Traveling Riverside Blues

Song infobox
Name = Travelling Riverside Blues
Artist = Robert Johnson
Released =
Recorded =Dallas, Texas June 20, 1937
Genre = Blues
Length = 2:50
Label = Vocalion
Writer = Robert Johnson
Producer = Don LawInfobox Single
Name = Travelling Riverside Blues


Artist = Led Zeppelin
from Album = Led Zeppelin
Released = October 8, 1990
Format = CD single: US, Japan, Europe, Australia
Recorded = June 24, 1969. Maida Vale studio 4, London
Genre = Blues rock, hard rock
Length = Album Version: 5:12
Single: 5:09
Label = Atlantic Records
Writer = Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Robert Johnson
Producer = Jimmy Page
Video director = Dick Carruthers
Certification = Gold
Last single = "Fool in the Rain" / "Hot Dog"
(1979)
This single = "Travelling Riverside Blues"
(1990)
Next single = "Over the Hills and Far Away"
(1991)
Misc = "Travelling Riverside Blues" is a blues song written and recorded in Dallas, Texas by legendary bluesman Robert Johnson. Johnson's June 20, 1937 recording has a typical 12 bar blues structure, played on a single guitar tuned to open G, with a slide. It was first released on the 1961 compilation LP "King of the Delta Blues Singers". The song has proved popular with more recent blues musicians.

Versions

A verse was incorporated into Cream's "Crossroads", their 1968 version of Johnson's "Cross Road Blues".

English rock band Led Zeppelin's version of this song was recorded at the BBC studios on June 24, 1969, which took place during the band's U.K. Tour of Summer 1969. Jimmy Page dubbed extra guitar tracks onto the track, and it was broadcast four days later on John Peel's "Top Gear" show under the title "Travelling Riverside Blues '69".Dave Lewis (1994), "The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin", Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.] It is quite different from the original, and it is more a tribute to Robert Johnson than a straight cover. The song showcases a riff by Page (also in open G tuning), and in the lyrics Robert Plant quotes many Robert Johnson songs, such as "She studies evil all the time", from "Kind Hearted Woman Blues", and "Why don't you come on in my kitchen", from "Come on in My Kitchen" (which is heard during the song's solo). Conversely, parts of Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues" are used as lyrics in Led Zeppelin's "The Lemon Song", namely the "squeeze my lemon" sequence. It is likely that Johnson borrowed this himself, from a song recorded in the same year (1937) called "She Squeezed My Lemon". [http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/music_specials/s1402502.htm Australian Broadcasting Corporation] - Triple J Music Specials - Led Zeppelin (first broadcast 2000-07-12)] The line "she got a mortgage on my body and a lien on my soul" and reference to front teeth lined with gold at the end of the song are also from Johnson's original song.

The May 2008 issue of "Uncut" magazine focused upon Led Zeppelin's 2007 reunion. A promotional CD attached to the magazine was titled "When the Levee Breaks: 15 classic tracks that inspired Led Zeppelin." The CD included the original "Travelling Riverside Blues" by Robert Johnson. Inside the magazine, the track commentary elaborated upon Zeppelin's version:

"Travelling Riverside Blues" can be found on the "Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions" album, on disc 1 of the "Led Zeppelin Box Set", and on the expanded "Coda" album from "The Complete Studio Recordings" box set. It was interest from US radio interviewers and fans during Page's "Outrider" tour that originally led him to negotiate with BBC Enterprises for the song's release.Dave Lewis (1994), "The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin", Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.] A promotional video clip was also released in 1990, with outtake footage from the band's 1976 concert film, "The Song Remains the Same". The song reached number seven on the "Billboard" Top Rock Tracks Top 50 chart in November 1990, culled from national album rock radio airplay reports.Dave Lewis (1994), "The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin", Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.]

Eric Clapton covered this song, along with several other Robert Johnson classics, on his 2004 album, "Me and Mr. Johnson". In addition, Clapton's old band Cream incorporated a verse of it into their version of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads".

Myles Kennedy has sung and played the song with his band Alter Bridge at live shows in 2007.

Dion covered this song on his 2006 Grammy-nominated album "Bronx in Blue".

References

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