Led Zeppelin Unveils Rough Mix of 'When the Levee Breaks' [LISTEN]

In the midst of the nine career-spanning Led Zeppelin reissues and accompanying alternative mixes, it's a wonder there's still abundant bonus material left for fans to discover. "When the Levee Breaks" took to the dark side on the Led Zeppelin IV reissue but it seems the group has been saving an alternative rough mix, "If It Keeps On Raining" for their final deluxe reissue of Zeppelin's concluding album, Coda.

The latest rendition of the fan-favorite hit may be cut down by three minutes but what it lacks in time, it makes up for in an upbeat John Paul Jones bass line and a bluesier, meditative feel. Robert Plant belts a slightly diverse vocal line with Jimmy Page's guitar line providing a softer sound than the original's heaviness. John Bonham's extraordinary bass drums are hardly showcased the same earth-shattering way they initially were but the Coda companion disc makes up for the drumming setback with an alternative mix of "Bonzo's Montreaux."

"The fourth album was a commitment," Page told Rolling Stone about Led Zeppelin IV. "We were living in a house with a recording truck, eating and sleeping music together. We could push everything we were doing, to the point of total extremes like 'When the Levee Breaks.' It's so dense and dark - there isn't a color to describe it. It's not black. It's darker than that."

The "Levee" outtake is one of many spanning the iconic British rock group's career that will be featured on the companion discs paired with the deluxe edition of 1982's Coda, the last album to feature the talent of deceased drummer John Bonham. Another memorable track, "Sugar Mama," appears as a bonus track as well, highlighting a bluesier side to the original song featured on their 1969 debut, Led Zeppelin.

Coda will see its July 31 reissue alongside the preceding two studio albums 1976's Presence and 1979's In Through the Out Door, notes NME. Remixes of "Hots On for Nowhere" and previously unreleased and peculiarly titled "10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)" can be found on Presence's companion disc while In Through The Out Door boasts an alternative, raw take of "In the Evening."

Page carefully and meticulously remastered each album himself, eventually closing the doors to the Led Zeppelin vaults upon completion of Coda. All three final studio albums will be available across a range of formats including CDs, vinyl and digital versions released in conjunction with a hardbound book and album art print.

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Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant