ZeppelinвЂ™s catalogue.

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