Top Ten List: Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were a very 'formative' band for me. Whether it was reading the (highly entertaining and trashy) Hammer Of The Gods as a wee one (I got it out of the library when I was maybe 12!) or buying the albums (on cassette, then the box set on cassette and finally Box Set 1 and Box Set 2 on CD) this was formative, almost mystic music for me of indescribable power and loveliness.

John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant

And it still is.

My Zep Top Ten is just my favorite songs. Not one from each album, not the "biggest hits" necessarily. This is just off the top of my head and these are all songs I really love.

Well, maybe not "South Bound Suarez." Anyway. Here goes.

10) "Your Time Is Gonna Come": From the opening organ solo to the first thump of percussion, this is one of the great early Zeppelin songs. And check out Jonesy's bass playing. From Led Zeppelin.

9) "The Ocean": Robert Plant's paen to the band's fans. First Zeppelin song to be lyrically censored on the liner notes, having "the hell I'm living for" changed to "the hey hai halla bal." As if it makes a difference with a riff this heavy. From Houses of the Holy.

8) "The Rover": Originally recorded for an earlier record, this song combines a down-and-dirty guitar riff with Bonzo's powerful drumming and one of Percy's better hippie-dippy lyrics. "If we could just join haaaaaaaaaaaands....". From Physical Graffiti.

7) "In The Light": This song is first cousin to "Kashmir" and appears on the same record. Robert Plant's eastern journey to enlightenment continues on this song, which is built around droning Middle Eastern melodies and the best Clavichord solo ever written. From Physical Graffiti.

6) "Hey, Hey What Can I Do": This was a 'lost track' for many years, originally released as a b-side to "The Immigrant Song." It has a relaxed, California vibe with mandolin and then a heavy, gang chorus reminiscent of "Your Time is Gonna Come." Available on the Led Zeppelin box set or as a special CD single reissue. (How cool is that?)

Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant.

5) "Achilles' Last Stand": Without this song, Steve Harris and Iron Maiden would not have a career--or a gallop. Zeppelin invented it here. From Presence.

4) "Tangerine": This delicate acoustic ballad uses steel guitars to create a warm, sunny vibe that makes it the highlight of the third record's "acoustic side." From Led Zeppelin III.

3) "Stairway to Heaven" Yes I know it's overplayed. But it still remains a mystic, magic experience to listen to under the right circumstances. My old cassette copy had a little flaw, a "tchk" sound right before "If there's a bustle in your hedgerow." I still miss that sound, and my mind inserts it every time I hear "Stairway." Oh, and by the way, Jimmy Page winged that solo. From Led Zeppelin IV.

2) "Nobody's Fault But Mine": A searing blues with Jimmy Page's phased guitar, Robert Plant wailing for his life and repenting for sins, and John Bonham's terrifying performance on the drums. The "Beast" is loose, indeed. From Presence.

1) "In the Evening": This track leads off the Zeppelin's majestic swan song with a Moroccan-inspired intro and then crashing oceans of guitars and Robert Plant's deliberately-muddled vocals interspersed with howls of "I've got paaaaaiiiin." John Bonham drives the song over the cliff with his inexorable, heroic drumming. From In Through the Out Door.