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Led Zeppelin to release India cuts for the first time

Led Zeppelin release tracks recorded in Mumbai in 1972 with sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan and other Indian artists

Jun 05, 2015

Legendary rock band Led Zeppelin describe their trip to India in 1972 as a “fabled trip.” The band’s website recently announced the re-release of remastered versions of their albums Presence, In Through The Out Door and Coda. The website refers to the time when singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page “took a fabled trip to India to perform with the Bombay Orchestra and now, for the first time, recordings from these sessions will be officially released with remastered, expanded takes on “Friends” and “Four Hands” (“Four Sticks” from Led Zeppelin IV album)”.

Recorded at the EMI Recording Studios in Mumbai, the deluxe re-release series features sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan, alongwith a group of violinists, shehnai and tabla players [hear below]. According to journalist and author of the recently-released book India Psychedelic, Sidharth Bhatia, the orchestra was conducted by flautist Vijay Raghav Rao and Khan.

While bootlegs of these recordings have been released in the past, this is the first official release of these recordings made in India