Led Zeppelin I Songs Ranked
Led Zeppelin is the debut album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on 12 January 1969 in the United States and on 31 March in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records.
Led Zeppelin showed the group’s fusion of blues and rock, and their take on the emerging hard rock sound was immediately commercially successful in both the UK and US, reaching the top 10 on album charts in both countries, as well as several others, while it reached number one in Spain’s albums chart. Many of the songs were longer and not well suited to be released as singles for radio airplay, and Page was reluctant to release “singles”, so only one single was released, “Good Times Bad Times” (backed with “Communication Breakdown”). However, due to exposure on album-oriented rock radio stations, and growth in popularity of the band, many of the album’s songs have become classic rock radio staples. Here are all of Led Zeppelin I songs ranked.
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9. How Many More Times
“Another statement of guitar and studio dominance by Jimmy Page. The beginning, a huge, thundering beat, is a little flashy, but the groove it eventually hits hard, yet another of those minor Page riffs that would mark the high water mark of a lesser band.”
8. Your Time Is Gonna Come
“On the second side of their debut, A rather forgettable tune on this album. Some pretty organ work from Jones, though. With some of the other heavy hitting songs on this magnum opus. Your Time Is Gonna Come just doesn’t stick out.”
7. I Can’t Quit You Baby
“Standard Zeppelin heavy blues, appropriately credited to Willie Dixon, the great Chess Records producer and songwriter. Nothing that is too special here, just some of those exciting bursts of solo from Page, with some sound effects that seem to go a bit farther than had been heard at the time of this albums release.
6. Black Mountain Side
“A moody acoustic number with a distinctive sound due to the tabla in this song. The tabla is by a guy named Viram Jasani, one of a very small number of guest players on a Led Zeppelin album, which makes this song unique in the Zeppelin catalog.”
See More: Led Zeppelin Songs Ranked
5. Communication Breakdown
“A quick and dirty riff and beat on the lagging second side of the debut. Plant tries out some of the squeals that he will make commonplace on “Whole Lotta Love” on the next album. Page contributes some very crisp, very hard riffs, showing off his musical ability.”
4. You Shook Me
“Zeppelin’s early blues don’t mean much to us in the 21st century. Almost 50 years ago, they were audacious reinterpretations of a catalogue still considered the pinnacle. Even Eric Clapton’s “Crossroads” a high-octane version of a Robert Johnson classic, seemed modest next to Zeppelin’s unbridled, not respectful takes. This wild and screechy rendition, complete with some call and response guitar ‘n’ voice work at the end, was a new high, or low, in hard-rock blues.”
See More: Led Zeppelin Albums Ranked
3. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
“This is one of the best songs of Led Zeppelin.. I mean.. It has to be in the top 3! This song has everything.. The guitar work is really amazing and the vocal did a really really good job in this song.. They put a lot of feel in this song!”
2. Dazed And Confused
“Though singer-songwriter Jake Holmes actually wrote “Dazed and Confused”, Page first contributed guitar work to a recording of the track when The Yardbirds covered it in the mid-60s. He then brought it to his Led Zep band mates who added heavy metal, blues and hard rock flavors to the psychedelic rock original. With different lyrics, an altered melody, and Page’s use of a bow to play his guitar, it quickly became one of their most performed pieces.”
1. Good Times Bad Times
“Everything is just amazing in this song, it starts with a basic riff with drum fills between each one and then Plant starts singing and then the bass solo then the guitar solo and it’s just too good. The way all of the personnel come together is truly amazing and can get stuck in your head all day. It also has an epic guitar solo”