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"Kashmir" is a song by the English Rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album '' Physical Graffiti ''. OVERVIEW "Kashmir" is considered to be one of Led Zeppelin's most successful songs, and all four band members agreed that this was one of their best musical achievements. John Paul Jones suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound, while Robert Plant cites it as his favorite Led Zeppelin song overall. Reportedly, this is partly due to Plant's annoyance at having to explain the lyrics of " Stairway To Heaven ". In an interview he gave to '' Rolling Stone '' magazine in 1988, Plant stated that Kashmir was "the definitive Led Zeppelin song." He also said in an audio documentary that he loved this song not only because of its intensity but also because it was so intense without being considered " Heavy Metal ", a label no one in the band liked. Plant wrote the lyrics in 1973 while driving through the Sahara Desert in Morocco , despite the fact that the song is named for Kashmir , a region in South Asia. The original title was "Driving To Kashmir." The song is centered around a signature chord progression guitar riff, which originally began as a tuning cycle which guitarist has been cited as the source for the main 3/4 riff and has an official credit as co-songwriter. Bonham's drums feature a phasing effect courtesy of an early Evantide phaser supplied by engineer Ron Nevison. Guitar World, May 2005 Plant has stated that Bonham's drumming is the key to the song: "It was what he didn't do that made it work." The song also includes many distinctive musical patterns of classical Moroccan , Indian, and Middle Eastern music. Orchestral brass and strings with electric guitar and Mellotron strings are used in the song. This is one of the few Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections. According to Jones, "The secret of successful keyboard string parts is to play only the parts that a real string section would play. That is, one line for the First Violins, one line for Second Violins, one for Violas, one for Cellos, one for Basses. Some divided parts or more notes to a line are allowed, but keep them to a minimum. Think melodically."http://www.geocities.com/jpjkeys/mellotron.html The song runs for 8:28, a length that radio stations usually consider too long to play. However, upon its release radio stations had no problem playing "Kashmir", especially after seeing " Stairway To Heaven ", which was almost as long, do so well. "Kashmir" was played live at every Led Zeppelin Concert from its debut in 1975 to their last concert in 1980. One live version, from Led Zeppelin's performance at Knebworth in 1979 , is featured on disc 2 of the '' Led Zeppelin DVD ''. OTHER VERSIONS
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