Twenty-five-years ago today, Led Zeppelin was no more. Drummer John Bonham, who imbibed too much alcohol after a rehearsal for an upcoming tour, was found dead on September 25, 1980. He was 32.

Led Zeppelin was the best-selling act of the 1970s. Were they a proto-metal band? A 12th-century minstrel show? White, English bluesmen? They were all of these things and more. Here are their ten best songs.

10. Whole Lotta Love--Before Stairway to Heaven, this was Led Zeppelin's signature song. After eight albums, this stands as the band's only top-ten single. When fans say John Bonham played tree trunks, you believe it after hearing this song. Led Zeppelin II (buy it here) was actually the band's second album to appear in 1969.

9. Going to California--Copied by Pearl Jam in "Given to Fly," nothing beats the original. GTC appears on the fourth best-selling album (buy it here) of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

8. All of My Love--Led Zeppelin find the synthesizer.

7. Achilles Last Stand--I'm ready to go to battle against some ancient hoplites, how about you? At 10:26, this stands as the third longest Zeppelin song.

6. In the Light--A John Paul Jones song off Physical Graffiti (buy it here) that was never played live.

5. Tangerine--A pre-Zeppelin song that finally appeared on Led Zeppelin III (buy it here).

4. No Quarter--The riffmaster offers my all-time favorite Zeppelin riff. When people say Led Zeppelin sold their souls to the devil (save JPJ), I don't believe it. When I hear No Quarter, I do. This song is spooky.

3. The Rain Song--At LAV School at Camp Pendleton in 1996, I played this song on the 52-area bar's jukebox non-stop. It's mellow, but not mellow. Crank up the mellotron. Houses of the Holy (buy it here) stands as the creative height of Led Zeppelin.

2. Ten Years Gone--Quiet to loud to quiet to loud. The most underrated Zeppelin song.

1. Stairway to Heaven--At 5:56 you begin to hear something you've never heard before. At 6:42 you hear something better. The Memorial Day top-500 songs countdown that your local classic-rock station does every year always ends the same way: "And she's buying...a stairway to...hea...ven." Sometimes everyone agrees on something for a reason: because it's the best.

"Going to California--Copied by Pearl Jam in "Learning to Fly," nothing beats the original."

Do you mean "Given To Fly"?

Good call, Ron. I'll correct in the original.

"In my Time of Dying", disc 1 of _Physical Graffiti_, belongs at about song #4 on this list. They do the blues better than any other rock band.

In your other post you fault them for the bands they influence most. The reason their influencees (the metal bands) suck is because they copy the heaviness of Zeppelin but drop the blues aspects. The metal bands try to fill every moment with sound, their singers often sound suicidally unemotional or angry rather than bluesy and emotionally poignant, and they are always on time. Zeppelin's heaviness is always best when emerging from or moving toward slower, softer moments within the same song. The metal bands don't get this; they don't have the always slightly late rythym, or the use of pauses and breath that give Zeppelin's heaviness style and real soul. Zeppelin also has an amazing variety of musical style, and great virtuosity, which the people who copy their heaviness simply can't even mimic.

Their complexity and variety (emotional and musical, from song to song and within the same song) makes Zeppelin superior to most other great rock bands. No Stones' song (as fun as their blues can get) comes as close to art as the great Zeppelin songs do.

Scully: with regard to the Stones: don't player hate; player participate. The Stones are the worlds greatest rock and roll band. They are a great blues band to boot. I love Zeppelin, but they are the fourth best band of all time.

Sarge, I didn't say whether I think the Stones or Zeppelin was a better RocknRoll band. I said that a number of Zeppelin's songs get much closer to art than any Stones' songs, and I think that is obvious. Pink Floyd and Radiohead also often get close to art, but that doesn't mean that they are better at being a RocknRoll band. The Stones and the Who are undoubtedly the best at being "Rock n Roll bands" precisely because they are more Rock n Roll, not necessarily because their music is better. As far as Stones' blues goes, it's fun, simple, excellent, not particularly complicated; simply inferior to Zeppelin's blues.

I can't believe you missed some of their best work off their first ground breaking and innovative album which probably changed the course of rock and roll from soft to hard core and blues infused.

You are, however, entirely correct about Ten Years Gone, a great and somewhat forgotten riff.

Also, let's not forget the 'B' side of Immigrant Song - I got a Woman.

Scully hits it: if you want play the blues, you have to have to mix it up. What's always made Jazz and Blues so interesting to listen to is the syncopation in the rythms and vocals. Of course, even though any guitar teacher would tell you this, it doesn't seem to penetrate the thick skulls of many of todays rock bands. So much boring music out there...

I can't really criticize Zep, they certainly had a cool sound. I just don't really care for them that much, personally. But please, for God's sake, "No Stairway".

PS, everytime I hear "Over the Hills and Far Away", (one of the first songs I learned to play on my geetar...) I can't help thinking what it would sound like if it were sung by Jerry Lewis. "Hey Laaddyy!!!"

sarge you and your opinions! fourth best r&r band huh? i guess now i have to see your top three.

I'll tell you one thing the Black Crowes aren't in the top 500 R&R bands of all time. As a matter of fact they suck!

then u know little about music my friend! stop listening to the radio to understand what good music is because obviously u have zero clue! all you political pole smokers can keep listening to your so called great groups like, REM and Radiohead and think you know music but like I said earlier, taste in music is an opinion. What makes you groove to the music or makes u feel a relation to what your hearing is taste, and if you say the Crowes have nothing to add to this then you know very little about music! If you like I'll send you some songs your sorry ass won't hear on the radio and then you can make an honest opinion, until then continue to be the hater you are!

The Black Crowes did an excellent version of The Rain Song when Jimmy Page toured with them a few years back. My sense is that the hater comments on the Stones and the Crowes were deliberately placed to instigate certain fans of those bands who are known to peruse the site.

Beatles, Stones, Who, Zeppelin. Crowes fall somewhere between Molly Hatchett and Toto.

Any comments about music have to start out by stating that what's good and what's not good ultimately depends on the individual listener and what music is considered "the best" is a person's highly subjective opinion.

That said, there can be no comparison between the ground breaking bedrock music of the 60's and 70's and some of the newer and more forgetable music made by the bands mentioned here.

Radiohead? REM? Black Crowes? No comparison whatsoever.

lol sarge i could have guessed what your top five was. Mr.Flynn i know the Crowes stuff is to get a rouse out of me, i chose to feed into it. Crowes are by far the greatest rock band of the 90's, it just so happens all the dinasaurs on this site believe good music ended in 1979.

asdf do you still listen to FNX and hope they will play a song that you used to listen to when you were young in the early 60's? You and Jukebox Joey share the same liking of music you old goat!

I typically do not listen to "programmed" music of any kind. Especially since 70% of it is crap.

But I do have a six disc CD changer packed with rotating collections of mostly, what I would consider, classics (good driving music) and an Ipod loaded with an eclectic mix of as you like it tunes including 60's, 70's and some 80's rock, soul, classical and lots of Green Day and Cold Play.

But, no Radiohead, REM or Crowes. Thank the Lord.

Morris, I should have read you're two posts more thoroughly as, yes, I do think that most good music ended in 1979.

Since then, it seems we've had 15 years of very forgettable music.

Classic rock stations are alive and well and even BCN changed their format from, what some might consider, newer and more progressive music where they had to sprinkle their play list with many classics and better known bands as they were dying.

Can't please all of the people all of the time but majority still rules when it comes to selling air time.

Oops, mathematically challenged, I guess. That would be 25 years of forgettable music!

good enough asdf. Mathematically challenged we both are since I saw the 15yrs and it sounded correct to me? Are we old or has the music really been that bad for that long?

however asdf you totally lost me when u said green day! I will never say a band that 80% of their songs are played with three chords are good! Green Day is the epitomy of the garbage music you were talking about in your posts. I do like that Garbage Stew song though but that is it.

and by the way I hate REM and Radiohead. It was sarcasim when I said those two bands.

You may hate Michael Stipe, Morris. But he likes you. He likes you a lot.

I love his bald dome! and 420 lol

True, true. Green Day are not the most musically complicated band. But, their energy is infectious and they got a beat you can dance to! ;-)

I dunno'. I just like em'.

Pretty good list, excepting the egregious inclusion of "Stairway." I'm with you on "Ten Years Gone" and "In The Light," and just have to smile at "Achilles Last Stand."

I would add "Fool in the Rain," and "Hey Hey What Can I Say." And of course, "When the Levee Breaks" seems rather relevant these days.

But one must always, when attempting to assay Zeppelin, acknowledge the extent to which they stole (yes, stole) their music from the blues traditionals of American blacks.

If an Englishman can write the lyrics to "Gallows Pole," or "When the Levee Breaks," then I'm a donut.

Well, I'm certainly no fan of Green Day...

But if you have to play complex rythms, and be a guitar virtuoso to qualify as a good band/artist for the readers of this site, we might as well throw out U2 with the bathwater. The Edge, as any guitar player will tell you, is all about the gear and effects, than an especially gifted guitar style. But who cares? He's got a great sound, and a very unique one at that. Does extreme ability make Satriani or Malsteen any easier to listen to? Does the fact that BB King only plays on one very small part of the Guitar make him any worse? Make a joyful noise, and people will want to hear it. It doesn't need to be complex.

I suspect no one will do any U2 hatin' though, as any attempt to criticize U2 on this site results in torch and pitchfork laden mobs arriving at your door.

Right you are honorable Mr. Fong. Many times more musically complicated bands are not the most interesting or enjoyable to listen to. I don't care if they play one chord, it they're talented nad the music moves you, it's all good.

And Paul: can you name for me one band, or artist for that matter, that hasn't borrowed from music or a musical style from past acts? Unless I'm misinterpreting what you'r saying, your statement regarding LZ's theft of blues music has to be one of the dumbest I've heard.

Fonger,
after reading your post twice, I totally agree with you. Good solid statement! I'll tell you how good U2 is after I see the show next Weds.!!

strike that, reverse it! It will be Tue. night not Weds. I am still stuck in today.

Hope you enjoy the show, and for the record I don't dislike U2 (I think Unforgettable Fire is one of the best albums of the 80s). I just have reservations with the worship of the band. As far as great bands of the 80s go, they'd certainly be in the top 10 of my list, but they'd be nowhere to be found on my top 100 bands of the 90s (If I could even find that many).

There may have been a top 20 or 30 in the 90's and out of them, maybe one or two might be in the top 100 of all time. Somewhere around #99 and #100.

SONIC YOUTH 'nuff said.

"The Ocean" on the "Houses of the Holy" album,
is the heaviest song ever recorded(even with the
sweet "La La" section in the middle).If you've never heard it, crank it up and try not to be
rocked to the point of total delerium- I dare you!

Houses of the Holy is not the creative high of Led Zep. The high is Physical Graffitti, the best Zeppelin album. I would add rock and roll and in the evening to the list too. I listened to these songs down spy pond in the 70's before my nervous breakdown. I now raise rotwiellers and sell homemade belt buckles in my mom's basement. I am 46.

I think Sarge has the bandlist backwards, in fact I don't think I would consider the beatles a rock band, maybe power pop or rock n' roll at the most (In there early days) besides maybe a couple of "heavy songs like helter skelter and maybe bulldog or something. Considering that they weren't even loud for that time 64-69 prime years, throw in Yellow Submarine and Sgt Pepper two very arty pieces I would say :). Look at it this way, I'm not trying to say which bands are better or anything, I'm looking at it from a pure "rock standpoint" who do most rock(used loosesly) artists draw influences from today? Not saying they are any good at it, but they do a lot of zep shit. In fact I'd Give the Beatles 3rd just because they knew when to hang it up (like zep which could have continued on in vain) keith richards needs to od or something man, they look terrible haha. Also I hear alot of beatles in "pop" today, and that sucks also. The Who were fricking awesome also had the greatest bassist all-time and arguably the greatest rock "song-writer". But the The Who as well as the Beatles had several constructive records before they found there sound. Zeppelin started at the top of their game and never strayed from that path, alot of the beatles experimental records sound horribly dated today, zeppelin was not as experimental but III was very adventurous for a heavy rock band and a potential hazardous path for zep. It was their least selling record but the most different sounding behind ITTOD. The only "crappy" Zeppelin album was Presence, and even that has a couple of great songs on it. It was recorded in a 2-3 week period though, and consequently, was the only album by Zeppelin to have a theme of drugs consistently, everyone except JpJ was shooting smack. Page's riffs were simple but never sounding repetetive, Jonesy's bass was percolating at all times, Bonzo shattered ear drums and made some amazing Syncopations in rock drumming, and Percy wailed like someone was cutting his balls off, Greatest Rock Band In The World Bar None.
PS: Also The Beatles were somewhat whored, com'on guy's a christmas albuM?

Ohh yeah the same could be said about the Who, about them not hanging it up after Who Are You, but they still made two pretty decent albums and that is the thing they only released two more, the stones should've quit after Tattoo You..... They made at least 10 after that and continued on their annual "final tour". The Who has done a couple of years of touring, in 1989 when they played Tommy fully on their "Join Together Tour" I think it was and then 95' when Pete Townshend's realized vision of a staged Quadrophenia, with musical guest david gilmour; with Billy Idol and others acting the roles out, but they were not billed as "The Who". And then in 97-04' they have done shows I think, even with the death of John Entwistle in 2002.....