The Greatest Rock Band Ever Part Three

Led Zeppelin

When the working man’s history of Rock and Roll is written, probably by me next year, Led Zeppelin will get its own chapter. This band took everything that existed in music in 1968 and took it to a plateau that has rarely ever been replicated again. Like all great bands from their time, this English band had its roots in the dark desperation of American Blues. The band members themselves were masters of their craft. Robert Plant was the vibrant, wailing lead singer. John Paul Jones was the master arranger and baseman. John Bonham defined what it meant to be the thunder god drummer in a rock band. Jimmy Page was the Occultist guitar master extraordinaire, even when hooked on smack. It was, as David Lee Roth would say, a 10. After beginning as a spin off from the group The Yardbirds, the group’s 1969 début signal a shift in the evolution of Rock and Roll.

Over time Led Zeppelin, along with their peers Black Sabbath, become the godfathers of long, riffed out heavy metal and layered progressive rock. However, over 1/3 of the Zeppelin’s collection are more acoustic folksy ballads. Overall, the sum of the bands parts created a bombastic style of music that could transcend genres and be played in various settings or styles while never losing its artistic grace. From 1969 until the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, the group created a catalogue of music so profound that it destroys 99% of all the music created since. Most rock bands today will list Zeppelin as a major influence, but few will ever come close to the level of substance and style that this band reached.

Another important element of the band was how it changed the way rock bands were perceived. Picking up the early influences of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin’s excesses off stage became the stuff of urban lore. Whether it was the bands direct connection to the occult, the much discussed mudfish incident, or the supposed hidden messages in the music, a dark and dangerous aura surrounding the group added to its perception as a band of unrestrained wild men. This sense of passion and excess is clearly represented in each of Led Zeppelin’s albums.

Things you should know:

a.As much as Led Zeppelin led the way in creating fully multilayered albums without the help of defined singles, there are so many “hits” in the catalogue that I tend to listen to the various greatest hits packages more then each individual albums. If questioned during a Three Kings style torture session, I would go with Zeppelin IV (ZOSO) as the finest album in the pantheon.

b. More then any of the other bands on this Beat Ever list, I enjoy the live concert versions of Zeppelin songs more then the studio recordings. Whether it was the Song Remains the Same footage or the Page and Plant Unplugged material (Unledded/No Quarter), I find that the truest nature of the group was captured live. This is where each member extended and improvised in an effort to raise the entire production to new heights. (Unfortunately the best live footage couldn’t be accessed on YouTube as you will see next.)

10. No Quarter
9.Achillies Last Stand
8.All My Love
7.Gallows Pole
6.Rock and Roll


5. Ramble On-ZII
I have never read the Lord of the Rings. However, this jam more then makes up for it. A classic tune built on literary references about a great quest against a source of evil, this song blends the folksier side of the band with a hard edge riffs and fluid base/percussion give and take. Not to mention the full octave range of a young Robert Plant.

4.Whole Lotta Love-ZII
The virtual and literal musical version of a happy ending. I like its message. The masses agree.

3.Dazed and Confused-ZI
A reworking of a Yardbirds tune of the same name, this eclectic blues tale of angst and longing builds from a dark melodic rant to a classic Zeppelin rock out with thunderous guitar riffs and a rolling baseline that allows Bonham to go absolutely crazy. The sense of musical experimentation throughout the song created an aura around the band that truley anything was possible.

2.Kashmir-Physical Graffiti
There were friends and colleagues who wanted me to make this the number one Zeppelin song of all time. It is a sprawling epic that captures Zeppelin’s ability to be explosively intense while still being in total control. The progression of the music is deliberate, while the inclusion of brass and string arrangements allows for the Middle Eastern influence to take the song to a new level. Plant called it the definitive Zeppelin jam. Who are any of us to argue? Recent performances of Kashmir by Page and Plant, like that on the No Quarter disc, have included large orchestras and a slew of Moroccan musicians. At this point I actually prefer these versions for their improvisational feel to that of the studio version. For this reason, I cannot put it at number one. However, I have made it the potential title credits song of my film “Go Beyond”, scheduled to start shooting in July of 2022.

1.Stairway to Heaven-ZIV
There can be only one, and this was a really simple decision. This song is so good that it has come to transcend the band as a whole. It has been analyzed so much that there is little I can add to the discussion. While the songs lyrics have been said to describe everything from an attack on consumerism, to lost love, and even devil worship, I tend to focus on the instrumental arrangements. The music builds from a melodic acoustic ballad to a thunderstorm of classic rock super power. The song shows the band in perfect harmony. This is why I actually prefer the studio version to many of the live performances, as it exemplifies each members ability to work together to craft a masterpiece. I find it insane to try and add anything else.

So there you go...Number three and rising.

Next up, the ulimate psychadelic band that along the way helped to create a little thing called progressive rock.