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

Stairway isn't even their best song. Kashmir might not even be in the top ten.

how about:

traveling riverside blues

hey hey what can I do 

Tangerine

over the hills and far away

since I've been lovin' you

babe I'm gonna leave you

your time is gonna come

thank you

down by the seaside

dazed and confused

how many more times

Ramble on

good times 

Thats the way

when the levee breaks

battle of evermore 

going to california

misty mtn hop

black dog

Bron Yr Aur - accoustic , played here on a 12 string by a kid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrFnrNUWWV4.. flawless. 

Kashmir and Stairway are for the poseur zeppelin fan crowd.  I've been a fan since I was a kid in the 70s I've listened to kashmir and stairway to heaven maybe slightly more than a handful of times each. soooo many better songs from them outside of these 2 overplayed ho-hum nonsense songs.

but if any of you stairway fans wanna see Robert plant cry, here you go -> Heart, Ann Wilson singing stairway to heaven at the kennedy ctr awards for Zeppelin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFxOaDeJmXk Jason Bonham on drums and I believe the Harlem Boys Choir too. anyways, GREAT rendition. blew the roof off. Plant  cries his eyes out!  JPJ rocking it! 

 
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I love eastern influenced rock music. And I love epics. Yet I don't love Kashmir. I appreciate it for what it is, but anymore than a 30 second snippet somewhere in thr middle has me going for the next button.

Could be worse though. Puff Daddy could have covered it.

 
Tanner9919 said:
Stairway isn't even their best song. Kashmir might not even be in the top ten.

how about:

traveling riverside blues

hey hey what can I do 

Tangerine

over the hills and far away

since I've been lovin' you

babe I'm gonna leave you

your time is gonna come

thank you

down by the seaside

dazed and confused

how many more times

Ramble on

good times 

Thats the way

when the levee breaks

battle of evermore 

going to california

misty mtn hop

black dog

Bron Yr Aur - accoustic , played here on a 12 string by a kid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrFnrNUWWV4.. flawless. 

Kashmir and Stairway are for the poseur zeppelin fan crowd.  I've been a fan since I was a kid in the 70s I've listened to kashmir and stairway to heaven maybe slightly more than a handful of times each. soooo many better songs from them outside of these 2 overplayed ho-hum nonsense songs.

but if any of you stairway fans wanna see Robert plant cry, here you go -> Heart, Ann Wilson singing stairway to heaven at the kennedy ctr awards for Zeppelin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFxOaDeJmXk Jason Bonham on drums and I believe the Harlem Boys Choir too. anyways, GREAT rendition. blew the roof off. Plant  cries his eyes out!  JPJ rocking it! 
If only you had posted this a few months ago we could have avoided the time suck we put into this. Thanks for nuthin'!

 
Kashmir fell just outside of my Top 5 at #6. I could rank it anywhere from #4 to #6 depending on how I feel at any given moment. Epic, fantastic song. 

 
Tanner9919 said:
Kashmir and Stairway are for the poseur zeppelin fan crowd.  I've been a fan since I was a kid in the 70s I've listened to kashmir and stairway to heaven maybe slightly more than a handful of times each. soooo many better songs from them outside of these 2 overplayed ho-hum nonsense songs.
Thank you for being the LZ gatekeeper that nobody asked for.

 
#2 - Stairway To Heaven from Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Appeared On: 50 ballots (out of 62 . . . 80.6%)
Total Points: 842 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  54.3%)

#1 Rankers: @lardonastick@MAC_32@fatguyinalittlecoat@[scooter]@Zeppelin@jamny@Getzlaf15
Top 5 Rankers: @Ghost Rider@shuke@Witz@DocHolliday@gianmarco@AAABatteries@timschochet@dickey moe@Sinn Fein@PIK95
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 271 (Belfast - 1971-03-05 (First Performance)London - 1971-04-01Long Beach - 1972-06-27,
New York - 1973-07-28London - 1975-05-24, Seattle - 1977-07-17, Knebworth - 1977-08-04, Munich - 1980-07-05, Philadelphia - 1985-07-13, New York - 1988-05-14, London - 2007-12-10)
Page & Plant: 1 (Japan - 1994)
Page: 42 (Page, Beck & Clapton - 1983)

Covers: Far CorporationHeart (1976)Frank ZappaDweezil ZappaLou GrammDread ZeppelinDolly PartonPat BooneJustin HaywardWhite SkullFoo FightersU2Mary J. BligeMastodonMike Masse & Jeff HallSublime Reggae KingsFirst To ElevenToys Went Berserk (Way Different Version), Hard-OnsNick Barker (Also Way Different), Kristine WSmashing PumpkinsJohn MilesTrainGregorianZebraVince NeilFaith No MoreRodrigo Y GabrielaGreat WhiteJenny Oaks BakerDave MatthewsAlex LifesonPhishAaron LewisMobyTechno TranceBeth Hart100 Versions Mashed Into 1SoundgardenKevin MartinKISSLexington Lab BandArnel PinedaSantana & McLaughlinSealUnknownRolf HarrisRenaissance PlayersStanley JordanTiny TimLeningrad Cowboys

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 1
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 4
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 2
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 1
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 4
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 9
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 4
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 1
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 1

Arguably the most classic of all classic rock songs, for us it lands at #2. It set a record with seven #1 selections. (Spoiler alert: It does not retain that title.) It earned 32 Top 10 votes and appeared on 50 ballots. It’s one of three songs to eclipse the 800-point total. After a slow start in the balloting, STH crushed the middle phase of voting and took over the pole position. However, the last half dozen ballots did it in, and it fell to second place. Had I set the cut off a few days earlier, STH would have been the head honcho and top of the heap. A special shout out to @Zeppelin for remembering this one. Four of the outside rankers had it at #1.

RehearsalRehearsalAlternate VersionSunset Sound MixTwo SolosStairway Sessions

It’s another song involved in a long line of plagiarism disputes, this time stemming from a song called Taurus by the band called Spirit. Like several of their other lawsuits, the original musicians did not sue the band or the record label, but their estates did once the performers passed away. The lawsuit alleged that Plant had attended a Spirit concert in 1970. Plant testified that he had no recollection of the concert, as he was in a serious car crash on the ride from the concert that impacted his memory. Zeppelin won this one, as the court ruled in their favor, asserting that the song was an original musical composition.

Another song initially started on the band’s retreat in 1970 prior to LZ III. Plant spontaneously wrote most of the lyrics one evening sitting next to a fire in a fireplace, inspired by the book Magic Arts in Celtic Britain by Lewis Spence, which he had recently read. It contains references to May Queens, pipers, and bustling hedgerows. Plant later explained it was about "a woman getting everything she wanted without giving anything back.”

Stairway to Heaven remains the biggest-selling sheet music in the history of rock. An average hit sells 10,000 to 15,000 copies of sheet music. Stairway has sold well over one million copies. It was the most requested song on FM radio in the 70’s. As of 2000, it had been played over 3 million times on radio airwaves.

In 1982, the Trinity Broadcast Network alleged the band had utilized backmasking to include a secret message in the son. A state assemblyman proposed a state law that would require warning labels on records containing backward masking. The California State Assembly Consumer Protection Committee conducted a hearing featured testimony from "experts" who claimed when the song was played backwards, contained the words: "I sing because I live with Satan. The Lord turns me off -- there's no escaping it. Here's to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan. He will give you 666. I live for Satan." Swan Song Records issued a statement that said: "Our turntables only play in one direction . . .forwards.”

On January 23, 1991, John Sebastian, owner and general manager of KLSK FM in Albuquerque played the song for 24+ hours in a row to reflect the station’s format change to classic rock. It played 200+ times, eliciting hundreds of angry phone calls. Police showed up with guns drawn, once after a listener reported that the deejay had apparently suffered a heart attack, later because of suspicion that -- this being 8 days into the Gulf War -- the radio station had been taken hostage by terrorists dispatched by Zeppelin freak Saddam Hussein. Weirdest of all, lots of listeners didn't move the dial. Sebastian pointed out, "Turns out a lot of people listened to see when we would finally stop playing it."

The inaugural performance of the song took place in Belfast early in 1971 (8 months prior to the release of LZ IV). JPJ remembers that the crowd was unimpressed, "They were all bored to tears waiting to hear something they knew." The song was performed at every Zeppelin show from that point on, with the rare exception shows with weather, technical equipment, or health issues that caused shows to be stopped before they had reached that point in the set.

Plant got so tired of the song, that it contributed to his decision not to tour after the 2007 reunion show. He cringed at doing a 50-city tour in which he'd be forced to sing what was called "that bloody wedding song" each night. He would later explain, “It belongs to a particular time. If I had been involved in the instrumentation, I would feel that it's a magnificent piece of music that has its own character and personality. It even speeds up in a similar way to some pieces of more highbrow music. But my contribution was to write lyrics and to sing a song about fate and something very British, almost abstract, but coming out of the mind of a 23-year-old guy. It landed in the years of the era of 23-year-old guys.”

Other than the reunion shows in 1985, 1988, and 2007, the only other performance of the song after 1980 was a partial performance by Page & Plant on TV Asahi, a Japanese TV show in 1994. Page played an instrumental version 42 times in the 80s.

Just prior to the 2007 reunion show, Led Zeppelin's entire back catalogue was made available as digital downloads, making all of their tracks eligible for the UK singles chart for the first time, as none of their songs to that point had been released as singles. As a result, at the end of that week the original version of "Stairway To Heaven" arrived in the UK singles charts for the first time . . . peaking at #37. Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song, Black Dog, and Kashmir also made the British singles chart.

Previously, three covers had charted: the multinational studio band Far Corporation reached #8 with their version in 1985, then reggae tribute act Dread Zeppelin crawled to #62 in 1991, and finally Rolf Harris' reworking outdid the other two, peaking at #7 in 1993.

Ultimate Classic Rock (1 of 92 songs): It's overplayed and second only to Free Bird when it comes to an easy classic-rock target. It also pretty much set the template for every over-baked power ballad that surfaced over the next two decades. But there's no denying the timeless pull of Stairway to Heaven. From the soft, pastoral intro to the awesome guitar solo that nearly capsizes the ending, it's a truly monumental piece of work.

Vulture (4 of 74 songs): Like everyone else, I have lost my ability to hear this song, dragged down as it is by overfamiliarity. But I have to say that many times over the years — in a parking garage in Atlanta, on a freeway in Chicago, on a rainy afternoon in Berkeley, while running on the Mall in D.C. — it has come on when I didn’t expect it, and I have been caught up in it again. High dynamics; a set of lyrics not entirely buffoonish by Plant standards; a restrained, then intense, then overwhelming band attack; and, finally, that solo to end all solos, Page at his most utterly articulate and dramatic, keening and at times so fast as to beggar belief. That speed, logic, lyricism, and intensity make all other guitar solos seem puny. I don’t want to put too much onto blundering poesy of this sort (that “bustles in your hedgerow” is silly, indeed), but I will point out that the song has a point — you can’t buy a stairway to heaven — and further that in its arcing, thrilling penultimate line, we can hear a statement of intent, strength, and resolve in the face of that other much more malleable ‘60s survivor band, the one that insisted on Rolling.

Rolling Stone (2 of 40 songs): The signature power ballad on Led Zeppelin IV towers over Seventies rock like a monolith. From the Elizabethan ambience of its acoustic introduction to Plant's lyrical mysticism to Page's spiraling solo, the eight-minute song is a masterpiece of slow-reveal intensity that withholds power, then ascends skyward like nothing in rock. "It speeds up like an adrenaline flow," said Page, whose on-the-spot improvisation was the perfect complement to Plant's evocation of excess and salvation. "It was a milestone for us."

Louder (1 of 50 songs): Anticipation was at fever pitch in 1971 as fans awaited the successor to Led Zeppelin III. This eclectic album, released the previous year, had dispelled the notion that Led Zeppelin were merely a heavy rock machine, incapable of playing anything more subtle than Whole Lotta Love. Ditties like Bron-Y-Aur Stomp and Hats Off To (Roy) Harper had veered the band into more folksy, acoustic areas. The untitled fourth album, eventually commonly known as Four Symbols, was just as fruitful, yet more consistent. It saw the unveiling of Stairway To Heaven; the band’s best known song, which was destined to become a rock classic.

Yet Stairway had humble beginnings. The first time the UK public heard it played live was in Belfast on 5 March, 1971. The ‘new number’ caught everyone by surprise. ‘What’s this?’ they cried, as what seemed like a Led Zeppelin symphony began to unfold. It soon became clear that Stairway was a perfectly formed piece of music, full of contrast and dramatic devices. In the best classical tradition, every step on the musical ladder helped progress the arrangement. There was the famed acoustic guitar intro, John Bonham’s brutal drum entry, Robert Plant’s passionate vocals and Pagey’s full-blown guitar solo. Another important facet was John Paul Jones’ warbling wooden recorders – heard on the album, but alas never made it on stage.

It all contributed to a masterpiece that simply gripped the public’s imagination. In fact, Jimmy Page’s double-necked guitar melody became so popular with aspiring players, it was banned from being played in guitar shops. Stairway To Heaven was assembled by trial and error during sessions at Headley Grange, in Hampshire, with the aid of the Rolling Stones’ mobile studio. The old mansion was ram shackled, neglected and supposedly haunted – but the former Victorian workhouse had great acoustics. It was so cold in the bleak midwinter of 1970 that the band were forced to burn the stairway’s banisters to keep warm.

As a result, Robert wrote the lyrics while sat on a stool in front of the blazing fire. Page had already recorded his ideas for the main theme on cassette tapes he brought to the manor for Plant to hear. A rehearsal tape of Stairway helped everyone focus on the lyrics. The crucial moment when Bonham picked up the beat was a device Jimmy had used before. He explained: “I wanted to create that extra kick. There’s a fanfare near the guitar solo, then Robert comes in with his tremendous vocal. Stairway crystallized the essence of the band. It had everything there and showed the band at its best. It was such a milestone for us.” After work was completed at Headley Grange, the bulk of the eight-minute piece, including Jimmy’s Fender Telecaster solo, was recorded at Island Studios in London, which had better facilities. John Paul Jones added Hohner electric piano and bass guitar, while Jimmy delivered the final guitar overdubs. Said engineer Andy Johns: “I knew Stairway was going to be a monster. But I didn’t know it would become a bloody anthem!”

Indeed, it became ‘the most played track’ on US radio and won copious awards. However, Robert was embarrassed about its sentiments and such lines as: 'There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold/And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.' After the demise of Led Zeppelin following John Bonham’s death in 1980, Jimmy Page performed it as an instrumental, when he made his comeback at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1982.

It’s been both loved and loathed in equal measures, but nowhere is Page’s supreme understanding of rock dynamics better illustrated than on Stairway, with a song that teases and caresses and then climaxes with nothing less than the world’s greatest ever guitar solo.

All that glitters is not gold. But this is. This is what we came here for.

Uproxx (4 of 50 songs): If this song existed in a vacuum, it would probably be No. 1. It’s incredibly well constructed and gorgeous, a real Lawrence Of Arabia of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s so epic and sweeping and beloved and overplayed and seriously it’s way overplayed but it’s still awesome and here comes that guitar solo sweet Jesus but man the overexposure eventually embarrassed Robert Plant so much that he couldn’t sing it with a straight face because does anybody remember laughter?

WMGK (9 of 92 songs): There’s probably a lady (or man) who’s sure this song is ranked too low, but there’s good reason for it. Part of what made Stairway legendary was the legend behind it involving the band writing the song at Bron-Yr-Aur, an isolated cottage in Wales. However, Jimmy Page testified during the recent Stairway copyright lawsuit that the song wasn’t written at Bron-Yr-Aur after all. Is the song still an influential, incredible piece? Yes, but there’s no doubt that in recent years, Stairway just doesn’t glitter like it once did. 

SPIN (4 of 87 songs): The most monolithic song in rock history, a song that’s no fun to write about and is occasionally no fun to even listen to. But what can you say? Stairway is Stairway, and there’ll never be another song like it. If it’s not the band’s best song, it is the one you need to have heard, the one that tells you everything about the band’s lyrical and musical infatuations, their strengths and their weaknesses, their power and their legacy. And by the end, yeah, it rocks pretty damn well too, with a Page solo consistently ranked as the greatest in music history, and deservedly so. It might not be our favorite Zeppelin song — the Song Remains the Same doc might have permanently ruined any chances of that — but if you were to put it No. 1 on your list, we couldn’t really disagree with you.

That leaves us with only one song remaining . . . When The Levee Breaks.

 
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There are only a few rock bands that you can roll out their top 10 and say every song was absolutely awesome.    Off the top of my head Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Metallica.   Some may throw in Rolling Stones, Queen, Eagles, Bruce S, and Rush (of which I'm a huge fan).   

Zep's top 10 catalog is just superb.
What I find a little odd is while I still have The Beatles a little higher than LZ, I will take the top 10 of LZ from these two top 10.  There’s some top of the list Beatles songs that I’m just not a huge fan of (Let it Be, Hey Jude, Something, Here Comes the Sun).  This LZ top 10 is incredible.  

 
Anarchy99 said:
#2 - Stairway To Heaven from Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Appeared On: 50 ballots (out of 62 . . . 80.6%)
Total Points: 842 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  54.3%)

#1 Rankers: @lardonastick@MAC_32@fatguyinalittlecoat@[scooter]@Zeppelin@jamny@Getzlaf15
Top 5 Rankers: @Ghost Rider@shuke@Witz@DocHolliday@gianmarco@AAABatteries@timschochet@dickey moe@Sinn Fein@PIK95
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 271
Page & Plant: 1 (Japan - 1994)
Page: 42 (Page, Beck & Clapton - 1983)

Covers: Far CorporationHeart (1976)Frank ZappaDweezil ZappaLou GrammDread ZeppelinDolly PartonPat BooneJustin HaywardWhite SkullFoo FightersU2Mary J. BligeMastodonMike Masse & Jeff HallSublime Reggae KingsFirst To ElevenToys Went Berserk (Way Different Version), Hard-OnsNick Barker (Also Way Different), Kristine WSmashing PumpkinsJohn MilesTrainGregorianZebraVince NeilFaith No MoreRodrigo Y GabrielaGreat WhiteJenny Oaks BakerDave MatthewsAlex LifesonPhishAaron LewisMobyTechno TranceBeth Hart100 Versions Mashed Into 1SoundgardenKevin MartinKISSLexington Lab BandArnel PinedaSantana & McLaughlinSealUnknownRolf HarrisRenaissance PlayersStanley JordanTiny TimLeningrad Cowboys

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 1
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 4
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 2
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 1
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 4
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 9
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 4
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 1
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 1

Arguably the most classic of all classic rock songs, for us it lands at #2. It set a record with seven #1 selections. (Spoiler alert: It does not retain that title.) It earned 32 Top 10 votes and appeared on 50 ballots. It’s one of three songs to eclipse the 800-point total. After a slow start in the balloting, STH crushed the middle phase of voting and took over the pole position. However, the last half dozen ballots did it in, and it fell to second place. Had I set the cut off a few days earlier, STH would have been the head honcho and top of the heap. A special shout out to @Zeppelin for remembering this one. Four of the outside rankers had it at #1.

RehearsalRehearsalAlternate VersionSunset Sound MixTwo SolosStairway Sessions

It’s another song involved in a long line of plagiarism disputes, this time stemming from a song called Taurus by the band called Spirit. Like several of their other lawsuits, the original musicians did not sue the band or the record label, but their estates did once the performers passed away. The lawsuit alleged that Plant had attended a Spirit concert in 1970. Plant testified that he had no recollection of the concert, as he was in a serious car crash on the ride from the concert that impacted his memory. Zeppelin won this one, as the court ruled in their favor, asserting that the song was an original musical composition.

Another song initially started on the band’s retreat in 1970 prior to LZ III. Plant spontaneously wrote most of the lyrics one evening sitting next to a fire in a fireplace, inspired by the book Magic Arts in Celtic Britain by Lewis Spence, which he had recently read. It contains references to May Queens, pipers, and bustling hedgerows. Plant later explained it was about "a woman getting everything she wanted without giving anything back.”

Stairway to Heaven remains the biggest-selling sheet music in the history of rock. An average hit sells 10,000 to 15,000 copies of sheet music. Stairway has sold well over one million copies. It was the most requested song on FM radio in the 70’s. As of 2000, it had been played over 3 million times on radio airwaves.

In 1982, the Trinity Broadcast Network alleged the band had utilized backmasking to include a secret message in the son. A state assemblyman proposed a state law that would require warning labels on records containing backward masking. The California State Assembly Consumer Protection Committee conducted a hearing featured testimony from "experts" who claimed when the song was played backwards, contained the words: "I sing because I live with Satan. The Lord turns me off -- there's no escaping it. Here's to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan. He will give you 666. I live for Satan." Swan Song Records issued a statement that said: "Our turntables only play in one direction . . .forwards.”

On January 23, 1991, John Sebastian, owner and general manager of KLSK FM in Albuquerque played the song for 24+ hours in a row to reflect the station’s format change to classic rock. It played 200+ times, eliciting hundreds of angry phone calls. Police showed up with guns drawn, once after a listener reported that the deejay had apparently suffered a heart attack, later because of suspicion that -- this being 8 days into the Gulf War -- the radio station had been taken hostage by terrorists dispatched by Zeppelin freak Saddam Hussein. Weirdest of all, lots of listeners didn't move the dial. Sebastian pointed out, "Turns out a lot of people listened to see when we would finally stop playing it."

The inaugural performance of the song took place in Belfast early in 1971 (8 months prior to the release of LZ IV). JPJ remembers that the crowd was unimpressed, "They were all bored to tears waiting to hear something they knew." The song was performed at every Zeppelin show from that point on, with the rare exception shows with weather, technical equipment, or health issues that caused shows to be stopped before they had reached that point in the set.

Plant got so tired of the song, that it contributed to his decision not to tour after the 2007 reunion show. He cringed at doing a 50-city tour in which he'd be forced to sing what was called "that bloody wedding song" each night. He would later explain, “It belongs to a particular time. If I had been involved in the instrumentation, I would feel that it's a magnificent piece of music that has its own character and personality. It even speeds up in a similar way to some pieces of more highbrow music. But my contribution was to write lyrics and to sing a song about fate and something very British, almost abstract, but coming out of the mind of a 23-year-old guy. It landed in the years of the era of 23-year-old guys.”

Other than the reunion shows in 1985, 1988, and 2007, the only other performance of the song after 1980 was a partial performance by Page & Plant on TV Asahi, a Japanese TV show in 1994. Page played an instrumental version 42 times in the 80s.

Just prior to the 2007 reunion show, Led Zeppelin's entire back catalogue was made available as digital downloads, making all of their tracks eligible for the UK singles chart for the first time, as none of their songs to that point had been released as singles. As a result, at the end of that week the original version of "Stairway To Heaven" arrived in the UK singles charts for the first time . . . peaking at #37. Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song, Black Dog, and Kashmir also made the British singles chart.

Previously, three covers had charted: the multinational studio band Far Corporation reached #8 with their version in 1985, then reggae tribute act Dread Zeppelin crawled to #62 in 1991, and finally Rolf Harris' reworking outdid the other two, peaking at #7 in 1993.

Ultimate Classic Rock (1 of 92 songs): It's overplayed and second only to Free Bird when it comes to an easy classic-rock target. It also pretty much set the template for every over-baked power ballad that surfaced over the next two decades. But there's no denying the timeless pull of Stairway to Heaven. From the soft, pastoral intro to the awesome guitar solo that nearly capsizes the ending, it's a truly monumental piece of work.

Vulture (4 of 74 songs): Like everyone else, I have lost my ability to hear this song, dragged down as it is by overfamiliarity. But I have to say that many times over the years — in a parking garage in Atlanta, on a freeway in Chicago, on a rainy afternoon in Berkeley, while running on the Mall in D.C. — it has come on when I didn’t expect it, and I have been caught up in it again. High dynamics; a set of lyrics not entirely buffoonish by Plant standards; a restrained, then intense, then overwhelming band attack; and, finally, that solo to end all solos, Page at his most utterly articulate and dramatic, keening and at times so fast as to beggar belief. That speed, logic, lyricism, and intensity make all other guitar solos seem puny. I don’t want to put too much onto blundering poesy of this sort (that “bustles in your hedgerow” is silly, indeed), but I will point out that the song has a point — you can’t buy a stairway to heaven — and further that in its arcing, thrilling penultimate line, we can hear a statement of intent, strength, and resolve in the face of that other much more malleable ‘60s survivor band, the one that insisted on Rolling.

Rolling Stone (2 of 40 songs): The signature power ballad on Led Zeppelin IV towers over Seventies rock like a monolith. From the Elizabethan ambience of its acoustic introduction to Plant's lyrical mysticism to Page's spiraling solo, the eight-minute song is a masterpiece of slow-reveal intensity that withholds power, then ascends skyward like nothing in rock. "It speeds up like an adrenaline flow," said Page, whose on-the-spot improvisation was the perfect complement to Plant's evocation of excess and salvation. "It was a milestone for us."

Louder (1 of 50 songs): Anticipation was at fever pitch in 1971 as fans awaited the successor to Led Zeppelin III. This eclectic album, released the previous year, had dispelled the notion that Led Zeppelin were merely a heavy rock machine, incapable of playing anything more subtle than Whole Lotta Love. Ditties like Bron-Y-Aur Stomp and Hats Off To (Roy) Harper had veered the band into more folksy, acoustic areas. The untitled fourth album, eventually commonly known as Four Symbols, was just as fruitful, yet more consistent. It saw the unveiling of Stairway To Heaven; the band’s best known song, which was destined to become a rock classic.

Yet Stairway had humble beginnings. The first time the UK public heard it played live was in Belfast on 5 March, 1971. The ‘new number’ caught everyone by surprise. ‘What’s this?’ they cried, as what seemed like a Led Zeppelin symphony began to unfold. It soon became clear that Stairway was a perfectly formed piece of music, full of contrast and dramatic devices. In the best classical tradition, every step on the musical ladder helped progress the arrangement. There was the famed acoustic guitar intro, John Bonham’s brutal drum entry, Robert Plant’s passionate vocals and Pagey’s full-blown guitar solo. Another important facet was John Paul Jones’ warbling wooden recorders – heard on the album, but alas never made it on stage.

It all contributed to a masterpiece that simply gripped the public’s imagination. In fact, Jimmy Page’s double-necked guitar melody became so popular with aspiring players, it was banned from being played in guitar shops. Stairway To Heaven was assembled by trial and error during sessions at Headley Grange, in Hampshire, with the aid of the Rolling Stones’ mobile studio. The old mansion was ram shackled, neglected and supposedly haunted – but the former Victorian workhouse had great acoustics. It was so cold in the bleak midwinter of 1970 that the band were forced to burn the stairway’s banisters to keep warm.

As a result, Robert wrote the lyrics while sat on a stool in front of the blazing fire. Page had already recorded his ideas for the main theme on cassette tapes he brought to the manor for Plant to hear. A rehearsal tape of Stairway helped everyone focus on the lyrics. The crucial moment when Bonham picked up the beat was a device Jimmy had used before. He explained: “I wanted to create that extra kick. There’s a fanfare near the guitar solo, then Robert comes in with his tremendous vocal. Stairway crystallized the essence of the band. It had everything there and showed the band at its best. It was such a milestone for us.” After work was completed at Headley Grange, the bulk of the eight-minute piece, including Jimmy’s Fender Telecaster solo, was recorded at Island Studios in London, which had better facilities. John Paul Jones added Hohner electric piano and bass guitar, while Jimmy delivered the final guitar overdubs. Said engineer Andy Johns: “I knew Stairway was going to be a monster. But I didn’t know it would become a bloody anthem!”

Indeed, it became ‘the most played track’ on US radio and won copious awards. However, Robert was embarrassed about its sentiments and such lines as: 'There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold/And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.' After the demise of Led Zeppelin following John Bonham’s death in 1980, Jimmy Page performed it as an instrumental, when he made his comeback at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1982.

It’s been both loved and loathed in equal measures, but nowhere is Page’s supreme understanding of rock dynamics better illustrated than on Stairway, with a song that teases and caresses and then climaxes with nothing less than the world’s greatest ever guitar solo.

All that glitters is not gold. But this is. This is what we came here for.

Uproxx (4 of 50 songs): If this song existed in a vacuum, it would probably be No. 1. It’s incredibly well constructed and gorgeous, a real Lawrence Of Arabia of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s so epic and sweeping and beloved and overplayed and seriously it’s way overplayed but it’s still awesome and here comes that guitar solo sweet Jesus but man the overexposure eventually embarrassed Robert Plant so much that he couldn’t sing it with a straight face because does anybody remember laughter?

WMGK (9 of 92 songs): There’s probably a lady (or man) who’s sure this song is ranked too low, but there’s good reason for it. Part of what made Stairway legendary was the legend behind it involving the band writing the song at Bron-Yr-Aur, an isolated cottage in Wales. However, Jimmy Page testified during the recent Stairway copyright lawsuit that the song wasn’t written at Bron-Yr-Aur after all. Is the song still an influential, incredible piece? Yes, but there’s no doubt that in recent years, Stairway just doesn’t glitter like it once did. 

SPIN (4 of 87 songs): The most monolithic song in rock history, a song that’s no fun to write about and is occasionally no fun to even listen to. But what can you say? Stairway is Stairway, and there’ll never be another song like it. If it’s not the band’s best song, it is the one you need to have heard, the one that tells you everything about the band’s lyrical and musical infatuations, their strengths and their weaknesses, their power and their legacy. And by the end, yeah, it rocks pretty damn well too, with a Page solo consistently ranked as the greatest in music history, and deservedly so. It might not be our favorite Zeppelin song — the Song Remains the Same doc might have permanently ruined any chances of that — but if you were to put it No. 1 on your list, we couldn’t really disagree with you.

That leaves us with only one song remaining . . . When The Levee Breaks.
With all the pre ranking chatter I thought for sure this would lower. I was one of the ones “defending” it but I ended up having it lower than the rankings - I think I had it 6.

 
There are only a few rock bands that you can roll out their top 10 and say every song was absolutely awesome.    Off the top of my head Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Metallica.   Some may throw in Rolling Stones, Queen, Eagles, Bruce S, and Rush (of which I'm a huge fan).   

Zep's top 10 catalog is just superb.
I could name 25+ bands whose top 10 songs are awesome. The difference for bands like Zep, the Beatles, et al. is that their top 25-50-75 are awesome, depending on personal taste, not just their top 10 songs.

My top 5 favorite bands of all time are (in no particular order): Zep, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, and Linkin Park. IMO the top 10 songs for each are awesome. But are any of the other 4 top 10s AS awesome as Zep's? :no:  

 
Anarchy99 said:
That leaves us with only one song remaining . . . When The Levee Breaks.
This song hasn't been posted yet, but I'm gonna go ahead and comment on it incase you post it tomorrow while I'm in a seminar. I ranked the song #2, although it is my 1b. It is drenched in the blues, and I love the drums and wailing harmonica in it. It has one of my favorite intros to a song ever. The whole song is awesome.  Thanks for doing this, Anarchy. It's been fun "Getting the Led Out." 

 
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Tanner9919 said:
Stairway isn't even their best song. Kashmir might not even be in the top ten.

how about:

traveling riverside blues

hey hey what can I do 

Tangerine

over the hills and far away

since I've been lovin' you

babe I'm gonna leave you

your time is gonna come

thank you

down by the seaside

dazed and confused

how many more times

Ramble on

good times 

Thats the way

when the levee breaks

battle of evermore 

going to california

misty mtn hop

black dog

Bron Yr Aur - accoustic , played here on a 12 string by a kid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrFnrNUWWV4.. flawless. 

Kashmir and Stairway are for the poseur zeppelin fan crowd.  I've been a fan since I was a kid in the 70s I've listened to kashmir and stairway to heaven maybe slightly more than a handful of times each. soooo many better songs from them outside of these 2 overplayed ho-hum nonsense songs.

but if any of you stairway fans wanna see Robert plant cry, here you go -> Heart, Ann Wilson singing stairway to heaven at the kennedy ctr awards for Zeppelin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFxOaDeJmXk Jason Bonham on drums and I believe the Harlem Boys Choir too. anyways, GREAT rendition. blew the roof off. Plant  cries his eyes out!  JPJ rocking it! 
Throw in Communication Breakdown on that list and I will subscribe.

 
My final rankings. Stairway at 7. Levee at 18.

Thanks for rekindling my love for the mighty Zeppelin Anarchy!

My top 25 (consensus)

1. Dazed and Confused (5)
2. Since I've Been Loving You (15)
3. Whole Lotta Love (4)
4. The Rain Song (17)
5. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (10)
6. The Ocean (20)
7. Stairway to Heaven (2)
8. Travelling Riverside Blues (43)
9. Ten Years Gone (22)
10. Heartbreaker / Living Loving Maid (12)
11. Good Times Bad Times (11)
12. Over the Hills and Far Away (9)
13. What is and What Should Never Be (16)
14. Immigrant Song (8)
15. Ramble On (6)
16. Black Dog (7)
17.  Kashmir (3)
18. When the Levee Breaks (1)
19. Hey, Hey, What Can I Do (24)
20. Going to California (13)
21. In My Time of Dying (26)
22. Houses of the Holy (37)
23. Communication Breakdown (18)
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 (14)
No Quarter (19)
The Battle of Evermore (21)
The Song Remains the Same (23)
Misty Mountain Hop (25)

 
Anarchy99 said:
#2 - Stairway To Heaven from Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Appeared On: 50 ballots (out of 62 . . . 80.6%)
Total Points: 842 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  54.3%)

#1 Rankers: @lardonastick@MAC_32@fatguyinalittlecoat@[scooter]@Zeppelin@jamny@Getzlaf15
Top 5 Rankers: @Ghost Rider@shuke@Witz@DocHolliday@gianmarco@AAABatteries@timschochet@dickey moe@Sinn Fein@PIK95
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 271
Page & Plant: 1 (Japan - 1994)
Page: 42 (Page, Beck & Clapton - 1983)

Covers: Far CorporationHeart (1976)Frank ZappaDweezil ZappaLou GrammDread ZeppelinDolly PartonPat BooneJustin HaywardWhite SkullFoo FightersU2Mary J. BligeMastodonMike Masse & Jeff HallSublime Reggae KingsFirst To ElevenToys Went Berserk (Way Different Version), Hard-OnsNick Barker (Also Way Different), Kristine WSmashing PumpkinsJohn MilesTrainGregorianZebraVince NeilFaith No MoreRodrigo Y GabrielaGreat WhiteJenny Oaks BakerDave MatthewsAlex LifesonPhishAaron LewisMobyTechno TranceBeth Hart100 Versions Mashed Into 1SoundgardenKevin MartinKISSLexington Lab BandArnel PinedaSantana & McLaughlinSealUnknownRolf HarrisRenaissance PlayersStanley JordanTiny TimLeningrad Cowboys

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 1
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 4
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 2
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 1
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 4
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 9
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 4
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 1
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 1

Arguably the most classic of all classic rock songs, for us it lands at #2. It set a record with seven #1 selections. (Spoiler alert: It does not retain that title.) It earned 32 Top 10 votes and appeared on 50 ballots. It’s one of three songs to eclipse the 800-point total. After a slow start in the balloting, STH crushed the middle phase of voting and took over the pole position. However, the last half dozen ballots did it in, and it fell to second place. Had I set the cut off a few days earlier, STH would have been the head honcho and top of the heap. A special shout out to @Zeppelin for remembering this one. Four of the outside rankers had it at #1.

RehearsalRehearsalAlternate VersionSunset Sound MixTwo SolosStairway Sessions

It’s another song involved in a long line of plagiarism disputes, this time stemming from a song called Taurus by the band called Spirit. Like several of their other lawsuits, the original musicians did not sue the band or the record label, but their estates did once the performers passed away. The lawsuit alleged that Plant had attended a Spirit concert in 1970. Plant testified that he had no recollection of the concert, as he was in a serious car crash on the ride from the concert that impacted his memory. Zeppelin won this one, as the court ruled in their favor, asserting that the song was an original musical composition.

Another song initially started on the band’s retreat in 1970 prior to LZ III. Plant spontaneously wrote most of the lyrics one evening sitting next to a fire in a fireplace, inspired by the book Magic Arts in Celtic Britain by Lewis Spence, which he had recently read. It contains references to May Queens, pipers, and bustling hedgerows. Plant later explained it was about "a woman getting everything she wanted without giving anything back.”

Stairway to Heaven remains the biggest-selling sheet music in the history of rock. An average hit sells 10,000 to 15,000 copies of sheet music. Stairway has sold well over one million copies. It was the most requested song on FM radio in the 70’s. As of 2000, it had been played over 3 million times on radio airwaves.

In 1982, the Trinity Broadcast Network alleged the band had utilized backmasking to include a secret message in the son. A state assemblyman proposed a state law that would require warning labels on records containing backward masking. The California State Assembly Consumer Protection Committee conducted a hearing featured testimony from "experts" who claimed when the song was played backwards, contained the words: "I sing because I live with Satan. The Lord turns me off -- there's no escaping it. Here's to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan. He will give you 666. I live for Satan." Swan Song Records issued a statement that said: "Our turntables only play in one direction . . .forwards.”

On January 23, 1991, John Sebastian, owner and general manager of KLSK FM in Albuquerque played the song for 24+ hours in a row to reflect the station’s format change to classic rock. It played 200+ times, eliciting hundreds of angry phone calls. Police showed up with guns drawn, once after a listener reported that the deejay had apparently suffered a heart attack, later because of suspicion that -- this being 8 days into the Gulf War -- the radio station had been taken hostage by terrorists dispatched by Zeppelin freak Saddam Hussein. Weirdest of all, lots of listeners didn't move the dial. Sebastian pointed out, "Turns out a lot of people listened to see when we would finally stop playing it."

The inaugural performance of the song took place in Belfast early in 1971 (8 months prior to the release of LZ IV). JPJ remembers that the crowd was unimpressed, "They were all bored to tears waiting to hear something they knew." The song was performed at every Zeppelin show from that point on, with the rare exception shows with weather, technical equipment, or health issues that caused shows to be stopped before they had reached that point in the set.

Plant got so tired of the song, that it contributed to his decision not to tour after the 2007 reunion show. He cringed at doing a 50-city tour in which he'd be forced to sing what was called "that bloody wedding song" each night. He would later explain, “It belongs to a particular time. If I had been involved in the instrumentation, I would feel that it's a magnificent piece of music that has its own character and personality. It even speeds up in a similar way to some pieces of more highbrow music. But my contribution was to write lyrics and to sing a song about fate and something very British, almost abstract, but coming out of the mind of a 23-year-old guy. It landed in the years of the era of 23-year-old guys.”

Other than the reunion shows in 1985, 1988, and 2007, the only other performance of the song after 1980 was a partial performance by Page & Plant on TV Asahi, a Japanese TV show in 1994. Page played an instrumental version 42 times in the 80s.

Just prior to the 2007 reunion show, Led Zeppelin's entire back catalogue was made available as digital downloads, making all of their tracks eligible for the UK singles chart for the first time, as none of their songs to that point had been released as singles. As a result, at the end of that week the original version of "Stairway To Heaven" arrived in the UK singles charts for the first time . . . peaking at #37. Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song, Black Dog, and Kashmir also made the British singles chart.

Previously, three covers had charted: the multinational studio band Far Corporation reached #8 with their version in 1985, then reggae tribute act Dread Zeppelin crawled to #62 in 1991, and finally Rolf Harris' reworking outdid the other two, peaking at #7 in 1993.

Ultimate Classic Rock (1 of 92 songs): It's overplayed and second only to Free Bird when it comes to an easy classic-rock target. It also pretty much set the template for every over-baked power ballad that surfaced over the next two decades. But there's no denying the timeless pull of Stairway to Heaven. From the soft, pastoral intro to the awesome guitar solo that nearly capsizes the ending, it's a truly monumental piece of work.

Vulture (4 of 74 songs): Like everyone else, I have lost my ability to hear this song, dragged down as it is by overfamiliarity. But I have to say that many times over the years — in a parking garage in Atlanta, on a freeway in Chicago, on a rainy afternoon in Berkeley, while running on the Mall in D.C. — it has come on when I didn’t expect it, and I have been caught up in it again. High dynamics; a set of lyrics not entirely buffoonish by Plant standards; a restrained, then intense, then overwhelming band attack; and, finally, that solo to end all solos, Page at his most utterly articulate and dramatic, keening and at times so fast as to beggar belief. That speed, logic, lyricism, and intensity make all other guitar solos seem puny. I don’t want to put too much onto blundering poesy of this sort (that “bustles in your hedgerow” is silly, indeed), but I will point out that the song has a point — you can’t buy a stairway to heaven — and further that in its arcing, thrilling penultimate line, we can hear a statement of intent, strength, and resolve in the face of that other much more malleable ‘60s survivor band, the one that insisted on Rolling.

Rolling Stone (2 of 40 songs): The signature power ballad on Led Zeppelin IV towers over Seventies rock like a monolith. From the Elizabethan ambience of its acoustic introduction to Plant's lyrical mysticism to Page's spiraling solo, the eight-minute song is a masterpiece of slow-reveal intensity that withholds power, then ascends skyward like nothing in rock. "It speeds up like an adrenaline flow," said Page, whose on-the-spot improvisation was the perfect complement to Plant's evocation of excess and salvation. "It was a milestone for us."

Louder (1 of 50 songs): Anticipation was at fever pitch in 1971 as fans awaited the successor to Led Zeppelin III. This eclectic album, released the previous year, had dispelled the notion that Led Zeppelin were merely a heavy rock machine, incapable of playing anything more subtle than Whole Lotta Love. Ditties like Bron-Y-Aur Stomp and Hats Off To (Roy) Harper had veered the band into more folksy, acoustic areas. The untitled fourth album, eventually commonly known as Four Symbols, was just as fruitful, yet more consistent. It saw the unveiling of Stairway To Heaven; the band’s best known song, which was destined to become a rock classic.

Yet Stairway had humble beginnings. The first time the UK public heard it played live was in Belfast on 5 March, 1971. The ‘new number’ caught everyone by surprise. ‘What’s this?’ they cried, as what seemed like a Led Zeppelin symphony began to unfold. It soon became clear that Stairway was a perfectly formed piece of music, full of contrast and dramatic devices. In the best classical tradition, every step on the musical ladder helped progress the arrangement. There was the famed acoustic guitar intro, John Bonham’s brutal drum entry, Robert Plant’s passionate vocals and Pagey’s full-blown guitar solo. Another important facet was John Paul Jones’ warbling wooden recorders – heard on the album, but alas never made it on stage.

It all contributed to a masterpiece that simply gripped the public’s imagination. In fact, Jimmy Page’s double-necked guitar melody became so popular with aspiring players, it was banned from being played in guitar shops. Stairway To Heaven was assembled by trial and error during sessions at Headley Grange, in Hampshire, with the aid of the Rolling Stones’ mobile studio. The old mansion was ram shackled, neglected and supposedly haunted – but the former Victorian workhouse had great acoustics. It was so cold in the bleak midwinter of 1970 that the band were forced to burn the stairway’s banisters to keep warm.

As a result, Robert wrote the lyrics while sat on a stool in front of the blazing fire. Page had already recorded his ideas for the main theme on cassette tapes he brought to the manor for Plant to hear. A rehearsal tape of Stairway helped everyone focus on the lyrics. The crucial moment when Bonham picked up the beat was a device Jimmy had used before. He explained: “I wanted to create that extra kick. There’s a fanfare near the guitar solo, then Robert comes in with his tremendous vocal. Stairway crystallized the essence of the band. It had everything there and showed the band at its best. It was such a milestone for us.” After work was completed at Headley Grange, the bulk of the eight-minute piece, including Jimmy’s Fender Telecaster solo, was recorded at Island Studios in London, which had better facilities. John Paul Jones added Hohner electric piano and bass guitar, while Jimmy delivered the final guitar overdubs. Said engineer Andy Johns: “I knew Stairway was going to be a monster. But I didn’t know it would become a bloody anthem!”

Indeed, it became ‘the most played track’ on US radio and won copious awards. However, Robert was embarrassed about its sentiments and such lines as: 'There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold/And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.' After the demise of Led Zeppelin following John Bonham’s death in 1980, Jimmy Page performed it as an instrumental, when he made his comeback at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1982.

It’s been both loved and loathed in equal measures, but nowhere is Page’s supreme understanding of rock dynamics better illustrated than on Stairway, with a song that teases and caresses and then climaxes with nothing less than the world’s greatest ever guitar solo.

All that glitters is not gold. But this is. This is what we came here for.

Uproxx (4 of 50 songs): If this song existed in a vacuum, it would probably be No. 1. It’s incredibly well constructed and gorgeous, a real Lawrence Of Arabia of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s so epic and sweeping and beloved and overplayed and seriously it’s way overplayed but it’s still awesome and here comes that guitar solo sweet Jesus but man the overexposure eventually embarrassed Robert Plant so much that he couldn’t sing it with a straight face because does anybody remember laughter?

WMGK (9 of 92 songs): There’s probably a lady (or man) who’s sure this song is ranked too low, but there’s good reason for it. Part of what made Stairway legendary was the legend behind it involving the band writing the song at Bron-Yr-Aur, an isolated cottage in Wales. However, Jimmy Page testified during the recent Stairway copyright lawsuit that the song wasn’t written at Bron-Yr-Aur after all. Is the song still an influential, incredible piece? Yes, but there’s no doubt that in recent years, Stairway just doesn’t glitter like it once did. 

SPIN (4 of 87 songs): The most monolithic song in rock history, a song that’s no fun to write about and is occasionally no fun to even listen to. But what can you say? Stairway is Stairway, and there’ll never be another song like it. If it’s not the band’s best song, it is the one you need to have heard, the one that tells you everything about the band’s lyrical and musical infatuations, their strengths and their weaknesses, their power and their legacy. And by the end, yeah, it rocks pretty damn well too, with a Page solo consistently ranked as the greatest in music history, and deservedly so. It might not be our favorite Zeppelin song — the Song Remains the Same doc might have permanently ruined any chances of that — but if you were to put it No. 1 on your list, we couldn’t really disagree with you.

That leaves us with only one song remaining . . . When The Levee Breaks.
My rank: 13

My friend's rank: 7

I go through periods of being as tired of it as anyone else, but it's still in my inviolable top 15 because it's a remarkable musical achievement. And it helps that these days it's easier to play whatever you want whenever you want, so you're not usually saturated with certain songs unless you want to be, and that's helped me re-appreciate it. I suspect my friend's sentiments are similar.

"here comes that guitar solo sweet Jesus" sums it up as well as anything ever could. 

 
This has been really fun.  I’ve listened to LZ more the past few weeks than the past year.  My rankings would definitely change from my original submission.  Thanks @Anarchy99 for doing this.

1. Immigrant Song (8)

2. Kashmir (3)

3. Rock and Roll (14)

4. When the Levee Breaks (1)

5. Ramble On (6)

6.  Dazed and Confused (5)

7.  Whole Lotta Love (4)

8.  Stairway to Heaven (2)

9. Black Dog (7)

10. Heartbreaker (12)

11. Tangerine (28)

12. Communication Breakdown (18)

13. Achilles Last Stand (33)

14. Good Times Bad Times (11)

15. Ten Years Gone (22)

16. The Song Remains the Same (23)

17. What Is and What Should Never Be (16)

18. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (10)

19. Since I've Been Loving You (15)

20. No Quarter (19)

21. The Rain Song (17)

22. Over The Hills and Far Away (9)

23. Celebration Day (52)

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

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

Not in my top 25

Going To California (13)

 
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My rankings - 

1-Communication Breakdown

2-Immigrant Song

3-In the Evening’

4-The Wanton Song

5-Celebration Day’

6-Your Time is Gonna Come

7-Heartbreaker

8-Whole Lotta Love

9-The Ocean

10-Sick Again

11-Hey Hey What Can I Do?

12-When the Levee Breaks

13-How Many More Times?

14-Custard Pie

15-Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You

16-Nobody’s Fault But Mine

17-All My Love

18-No Quarter’

19-Ten Years Gone

20-Night Flight

21-The SongRemains the Same

22=Carouselambra

23-In My Time of Dying

24-Bring it on Home

25-Boogie with Stu

Totally blanked out on Traveling Riverside Blues, it’s 25A.

 
This song hasn't been posted yet, but I'm gonna go ahead and comment on it in case you post it tomorrow while I'm in a seminar. I ranked the song #2, although it is my 1b. It is drenched in the blues, and I love the drums and wailing harmonica in it. It has one of my favorite intros to a song ever. The whole song is awesome.  
Great intro as you said. I also like the short guitar outro by Page, it really ties the whole thing together. 🎸

 
Don't you know that no one actually reads the posts by the person doing the countdown in these threads? Ask krista. 
I thought that too until people kept quoting sections of the write ups that they wanted to talk about. I guess that a bunch of people don’t read them, but apparently some people do. 

 
I thought that too until people kept quoting sections of the write ups that they wanted to talk about. I guess that a bunch of people don’t read them, but apparently some people do. 
I read most of yours. The Beatles thread went too fast for me, so I'll need to double back on a quiet evening. 

 
#2 - Stairway To Heaven from Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

In 1982, the Trinity Broadcast Network alleged the band had utilized back masking to include a secret message in the son. A state assemblyman proposed a state law that would require warning labels on records containing backward masking. The California State Assembly Consumer Protection Committee conducted a hearing featured testimony from "experts" who claimed when the song was played backwards, contained the words: "I sing because I live with Satan. The Lord turns me off -- there's no escaping it. Here's to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan. He will give you 666. I live for Satan." Swan Song Records issued a statement that said: "Our turntables only play in one direction . . .forwards.”
As a former DJ, nothing frosts my vents like people who claim to hear things when records are played backwards.  The only turntables I ever encountered that could rotate backwards were the ones I used at WSAJ-FM in college and (air quotes) professionally at WKDI-AM in Maryland.  

We all either had or knew someone who had a record player/stereo, and knew implicitly that a turntable only went one way.  I never got this criticism, but most people spent the 80s looking for Satan under every rock and preschool.

 
As a former DJ, nothing frosts my vents like people who claim to hear things when records are played backwards.  The only turntables I ever encountered that could rotate backwards were the ones I used at WSAJ-FM in college and (air quotes) professionally at WKDI-AM in Maryland.  

We all either had or knew someone who had a record player/stereo, and knew implicitly that a turntable only went one way.  I never got this criticism, but most people spent the 80s looking for Satan under every rock and preschool.
Hmmm . . . I was a HS and college DJ and the turntables could manually be rotated backwards and you could hear whatever noise there was in the studio. I was a Production Manager and on occasion played things backwards in promos and commercials to give the effect of people talking in the background . . . or pretending to be in an airport or train station.

That being said, accusing artists of having demonic messages in song passages played backwards was weak sauce in my book. Basically, did these people not have anything better to do with their time?

 
Hmmm . . . I was a HS and college DJ and the turntables could manually be rotated backwards and you could hear whatever noise there was in the studio. I was a Production Manager and on occasion played things backwards in promos and commercials to give the effect of people talking in the background . . . or pretending to be in an airport or train station.

That being said, accusing artists of having demonic messages in song passages played backwards was weak sauce in my book. Basically, did these people not have anything better to do with their time?
That's what I'm saying; the ones I used as a DJ could go backwards.  Because the cueing technique I was taught was to find the first note of the song, then rotate it 1/4 turn backwards so that the turntable would be up to speed by the first note.

 

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