Anarchy99
Footballguy
This is very, very close. If someone guesses it, I won't confirm or deny it. But The Rover is not it.
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FBG'S TOP 81 LED ZEPPELIN SONGS: #1 - When The Levee Breaks from Led Zeppelin IV (1971) (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Anarchy99
- Start date
krista4
Footballguy
That guy! Won’t leave me alone!
krista4
Footballguy
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Did you finally get a chance to listen to The Beatles stuff I sent you? Did you find any of it interesting?
Dennis Castro
Footballguy
Making my list, I had a lot of trouble reconciling what I could consider the best, as opposed to my favorites, as opposed to what I’d like to hear right now. Dancing Days would have been my #26, but there are other songs that I have ranked above it even though I like them far less. I wouldn’t mind if I never heard Whole Lotta Love ever again, for instance. I’ve never liked that song, but I can’t deny that it’s important in terms of innovation and influence, so I ranked it. In hindsight, I really should’ve tried harder to find room for Dancing Days.
That, and I completely forgot about TRB.
dickey moe
Fingerpicker
Great song - always had a Rolling Stones-ish sus4 vibe to me (for you guitar players).
Dwayne Hoover
Footballguy
A top song from HOH, once again too low a ranking, but can't really criticize taste.
I definitely feel like my Zeppelin leanings do differ a lot from others. Really interesting and I would probably say they are the best band of all time if pressed.
![[scooter]](/data/avatars/m/22/22287.jpg?1659477690){kind=avatar}
[scooter]
Footballguy
On any given day, "The Girl I Love" and "La La" slip into my top-25. Both songs are in the "what might have been" category for me. If only the band had decided to develop them instead of moving on.
BassNBrew
Footballguy
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Here are some more distribution numbers compiled from the 62 lists that were submitted:
NUMBER OF TOP 5 SONGS ON A LIST THAT ENDED UP IN THE OVERALL TOP 5:
5: 0 (No one had all their Top 5 songs match the actual Top 5)
4: 1
3: 8
2: 20
1: 19
0: 14 (Meaning that list's Top 5 songs had none of the overall Top 5)
NUMBER OF TOP 10 SONGS ON A LIST THAT ENDED UP IN THE OVERALL TOP 10:
10: 0 (No one had their Top 10 songs that matched the actual Top 10)
9: 0
8: 0
7: 3
6: 8
5: 17
4: 15
3: 9
2: 8
1: 2
0: 0 (Meaning every list had at least 1 of that list's Top 10 songs in the actual Top 10)
NUMBER OF OVERALL TOP 10 SONGS THAT WERE NOT CONTAINED ON THAT LIST OF 25 SONGS:
7: 1 (Meaning that list of 25 songs only contained 3 of the overall Top 10 songs)
6: 3
5: 2
4: 10
3: 11
2: 13
1: 13
0: 9 (Meaning that list of 25 songs contained all 10 of the overall Top 10 songs)
If anyone is unclear or if someone needs clarification, let me know. If people want to know what their individual list looks like in those three categories, just asked and I will post your particular numbers.
NUMBER OF TOP 5 SONGS ON A LIST THAT ENDED UP IN THE OVERALL TOP 5:
5: 0 (No one had all their Top 5 songs match the actual Top 5)
4: 1
3: 8
2: 20
1: 19
0: 14 (Meaning that list's Top 5 songs had none of the overall Top 5)
NUMBER OF TOP 10 SONGS ON A LIST THAT ENDED UP IN THE OVERALL TOP 10:
10: 0 (No one had their Top 10 songs that matched the actual Top 10)
9: 0
8: 0
7: 3
6: 8
5: 17
4: 15
3: 9
2: 8
1: 2
0: 0 (Meaning every list had at least 1 of that list's Top 10 songs in the actual Top 10)
NUMBER OF OVERALL TOP 10 SONGS THAT WERE NOT CONTAINED ON THAT LIST OF 25 SONGS:
7: 1 (Meaning that list of 25 songs only contained 3 of the overall Top 10 songs)
6: 3
5: 2
4: 10
3: 11
2: 13
1: 13
0: 9 (Meaning that list of 25 songs contained all 10 of the overall Top 10 songs)
If anyone is unclear or if someone needs clarification, let me know. If people want to know what their individual list looks like in those three categories, just asked and I will post your particular numbers.
worrierking
Footballguy
⚡DEADHEAD⚡
Footballguy
Done
On an interesting note, the oldest PMs I have? An exchange with Anarchy99 14 years ago regarding a DVD exchange of Led Zeppelin works.
ConstruxBoy
Kate's Daddy
BassNBrew
Footballguy
DEADHEAD
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Yeah, the most recent board update has some quirky issues. I also have trouble PMing certain people. The biggest problem I have currently is I can’t access the main topic listing in the FFA on my phone. The other forums are not a problem. For some reason, I can’t get the main FFA page to load. Weird. I can access the Led Zep thread only by going on my notifications and clicking on one from this thread.
Last edited by a moderator:
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
joffer
Footballguy
dickey moe
Fingerpicker
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
skol asylum
Footballguy
skol asylum
Footballguy
I think the same happened to me. Some songs I didn't include because of overplaying and repetitive natures.
dickey moe
Fingerpicker
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
I had it at #8. Have always loved and have gotten tired of it. Hate to see it go so under ranked.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Weirdly, I can’t access the main FFA page on my desktop or laptop, but I can access it on my phone. It’s the only page where I am having this problem.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Username checks out.
I checked your Spotify playlist from my Neil countdown last night and
skol asylum
Footballguy
YeahUsername checks out.
I checked your Spotify playlist from my Neil countdown last night and
DocHolliday
Footballguy
Same issue with one tablet but not another tablet. Everything works on the older of the two tablets.
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
How could I leave this off my list? 
Rustoleum
Footballguy
Yeah, I probably should’ve ranked Dancing Days. A casualty of me recognizing licks over lyrics (there’s some kind of dirty band name/porno ice cream parlor joke in there, btw).
When I did my hurried research to fill out the gaps in my list, if that one had been called the “Duh nuhnuh nuh nunt Song” I would’ve been all over it.
When I did my hurried research to fill out the gaps in my list, if that one had been called the “Duh nuhnuh nuh nunt Song” I would’ve been all over it.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
#40 - The Lemon Song / Killing Floor from Led Zeppelin II (1969)
Appeared On: 17 ballots (out of 62) . . . 27.4%
Total Points: 186 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . . 12%)
Top 5 Rankers: @Anarchy99@Dwayne Hoover
5 Other Highest Rankers: @Mookie Gizzy@BroncoFreak_2K3 Friend @Just Win Baby Deadhead @Ron Popeil
Highest Ranking: 2
Live Performances:
LZ: 55 (Killing Floor Composition 1969-1972)
Plant: 75 (São Paulo - 2015-03-27, San Isidro - 2015-03-21 (With Jack White), Werchter - 2016-07-01 (Middle Section First)
Unknown (Middle Section First))
JP & Black Crowes: 17 (Wantagh - 2000-07-10)
Cover Versions: Lita Ford, Train, Adrenaline Mob, Paul Gilbert, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray & Eric Clapton
Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 52
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 65
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): Not Ranked
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 32
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): Not Ranked
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 48
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 37
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 43
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 16
We kick off the Top 40 with a heaping dose of rock and roll goodness. Well, at least from my perspective any ways. Off the top, I have blown out four pair of speakers over the past 40 years listening to this song. We all have our vices, whether it be toots and snorts, ice cream and sports, or bottles, bets, and buxom bimbos. This is my drug and adrenaline rush. If I could somehow shove this song into a syringe, I would inject it. @Dwayne Hoover gets it.
The Lemon Song was a re-arrangement of Howlin' Wolf's Killing Floor, which had become a regular part of the group's live show during 1969. It was recorded live in the studio in a single take. They expanded Killing Floor to include new lyrics, adding in the sexually-charged phrase "squeeze my lemon," which the band borrowed from Robert Johnson's Travelling Riverside Blues. The band had played TRB on BBC radio a few weeks early. Of all the LZ songs that were sexually charged and filled with innuendo, this was likely the most blatant one.
Zeppelin found themselves in hot water again over claims of plagiarism. Arc Music, owner of the publishing rights to Howlin' Wolf's songs, sued for copyright infringement. The parties settled out of court. Wolf received a check for $45K immediately following the suit. The second pressing of the album listed the song as Killing Floor written by Howlin’ Wolf. Subsequent releases flipped the title back to The Lemon Song and included a co-songwriter credit to him. Even Killing Floor borrowed from She Squeezed My Lemon by Roosevelt Sykes.
No electronic devices were used to create the echo on Robert Plant's vocal. It was made by the acoustics in the studio and by his voice. The track is filled with effects including delays, reverb, and channel separation. John Paul Jones amps up the bassline, Bonzo pounds the skins as always, Page opts for distorted, dissonant guitar, and Plant undulates to make the song rock.
That’s all well and good and fine and dandy. The album version of this song is solid and rocks. But the live version they did as Killing Floor in 1968-69 is filled with hell fire and eternal damnation. Seriously, they took things to another level. I had this ranked as my #2 song . . . after cranking the bejesus out of it for the past hour, I think that might be too low.
The version from San Francisco - 1969-04-24 is a five-alarm fire and total smoke show. As in blistering, scorching, get in your grill rock and roll that these days you can only read about. The middle section is probably my favorite stretch of Zeppelin there is. Yes, that’s a bold statement. But listen to it before poo-pooing it.
The interplay between Jones, Page, and Bonham is off the charts. Each of their performances is almost topped by one of the others. JPJ lights up the bass, Bonham beats the living daylights out of his drum set, and Page just flat out goes off. It’s so good, Plant is merely a footnote. And that's no slight to Plant, as he’s also very good.
There other performances of the song are also top notch. They usually didn’t perform it the same each night. I included a link to multiple other versions. Yes . . . I often hit play and let the video play out. The song got dropped off the set list in 1969 and made a handful of experiences in medleys a few times after. Zeppelin is listed as having performed Lemon Song 6 times, which I highly doubt, as they were only playing it as part of medleys by then.
Ultimate Classic Rock (52 of 92 songs): It's bloated, they ripped it off and it's served as the launching point for adolescent come-ons for decades. But "The Lemon Song" sure packs some major heaviness into its six blues-soaked minutes. The band later had to give Howlin' Wolf a co-writing credit.
Vulture (65 of 74 songs): A bruising post-blues workout with a live feel, another example of how the band blistered the genre. Still, there’s a lot of notes in this song but not much else. The band’s lack of respect for traditional blues form was paralleled by their lack of respect for blues songwriters. “The Lemon Song” is an example of the many times Plant stole so many established (and copyrighted) blues lyrics that they eventually lost some of their publishing, in this case to Howlin’ Wolf.
Louder (32 of 50 songs): Recorded virtually live at Mystic Studios in Los Angeles in May 1969, during their second US tour, this full-blooded reboot of Howlin’ Wolf’s Killing Floor feels like the sound of pop’s tectonic plates shifting. With Jones' tightrope-taut bass line providing a precarious counterbalance for Page’s savage lead lines and Plant’s libidinous howl, The Lemon Song shimmers with West Coast sleaze, the singer’s not-so subtle appropriation of Robert Johnson’s sexually charged lyric 'You can squeeze my lemon 'til the juice runs down my leg' enough to send the prudish into free fall. The era of Whole Lotta Love – during which Plant would later reuse the phrase – had been set in motion.
WMGK (48 of 92 songs): “Squeeze me baby, 'till the juice runs down my leg.” Even the less-than-astute could figure out what’s going on here. Howlin’ Wolf, of course, would soon after receive a writing credit on the track, which was more than a little inspired by his own Killing Floor.
SPIN (37 of 87 songs): Inspired by the same Robert Johnson, among the group’s best blues reinterpretations. On the whole, though, Lemon is strong, with a riff as mean as the Riverside hook is gleeful, a great mid-and-late-song tempo switch, and a much better deployment of the infamous “squeeze my lemon” section — about as subtle as the band’s songwriting thievery, but as shamelessly inspired as well.
Next, we go back to the first album again . . . if I have the time.
Appeared On: 17 ballots (out of 62) . . . 27.4%
Total Points: 186 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . . 12%)
Top 5 Rankers: @Anarchy99@Dwayne Hoover
5 Other Highest Rankers: @Mookie Gizzy@BroncoFreak_2K3 Friend @Just Win Baby Deadhead @Ron Popeil
Highest Ranking: 2
Live Performances:
LZ: 55 (Killing Floor Composition 1969-1972)
Plant: 75 (São Paulo - 2015-03-27, San Isidro - 2015-03-21 (With Jack White), Werchter - 2016-07-01 (Middle Section First)
Unknown (Middle Section First))
JP & Black Crowes: 17 (Wantagh - 2000-07-10)
Cover Versions: Lita Ford, Train, Adrenaline Mob, Paul Gilbert, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray & Eric Clapton
Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 52
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 65
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): Not Ranked
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 32
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): Not Ranked
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 48
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 37
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 43
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 16
We kick off the Top 40 with a heaping dose of rock and roll goodness. Well, at least from my perspective any ways. Off the top, I have blown out four pair of speakers over the past 40 years listening to this song. We all have our vices, whether it be toots and snorts, ice cream and sports, or bottles, bets, and buxom bimbos. This is my drug and adrenaline rush. If I could somehow shove this song into a syringe, I would inject it. @Dwayne Hoover gets it.
The Lemon Song was a re-arrangement of Howlin' Wolf's Killing Floor, which had become a regular part of the group's live show during 1969. It was recorded live in the studio in a single take. They expanded Killing Floor to include new lyrics, adding in the sexually-charged phrase "squeeze my lemon," which the band borrowed from Robert Johnson's Travelling Riverside Blues. The band had played TRB on BBC radio a few weeks early. Of all the LZ songs that were sexually charged and filled with innuendo, this was likely the most blatant one.
Zeppelin found themselves in hot water again over claims of plagiarism. Arc Music, owner of the publishing rights to Howlin' Wolf's songs, sued for copyright infringement. The parties settled out of court. Wolf received a check for $45K immediately following the suit. The second pressing of the album listed the song as Killing Floor written by Howlin’ Wolf. Subsequent releases flipped the title back to The Lemon Song and included a co-songwriter credit to him. Even Killing Floor borrowed from She Squeezed My Lemon by Roosevelt Sykes.
No electronic devices were used to create the echo on Robert Plant's vocal. It was made by the acoustics in the studio and by his voice. The track is filled with effects including delays, reverb, and channel separation. John Paul Jones amps up the bassline, Bonzo pounds the skins as always, Page opts for distorted, dissonant guitar, and Plant undulates to make the song rock.
That’s all well and good and fine and dandy. The album version of this song is solid and rocks. But the live version they did as Killing Floor in 1968-69 is filled with hell fire and eternal damnation. Seriously, they took things to another level. I had this ranked as my #2 song . . . after cranking the bejesus out of it for the past hour, I think that might be too low.
The version from San Francisco - 1969-04-24 is a five-alarm fire and total smoke show. As in blistering, scorching, get in your grill rock and roll that these days you can only read about. The middle section is probably my favorite stretch of Zeppelin there is. Yes, that’s a bold statement. But listen to it before poo-pooing it.
The interplay between Jones, Page, and Bonham is off the charts. Each of their performances is almost topped by one of the others. JPJ lights up the bass, Bonham beats the living daylights out of his drum set, and Page just flat out goes off. It’s so good, Plant is merely a footnote. And that's no slight to Plant, as he’s also very good.
There other performances of the song are also top notch. They usually didn’t perform it the same each night. I included a link to multiple other versions. Yes . . . I often hit play and let the video play out. The song got dropped off the set list in 1969 and made a handful of experiences in medleys a few times after. Zeppelin is listed as having performed Lemon Song 6 times, which I highly doubt, as they were only playing it as part of medleys by then.
Ultimate Classic Rock (52 of 92 songs): It's bloated, they ripped it off and it's served as the launching point for adolescent come-ons for decades. But "The Lemon Song" sure packs some major heaviness into its six blues-soaked minutes. The band later had to give Howlin' Wolf a co-writing credit.
Vulture (65 of 74 songs): A bruising post-blues workout with a live feel, another example of how the band blistered the genre. Still, there’s a lot of notes in this song but not much else. The band’s lack of respect for traditional blues form was paralleled by their lack of respect for blues songwriters. “The Lemon Song” is an example of the many times Plant stole so many established (and copyrighted) blues lyrics that they eventually lost some of their publishing, in this case to Howlin’ Wolf.
Louder (32 of 50 songs): Recorded virtually live at Mystic Studios in Los Angeles in May 1969, during their second US tour, this full-blooded reboot of Howlin’ Wolf’s Killing Floor feels like the sound of pop’s tectonic plates shifting. With Jones' tightrope-taut bass line providing a precarious counterbalance for Page’s savage lead lines and Plant’s libidinous howl, The Lemon Song shimmers with West Coast sleaze, the singer’s not-so subtle appropriation of Robert Johnson’s sexually charged lyric 'You can squeeze my lemon 'til the juice runs down my leg' enough to send the prudish into free fall. The era of Whole Lotta Love – during which Plant would later reuse the phrase – had been set in motion.
WMGK (48 of 92 songs): “Squeeze me baby, 'till the juice runs down my leg.” Even the less-than-astute could figure out what’s going on here. Howlin’ Wolf, of course, would soon after receive a writing credit on the track, which was more than a little inspired by his own Killing Floor.
SPIN (37 of 87 songs): Inspired by the same Robert Johnson, among the group’s best blues reinterpretations. On the whole, though, Lemon is strong, with a riff as mean as the Riverside hook is gleeful, a great mid-and-late-song tempo switch, and a much better deployment of the infamous “squeeze my lemon” section — about as subtle as the band’s songwriting thievery, but as shamelessly inspired as well.
Next, we go back to the first album again . . . if I have the time.
Last edited by a moderator:
Dennis Castro
Footballguy
Tau837
Footballguy
I didn't rank Dancing Days in my top 25, and I don't think it would likely make my top 40. I ranked the Lemon Song at #7. Not even close for me.
Dwayne Hoover
Footballguy
Fantastic track, I actually had this #4
JPJ rules the roost here with those basslines.
⚡DEADHEAD⚡
Footballguy
I didn't rank Dancing Days in my top 25, and I don't think it would likely make my top 40. I ranked the Lemon Song at #8. Not even close for me.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
#39 - Your Time Is Gonna Come from Led Zeppelin I (1969)
Appeared On: 19 ballots (out of 62) . . . 30.6%
Total Points: 191 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . . 12.3%)
Top 5 Rankers: @BroncoFreak_2K3 friend @simey
5 Other Highest Rankers: @FairWarning@shuke@Joe Schmo@dickey moe@In The Zone
Highest Ranking: 4
Live Performances:
LZ: 0
Page & Plant: 0
Plant: 6
JP & Black Crowes: 18 (Conan O'Brien - 2000-07-11)
Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 54
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 66
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): Not Ranked
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 48
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 41
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 43
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 44
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 49
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 69
FINALLY @dickey moe makes an appearance, officially making him the last ranker to have a song hit the overall rankings. There isn’t a ton of info available on YTIGC. Page wrote the lyrics about a two timing (or more) girl that had caused irreparable harm and a great deal of suffering. Page would later say in an interview, “I never felt that comfortable about my own lyrics, and I was hoping Robert could do all that side.” There’s mostly info on the recording process in terms of instruments and talk of certain passages in the song. I’ll pass on that type of stuff.
Instead, here’s a timeline as to how quickly things came together when the four band members first got together in 1968. The first time the band rehearsed together was 1968-08-19, the day before Plant’s 20th birthday. They first performed together less than 3 weeks later on 1968-09-07 at a club in Gladsaxe, Denmark (billed as the Yardbirds with support from Day Of Phonix, The Eyes, and Ham). They played 9 shows in Denmark and Sweden before returning.
Here’s a review from that first day: “Jimmy Page has put a new band together. The music is the same, only better than ever . . . Robert Plant should face some small criticism and a lot of praise for an excellent performance. There is no doubt that he is a good singer, but he doesn't have to twist his body like he's having a ruptured appendix, does he? Musically, the band is super-great. Their hard-disciplined beat is amazing. Of course, it was foremost Jimmy Page that was responsible for this, but the drummer should also be mentioned; a drum solo so wild and good is hard to find. It was so good that one almost wished that John Bonham wouldn't stop."
Setlists during their early shows included: Train Kept 'A Rollin', I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, Communication Breakdown, Flames, White Summer / Black Mountain Side, You Shook Me, Pat's Delight (drum solo), Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, How Many More Times, and For Your Love. (I am unfamiliar with Flames . . . not sure what that song is.)
Page had this to say about that first outing, "They don't cheer too madly there, you know? We were really scared, because we only had about fifteen hours to practice together. It was sort of an experimental concert to see if we were any good. I guess." They shifted their name from the Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin and entered the studio to start work on the first album on 1968-09-25.
After the band recorded the first album, which was entirely paid for by Page and manager Peter Grant ($2,300), the band was unsigned to a label. Page and Grant traveled to New York (along with Jeff Beck in tow) with the master tapes of the first album. Atlantic opted to pull the trigger on a deal on 1968-11-11. Grant had somehow finagled a five-year recording contract with Atlantic Records. The deal was worth $220,000 (the equivalent of $1.75 million today), the largest record contract at the time for a new band. To put things in perspective, Bonham had never made more than $50 a week and Plant $40 a week at the time they signed their first record deal. Perhaps more importantly, the contract also granted Page and the band creative control, which was very rare in those days. Here was the official press release from Atlantic Records:
“Atlantic Records has signed the hot new English group, Led Zeppelin, to a long term, exclusive recording contract. Although the exact terms of the deal are secret, it can be disclosed that it is one of the most substantial deals Atlantic has ever made. Agreement for the group’s services was made between Jerry Wexler, Executive Vice President of Atlantic Records, Peter Grant, manager of the group.
Led Zeppelin consists of four of the most exciting musicians performing in Britain today. They are Jimmy Page, leader of the group and lead guitarist; John Paul Jones, bassist, pianist, organist, arranger; John Bonham, drums; and Robert Plant, lead vocal and harmonica.
Jimmy Page is a former member of the Yardbirds, the group that spawned the careers of two other great musicians, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Page joined the Yardbirds in 1966 and stayed with the group until it disbanded in the summer of 1968. Prior to joining the Yardbirds he was one of the busiest session men in London.
John Paul Jones is considered one of England’s finest arrangers as well as an outstanding bass player. He is the arranger of Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow”, “Sunshine Superman”, and “Hurdy Gurdy Man”, and of the Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow”. Drummer John Bonham created a sensation with his drum solos, while accompanying Tim Rose on his British tour in early 1968. Vocalist Robert Plant is considered one of England’s outstanding young blues singers, and has been involved in singing blues since he was 15. All of the members of the group are in their early 20s.
The pulsations surrounding Led Zeppelin have intensified ever since the group recorded its first (and as yet unreleased) album, which was produced by Jimmy Page, just a month ago in London. Top English and American rock musicians who have heard the tracks have called Led Zeppelin the next group to reach heights achieved by Cream and Hendrix. This Led Zeppelin LP will be released by Atlantic early in January.
Led Zeppelin is the eighth British group to be signed by Atlantic during the past 24 months. The others are Cream, Bee Gees, Julie Driscoll - Brian Auger & Trinity, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Marbles, The Magic Lanterns, and Jimmy James & The Vagabonds.”
Zeppelin hit the road and started their first tour of North America on 1968-12-26 in Denver. The first album dropped on 1969-01-12. So all of that took place in a span of 4-5 months. In America, the album would crack the Top 10 and went on to sell over 8 million units just in the U.S.
Like several other songs in Zeppelin’s portfolio, Your Time Is Gonna Come was not performed much live (if at all). There are several places that suggest the song was played in those handful of Scandinavian dates in 1968, but the official LZ site gives no indication of that. The closest there is to a live performance is its inclusion in a medley from Tokyo - 1971-09-24 (which is only a partial segment of the song). That’s it. It didn’t even make it into another medley.
Even Page & Plant took a pass on performing this one. Plant played the song 6 times on his 1993 Fate of Nations tour. Which means, the pairing of Page with the Black Crowes was the grouping that played the song the most (18 times). Nothing against Chris Robinson, but I’ve seen Robert Plant, and you sir, are no Robert Plant.
Ultimate Classic Rock (54 of 92 songs): A mix of psychedelic freak-out music, traditional blues and gentle folk, Your Time Is Gonna Come may be the most musically confused song in Led Zeppelin's catalog. It's pretty good, though.
Vulture (66 of 74 songs): On the second side of their debut, misogyny takes over on a track unsubtle lyrically and musically. Wimmin! Some pretty organ work from Jones, though.
Louder (48 of 50 songs): It still may have only been October 1968, but Zep laid down the blueprint for ’70s macho excess on this vitriolic kiss-off to an ex-lover. John Paul Jones’ cathedral-like organ intro sets a suitably epic tone, before Bonham’s sledgehammer drums and Page’s bluesy pedal steel guitar – his first use of the instrument, fact fans – set the scene for Plant’s lung-busting take down of a former girlfriend ('Lyin’, cheatin’, hurtin’/ That’s all you seem to do') prior to a climax featuring all four members in a hypnotic choral fade-out. Curiously never played live after their Scandinavian tour of the same year, it's an early example of Zep flexing their musical muscles – their time was about to come.
Uproxx (41 of 50 songs): None of the songs from Untitled were intended to be released as singles, because Zeppelin didn’t set out to make singles. Zeppelin’s visionary manger Peter Grant —a 6-foot-5, 300-plus pound ex-wrestler whose menacing professional demeanor belied a gentle hand as a father and husband, the perfect physical manifestation of the Zeppelin essence — insisted against record company demands that avoiding pop hits would ultimately boost Zeppelin’s mystique. (Though in the U.S. the record company sometimes went against Zeppelin’s wishes and put out singles anyway.) As it turned out, Zeppelin arrived at precisely the moment that free-form FM radio became important in America, and their absence from the AM side made them superstars in the opposing format. Taking a stand against singles in order to become one of the most overplayed radio bands in rock history defines Grant’s strategic genius.
WMGK (43 of 92 songs): Side two of ‘Led Zeppelin I’ kicks off with this track, and it brings a complete mood change to the album thanks to John Paul Jones’ organ playing.
SPIN (44 of 87 songs): An inspired exercise in musical contrast, as explained by legendary rock producer and Zep superfan Rick Rubin: “It’s like the drums are playing a big rock song and the guitars are playing a gentle folk song. And it’s got one of the most upbeat choruses of any Zeppelin song, even though the words are so dark.” All true, making it the first album’s biggest grower of a track.
Up next, our first song ranked #1 by one us.
Appeared On: 19 ballots (out of 62) . . . 30.6%
Total Points: 191 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . . 12.3%)
Top 5 Rankers: @BroncoFreak_2K3 friend @simey
5 Other Highest Rankers: @FairWarning@shuke@Joe Schmo@dickey moe@In The Zone
Highest Ranking: 4
Live Performances:
LZ: 0
Page & Plant: 0
Plant: 6
JP & Black Crowes: 18 (Conan O'Brien - 2000-07-11)
Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 54
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 66
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): Not Ranked
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 48
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 41
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 43
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 44
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 49
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 69
FINALLY @dickey moe makes an appearance, officially making him the last ranker to have a song hit the overall rankings. There isn’t a ton of info available on YTIGC. Page wrote the lyrics about a two timing (or more) girl that had caused irreparable harm and a great deal of suffering. Page would later say in an interview, “I never felt that comfortable about my own lyrics, and I was hoping Robert could do all that side.” There’s mostly info on the recording process in terms of instruments and talk of certain passages in the song. I’ll pass on that type of stuff.
Instead, here’s a timeline as to how quickly things came together when the four band members first got together in 1968. The first time the band rehearsed together was 1968-08-19, the day before Plant’s 20th birthday. They first performed together less than 3 weeks later on 1968-09-07 at a club in Gladsaxe, Denmark (billed as the Yardbirds with support from Day Of Phonix, The Eyes, and Ham). They played 9 shows in Denmark and Sweden before returning.
Here’s a review from that first day: “Jimmy Page has put a new band together. The music is the same, only better than ever . . . Robert Plant should face some small criticism and a lot of praise for an excellent performance. There is no doubt that he is a good singer, but he doesn't have to twist his body like he's having a ruptured appendix, does he? Musically, the band is super-great. Their hard-disciplined beat is amazing. Of course, it was foremost Jimmy Page that was responsible for this, but the drummer should also be mentioned; a drum solo so wild and good is hard to find. It was so good that one almost wished that John Bonham wouldn't stop."
Setlists during their early shows included: Train Kept 'A Rollin', I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, Communication Breakdown, Flames, White Summer / Black Mountain Side, You Shook Me, Pat's Delight (drum solo), Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, How Many More Times, and For Your Love. (I am unfamiliar with Flames . . . not sure what that song is.)
Page had this to say about that first outing, "They don't cheer too madly there, you know? We were really scared, because we only had about fifteen hours to practice together. It was sort of an experimental concert to see if we were any good. I guess." They shifted their name from the Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin and entered the studio to start work on the first album on 1968-09-25.
After the band recorded the first album, which was entirely paid for by Page and manager Peter Grant ($2,300), the band was unsigned to a label. Page and Grant traveled to New York (along with Jeff Beck in tow) with the master tapes of the first album. Atlantic opted to pull the trigger on a deal on 1968-11-11. Grant had somehow finagled a five-year recording contract with Atlantic Records. The deal was worth $220,000 (the equivalent of $1.75 million today), the largest record contract at the time for a new band. To put things in perspective, Bonham had never made more than $50 a week and Plant $40 a week at the time they signed their first record deal. Perhaps more importantly, the contract also granted Page and the band creative control, which was very rare in those days. Here was the official press release from Atlantic Records:
“Atlantic Records has signed the hot new English group, Led Zeppelin, to a long term, exclusive recording contract. Although the exact terms of the deal are secret, it can be disclosed that it is one of the most substantial deals Atlantic has ever made. Agreement for the group’s services was made between Jerry Wexler, Executive Vice President of Atlantic Records, Peter Grant, manager of the group.
Led Zeppelin consists of four of the most exciting musicians performing in Britain today. They are Jimmy Page, leader of the group and lead guitarist; John Paul Jones, bassist, pianist, organist, arranger; John Bonham, drums; and Robert Plant, lead vocal and harmonica.
Jimmy Page is a former member of the Yardbirds, the group that spawned the careers of two other great musicians, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Page joined the Yardbirds in 1966 and stayed with the group until it disbanded in the summer of 1968. Prior to joining the Yardbirds he was one of the busiest session men in London.
John Paul Jones is considered one of England’s finest arrangers as well as an outstanding bass player. He is the arranger of Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow”, “Sunshine Superman”, and “Hurdy Gurdy Man”, and of the Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow”. Drummer John Bonham created a sensation with his drum solos, while accompanying Tim Rose on his British tour in early 1968. Vocalist Robert Plant is considered one of England’s outstanding young blues singers, and has been involved in singing blues since he was 15. All of the members of the group are in their early 20s.
The pulsations surrounding Led Zeppelin have intensified ever since the group recorded its first (and as yet unreleased) album, which was produced by Jimmy Page, just a month ago in London. Top English and American rock musicians who have heard the tracks have called Led Zeppelin the next group to reach heights achieved by Cream and Hendrix. This Led Zeppelin LP will be released by Atlantic early in January.
Led Zeppelin is the eighth British group to be signed by Atlantic during the past 24 months. The others are Cream, Bee Gees, Julie Driscoll - Brian Auger & Trinity, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Marbles, The Magic Lanterns, and Jimmy James & The Vagabonds.”
Zeppelin hit the road and started their first tour of North America on 1968-12-26 in Denver. The first album dropped on 1969-01-12. So all of that took place in a span of 4-5 months. In America, the album would crack the Top 10 and went on to sell over 8 million units just in the U.S.
Like several other songs in Zeppelin’s portfolio, Your Time Is Gonna Come was not performed much live (if at all). There are several places that suggest the song was played in those handful of Scandinavian dates in 1968, but the official LZ site gives no indication of that. The closest there is to a live performance is its inclusion in a medley from Tokyo - 1971-09-24 (which is only a partial segment of the song). That’s it. It didn’t even make it into another medley.
Even Page & Plant took a pass on performing this one. Plant played the song 6 times on his 1993 Fate of Nations tour. Which means, the pairing of Page with the Black Crowes was the grouping that played the song the most (18 times). Nothing against Chris Robinson, but I’ve seen Robert Plant, and you sir, are no Robert Plant.
Ultimate Classic Rock (54 of 92 songs): A mix of psychedelic freak-out music, traditional blues and gentle folk, Your Time Is Gonna Come may be the most musically confused song in Led Zeppelin's catalog. It's pretty good, though.
Vulture (66 of 74 songs): On the second side of their debut, misogyny takes over on a track unsubtle lyrically and musically. Wimmin! Some pretty organ work from Jones, though.
Louder (48 of 50 songs): It still may have only been October 1968, but Zep laid down the blueprint for ’70s macho excess on this vitriolic kiss-off to an ex-lover. John Paul Jones’ cathedral-like organ intro sets a suitably epic tone, before Bonham’s sledgehammer drums and Page’s bluesy pedal steel guitar – his first use of the instrument, fact fans – set the scene for Plant’s lung-busting take down of a former girlfriend ('Lyin’, cheatin’, hurtin’/ That’s all you seem to do') prior to a climax featuring all four members in a hypnotic choral fade-out. Curiously never played live after their Scandinavian tour of the same year, it's an early example of Zep flexing their musical muscles – their time was about to come.
Uproxx (41 of 50 songs): None of the songs from Untitled were intended to be released as singles, because Zeppelin didn’t set out to make singles. Zeppelin’s visionary manger Peter Grant —a 6-foot-5, 300-plus pound ex-wrestler whose menacing professional demeanor belied a gentle hand as a father and husband, the perfect physical manifestation of the Zeppelin essence — insisted against record company demands that avoiding pop hits would ultimately boost Zeppelin’s mystique. (Though in the U.S. the record company sometimes went against Zeppelin’s wishes and put out singles anyway.) As it turned out, Zeppelin arrived at precisely the moment that free-form FM radio became important in America, and their absence from the AM side made them superstars in the opposing format. Taking a stand against singles in order to become one of the most overplayed radio bands in rock history defines Grant’s strategic genius.
WMGK (43 of 92 songs): Side two of ‘Led Zeppelin I’ kicks off with this track, and it brings a complete mood change to the album thanks to John Paul Jones’ organ playing.
SPIN (44 of 87 songs): An inspired exercise in musical contrast, as explained by legendary rock producer and Zep superfan Rick Rubin: “It’s like the drums are playing a big rock song and the guitars are playing a gentle folk song. And it’s got one of the most upbeat choruses of any Zeppelin song, even though the words are so dark.” All true, making it the first album’s biggest grower of a track.
Up next, our first song ranked #1 by one us.
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FairWarning
Footballguy
Your Time is a great mix of Vanilla Fudge and Deep Purple. The only negative with this song is it wasn’t song one on the album. It has the perfect buildup.
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Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
“Shamelessly inspired” is a good description. I was much more into this song as a teen than I am now, but I still admire the sounds Page, Jones and Bonham made.
simey
Footballguy
"Your Time Is Gonna Come" is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs. I ranked it #5. I like the song instantly from the beginning when you hear John Paul Jones on the churchy sounding hammond intro, and then comes the crash of the cymbals kicking off Bonzo, and then comes Page on acoustic, and then Plant on vocals. Page even adds a touch of pedal steel in at times. I just like everything about the song, and each band member makes the song better.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
The cassette I had in the 80s had side 2 as side 1, so it was song one on the album for me!
FairWarning
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
FYI the Uproxx blurb has nothing to do with this song. Was that another cut and paste error?
I’ve always liked this one and find it intriguing because it’s one of their few tracks that sounds very much of the late ‘60s. As FairWarning said, it’s similar to the stuff that was being done by Vanilla Fudge, the pre-Machine Head Deep Purple and other bands of that ilk. The backing vocals especially make it sound that way — and after the first album we never heard backing vocals from them again. JPJ’s organ work is stellar, as is Plant’s vocal.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
That’s what they posted. I can see if they posted info for it under a different song.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
D'yer Mak'er and Dancing Days are both great. Both deserved a better fate.
And seeing The Lemon Song finish this low made my head explode. Oof.
And seeing The Lemon Song finish this low made my head explode. Oof.
FairWarning
Footballguy
D’yer Mak’er, probably a bottom 5-10 song for me. Never cared for it. I figured it would be a polarizing song. Dancing Days was one of my last cuts. The Lemon Song, a victim of album burnout for me.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
None of their other write ups deal with Your Time, so not sure what they did.
dickey moe
Fingerpicker
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