Yeah, it's a Led Zeppelin two-fer. However, whereas yesterday's song gets overlooked, Kashmir is an undisputed classic. Even the band members felt that this song best expressed their vision.
It opens with a crash of cymbal with a waltzing 3/4 string/guitar progression accompanied by a 4/4 drum pattern. It's what makes the song so interesting, this confluence of different time streams. Keeps things slightly tipsy. Personally, I cannot hear the opening of Kashmir without also being aware of the ending of Trampled Underfoot, the song that precedes it on the album. It is a fleeting moment, but it's there in my brain.
My favorite part of the song is the minimalist section that lasts from 2:18-3:14; there is so much breathing room in it, Bonham's drums combined with the bass and the descending string slides. Very seductive.
Kashmir is a perfectly realized masterpiece by the band, with a circular theme that rotates around its axis with precision, sections linking up with each other like clockwork. Nice flanging and phasing here and there, mostly on the drum flurries; e.g., 7:50.
Most fans probably know the scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High when Ratner is instructed by Damone to play side one of Led Zeppelin IV, but he 'messes up' by playing Physical Graffiti instead. Not true, says I. Any Zeppelin album would make a good choice. Well, maybe not side two of In Through the Out Door. So much has been written about this song, you can find many online treatises that analyze its brilliance. I prefer to let it all wash over me like an oasis in the desert.
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