Robert Plant on “Black Dog”:
“My daughter’s boyfriend, who played in a psychobilly band, once told me there was something wrong with ‘Black Dog’—he pointed out a line in 5/4 time mixed in with the rest of the song, which is in 4/4. It drove me nuts. I grabbed the record, put it on, and said, ‘Listen, midget, this isn’t a mistake—this is what we were capable of!’”
The main riff of “Black Dog” was composed by John Paul Jones, who set out to create something rhythmically complex. At first, he considered writing the song in 3/16 time but eventually decided against it, realizing it would be too difficult to replicate live.
During live performances, drummer John Bonham often simplified the rhythmic variations—particularly dropping the 5/4 sections—to help Plant and the rest of the band stay in sync. If you listen closely to the studio recording, you can hear Bonham tapping his sticks before the riff comes back in to keep time.
Jimmy Page achieved his signature guitar tone by routing his guitar through a D.I. box and then into a microphone channel, using the mic preamp to create distortion. The solo itself is built from four powerful Gibson Les Paul fills.
