Photo by Tam Akiko
The retro-soul pair Bonneville have released a new song, interpreting Led Zeppelin’s ‘Ten Years Gone’, originally released on the iconic band’s sixth studio album Physical Graffiti. The cover is set to lead Bonneville’s upcoming third album, Hold for Room Tone.
Where the original is within the band’s more bittersweet, reflective moments, Bonneville’s edition breathes in their own nostalgic, Muscle Shoals sound. They introduce soaring horns, swelling strings and warm piano tones into what was once a wall of guitars.
Still, though, homage is paid to the original arrangement, as similarities to Jimmy Page’s tone and performance are unquestionably precise. Bonneville’s style is already one that leans into this era, but they find moments of modernity whilst meditating on the innovations of Led Zeppelin.
Jeff Hayashi, one half of the duo, shares, “We know we’re treading on sacred ground by covering the mighty Zeppelin, so if you’re going to do it, you’d better do it justice, which I feel we have. ‘Ten Years Gone’ was a major undertaking and all of the players executed their parts flawlessly, especially the new elements that weren’t in the original recording,”
McGee also reflects on finding his inner Robert Plant, and the mindset that helped him get there, “I put myself in a state of admiration for those I’ve loved and those who’ve loved me, and I connected with the gratitude I feel for those who I find my strength. Vocally, I’d call it a lullaby that shouts from the rooftops.”
Recorded at FAME Studios in Alabama, this seven-minute epic is a look to their inspiration’s past, and their own futures. The production is tight, the additions made tasteful, the soulful grit; it’s not charged with opulence, instead grounded, which is the Bonneville way.
Listen here…
