Todd Houston:
Ron, tell us about the unflattering album credit on the Physical Graffiti album for the song "The Rover" where it reads "Guitar lost courtesy of Nevison. Salvaged by the grace of Harwood."
Ron Nevison:
Well, that's easy. I didn't work on that song so.... Here's what might have happened. I was called up to record Led Zeppelin at this place called Headley Grange which was in Headley Hampshire. We were to use the Ronnie Lane Mobile studio. The Rolling Stones had the only other mobile so there were two cool ones, the Ronnie Lane and theirs (Stones). I'm sure the BBC had theirs but whatever. (Incidentally I had already had a date to do The Who's "Tommy" film which was a one-year project.) So, I get down to Headley and John Paul Jones doesn't show up. I'm not sure why and I didn't ask. We ended up hanging out for a couple weeks rehearsing, having fun doing Elvis songs and things like that but I ultimately had to tell them as some point I had to leave. I'm probably the only one who ever quit Led Zeppelin (laughter) I ended saying hey look, after this certain date I can't come back. Now, I didn't realize until the album actually came out that it was a double album and they had used a lot of tracks from Headley Grange but from the Houses of the Holy sessions. One of those tracks was "The Rover" and it wasn't recorded during my sessions there. And no takes were ever brought to me during my session that I was aware of. We never even put up any tapes so there is no way I could even have ever erased anything. However, I can picture someone at the sessions saying hey where's the guitar on that and some engineer saying "hey, I didn't do that" and them thinking well maybe I did. Also to put on the back of the album Physical Graffiti in the credits. Either they were really pissed at me for leaving or I don't know.
Todd Houston:
Are you still friendly with Plant or Page?
Ron Nevison:
Yeah, sure. It's been a while since I've seen them. Here's a story for you. I remember walking into this club in London called "Tramp" a few years after and seeing Peter Grant (Led Zeppelin manager) and (Atlantic records president) Ahmet Ertegün sitting there and giving me kind of a dirty look as I walked by (laughs) But seriously I've talked to Robert Plant quite a few times and there's no hard feelings there.