"Moby Dick"

This instrumental number, though primarily a drum solo used to highlight the immeasurable ability of John Bonham, tfeatures a killer riff created and played by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page. The song was recorded primarily at Mirror Sound in Los Angeles, and just like every number off the album was recorded during the band's tour of America in 1969. Prior to being recorded and released the track was known in the band's live shows as "Pat's Delight" named for John Bonham's wife.

"Moby Dick" came into existence when Jimmy noticed Bonham grooving by himself in between takes of various songs in the studio while the tape was still rolling. Page pieced a number of the jams together and collaborated with the drummer for a short intro and an outro guitar and bass part based on the 12 bar blues; Robert Plant does not appear on this track at all. From various studio outtakes that have surface over the years, it has become evident that the final version heard on Led Zeppelin II has been edited down significantly.

John Henry Bonham

The guitar riff Jimmy plays on "Moby Dick" can be traced back to an earlier song he and the band conceived but never officially recorded titled, "The Girl I Love, She's Got Long Black Wavy Hair". You can hear a live version of that song on the band's post breakup album "The BBC Sessions". It is thought that the riff is based on a 1961 Bobby Parker song "Watch Your Step", though played in a different key. Interestingly enough, when Led Zeppelin created their label, Swan Song, in the early 1970's, Jimmy offered Parker a contract to sign and record with the label. John Lennon later admitted to using the riff as a basis for the Beatles song "I Feel Fine" in 1964.

Bobby Parker

When played live the song was an absolute showstopper, with John Bonham playing solo for as little as six minutes some nights, and up to half an hour on others. Bonham would begin the song by playing with his sticks, then devolve into using his hands, pounding the drums so ferociously that some nights he would draw blood, before picking up the sticks again to play the outro.

The song was played as "Pat's Delight" as a feature for the drummer in 1968 and the beginning of 1969, when it was renamed to "Moby Dick". It was played at every show the band did from that point until it's final appearance at the Kingdome in Seattle in 1977, after which it was replaced in the set-list by the song "Out on the Tiles". Live versions of this song can be heard on all of the band's official live releases with the exception of the "BBC Sessions". 

John Bonham at the Royal Albert Hall in 2003

It's a very simple song to play on guitar...not so much drums, but also very fun. I used my good old standby Gibson Les Paul Classic through my Marshall Haze 40 for this one.

I tabbed this in the order of the song.


e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------|  X4
D|-------------------------------| 
A|---5--5--3---------------------|
D|-0----------5--3~-5--3--5--3---| 

e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------|  X2
D|---5--5--3--0------------------| 
A|---------------1~-3--1--3--1---| 
D|-5-----------------------------|

e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------|  X2
D|-------------------------------| 
A|---5--5--3---------------------|
D|-0----------5--3~-5--3--5--3---| 

e|--------------------------------------------------------------| 
B|--------------------------------------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------------------5(b7)--5--2--------| X1
D|---7--7p5-----7--7---5--7-0-5-5-5-5-5--3---------------5--3---| 
A|-----------7-------7---------------------5--------------------| 
D|-7------------------------------------------------------------| 

e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------|  X3
D|-------------------------------| 
A|---5--5--3---------------------|
D|-0----------5--3~-5--3--5--3---| 

(SOLO 1)
e|-----------10----------------------------------------------------| 
B|--------10------------------------------------------12--10\------| 
G|-12b14---------12b14r12-10----12-10-----------------12--10\------| 
D|---------------------------12--------12~--12-10-12---------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------| 
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------------| 
A|---5--5--3---------------------|
D|-0----------5--3~-5--3--5--3---| 

(SOLO 2)
e|----------------------------------------------------------13b15----| 
B|--------13b15~13b15~13b15~13b15~13b15~13b15~13b15------------------| 
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------| 
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------| 
                                
e|-10----13b15----10-------------------------------------------------| 
B|--10-------------10------------------------------------------------| 
G|---12-------------12-----------------------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------| 
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------|  
D|---5--5--3--0------------------| 
A|---------------1~-3--1--3--1---| 
D|-5-----------------------------|                     

(SOLO 3)
e|-3p1p0--------------------3p1p0------------------------------------| 
B|-------3p1p0--------------------3p1p0------------------------------| 
G|-------------4p2p0--------------------4p2p0------------------------| 
D|-------------------3p2p0--------------------3p2p0------------------| 
A|--------------------------------------------------3p2p0------------| 
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------|  
D|-------------------------------| 
A|---5--5--3---------------------|
D|-0----------5--3~-5--3--5--3---| 

(SOLO 4)
e|-----------------------------------10------------------------------| 
B|----------------------------10-12-----13b15--13b15~~~\-------------| 
G|-----------------7-7-7-9s11----------------------------------------| 
D|-----------7-9-----------------------------------------------------| 
A|-5-5-5-7s9---------------------------------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|--------------------------------------------------------------|------| 
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|-3----| 
G|-------------------------------------------5(b7)--5--2--------|-2----| 
D|---7--7p5-----7--7---5--7-0-5-5-5-5-5--3---------------5--3---|-0----| 
A|-----------7-------7---------------------5--------------------|------| 
D|-7------------------------------------------------------------|------|

[Drum Solo]

e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------|  
D|-------------------------------| 
A|---5--5--3---------------------|
D|-0----------5--3~-5--3--5--3---| 

e|-------------------------------| 
B|-------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------|  
D|---5--5--3--0------------------| 
A|---------------1~-3--1--3--1---| 
D|-5----------------------------5|

e|--------------------------------------------------------------| 
B|--------------------------------------------------------------| 
G|-------------------------------------------5(b7)--5--2--------| 
D|---7--7p5-----7--7---5--7-0-5-5-5-5-5--3---------------5--3---| 
A|-----------7-------7---------------------5--------------------| 
D|-7------------------------------------------------------------|

       e|-------------------------------------------------------|
       B|--7-------5----------0---------------------------------|
END:   G|--7-------5----------0---------------------------------|
       D|--7-------5----------0---------------------------------|
       A|--5-------3----------2---------------------------------|
       D|-------------------------------------------------------|