Led Zeppelin

[Prettymaid]

A Day In The Life.

I don't have to say who it's by do I?!

I don't think I knew this about you. Surely there's a thread around here somewhere titled The Greatest Rock Song Ever Written (in your opinion).
If not there needs to be, although I have no idea if I know what mine is...

[Freypower]

In the Listography - My Life In Playlists thread a lot of people did list their top 20 songs or whatever.

[Prettymaid]

In the Listography - My Life In Playlists thread a lot of people did list their top 20 songs or whatever.

You're so good at lists and enjoy doing them. I suck at them. Too much pressure.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I don't think I knew this about you. Surely there's a thread around here somewhere titled The Greatest Rock Song Ever Written (in your opinion).
If not there needs to be, although I have no idea if I know what mine is...

I'd be happy to start such a thread - although there is the Listography thread it might be a bit more fun if you want to have a go without worrying about coming up with an exact list, and I think it's specific enough to justify a bespoke topic. I enjoy making lists myself but even I must admit I'd struggle to come up with a truly satisfactory list of what I consider to be the greatest songs. There are too many songs that I absolutely love and I think it's really difficult to separate the very best ones (I find it easier with albums because I can also take into account how well everything comes together - you can have an album with several great songs that doesn't really gel together, or one which has few outstanding tracks but is greater than the sum of its parts).

Regarding Stairway, I'm not especially bothered about the outcome of this case. It isn't the first time a band has got in trouble for 'borrowing' a chord progression and it isn't Zeppelin's first case either. They blatantly reused some of the lyrics from the Muddy Waters/Willie Dixon song You Need Love in Whole Lotta Love, and I'm personally not bothered about that. The music is just too good, and they almost always found a way to make their songs their own . Even Black Mountain Side, musically virtually a straight rip-off of Bert Jansch's version of Blackwaterside, beats the original - the production makes it much more punchy and dynamic, and the tablas were a great addition.

[MortSahlFan]

"Achilles Last Stand" (i think) is their best song.

[SilverAcidRayne]

two songs... No Quarter and Since I've Been Loving You. love those

[MortSahlFan]

I remember once listening to "Since I've Been Loving You" all the way from vacation. I listened once, then gave it to my friend to listen.

"No Quarter" was a song I remember listening in my room.

[SilverAcidRayne]

its like the tightness of the band is timeless. even on celebration day they were flawless. that whole concert I could not move. lol

[Jonny Come Lately]

I love all three of these songs, so I'll try to describe what I think makes them great. The guitar work on Achilles' Last Stand is epic, but what amazes me most is that Robert sung that song from the wheelchair he was confined to after his car accident in 1975. Since I've Been Loving You is to my mind the centrepiece of III, I really like the quirky acoustic songs on that record but I think having this monumental blues-rock number on there really gave the album weight. It is so impressive that it makes the comparable Tea For One, a perfectly good song, look weak in comparison. No Quarter is another big favourite of mine, second only to Over The Hills and Far Away from Houses of the Holy. It is also one of my Dad's favourites (as it was the first album he ever bought). The main riff is great but I think John Paul Jones' piano solo in the middle is especially beautiful. It's a great song to play to anyone who thinks Led Zeppelin is only about good time rockers like Whole Lotta Love or Black Dog.

There are some bands where I am reasonably decisive about which song is my favourite, but there are others where I can never quite decide on one favourite. The Eagles fall into this category, and Led Zeppelin is another, so I can only give an approximate personal top ten right now in album order:

Dazed and Confused
Heartbreaker
Immigrant Song
Black Dog
Stairway To Heaven
When The Levee Breaks
Over The Hills and Far Away
Kashmir
The Wanton Song
Achilles' Last Stand

Of these, I think The Wanton Song is maybe the most unusual pick, but I think it absolutely rocks. I think Jimmy played the guitar through a Hammond organ (I think) for the solo, can't quite remember but it sounds awesome!

I loved Celebration Day, I don't remember it when it actually happened but I've watched the film and it is stunning. The performance that really blew me away was In My Time of Dying, Jimmy and JPJ (playing fretless bass IIRC) were really playing their socks off on that one. I loved the two songs they played from Presence too - For My Life and Nobody's Fault But Mine - as they weren't obvious inclusions at all but I thought they rocked them and I really gained a new appreciation for the album versions after that.

[zeldabjr]

At the moment...my favorite Led Zeppelin song is "Trampled Under Foot"...there's a live version from 1975 on Youtube that's amazing!!