- Writers: John Paul Jones and Robert Plant
- Producer: Jimmy Page
- Recorded: 1978 at Polar Studios, Stockholm, Sweden
- Released: August 15th, 1979
- Players:
Jimmy Page — guitar
Robert Plant — vocals
John Paul Jones — bass, keyboards
John Bonham — drums - Album: In Through The Out Door (Swan Song, 1979)
- Also On:
Led Zeppelin (Atlantic, 1990)
Remasters (Atlantic, 1992)
The Complete Studio Recordings (Atlantic, 1993)
Latter Days — The Best Of Led Zeppelin, Vol. 2 (Atlantic, 2000)
Early Days & Latter Days: Vol. 1 & 2 (Atlantic, 2002) - “All My Love” was first heard on Led Zeppelin‘s final studio album of new material, In Through The Out Door.
- Bassist John Paul Jones dominated the album and this song in particular, playing a significantly larger role in terms of songwriting and arranging than on any previous Led Zeppelin album. He, in fact, shares writing credits on six of the album’s seven songs.
- In the book Hammer Of The Gods, author Stephen Davis noted, “The fans recognized that it was John Paul Jones’s album — subdued, dark, ominous.”
- Jones later credited his expanded role to arriving at the studio earlier than the rest of the band.
- In addition to Jones’s classically influenced keyboard solo, a key element to the song’s success is an uncharacteristically mellow and sincere vocal turn from Robert Plant, which characterized the relaxed atmosphere of the recording sessions.
- A 7:02 version of the song, which features a different ending and longer vocal improvisations from Plant, exists on a tape reel labeled as “The Hook,” which is presumed to be a working title.
- In Through The Out Door quickly shot to Number One in both the U.S. and the U.K.
- In Through The Out Door was released with six different covers, each depicting a “Dear John” scene in a seedy bar.
- Plant still thinks of the song fondly, citing it as one of Zeppelin’s “finest moments.”
- The song was a concert highlight during the band’s brief 1980 European tour.
FAST FORWARD:
- The death of John Bonham in 1980 caused the three remaining members to dissolve the group. There have been a few reunions over the years, for special events like Live Aid in 1985, the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in 1988, and Led Zeppelin’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
- In 1994, Page and lead singer Robert Plant reunited to release the No Quarter album, which they followed up with 1998’s Walking Into Clarksdale. However, the partnership has splintered over Plant’s desire to work outside the Led Zeppelin umbrella.
- Page, Plant, and Jones have all repeatedly denied any plans to reunite as Led Zeppelin in the immediate future, though no one has completely ruled it out as a possibility.
- Jones has toured and released a couple of solo albums since Led Zeppelin’s breakup, and he’s also worked as a record producer.
Led Zeppelin refused to allow their performance at Live Aid in 1985 to be included on the DVD release of the event, citing the poor quality of their work that day.