No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded

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No Quarter is a live album by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, both formerly of English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released by Atlantic Records on 31 October 1994.[2] The long-awaited reunion between Jimmy Page and Robert Plant occurred on a 90-minute "UnLedded" MTV project, recorded in Morocco, Wales and London.

No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded
Live album by
Released31 October 1994
RecordedAugust 1994
VenueJemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakesh, Morocco; Slate quarry near Corris and Dolgoch Falls, Wales; London, England
Length79:32
LabelAtlantic
ProducerJimmy Page, Robert Plant
Page and Plant chronology
No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded
(1994)
Walking into Clarksdale
(1998)
Robert Plant chronology
Fate of Nations
(1993)
No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded
(1994)
Walking into Clarksdale
(1998)
Jimmy Page chronology
Coverdale•Page
(1993)
No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded
(1994)
Walking into Clarksdale
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The reunion event notably lacked the presence of bassist and keyboardist, John Paul Jones, thus deviating from a comprehensive band reunion. Jones remained uninformed of this reunion by his former bandmates. Subsequently, Jones conveyed his discontent regarding the decision of Plant and Page to christen the album after "No Quarter", a track predominantly attributed to his compositional prowess.

In addition to acoustic renditions, the album features a reworking of Led Zeppelin songs featuring a Moroccan string band and Egyptian orchestra supplementing a core group of rock and roll musicians, along with four Middle-Eastern and Moroccan-influenced songs: "City Don't Cry", "Yallah" (or "The Truth Explodes"), "Wonderful One", and "Wah Wah".

Several years later, Plant reflected on the collaboration very positively:

The will and the eagerness with Unledded were fantastic and [Page] was really creative. Jimmy and I went in a room and it was back. His riffs were spectacular. To take it as far as we did, and the tour we did – it's one of the most ambitious and mind-altering experiences.[3]

Legacy

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In July 2014, Guitar World placed No Quarter on their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.[4]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, except where noted. Track 10 "Wah Wah" is an extra track not included on the original US and Canada LP, CD, and Cassette 13 track releases, but is included on most other countries releases.

Original version (1994)
No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
1."Nobody's Fault but Mine" Presence (1976)4:06
2."Thank You" Led Zeppelin II (1969)5:47
3."No Quarter"John Paul Jones/Page/PlantHouses of the Holy (1973)3:45
4."Friends" Led Zeppelin III (1970)4:37
5."Yallah" New song4:59
6."City Don't Cry" New song6:08
7."Since I've Been Loving You"Jones/Page/PlantLed Zeppelin III7:29
8."The Battle of Evermore" Led Zeppelin IV (1971)6:41
9."Wonderful One" New song4:57
10."Wah Wah" (not on the U.S. release) New song3:59
11."That's the Way" Led Zeppelin III5:35
12."Gallows Pole"Traditional arr. Page/PlantLed Zeppelin III4:09
13."Four Sticks" Led Zeppelin IV4:52
14."Kashmir"John Bonham/Page/PlantPhysical Graffiti (1975)12:27
Total length:79:32

For the tenth anniversary, the album was re-released with a different cover and altered track listing. "Thank You" was cut, "City Don't Cry" and "Wonderful One" appeared in substantially edited versions, and "The Rain Song" and "Wah Wah" were added. In addition, "Yallah" was retitled, and several other tracks had minor alterations to their running times. The new running order was as follows:

2004 reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
1."It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" Presence (1976)3:57
2."No Quarter"John Paul Jones/Page/PlantHouses of the Holy (1973)3:47
3."Friends" Led Zeppelin III (1970)4:35
4."The Truth Explodes" (formerly known as "Yallah") New song4:42
5."The Rain Song" Houses of the Holy (1973)7:29
6."City Don't Cry" (edit) New song3:15
7."Since I've Been Loving You"Jones/Page/PlantLed Zeppelin III7:28
8."The Battle of Evermore" Led Zeppelin IV (1971)6:40
9."Wonderful One" (edit) New song3:23
10."Wah Wah" New song5:24
11."That's the Way" Led Zeppelin III5:37
12."Gallows Pole"Traditional arr. Page/PlantLed Zeppelin III4:17
13."Four Sticks" Led Zeppelin IV4:57
14."Kashmir" Physical Graffiti (1975)12:36
Total length:75:38

"Gallows Pole" and "Wonderful One" were released as singles.

All songs recorded in London except "City Don't Cry", "Wah Wah" and "Yallah" recorded in Morocco; "No Quarter", "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" and "When the Levee Breaks" recorded in Wales.

DVD release

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Cover to the DVD

The tenth anniversary of the recording of the Unledded concerts was commemorated by a DVD release of additional songs, a bonus interview, a montage of images from Morocco, the band's performance of "Black Dog" for Dick Clark's American Music Awards and the music video for "Most High" from the Walking into Clarksdale album. The songs included on the DVD release not included on either CD release were "What Is and What Should Never Be" and "When the Levee Breaks". To compensate for their absence from the Live Aid DVD release, Plant and Page donated a portion of their proceeds to the Band Aid Trust.

DVD track listing

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  1. "No Quarter" (Jones/Page/Plant)
  2. "Thank You"
  3. "What Is And What Should Never Be"
  4. "The Battle of Evermore"
  5. "Gallows Pole" (Traditional arr. Page/Plant)
  6. "Nobody's Fault but Mine"
  7. "City Don't Cry"
  8. "The Truth Explodes" (formerly known as "Yallah") (Page/Plant)
  9. "Wah Wah"
  10. "When the Levee Breaks"
  11. "Wonderful One"
  12. "Since I've Been Loving You" (Jones/Page/Plant)
  13. "The Rain Song"
  14. "That's the Way"
  15. "Four Sticks"
  16. "Friends"
  17. "Kashmir" (Page/Plant/Bonham)

Bonus material

  • "Black Dog" (performed at the ABC American Music Awards)
  • Moroccan Montage
  • "Most High" music video
  • Interview

Personnel

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The songs were recorded in Marrakech, Morocco (spring 1994),[5] on top of a waste tip at Aberllefenni quarries (17 August 1994),[6] in a forest in Wales and in front of an invited audience at London Weekend Television studios over two nights in August, 1994.[5]

Musicians in Marrakech (except on "Yallah")

London and Wales band (except on "No Quarter", "Wonderful One')

Egyptian Ensemble (London)

London Metropolitan Orchestra (London)

Production

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  • Jimmy Page – producer
  • Robert Plant – producer
  • Mike Gregovich – engineer, mixing
  • Martin Meissonnier – percussion pre-production on "Yallah (The Truth Explodes)" and "Wonderful One"
  • Andy Earl – photography
  • Cally – design
  • Kevin Shirley – remixed stereo and surround sound for 2004 edition

Accolades

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Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Metal Hammer UK Metal Hammer Albums of '94[7] 1994 14
Mojo UK The 25 Best Albums of 1994[8] 1994 11
Raw UK Raw Albums of the Year[9] 1994 14
Mojo UK Mojo 100 Modern Classics[10] 2001 42

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1994–1996) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 2
Austrian Albums Chart[12] 27
Canadian RPM Top 100 Chart[13] 3
Dutch Albums Chart[14] 33
French Albums Chart[15] 8
German Albums Chart[16] 18
New Zealand RIANZ Top 50 Albums Chart[17] 13
Swedish Albums Chart[18] 10
Swiss Albums Chart[19] 16
UK Albums Chart[20] 7
US Billboard The 200 Albums Chart[21] 4

Year-end charts

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Chart (1994) Rank
Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] 54

Video

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Chart (1994) Peak
position
US Billboard Comprehensive Music Video Chart[23] 2
Chart (1995) Peak
position
US Billboard Top Music Video Chart[24] 4
US Billboard Top VHS Sales Chart[25] 15
Hungarian MAHASZ Top 20 DVDs Chart[26] 3
Australian ARIA Music DVD Chart

Certifications

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Certifications and sales for No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded (album)
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Platinum 100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[29] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[31] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


Certifications and sales for No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded (video album)
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[32] Platinum 60,000^
Australia (ARIA)[33] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[35] Platinum 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ "BPI".
  3. ^ "I first met Jimmy on Tolworth Broadway, holding a bag of exotic fish...”, Uncut, January 2009, p. 48.
  4. ^ "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994". GuitarWorld.com. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b "No Quarter: The Led Zeppelin reunion that wasn't". 8 November 2021.
  6. ^ https://www.facebook.com/jimmypage/posts/10157441741632612 [bare URL]
  7. ^ "Metal Hammer albums of '94". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  8. ^ "The 25 Best Albums of 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  9. ^ "Raw Albums of the Year". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Mojo 100 Modern Classics". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  11. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded – No Quarter". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  12. ^ "Top 75 Albums – 11 December 1994". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  13. ^ "RPM Albums Chart – 28 November 1994". RPM. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  14. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 10 December 1994". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 1994". infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 5 December 1994". musicline.de. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  17. ^ "Top 50 Albums – 4 December 1994". RIANZ. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  18. ^ "Top 60 Albums – 25 November 1994". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 4 December 1994". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Albums – 19 November 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  21. ^ "The Billboard 200 – 26 November 1994". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  22. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1994". Australian Record Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Top Music Video – 13 November 1994". Billboard. Retrieved 17 January 2009.[dead link]
  24. ^ "Top Music Video – 6 May 1995". Billboard. Retrieved 17 January 2009.[dead link]
  25. ^ "Top Music Video – 6 May 1995". Billboard. Retrieved 17 January 2009.[dead link]
  26. ^ "Top 20 DVDs – 14 November 2004". MAHASZ. Retrieved 19 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1994 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  28. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Jimmy Page – No Quarter". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  29. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Jimmy Page – No Quarter" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 21 July 2022. Select 1994年11月 on the drop-down menu
  30. ^ "British album certifications – Jimmy Page – No Quarter". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  31. ^ "American album certifications – Jimmy Page – No Quarter". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  32. ^ "CAPIF: Page and Plant – 1 January 2005". CAPIF. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  33. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  34. ^ "British video certifications – Jimmy Page – No Quarter". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  35. ^ "American video certifications – Jimmy Page – No Quarter". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 July 2022.