About Sam Rapallo
Decades spent documenting the official digital legacy of Led Zeppelin have led me back to my own vaults — to finally unearth the sessions I started thirty years ago.
Sam Rapallo's debut album was thirty years in the making. The original instrumental sessions were recorded at Crossroads Studio between 1994 and 1995, with the tapes left unfinished. He returned to the project in 2022, releasing the recordings as Crossroads Sessions (Instrumental Mixes) - DK 4114197 Records. Three years later, Rapallo finally added vocals — releasing Astral Belle on December 9, 2025. Singles "This Little Heart" (January 2026) and "Again" (February 2026) followed.
Outside his own music, Rapallo has been working as a digital media specialist since 2003, creating the first official Yardbirds website. He built and maintains the official LedZeppelin.com — launched in 2007 alongside the band's reunion at London's O2 Arena — assists with the band's official social channels, and worked on the band members' individual official sites. His numerous credits include archive material on Led Zeppelin's 2007 The Song Remains the Same DVD, the 2008 Davis Guggenheim documentary It Might Get Loud, photography, memorabilia, and archive material on Led Zeppelin's official deluxe reissue program (2014–2018), archive consultant on the official Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin photo book (Reel Art Press, 2018), and Led Zeppelin archive researcher on the 2025 documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin.
Discography
ASTRAL BELLE
Recorded July 1994 – April 1995
Crossroads Studio, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Astral Belle is a unique sonic fusion thirty years in the making. Released in December 2025, the project sees Rapallo revisiting his unfinished 1990s studio tapes — layering fresh new vocals over vintage blues and rock instrumental sessions, finally giving voice to songs that waited decades to be heard.
DK 4114197 Records · UPC 199947619083
CROSSROADS SESSIONS
(Instrumental Mixes)
Recorded July 1994 – April 1995
Crossroads Studio, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
The instrumental foundation of Astral Belle. Recorded at Crossroads Studio in 1994–95 and shelved without vocals, these blues-rock tracks were finally released as instrumentals in 2022.
DK 4114197 Records · UPC 197085745046
Astral Belle & Crossroads Sessions — Track by Track
This Little Heart
a.k.a. Crying Blues
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Vocals added 2025
Released on Astral Belle (2025)
Single · January 13, 2026
Blue Fever
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Drums: Joe Iannuzi
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022, instrumental) · Astral Belle (2025)
Candy
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Bass: Lou Lofaso
- Drums: Dom Conti
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022, instrumental) · Astral Belle (2025)
Again
Version 2
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Bass: Lou Lofaso
- Drums: Dom Conti
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022, instrumental) · Astral Belle (2025)
Single · February 13, 2026
Tomorrow
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Bass: Lou Lofaso
- Drums: Dom Conti
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022, instrumental) · Astral Belle (2025)
Groove
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Bass: Lou Lofaso
- Drums: Dom Conti
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022, instrumental — as "Groove Jam") · Astral Belle (2025)
Who Cares
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Bass: Lou Lofaso
- Drums: Dom Conti
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022, instrumental) · Astral Belle (2025)
Crossroads Sessions Only
Goodbye
Instrumental Mix
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Drums: Kelly Mauricette
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022)
Chunk
Instrumental Mix
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitar: Sam Rapallo
- Bass: Lou Lofaso
- Drums: Kelly Mauricette
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022)
NC Tele
Instrumental Mix
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Drums: Dom Conti
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022)
Poison
Instrumental Mix
- Music by Sam Rapallo
- Guitars: Sam Rapallo
- Bass: Lou Lofaso
- Drums: Dom Conti
Released on Crossroads Sessions (2022)