Last week, on July 21st, famous violinist Lindsey Stirling released her cover of the legendary rock anthem, ‘Kashmir’, originally by Led Zeppelin. Originally released in 1975 on Led Zeppelin’s 6th album, ‘Physical Graffiti’, the song quickly gained notoriety for being some of the group’s most progressive work yet, when progressive rock was still in its relative infancy. Now, nearly half a century after the song’s release, Stirling is releasing her own take on the classic, to honour the biggest band of the 1970s.
The four-man outfit released eight albums from January 1969 to August 1979, having perhaps the greatest ten-year run of any group ever. One of these albums was ‘Physical Graffiti’, a chart topper in 3 countries, which featured a song titled ‘Kashmir’. Said song was a hit, with the band performing it in nearly every concert since its release – even after John Bonham’s death, his son Jason continued to perform it with the remaining members of the band in concerts. The song has been one of Stirling’s favourites, and she’s always wanted to bring it to life in her own way; a dream she got to turn into reality by working with legendary producers Howard Benson and Neil Sanderson to release her own take on the song.
The remix still has that unmistakable Led Zeppelin flair that made so much of their music recognisable and held in high regard; however, Stirling puts her own twist on the hit to revitalise it, giving it a more modern feel. Combining different elements such as the violin, electronic elements and energetic instrumentation, the resulting mix is a completely remade version of ‘Kashmir’ that sounds just as great as the original, with Lindsey Stirling proving again that although old is gold, fresh can be best, too.
Listen to Stirling’s take on ‘Kashmir’ on major DSPs by following this link.
