What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

FBG'S TOP 81 LED ZEPPELIN SONGS: #1 - When The Levee Breaks from Led Zeppelin IV (1971) (2 Viewers)

Actually they say that Stairway is #1.
Yeah, someone already pointed that part out to me. I was at work and on the phone when I clicked on the link. I just glanced at it to see the list and had no time to read the write ups. When it only had 9 numbered songs, it struck me as odd.

 
#22 - Ten Years Gone From Physical Graffiti (1975)

Appeared On: 27 ballots (out of 62 . . . 43.5%)
Total Points: 400 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  25.4%)

#1 Rankers: @Todem@neal cassady@joffer
Top 5 Rankers: @Pip's Invitation@gdub@zamboni@Whyatt@Ron Popeil@shuke@Joe Schmo
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 45 (Los Angeles - 1977-06-21Los Angeles - 1977-06-23Cleveland - 1977-04-28Seattle - 1977-07-17London - 1979-08-04 (Last Performance))
Page & Plant: 1 (Osaka - 1996-02-15 (Only Performance))
Plant: 0
JP & The Crowes: 17 (Wantagh - 2000-07-10)

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 30
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 40
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): Not Ranked
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 11
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 16
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 23
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 7
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 23
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 25

Sometimes things are not what they appear. Against all odds, @In The Zone forged a last-minute appeal to the governor to spare his song . . . and magically it was granted. His #1 Zeppelin fave gets a stay of execution and will live on to tell the tale. The riff on lyrics in the teaser was based on lyrics from THIS song . . . not THAT song. I really meant it when I posted that “it wasn’t so.” And there was much rejoicing.

Ten Years Gone hit the jackpot with three #1 votes (the first song to do so), four #2’s (ditto), ten Top 5 votes (another first), and fourteen Top 10 votes (yep . . . a new high in this category too). It also got left off 35 ballots, which is the most out of any song in the Top 25. It’s another case of love, love, love it or not on people’s radar much at all. It’s the second to last entry from PG, and it’s the song I mentioned earlier that to me is “just another song.” Plenty of other people apparently felt the same way, so people can respond and debate why they did or didn’t rank it.

Ten Years Gone was another composition that Page had imagined and developed as an instrumental. But Plant’s lyrics changed his mind. “It had a certain feeling about it, a melancholy feeling. The theme the lyrics took was exactly along the lines I had been putting together. Robert is very much in sympathy with the vibe of my music.”

Plant chimed in during an interview back in the day, “Let me tell you a story about Ten Years Gone on our new album. I was working my ### off before joining Zeppelin. A lady I really dearly loved said, ‘Right. It’s me or your fans.’ Not that I had fans, but I said, ‘I can’t stop, I’ve got to keep going.’ She’s quite content these days, I imagine. She’s got a washing machine that works by itself and a little sports car. We wouldn’t have anything to say anymore. I could probably relate to her, but she couldn’t relate to me. I’d be smiling too much. Ten years gone, I’m afraid. Anyway, there’s a gamble for you.”

Plant added, “Ten Years Gone was meticulously assembled from different sections written by Jimmy. After the tremendous focus dedicated to such a song, we played just about anything to warm ourselves up. This is how Trampled Underfoot and Custard Pie were born (the first takes of those songs were cut the same day).”

Talk about a day at the office. “How was your day, dear?” “Pretty good. Wrote and recorded Ten Years Gone, Trampled Underfoot, and Custard Pie. Other than that, not much happened.” Page used 14 guitar tracks to overdub the harmony section. He had 5 or 6 guitars playing together at various points of the song. He referred to this setup fondly as “an army of guitars.” 

There were initial fears that the song would not be able to be performed live. John Paul Jones had to order a custom-made triple neck guitar (six-string, twelve string, and mandolin) to imitate at least some of the guitar parts while Page played lead. Page needed 12 arms to be able to play all the parts. He considered using his Gibson double neck guitar but found he could achieve the sound he wanted using a Fender Telecaster.

Physical Graffiti was the third album released on the Swan Song label. The first was supposed to be Queen of the Night by Maggie Bell, but it ended up being released by Atlantic Records instead. Bad Company’s debut came out in 1974, followed by Silk Torpedo by the Pretty Things. Bell’s follow-up Suicide Sal and Bad Company’s second release Straight Shooter round out the first five records they put out. The label ended up releasing 27 albums (some sites say 30) over its 10-year run (Ten Years Gone?). Swan Song ceased active operations in 1983 and now exists only to reissue previously released material.

Two of the final albums that were released on Swan Song were Plant’s solo debut Pictures at Eleven and the Zeppelin leftovers compilation Coda. The label had signed, but never produced or released anything from, a band called The Message, which featured future Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and bassist Alec John Such. Not getting any traction from record companies, the band recorded an album on their own. Due to lack of money, the band only pressed 1,800 copies and sold them from the trunks of their cars. The band landed a supporting role on a Joe Cocker tour. The band returned home to New Jersey and Sambora and Such ended up at a gig with Jon Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones on the bill. They joined forces and became Bon Jovi. With Swan Song still not that interested, Bon Jovi signed with Polygram instead . . . and went on to sell 120+ million albums.

When Swan Song's offices were shut down and cleared out, early demos from Iron Maiden and Heart were among those found, unplayed and stored, on the shelves. Maiden went on to sell 100 million albums, while Heart has sold 35 million. The “three bands that got away” have sold a combined 250+ million albums.

Ultimate Classic Rock (30 of 92 songs): Page originally conceived Ten Years Gone as an instrumental – evident by the layers and layers of guitars that make up the climax. Plant later added words about an ex who gave him an ultimatum regarding his career. Page was an expert producer; this is one of his best works behind the boards.

Vulture (40 of 74 songs): By the mid-1970s, Page had the routine down — the studio ‘n’ guitars epic, scene set with an acoustic-y beginning, drama supplied by the big guitar burst. Repeat for six to eight minutes. Page delivers on the guitar work, and Plant steps up with surprisingly vulnerable lyrics, which seems to be a relationship that has lasted ten years, though the phrase ten years gone is perhaps not the most felicitous turn of phrase to describe it — it’s supposed to mean “ten years on” rather than “ten years wasted.”  But in the end, it’s brought down by muddy production.

Louder (11 of 50 songs): Zeppelin’s creativity was at an all-time high during the Physical Graffiti sessions. Even now, Ten Years Gone is still spellbinding. Our astronaut alchemists nearing the end of their quest, heroin-soaked, cocaine-addled. Lost in the desert, wheels spinning in the sand. The struggle is beating them down, you can hear the weariness in the voice and beats, the end is near. It is prophetic, as the band arguably struggled to scale these heady heights again.

Uproxx (16 of 50 songs): A rare glimpse at the “emotionally mature” Led Zeppelin. This is not a band you put on when you’re seeking deep insights into the complex dynamics that occur between men and women in adult relationships. But Ten Years Gone is their Blood On The Tracks move, with Plant reflecting on a relationship that ended right around the time he joined Zeppelin. It also ranks among Page’s most intricate constructions of guitar overdubs. Later, when he did his (pretty underrated!) tour with The Black Crowes in the late ’90s, Page found that he was finally able to replicate all those parts to his satisfaction. All it took was having three guitarists on stage.

WMGK (23 of 92 songs): “Did you ever really need somebody/And really need 'em bad/Did you ever really want somebody/The best love you ever had.” Plant’s lyrics add significant heft to the track, which Page had planned to be an instrumental. While the instrumental could have stood alone, the lyrics take Ten Years Gone to another level. 

SPIN (7 out of 87 songs): Perhaps the best Zeppelin song that radio never seemed to really get a handle on, a dark and devastating epic that lives up to the context-less drama of its title. It’s also the secret masterpiece of Jimmy Page’s ouevre, a stitching together of about a half-dozen riffs, each of which has its own unmistakable identity, somehow woven together to create the base for a surprisingly coherent masterwork of regret and unease. “It sounds like nature coming through the speakers,” Rick Rubin once said of the song, and he wasn’t wrong.

I see @Galileois warming up in the bullpen with his overall top pick. It's a song that was exclusively played on the 1977 U.S. Tour. Not before, not after, not at any of the reunions. Only in 1977.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Now that we've hit the sweet spot, with 25 to go, my revealed songs:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8. Travelling Riverside Blues (43)

9. Ten Years Gone (22)

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17. 

18.

19. Hey, Hey, What Can I Do (24)

20. 

21. In My Time of Dying (26)

22. Houses of the Holy (37)

23. 

24. I Can't Quit You Baby (50)

25. Your Time is Gonna Come (39)

The 5 consensus top 25 songs that didn't make my list:

Rock & Roll

The Battle of Evermore

No Quarter

The Song Remains the Same (23)

Misty Mountain Hop (25)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I was surprised to find The Song Remains the Same movie on YouTube a couple of weeks ago. It has its limitations, but have not seen it since high school, rewatching brought back some great memories.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pDg721WdilM
It was the first DVD I bought when I bought our first DVD Player in 1994 as I recall.  I have no idea where it is, but I head home in 3-weeks for a break and will find it and can't wait to watch it!!  I had this song #22 primarily based off the live version as I thought Page played his guts out knowing this would be a key (swan song) to the whole live album and movie.  

 
Anarchy99 said:
#22 - Ten Years Gone From Physical Graffiti (1975)

Appeared On: 27 ballots (out of 62 . . . 43.5%)
Total Points: 400 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  25.4%)

#1 Rankers: @Todem@neal cassady@joffer
Top 5 Rankers: @Pip's Invitation@gdub@zamboni@Whyatt@Ron Popeil@shuke@Joe Schmo
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 45 (Los Angeles - 1977-06-21Los Angeles - 1977-06-23Cleveland - 1977-04-28Seattle - 1977-07-17London - 1979-08-04 (Last Performance))
Page & Plant: 1 (Osaka - 1996-02-15 (Only Performance))
Plant: 0
JP & The Crowes: 17 (Wantagh - 2000-07-10)

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 30
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 40
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): Not Ranked
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 11
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 16
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 23
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 7
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 23
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 25

Sometimes things are not what they appear. Against all odds, @In The Zone forged a last-minute appeal to the governor to spare his song . . . and magically it was granted. His #1 Zeppelin fave gets a stay of execution and will live on to tell the tale. The riff on lyrics in the teaser was based on lyrics from THIS song . . . not THAT song. I really meant it when I posted that “it wasn’t so.” And there was much rejoicing.

Ten Years Gone hit the jackpot with three #1 votes (the first song to do so), four #2’s (ditto), ten Top 5 votes (another first), and fourteen Top 10 votes (yep . . . a new high in this category too). It also got left off 35 ballots, which is the most out of any song in the Top 25. It’s another case of love, love, love it or not on people’s radar much at all. It’s the second to last entry from PG, and it’s the song I mentioned earlier that to me is “just another song.” Plenty of other people apparently felt the same way, so people can respond and debate why they did or didn’t rank it.

Ten Years Gone was another composition that Page had imagined and developed as an instrumental. But Plant’s lyrics changed his mind. “It had a certain feeling about it, a melancholy feeling. The theme the lyrics took was exactly along the lines I had been putting together. Robert is very much in sympathy with the vibe of my music.”

Plant chimed in during an interview back in the day, “Let me tell you a story about Ten Years Gone on our new album. I was working my ### off before joining Zeppelin. A lady I really dearly loved said, ‘Right. It’s me or your fans.’ Not that I had fans, but I said, ‘I can’t stop, I’ve got to keep going.’ She’s quite content these days, I imagine. She’s got a washing machine that works by itself and a little sports car. We wouldn’t have anything to say anymore. I could probably relate to her, but she couldn’t relate to me. I’d be smiling too much. Ten years gone, I’m afraid. Anyway, there’s a gamble for you.”

Plant added, “Ten Years Gone was meticulously assembled from different sections written by Jimmy. After the tremendous focus dedicated to such a song, we played just about anything to warm ourselves up. This is how Trampled Underfoot and Custard Pie were born (the first takes of those songs were cut the same day).”

Talk about a day at the office. “How was your day, dear?” “Pretty good. Wrote and recorded Ten Years Gone, Trampled Underfoot, and Custard Pie. Other than that, not much happened.” Page used 14 guitar tracks to overdub the harmony section. He had 5 or 6 guitars playing together at various points of the song. He referred to this setup fondly as “an army of guitars.” 

There were initial fears that the song would not be able to be performed live. John Paul Jones had to order a custom-made triple neck guitar (six-string, twelve string, and mandolin) to imitate at least some of the guitar parts while Page played lead. Page needed 12 arms to be able to play all the parts. He considered using his Gibson double neck guitar but found he could achieve the sound he wanted using a Fender Telecaster.

Physical Graffiti was the third album released on the Swan Song label. The first was supposed to be Queen of the Night by Maggie Bell, but it ended up being released by Atlantic Records instead. Bad Company’s debut came out in 1974, followed by Silk Torpedo by the Pretty Things. Bell’s follow-up Suicide Sal and Bad Company’s second release Straight Shooter round out the first five records they put out. The label ended up releasing 27 albums (some sites say 30) over its 10-year run (Ten Years Gone?). Swan Song ceased active operations in 1983 and now exists only to reissue previously released material.

Two of the final albums that were released on Swan Song were Plant’s solo debut Pictures at Eleven and the Zeppelin leftovers compilation Coda. The label had signed, but never produced or released anything from, a band called The Message, which featured future Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and bassist Alec John Such. Not getting any traction from record companies, the band recorded an album on their own. Due to lack of money, the band only pressed 1,800 copies and sold them from the trunks of their cars. The band landed a supporting role on a Joe Cocker tour. The band returned home to New Jersey and Sambora and Such ended up at a gig with Jon Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones on the bill. They joined forces and became Bon Jovi. With Swan Song still not that interested, Bon Jovi signed with Polygram instead . . . and went on to sell 120+ million albums.

When Swan Song's offices were shut down and cleared out, early demos from Iron Maiden and Heart were among those found, unplayed and stored, on the shelves. Maiden went on to sell 100 million albums, while Heart has sold 35 million. The “three bands that got away” have sold a combined 250+ million albums.

Ultimate Classic Rock (30 of 92 songs): Page originally conceived Ten Years Gone as an instrumental – evident by the layers and layers of guitars that make up the climax. Plant later added words about an ex who gave him an ultimatum regarding his career. Page was an expert producer; this is one of his best works behind the boards.

Vulture (40 of 74 songs): By the mid-1970s, Page had the routine down — the studio ‘n’ guitars epic, scene set with an acoustic-y beginning, drama supplied by the big guitar burst. Repeat for six to eight minutes. Page delivers on the guitar work, and Plant steps up with surprisingly vulnerable lyrics, which seems to be a relationship that has lasted ten years, though the phrase ten years gone is perhaps not the most felicitous turn of phrase to describe it — it’s supposed to mean “ten years on” rather than “ten years wasted.”  But in the end, it’s brought down by muddy production.

Louder (11 of 50 songs): Zeppelin’s creativity was at an all-time high during the Physical Graffiti sessions. Even now, Ten Years Gone is still spellbinding. Our astronaut alchemists nearing the end of their quest, heroin-soaked, cocaine-addled. Lost in the desert, wheels spinning in the sand. The struggle is beating them down, you can hear the weariness in the voice and beats, the end is near. It is prophetic, as the band arguably struggled to scale these heady heights again.

Uproxx (16 of 50 songs): A rare glimpse at the “emotionally mature” Led Zeppelin. This is not a band you put on when you’re seeking deep insights into the complex dynamics that occur between men and women in adult relationships. But Ten Years Gone is their Blood On The Tracks move, with Plant reflecting on a relationship that ended right around the time he joined Zeppelin. It also ranks among Page’s most intricate constructions of guitar overdubs. Later, when he did his (pretty underrated!) tour with The Black Crowes in the late ’90s, Page found that he was finally able to replicate all those parts to his satisfaction. All it took was having three guitarists on stage.

WMGK (23 of 92 songs): “Did you ever really need somebody/And really need 'em bad/Did you ever really want somebody/The best love you ever had.” Plant’s lyrics add significant heft to the track, which Page had planned to be an instrumental. While the instrumental could have stood alone, the lyrics take Ten Years Gone to another level. 

SPIN (7 out of 87 songs): Perhaps the best Zeppelin song that radio never seemed to really get a handle on, a dark and devastating epic that lives up to the context-less drama of its title. It’s also the secret masterpiece of Jimmy Page’s ouevre, a stitching together of about a half-dozen riffs, each of which has its own unmistakable identity, somehow woven together to create the base for a surprisingly coherent masterwork of regret and unease. “It sounds like nature coming through the speakers,” Rick Rubin once said of the song, and he wasn’t wrong.

I see @Galileois warming up in the bullpen with his overall top pick. It's a song that was exclusively played on the 1977 U.S. Tour. Not before, not after, not at any of the reunions. Only in 1977.
My rank: 2

My friend’s rank: None

Your writeup and the comments of most of the outside rankers sum up the appeal of this really well.

”Army of guitars” sums this up perfectly. I love that stuff — see also Achilles and Song Remains. This song is one of Page’s most masterful constructions.

But, unusually for Zep for me, it’s the lyrics and vocals that vault this one so high on my list. The lyrics are eloquent and wistful and Plant’s singing is some of his most impassioned. I get the chills every time this song comes on.

The ridiculous number of memorable riffs also sets this one apart for me. Each of them would have been the basis for an incredible song on their own. 

This is my favorite song from my favorite Zep album and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Interesting that two of my top 10 songs were originally planned as instrumentals.

I think @otb_lifermight have something to say about this one. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
#22 - Ten Years Gone From Physical Graffiti (1975)

Appeared On: 27 ballots (out of 62 . . . 43.5%)
Total Points: 400 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  25.4%)

#1 Rankers: @Todem@neal cassady@joffer
Top 5 Rankers: @Pip's Invitation@gdub@zamboni@Whyatt@Ron Popeil@shuke@Joe Schmo
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 45 (Los Angeles - 1977-06-21Los Angeles - 1977-06-23Cleveland - 1977-04-28Seattle - 1977-07-17London - 1979-08-04 (Last Performance))
Page & Plant: 1 (Osaka - 1996-02-15 (Only Performance))
Plant: 0
JP & The Crowes: 17 (Wantagh - 2000-07-10)

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 30
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 40
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): Not Ranked
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 11
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 16
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 23
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 7
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 23
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 25

Sometimes things are not what they appear. Against all odds, @In The Zone forged a last-minute appeal to the governor to spare his song . . . and magically it was granted. His #1 Zeppelin fave gets a stay of execution and will live on to tell the tale. The riff on lyrics in the teaser was based on lyrics from THIS song . . . not THAT song. I really meant it when I posted that “it wasn’t so.” And there was much rejoicing.

Ten Years Gone hit the jackpot with three #1 votes (the first song to do so), four #2’s (ditto), ten Top 5 votes (another first), and fourteen Top 10 votes (yep . . . a new high in this category too). It also got left off 35 ballots, which is the most out of any song in the Top 25. It’s another case of love, love, love it or not on people’s radar much at all. It’s the second to last entry from PG, and it’s the song I mentioned earlier that to me is “just another song.” Plenty of other people apparently felt the same way, so people can respond and debate why they did or didn’t rank it.

Ten Years Gone was another composition that Page had imagined and developed as an instrumental. But Plant’s lyrics changed his mind. “It had a certain feeling about it, a melancholy feeling. The theme the lyrics took was exactly along the lines I had been putting together. Robert is very much in sympathy with the vibe of my music.”

Plant chimed in during an interview back in the day, “Let me tell you a story about Ten Years Gone on our new album. I was working my ### off before joining Zeppelin. A lady I really dearly loved said, ‘Right. It’s me or your fans.’ Not that I had fans, but I said, ‘I can’t stop, I’ve got to keep going.’ She’s quite content these days, I imagine. She’s got a washing machine that works by itself and a little sports car. We wouldn’t have anything to say anymore. I could probably relate to her, but she couldn’t relate to me. I’d be smiling too much. Ten years gone, I’m afraid. Anyway, there’s a gamble for you.”

Plant added, “Ten Years Gone was meticulously assembled from different sections written by Jimmy. After the tremendous focus dedicated to such a song, we played just about anything to warm ourselves up. This is how Trampled Underfoot and Custard Pie were born (the first takes of those songs were cut the same day).”

Talk about a day at the office. “How was your day, dear?” “Pretty good. Wrote and recorded Ten Years Gone, Trampled Underfoot, and Custard Pie. Other than that, not much happened.” Page used 14 guitar tracks to overdub the harmony section. He had 5 or 6 guitars playing together at various points of the song. He referred to this setup fondly as “an army of guitars.” 

There were initial fears that the song would not be able to be performed live. John Paul Jones had to order a custom-made triple neck guitar (six-string, twelve string, and mandolin) to imitate at least some of the guitar parts while Page played lead. Page needed 12 arms to be able to play all the parts. He considered using his Gibson double neck guitar but found he could achieve the sound he wanted using a Fender Telecaster.

Physical Graffiti was the third album released on the Swan Song label. The first was supposed to be Queen of the Night by Maggie Bell, but it ended up being released by Atlantic Records instead. Bad Company’s debut came out in 1974, followed by Silk Torpedo by the Pretty Things. Bell’s follow-up Suicide Sal and Bad Company’s second release Straight Shooter round out the first five records they put out. The label ended up releasing 27 albums (some sites say 30) over its 10-year run (Ten Years Gone?). Swan Song ceased active operations in 1983 and now exists only to reissue previously released material.

Two of the final albums that were released on Swan Song were Plant’s solo debut Pictures at Eleven and the Zeppelin leftovers compilation Coda. The label had signed, but never produced or released anything from, a band called The Message, which featured future Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and bassist Alec John Such. Not getting any traction from record companies, the band recorded an album on their own. Due to lack of money, the band only pressed 1,800 copies and sold them from the trunks of their cars. The band landed a supporting role on a Joe Cocker tour. The band returned home to New Jersey and Sambora and Such ended up at a gig with Jon Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones on the bill. They joined forces and became Bon Jovi. With Swan Song still not that interested, Bon Jovi signed with Polygram instead . . . and went on to sell 120+ million albums.

When Swan Song's offices were shut down and cleared out, early demos from Iron Maiden and Heart were among those found, unplayed and stored, on the shelves. Maiden went on to sell 100 million albums, while Heart has sold 35 million. The “three bands that got away” have sold a combined 250+ million albums.

Ultimate Classic Rock (30 of 92 songs): Page originally conceived Ten Years Gone as an instrumental – evident by the layers and layers of guitars that make up the climax. Plant later added words about an ex who gave him an ultimatum regarding his career. Page was an expert producer; this is one of his best works behind the boards.

Vulture (40 of 74 songs): By the mid-1970s, Page had the routine down — the studio ‘n’ guitars epic, scene set with an acoustic-y beginning, drama supplied by the big guitar burst. Repeat for six to eight minutes. Page delivers on the guitar work, and Plant steps up with surprisingly vulnerable lyrics, which seems to be a relationship that has lasted ten years, though the phrase ten years gone is perhaps not the most felicitous turn of phrase to describe it — it’s supposed to mean “ten years on” rather than “ten years wasted.”  But in the end, it’s brought down by muddy production.

Louder (11 of 50 songs): Zeppelin’s creativity was at an all-time high during the Physical Graffiti sessions. Even now, Ten Years Gone is still spellbinding. Our astronaut alchemists nearing the end of their quest, heroin-soaked, cocaine-addled. Lost in the desert, wheels spinning in the sand. The struggle is beating them down, you can hear the weariness in the voice and beats, the end is near. It is prophetic, as the band arguably struggled to scale these heady heights again.

Uproxx (16 of 50 songs): A rare glimpse at the “emotionally mature” Led Zeppelin. This is not a band you put on when you’re seeking deep insights into the complex dynamics that occur between men and women in adult relationships. But Ten Years Gone is their Blood On The Tracks move, with Plant reflecting on a relationship that ended right around the time he joined Zeppelin. It also ranks among Page’s most intricate constructions of guitar overdubs. Later, when he did his (pretty underrated!) tour with The Black Crowes in the late ’90s, Page found that he was finally able to replicate all those parts to his satisfaction. All it took was having three guitarists on stage.

WMGK (23 of 92 songs): “Did you ever really need somebody/And really need 'em bad/Did you ever really want somebody/The best love you ever had.” Plant’s lyrics add significant heft to the track, which Page had planned to be an instrumental. While the instrumental could have stood alone, the lyrics take Ten Years Gone to another level. 

SPIN (7 out of 87 songs): Perhaps the best Zeppelin song that radio never seemed to really get a handle on, a dark and devastating epic that lives up to the context-less drama of its title. It’s also the secret masterpiece of Jimmy Page’s ouevre, a stitching together of about a half-dozen riffs, each of which has its own unmistakable identity, somehow woven together to create the base for a surprisingly coherent masterwork of regret and unease. “It sounds like nature coming through the speakers,” Rick Rubin once said of the song, and he wasn’t wrong.

I see @Galileois warming up in the bullpen with his overall top pick. It's a song that was exclusively played on the 1977 U.S. Tour. Not before, not after, not at any of the reunions. Only in 1977.
Oh the humanity 

 
Anarchy99 said:
Pip's Invitation said:
What I’m confused by is that in Anarchy’s writeup, he mentioned that they recorded Hey Hey specifically to be a B-side and never considered it for the album. But the band and Peter Grant famously never cared about singles. So why would they record a good song and relegate it to a B-side while putting at least two lesser songs (Bron and Hats) on the album? If this was the first album and they didn’t have a modus operandi in place yet, that would be one thing. But it wasn’t. So I don’t get it.
Maybe @[scooter]has more info to explain things better. 
The band has never given much attention to HHWCID, and it was rarely brought up in interviews, and therefore we don't have any definitive quotes that explain how and why it ended up as a B-side. My theory is as follows:

Sometime around 1969/70, there was a press story in which the band explained their anti-single philosophy, but also conceded that it was very difficult to be seen as a successful chart act in Britain without a single. Therefore, they had written a new song which was specifically designed to be released as a single in the UK. Many Zep biographers believe that the single was to be "Jennings Farm Blues" (subsequently re-written as Bron-Y-Aur Stomp), but I disagree. I think it was "Hey Hey What Can I Do."

And......I think that shortly after they finished recording the song, they changed their mind about releasing a UK single. But what should they do with the song? It was too good to sit in the vault, yet it was stylistically out of place for the 3rd album. So.....it ended up as a B-side.....in virtually every country EXCEPT the UK.

I also think that, on some level, the band recorded HHWCID to prove a point -- that they weren't just a blues-rock band, and that they could write a hit single if they really felt like it.

 
But what should they do with the song? It was too good to sit in the vault, yet it was stylistically out of place for the 3rd album.
Good write up but I don't agree with the bolded part.  They could have found a spot for it and it would have worked fine. 

Hats off to Roy Harper isn't really a great fit either for that album.  Could see Hats off on Physical Graffiti though.

 
The band has never given much attention to HHWCID, and it was rarely brought up in interviews, and therefore we don't have any definitive quotes that explain how and why it ended up as a B-side. My theory is as follows:

Sometime around 1969/70, there was a press story in which the band explained their anti-single philosophy, but also conceded that it was very difficult to be seen as a successful chart act in Britain without a single. Therefore, they had written a new song which was specifically designed to be released as a single in the UK. Many Zep biographers believe that the single was to be "Jennings Farm Blues" (subsequently re-written as Bron-Y-Aur Stomp), but I disagree. I think it was "Hey Hey What Can I Do."

And......I think that shortly after they finished recording the song, they changed their mind about releasing a UK single. But what should they do with the song? It was too good to sit in the vault, yet it was stylistically out of place for the 3rd album. So.....it ended up as a B-side.....in virtually every country EXCEPT the UK.

I also think that, on some level, the band recorded HHWCID to prove a point -- that they weren't just a blues-rock band, and that they could write a hit single if they really felt like it.
Compared to other songs, I had less to work with for info on HHWCID. However, when I looked for info on Immigrant Song, there is talk of Immigrant Song having initially been first started on 1969, and from what I have seen, was the song they had discussed releasing as a single all along. That doesn’t tell us much about Hey Hey, but it’s unlikely there were discussions on releasing two singles. 

There’s also conflicting information on Immigrant Song’s international release and what songs were on the flip side on them. I looked up by catalog number the various pressings and international release points. As you mentioned, the story goes that Hey Hey wasn’t released in the UK. But there were listings for IS/HHWCID paired together with catalog numbers showing it was released in the UK. The only explanation I could come up with that if Atlantic filed for a catalog number assignment but then didn’t use it and never released it. 

Essentially, there is conflicting information floating out there that contradicts just about everything. No two sites have the same story or info. Given that the internet didn’t launch until 25 years later, that makes the information out there all after the fact reporting. I’d tend to be more inclined to lean towards stories in books or interviews with biographers, but that’s the thing. I can’t find any of those options that discuss it. I researched recording dates for songs, the LZ III recording sessions, what was recorded where and when, etc. and there’s nothing to uncover there either. 

Long story long, after spending several hours trying to find an answer, I walk away less informed and less knowledgeable than when I started. Bottom line, I have no idea what happened or why. Given that I have no desire to make this my white whale, I’m ready to transfer this to the cold case / unsolved case unit and move on. 

 
Compared to other songs, I had less to work with for info on HHWCID. However, when I looked for info on Immigrant Song, there is talk of Immigrant Song having initially been first started on 1969, and from what I have seen, was the song they had discussed releasing as a single all along. That doesn’t tell us much about Hey Hey, but it’s unlikely there were discussions on releasing two singles. 

There’s also conflicting information on Immigrant Song’s international release and what songs were on the flip side on them. I looked up by catalog number the various pressings and international release points. As you mentioned, the story goes that Hey Hey wasn’t released in the UK. But there were listings for IS/HHWCID paired together with catalog numbers showing it was released in the UK. The only explanation I could come up with that if Atlantic filed for a catalog number assignment but then didn’t use it and never released it. 

Essentially, there is conflicting information floating out there that contradicts just about everything. No two sites have the same story or info. Given that the internet didn’t launch until 25 years later, that makes the information out there all after the fact reporting. I’d tend to be more inclined to lean towards stories in books or interviews with biographers, but that’s the thing. I can’t find any of those options that discuss it. I researched recording dates for songs, the LZ III recording sessions, what was recorded where and when, etc. and there’s nothing to uncover there either. 

Long story long, after spending several hours trying to find an answer, I walk away less informed and less knowledgeable than when I started. Bottom line, I have no idea what happened or why. Given that I have no desire to make this my white whale, I’m ready to transfer this to the cold case / unsolved case unit and move on. 
Typical Patriots fan. 

;)

 
Compared to other songs, I had less to work with for info on HHWCID. However, when I looked for info on Immigrant Song, there is talk of Immigrant Song having initially been first started on 1969, and from what I have seen, was the song they had discussed releasing as a single all along. That doesn’t tell us much about Hey Hey, but it’s unlikely there were discussions on releasing two singles. 

There’s also conflicting information on Immigrant Song’s international release and what songs were on the flip side on them. I looked up by catalog number the various pressings and international release points. As you mentioned, the story goes that Hey Hey wasn’t released in the UK. But there were listings for IS/HHWCID paired together with catalog numbers showing it was released in the UK. The only explanation I could come up with that if Atlantic filed for a catalog number assignment but then didn’t use it and never released it. 

Essentially, there is conflicting information floating out there that contradicts just about everything. No two sites have the same story or info. Given that the internet didn’t launch until 25 years later, that makes the information out there all after the fact reporting. I’d tend to be more inclined to lean towards stories in books or interviews with biographers, but that’s the thing. I can’t find any of those options that discuss it. I researched recording dates for songs, the LZ III recording sessions, what was recorded where and when, etc. and there’s nothing to uncover there either. 

Long story long, after spending several hours trying to find an answer, I walk away less informed and less knowledgeable than when I started. Bottom line, I have no idea what happened or why. Given that I have no desire to make this my white whale, I’m ready to transfer this to the cold case / unsolved case unit and move on. 
And if you asked Page or Plant about it today, they’d probably say “don’t remember, don’t care.”

 
Anarchy99 said:
Ten Years Gone hit the jackpot with three #1 votes (the first song to do so), four #2’s (ditto), ten Top 5 votes (another first), and fourteen Top 10 votes (yep . . . a new high in this category too). It also got left off 35 ballots, which is the most out of any song in the Top 25. It’s another case of love, love, love it or not on people’s radar much at all. It’s the second to last entry from PG, and it’s the song I mentioned earlier that to me is “just another song.” Plenty of other people apparently felt the same way, so people can respond and debate why they did or didn’t rank it.
The bolded for me. I had it at #7, but at one point in my life this was #1 favorite zep song. Just a gorgeous song. 

But, unusually for Zep for me, it’s the lyrics and vocals that vault this one so high on my list. The lyrics are eloquent and wistful and Plant’s singing is some of his most impassioned. I get the chills every time this song comes on.
Spot on, I'm with you. Love Page's solo, too.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think @otb_lifermight have something to say about this one. 


yes. 

lemme preface by saying this would be my #4 -

5) Trampled Under Foot

4) Ten Years Gone

3) Communication B'down

2) Achilles Last Stand

1) Immigrant Song

it is evocative of all that i feel is LZ at their best - the only "ballad" type of theirs that i can handle in huge doses, and that is due to Plant's restrained - if not downright gorgeous - vocals.  

his vox gymnastics knock quite a few tunes down for me, especially when he indulges in the whole winesack draining/tie dye wearing/feathered dream catcher earring sporting/ hippie schtick (see the "Hey, Hey" song recently discussed). ####, i want THE HAMMER OF THE GODS (Jimmy/Bonzo), not the bell bottomed hoochie-coochie of the vocalist, tyvm. 

then there are the caturwauling forays - some tunes feature both banes of my listening indulgences ... he's definitely an aquired taste - i think when he "hits", he's spectacular ... and he HITS on TYG. 

knocks it outta the park, at that.  

"Trampled" is my favorite vocal of his, it's beefy and sweaty and rough as all get out ... perfect juxtaposition to the reflectiveness of TYG. 

"Communication" & "Immigrant" are proto punk, pure and simple ... he works very well when the pace is so frantic, and the spacing is virtually non existent.

ok, i abide in "Achilles", but i cannot ignore all of it's bombastic awesomeness, even in spite of ... it's emblematic of everything punk aimed to take down, but, sorry kids ... it's COTdamn epic on a friggin' stick. and then some. low key listen, just don't go to Earl's Court, ya mingey bastids. 

anyways, i couldn't love TYG more if i tried ... and i actually did try -

was an industrious chap who took the clip of Ricci tap dancing in the bowling alley (from my top 5 all-timer "Buffalo 66"), and replaced Gallo's trippy accompaniment with TYG. 

it is one of the most surreal and beautiful scenes ever filmed, and i do prefer the original music Gallo used,  but seeing it with one of my favorite tunes ever as the soundscape was nothing short of breathtaking. yeah, it was the type that got ya all tingly. 

i searched extensively for it, and cannot find it at this time - seems every time it goes up it is taken down within hours - i guess LZ is hardcore in their scrubbing of unlicensed usage of their material ... that's too bad, because the clip was killer. 

"Ten Years Gone" has had my heart since first listen - can never get enough. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
#22 - Ten Years Gone From Physical Graffiti (1975)

Appeared On: 27 ballots (out of 62 . . . 43.5%)
Total Points: 400 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  25.4%)

#1 Rankers: @Todem@neal cassady@joffer
Top 5 Rankers: @Pip's Invitation@gdub@zamboni@Whyatt@Ron Popeil@shuke@Joe Schmo
Highest Ranking: 1.

Ten Years Gone hit the jackpot with three #1 votes (the first song to do so), four #2’s (ditto), ten Top 5 votes (another first), and fourteen Top 10 votes (yep . . . a new high in this category too). It also got left off 35 ballots, which is the most out of any song in the Top 25. It’s another case of love, love, love it or not on people’s radar much at all. It’s the second to last entry from PG, and it’s the song I mentioned earlier that to me is “just another song.” Plenty of other people apparently felt the same way, so people can respond and debate why they did or didn’t rank it.
Wow, you aren’t kidding with the bolded- 52% of those who ranked it had it top 10.

FTR, I had TYG outside my top 25.  It’s a good song but not one I love and will go out of my way to listen to.  

 
Anarchy99 said:
Sometimes things are not what they appear. Against all odds, @In The Zone forged a last-minute appeal to the governor to spare his song . . . and magically it was granted. His #1 Zeppelin fave gets a stay of execution and will live on to tell the tale.
You had me worried a little bit but my faith in the FFA has been restored...... 

...... for now. 

I love Ten Years Gone but have definitely overplayed it over the years and as a result I initially left it out of my top 25. After my third time through my rankings, and the @shukereaction I added in in my final rankings along with Rain Song. Those two would have been two regrets to leave out at the end of the day. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
Ten Years Gone hit the jackpot with three #1 votes (the first song to do so), four #2’s (ditto), ten Top 5 votes (another first), and fourteen Top 10 votes (yep . . . a new high in this category too). It also got left off 35 ballots, which is the most out of any song in the Top 25. It’s another case of love, love, love it or not on people’s radar much at all. It’s the second to last entry from PG, and it’s the song I mentioned earlier that to me is “just another song.” Plenty of other people apparently felt the same way, so people can respond and debate why they did or didn’t rank it.
The bolded for me. I had it at #7, but at one point in my life this was #1 favorite zep song. Just a gorgeous song. 
Same here. Was #2 for me - beautiful song that just grabs me from the start with that ethereal opener.

Based on my overall rankings, I’m clearly on a different wavelength than the masses in my LZ taste, but that’s ok.

 
Wow, you aren’t kidding with the bolded- 52% of those who ranked it had it top 10.

FTR, I had TYG outside my top 25.  It’s a good song but not one I love and will go out of my way to listen to.  
Ten Years Gone is a good song but it doesn’t grab me like many other LZ songs.  It drags a bit at times.   

 
I don’t really know how best to explain my relationship with Ten Years. For years, it is a song that I struggled to remember and then when I heard it again, I thought, “Oh yeah . . . THAT one.” I don’t dislike it, but it just doesn’t register with me. It’s constantly on the periphery. I am enjoined with other Zeppelin tunes that have latched onto me, genetically fusing with my DNA. 

Ten Years Gone is the girl that all your friends are into, but you go on a few dates and there is nothing there. A vacuum from a lack of emotion or connection. Even now, doing the write ups, I couldn’t remember which album it was on. With my poor memory, it could have been on HOTH, PG, or Presence. I had to keep looking at the album track listings because I couldn’t remember after already looking it up multiple times.

Many years later, it’s like going out on that date with that same woman, thinking maybe now, after all this time, there would be a spark . . . but then quickly confirming it was never meant to be. 

I have given Ten Years twenty years, thirty years, and now forty plus years. It still doesn’t register. I don’t remember it any more than I used to. 

I remember a girl I knew in and after college. We were friends and went out in groups of people. Maybe a few times we splintered off from the heard from time to time. I barely remember her, our conversations, or the time we spent together. Jump way into the future. I bumped into her and obviously we have our own lives. She was married and mentioned she was so into me back then that words could not describe it, and she always dreamed of marrying me. 

I don’t know why she mentioned it all these years later. I asked why she didn’t make an effort to reel me in, and she said she tried and tried and I just wasn’t interested. That had to be true, as I saw no signs that she was into me. I didn’t have any recollections about any of it. I guess the best way to describe her was that I was indifferent. The ironic part of this is that in a quirky way, that’s sort of what the song is about.

In the case of Ten Years, indifferent is probably the word I would apply. I don’t have anything bad to say about it and can see why some people love it. But for some unknown reason, it just doesn’t move or compel me. Oddly, I have opinions and feelings on just about every other LZ song. But not on this one. To me, it just exists. I have no idea why.

 
27??  Are you ####ing serious??!>?!?
I left 2 songs out i never felt right about. This is 1 of them. I didn't come to terms with what to swap it out for until January sometime. My hang up - I don't listen to Zep for the ballads but i wanted to highlight a couple of them. I chose...poorly.

 
To play catch-up...

How Many More Times is way too low.  I had it at 12, but it would probably be top 10 for me most days.  Amazing song.

I had In My Time of Dying at 15.  That is one that I might have had in the top 10 years ago, but 15 sounded about right now. 

Misty Mountain Hop gets a hard pass for me. Always found that vocal melody to be annoying as hell. 

Hey Hey What Can I Do is killer.  I think I underrated it in my list (I had it at 20).

As much as I love the House of the Holy album, The Song Remains the Same is not a song I have ever been overly wild about.  Solid tune, but not one I ever listen to on its own.  Plant's voice sound weird in this song (for obvious reasons), and that works against it. 

A little gutted to see Ten Years Gone this low.  Easily a top 10 LZ song and the best song from PG, without a doubt, IMO.  

 
A vacuum from a lack of emotion or connection. 


i know your quote above is referencing the analogy to a girl/woman, but the thing that hits hardest about TYG for me is the emotion - hell, the mighty Zep were the godfathers of c0ck rock lifestyle, so to hear such a vulnerable and pathos drenched lyric is pretty damn unique.  Jimmy's playing is sublime, and Plant actually sounds like he recorded the vocal after an all-nighter of Jack and Lucky Strikes - puffy eyed, weary ... and forlorn "will ya ever remember me baby, said it feels so good" <---- i can smell the booze and hear the phlegm, and that's a good thing. 

 "Thank You" tries too hard, almost simplistic, if not infantile, in it's lofty ambition ... i still dig it, but it's not near the brilliance of TYG ... ditto "Rain Song", which is an incredibly arranged piece of work, but kinda rings hollow, imo, lyrics wise.

any of their other "ballads", outside of those three, don't even register a top 75 nod from me. 

 
I don’t really know how best to explain my relationship with Ten Years. For years, it is a song that I struggled to remember and then when I heard it again, I thought, “Oh yeah . . . THAT one.” I don’t dislike it, but it just doesn’t register with me. It’s constantly on the periphery. I am enjoined with other Zeppelin tunes that have latched onto me, genetically fusing with my DNA. 

Ten Years Gone is the girl that all your friends are into, but you go on a few dates and there is nothing there. A vacuum from a lack of emotion or connection. Even now, doing the write ups, I couldn’t remember which album it was on. With my poor memory, it could have been on HOTH, PG, or Presence. I had to keep looking at the album track listings because I couldn’t remember after already looking it up multiple times.

Many years later, it’s like going out on that date with that same woman, thinking maybe now, after all this time, there would be a spark . . . but then quickly confirming it was never meant to be. 

I have given Ten Years twenty years, thirty years, and now forty plus years. It still doesn’t register. I don’t remember it any more than I used to. 

I remember a girl I knew in and after college. We were friends and went out in groups of people. Maybe a few times we splintered off from the heard from time to time. I barely remember her, our conversations, or the time we spent together. Jump way into the future. I bumped into her and obviously we have our own lives. She was married and mentioned she was so into me back then that words could not describe it, and she always dreamed of marrying me. 

I don’t know why she mentioned it all these years later. I asked why she didn’t make an effort to reel me in, and she said she tried and tried and I just wasn’t interested. That had to be true, as I saw no signs that she was into me. I didn’t have any recollections about any of it. I guess the best way to describe her was that I was indifferent. The ironic part of this is that in a quirky way, that’s sort of what the song is about.

In the case of Ten Years, indifferent is probably the word I would apply. I don’t have anything bad to say about it and can see why some people love it. But for some unknown reason, it just doesn’t move or compel me. Oddly, I have opinions and feelings on just about every other LZ song. But not on this one. To me, it just exists. I have no idea why.
There is a great explanation for how I feel about it too.

 
On a side note, back when I was young and naive and thought anyone in the world could do anything, I fashioned myself as becoming a screenplay writer. I had graduated with a degree in communications, finished broadcasting school, had won a national student film competition, and even designed my own curriculum and some classes at my college to try to at least get film on the books as a minor. I was big into movies from the writing and production side. I even worked on an independent film that ended up getting shown on the USA Network. 

After college (and with no encumbrances), I locked myself in a room for two weeks and emerged with my first completed screenplay called Chemistry. It basically boiled down to an exploration of interrelations between men and women and how dating and attraction worked (or didn’t) and at what lengths men and women would go to pursue one another. It had both comedic and dramatic elements but in a documentary style. I marketed it as a docudramedy. 

Having a completed script is on par with buying a Powerball ticket, except it takes way less time and energy to buy a lottery ticket and the end result for both will be the same. 

I spent months, years even, trying to promote my masterpiece. I registered my script and contacted every agent and every agency in existence. That got me nowhere. Through some connections, I got my script in front of some established Hollywood actors and directors. I know this because they reached out to me to give me encouragement and feedback. By now, I had befriended a producer who put me in touch with more people. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell tried helping me and pointing me down the right path. 

Finally, after several years of beating my head against the wall, an agent contacted me. We spoke several times on the phone and he had great things to say. Except he didn’t want to do anything with my screenplay, he wanted me to write a script for something else. 

By this point, I was far removed from anything to do with Hollywood. I lived 3,000 miles away, was married with two little kids, had grown roots, and mentally had moved on. Try as I might, I just couldn’t do it. I was supposed to develop a script as an adaptation from a book. But I couldn’t mentally develop something that I didn’t write, didn’t particularly care for, saw better ways to tell the story, and wasn’t my vision. I never finished the script. 

Several years later, a stage director had somehow got ahold of my script and was eager to have me reimagine it for the stage. I locked myself in a motel for 3 weeks and emerged having retooled the entire thing as a play. The director took a look at it and said I had done a good job, but I had to rework it again as a musical. 

I locked myself away again and tried to write songs and convert some of the plot  points into lyrics and music. If people thought writing and authoring something in words is hard, composing music and integrating it with lyrics and plot points while trying to make something suitable for a stage production is next to impossible. 

The director somehow tentatively got me on the backend of a yearly schedule and the clock started ticking. I needed to get everything done and quickly. I locked myself away from the world again and came out with some minimal framework for a few songs. I am not a composer. The director liked a couple, hated a couple, and wanted me to start revamping the plot, the dialogue, the ending, and most of what I had started with. 

I couldn’t do it anymore. After ten years (gone), I was done. I could no longer expend the energy and the time to try to get a creative work produced as a finished product and presented to the public. I have no idea how people get things accepted, developed, and released . . . in addition to getting paid for it. 

My first script turned out to be my last. Getting turned down and rejected didn’t bother me . . . the first thousand times. But I don’t have the fortitude and persistence gene to continue on for the next thousand rejections while solely eating Ramen Noodles and having my kids panhandling on a street corner begging for food and rent money. Hats off not to Roy Harper, but to those that found a path to survival in the entertainment business.

 
I thought of a real world example of Ten Years Gone. I am going to have to rescind my previous position that I have had a bland, boring, normal life, as I keep remembering all sorts of stories that would indicate otherwise. 

In the mid nineties, I met a beautiful and captivating women who had started a career in marketing. She would go on to some top tier VP-level jobs at some gynormous global companies. 

As we got to know each other, she explained her brush with greatness. A few years earlier when she had lived in San Diego, she was big into the local music scene. She met a musician and they hit it off. They casually started dating. Like many (most?) musicians, her new heartthrob worked a bunch of Joe jobs to try to make ends meet. The guy ended up losing his main job and was down on his luck. Since he really had no place else to go, she reluctantly let him move in with her. She was raised and rooted with a real world mentality. She was starting a career. He was starting to find himself.

She worked long days and would come home and would ask what he had done to improve his situation (ie looking for work). He was constantly doodling and playing his guitar, coming up with ideas, recording some passages, and would respond that he had a productive day (at least in his world order).

Paying all the bills and not seeing him make an effort to get a real job did not sit well with her. By then, the bloom was starting to come off the rose. She was no longer enthralled with the guy. It had only been a few weeks, maybe two months. 

One day she came home late again, but this time, he had big news. He was moving to Seattle and he was potentially joining a band called Temple of the Dog and had met some guys that were mulling around a new band called Mookie Blaylock. He mentioned he was going to be their lead vocalist. The woman couldn’t stop laughing and asked him, “Are they aware you can’t sing?”

The two parted ways, and there was no talk at all about her moving with him. Eddie Vedder went on to sell over 100 million albums with Pearl Jam. She went on to a great career in marketing. It was a win win. When I met her, it literally was ten years gone since her relationship with Vedder. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ten Years Gone.  The only great song, on the hugely overrated double album, known as Physical Graffiti.

I had TYG at #13 fwiw.  The Rover is fun, and caught my #24 spot I believe.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
But what should they do with the song? It was too good to sit in the vault, yet it was stylistically out of place for the 3rd album.
Good write up but I don't agree with the bolded part.  They could have found a spot for it and it would have worked fine. 
The singalong chorus at the end of "Hey Hey What Can I Do" was a bit of an anomaly for Zep. They did it once on the 1st album ("Your Time Is Gonna Come") but then moved away from that style of song construction. It's part of what made Zep such a great band -- they didn't conform to standard songwriting practices.

 
I ranked Ten Years Gone at #9 and that might have been too low. I could've placed it in the Top 5, maybe as high as #2 depending on how I feel at any given time upon listening. The guitars and melodies are beautiful. One of Zep's most sentimental, haunting, and stirring songs.

 
As we got to know each other, she explained her brush with greatness. A few years earlier when she had lived in San Diego, she was big into the local music scene. She met a musician and they hit it off. 
Musicians are a different breed. They just are. They're not oriented to the 9-to-5 lifestyle and don't view success in that way. 

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top