Led Zeppelin is one of the most successful rock bands of all time, with over 300 million records sold worldwide Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham created something truly special with their unique blend of blues and rock. Their music has withstood the test of time, and has influenced some of the biggest acts, including Beastie Boys, Ramones, Nirvana and countless others. With the upcoming documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin (the first authorized by the band) about to be released, I got the 'led' out and listened to every studio album to chose one track (two from a double album) from each record that’s less well known to share with you.
“How Many More Times” – Led Zeppelin
The first Led Zeppelin album, featuring its Hindenburg explosion artwork, is iconic. The band truly exploded onto the scene with the album, and were one of the heaviest groups making music. At the time, they were being compared to contemporaries like The Who and Black Sabbath. The album is a no-skip masterpiece, with tracks like “Dazed and Confused,” “Communication Breakdown” and “Good Times Bad Times” all hitting as singles from the album.
“How Many More Times” ends the album, and is a jazzy spaced-out epic blues jam. All aspects of what made the group a force to be reckoned with are here. Definitive Jimmy Page guitar solos, Bonham’s pummeling drums and Plant’s otherworldly vocals all shine through. This is my number one pick to revisit from the band’s debut.
“Bring It On Home” - Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin, like many of the forefathers of rock, took their influence from the blues. This track clearly shows that. What starts as an homage of the song originally written by Willie Dixon morphs at the halfway point into an original composition by Zeppelin, and perfectly encapsulates the blend of blues and heavy rock that they became known for. This is a unique track in the band’s catalogue. It wasn’t the first time they covered a classic blues song, but turning it into their own composition is impressive, and is not widely done.
“Celebration Day” – Led Zeppelin III
By their third album, the band had begun to experiment with different sounds, and mandolins were popping up frequently. With some of this album’s songs they almost went full blown bluegrass. “Celebration Day” however, is a rock song through and through. It tends to get overshadowed by the album’s lead track, “Immigrant Song,” but “Celebration Day” shouldn’t be ignored. It has some genuinely unique ideas going on, and yes, there’s a rip-roaring Jimmy Page solo. Bonham’s drums sound especially tight here as well. This one’s a unique, fun, slightly funky offering in the Led Zeppelin catalogue.
“When The Levee Breaks” - Led Zeppelin IV
This one was a tough decision. Do too many people know this song? Is it worth “revisiting?” Yes. Yes, it is. This is quite possibly one of the best rock songs ever made. Everything about this track is epic and larger than life. It also has one of the most iconic drum parts of all time. Nestled in your listening experience is a guitar that sounds like 20 different instruments and a harmonica solo that nearly drove me to pick up the instrument.
I have to mention that this is not an original song by Led Zeppelin. It was originally recorded by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929. Many artists have recorded versions of this track, but the Led Zeppelin take is arguably the most well–known, and the drums alone are truly that of legend. Led Zeppelin IV was a huge album. Just about every track is regarded as a classic, and when you have songs like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Black Dog” and “Rock N Roll” to compete with, picking just one is not an easy task.
“No Quarter” - Houses of the Holy
By the point that Led Zeppelin released their fifth album they were arguably the biggest band in the world. Houses of the Holy was the group’s last album to be released on Atlantic records. The track “No Quarter” saw the band entering “prog-rock” territory, almost like Led Zeppelin’s take on Pink Floyd. The song is long and hits hard in the choruses with a huge Jimmy Page riff. Also, the use of Hammond organ and early drone synthesizers makes this a highlight. John Paul-Jones would often stretch the song into a 20-plus-minute jam session on the organ when they played it live.
‘“Ten Years Gone” and “Bron-Yr-Aur” – Physical Graffiti
Here are two picks from the double album Physical Graffiti. “Bron-Yr-Aur” is a beautiful piece of acoustic instrumental music and really shows Page’s prowess on the instrument in a non-electric setting.
“Ten Years Gone” is a showcase of Plant’s lyric writing ability. It tells the story of a love lost, and in my opinion is one of his best songs with Led Zeppelin.
“Tea for One” – Presence
Overall, this is a relatively standard Zeppelin song, but at this point in the band’s career (keep in mind that this is their seventh album) blues-fueled songs were harder to come by. The guitar solos and jam sessions were a welcome break after the more experimental tracks on this record.
“Hot Dog” - In Through the out Door
This is quite possibly the silliest song in Led Zeppelin’s repertoire. While listening, I felt like I was entering a saloon in the wild west and about to have a shoot out at high noon with Clint Eastwood. The vocal delivery is a precursor to what Plant would do later in his career with Alison Krauss, which leans more heavily on bluegrass and folk. This is also a great example of the band’s range. Compare this song to something like “How Many More Times” or “Bring it on Home” and it’s shocking to realize this is the same group. It’s worth the listen just for how strange it is.
“Bonzo’s Montreux” – Coda
Coda is the eighth and last studio album by Led Zeppelin, and was released after the death of drummer John Bonham. The band referred to him affectionately as “Bonzo,” and this track is a highlight of his drum skills. Bonham is often cited as one of the best rock drummers of all time, and on this track and others from Zeppelin’s discography, it’s clear to see why.
His drumming has influenced countless drummers to come after him, and Led Zeppelin wasn’t the same without him. In fact, the band called it quits shortly after his death and the release of this record. They’ve only reunited a handful of times since.
