What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

FBG'S TOP 81 LED ZEPPELIN SONGS: #1 - When The Levee Breaks from Led Zeppelin IV (1971) (2 Viewers)

Had Ramble On a little lower at 15. Interestingly, these last three songs all fell together in the 14-16 range. I think that some of the more popular songs probably suffered a little bit in my rankings because of that popularity. Kind of the played out thing maybe. Great tune though. Can't really criticize much of any of these songs at this point.

Interesting to see Stairway still alive the way some seem to dismiss it.

My top 25 (consensus)

1.
2. Since I've Been Loving You (15)
3.
4. The Rain Song (17)
5. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (10)
6. The Ocean (20)
7.
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. 
18.
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:
#6 - Ramble On from Led Zeppelin II (1969)

Appeared On: 46 ballots (out of 62 . . . 74.2%)
Total Points: 687 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  44.3%)

#1 Rankers: @Dennis Castro@Rustoleum
Top 5 Rankers: @SteevieG@Sullie@simey@gdub@worrierking@Todem@beer 30@Pip's InvitationFriend, @Andrew74
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 1(London - 2007-12-10)
Page & Plant: 153 (Irvine - 1995-10-03, Las Vegas - 1998-09-23)
Plant: 199 (Montreux - 1993-02-07, Rio de Janeiro - 1994-01-22, Nashville - 2011-02-09, Stockholm - 2019-06-13)
Page: 1

Covers: Foo Fighters w/Jimmy & JPJ, Train, String Cheese Incident, Flight To Mars w/Ann Wilson, Blitzen Trapper, Chris Poland, Dumpstaphunk w/Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Dead Daisies, Dread Zeppelin, Poet Section, Anastacia, Jeff Martin, Yellow Brick Road, Great White, Randy Jackson, Kid Rock, Phish, Dopapod, Iron Horse, Badfish, Frank Hannon (Tesla), Umphrey's McGee, Rick Derringer, Lisa Tingle, Deltones, Karen Zoid, Karney, 8-Bit Misfits

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 10
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 24
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 5
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 14
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 13
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 13
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 18
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 13
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 34

We ramble our way toward the end of the countdown, now with only the Top 5 left to reveal. Ramble On chalked up two #1 votes to go along with a #2 and three #3’s. It ended up with 11 Top 5 votes, 24 Top 10 votes, and appeared on 46 ballots. At 74.2%, it just missed the Cooperstown induction threshold. We voted it significantly higher than it traditionally appears in LZ countdowns and rankings (including most of our outside rankers).

We take another trip to Middle Earth, as this one is another homage to J.R.R. Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings, and the poem Namárië (although there are some folks who don’t believe Plant ever read the LOTR books). Zeppelin’s debut album was recorded over a few days. The second album took over 8 months. The primary reason was the constant tour and appearance schedule of the band. The new songs were written and recorded in the few hours of time the band could find between the concerts and tours. Due to this, when the songs were recorded, the sound contains both spontaneity and urgency. Ramble On was recorded in New York. The song seems to feature a bongo like sound. To achieve this sound effect, Bonham drummed on a plastic garbage pail instead of his drums.

Instrumental Version, Rough Mix With Vocal, Isolated Vocal, 2007 Rehearsal

In what should be considered a crime again humanity, Led Zeppelin only performed Ramble On once in its entirety . . . at the reunion show in 2007. When the O2 show was over, Plant went back to being a solo artist, but Page, Jones, and Jason Bonham were not as eager to call it a career. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, "They all felt the old energy and they wanted more. Soon realizing that Plant wasn't going to be persuaded to participate, they worked behind the scenes throughout 2008, searching for someone else to sing." Those "someones" included Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Alter Bridge front man Myles Kennedy. Joe Perry, in The Guardian, claimed Zeppelin's camp had called Tyler's rehearsal "shambolic," and that Tyler "didn't even seem familiar with the Led Zeppelin catalog." Tyler denies that description, claiming he was offered the gig but turned it down.

Things seemed to go better for Kennedy. "Those rehearsals I will remember to my dying day," he said on That Metal Show. "We played The Rain Song, which is probably my favorite Led Zeppelin song, No Quarter, Kashmir. It was a lot of fun." Ultimately, Page, Jones, and Bonham decided to forego a Plant-less Zeppelin incarnation, but it hasn't stopped others from offering their voices, however tongue-in-cheek, like American Idol finalist Adam Lambert, now fronting Queen, who has said he'd "love to sing some Led Zeppelin."

There have been many rumors, hot takes, and whispers in the hall over times that Plant almost left the band. One of the first such times was after the first album. Some people along the way have speculated that he was not totally happy with his role, his ability to contribute to the songwriting credit, his royalties, and his contract after LZ 1 and that he both considered and planned on moving on.

Another instance was in the early 70’s. Even now, details are sketchy, but due to his screaming vocal style, Plant needed surgery on his vocal chords. The date of the surgery has never come out, but initially there was concern that he might not be able to have a similar belting style of vocals. He also had second thoughts about continuing with the jet set lifestyle in the early 70s after a car crash (less publicized) and his more serious crash in the mid-70s (more publicized).

After his young son died unexpectedly in 1977, Plant was left devastated and depressed and mulled quitting the band, settling down, and becoming a schoolteacher. Long after the band had broken up, Plant had more throat issues and needed more surgery around 1990. Doctors were not convinced that would be able to sing for much longer, and they were concerned he might lose his ability to speak altogether. Given that was 30 years ago, it appears their concerns were unfounded.

Ultimate Classic Rock (10 of 92 songs): It sounds a little like one of the old blues standards Led Zeppelin were fond of reworking on their first two albums, but Ramble On is a Page and Plant original based on The Lord of the Rings. Years before Peter Jackson took Tolkien's Middle-earth saga to the Oscars, Zeppelin were all over Gollum and Mordor.

Vulture (24 of 74 songs): An economical (less than five minutes, positively breezy for this band) rave-up that, over the years, has taken on more stature than it deserves. Yes, there are a couple of (wan) Lord of the Rings references later in the song, but they are out of keeping with the rest of the lyrics, and it’s not really clear that Plant had even read the books. (Did Plant think the line went, “One babe to rule them all”?) Still, crisply produced throughout, with one of Page’s more complex guitar assemblages in the chorus, and a rock-radio classic.

Rolling Stone (5 of 40 songs): The song where Plant first nails his mystic-storyteller alter ego combines familiar folk-blues concerns – hitting the road, looking for a woman – with a riff on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It starts with Page's acoustic strumming and Bonham patting out a rhythm (probably on his knees, possibly on a guitar case or a drum stool; no one seems to recall). Then the chorus crashes in and Page switches on, flinging knife-edge licks while Plant turns from a Hobbit back into a sex machine.

Louder (14 of 50 songs): An early reveal of the band’s beloved light/shade dynamic, Plant’s somewhat random conflation of Tolkien references with the odd tokenistic fair maiden chucked in might not make much narrative sense, but has proved to be a rock radio staple for decades. Speculation on the gently propulsive rhythm under Page’s percussive acoustic has been whittled down to John Bonham tip-tapping on either a sofa, his knee, or a guitar case. The smart money is on the latter.

Uproxx (13 of 50 songs): A highlight of the Lord Of The Rings sub-genre of Zeppelin songs, as well as an excellent, early example of Zeppelin’s ability to mix acoustic and electric guitars beautifully. In every Jimmy Page interview, he is inevitably asked to give the secret of the Zeppelin sound, and he always goes into his pet riff about his interest in veering between “light and shade,” mixing up heaviness with jangly melody. Ramble On was the first time he really nailed it, before refining it to perfection on the next four Zeppelin records. While Radiohead isn’t often mentioned in the same sentence as Led Zeppelin, they emulated that “light and shade” electric-acoustic mix on The Bends and OK Computer, and pulled it off with nearly as much flair.

WMGK (13 of 92 songs): The Lord of the Rings film franchise may have grossed an obscene amount of money, but never did director Peter Jackson make Tolkien’s trilogy this cool! Gollum would probably consider this song precious. Zeppelin fans sure do.

SPIN (18 of 87 songs): It’s all about those drums. Not really drums, even — no one seems to know for sure what device Bonham played the song’s distinctive rhythm part on (the bottom of a trash can? A hard guitar case?), but the tone of it is so light and breezy that it gets the song started off in the clouds, the perfect bed for JPJ’s weightless bass line and Page’s pillowy guitar-strumming to come floating in over. Plant’s rambling ways (previously foretold in Babe I’m Gonna Leave You) are key once the songs in, though again: Do we really need Gollum sweeping in to steal your girl in the third verse, Robert? Let it go.
Click to expand...
My rank: 7

My friend’s rank: 4

This joins In the Light as the only songs in the top 10 for both of us. 

I was immediately drawn to this after hearing it on FM radio when I first started listening to those stations, and it was a big reason why II was the first cassette I bought with my own money. Some of my favorite Zep songs are those with acoustic-electric dynamics, and this is one of the earliest and best examples of that. It also has one of Plant’s best vocals and a very unique drum sound. 

My friend is big on the bass parts and the general vibe of it all.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
My guess at the top 5:

1) Whole Lotta Love

2) Kashmir

3) Dazed and Confused

4) Stairway to Heaven

5) When the Levee Breaks

I'm surprised Levee made the top 5.

 
RAMBLE ON! 

That was the song they picked in the high school yearbook for R. G. (RIP), who had died in a car accident two years earlier. This is kind of sad as I type, and I came in to make fun of the song, but now it's not so funny...

Argh. RIP, older guy who lived down the street and never got to see life. 

😪

 
Last edited by a moderator:
cap'n grunge said:
Interesting to see Stairway still alive the way some seem to dismiss it.
Click to expand...
It will be an interesting discussion once we get there. All of the remaining songs are all generally in the same category . . . lots of high-end votes, a TON of Top 10 votes, and they each have a small number of non-votes. In a roundabout way, for each of the Top 5 songs, a few people dismissed them . . . but they just were not as vocal as some of the Stairway detractors.

That being said, there are 101 points separating the #1 song from the #5 song, so there must be some reason the songs ended up ranked the way they did.

There were two people that only voted for 1 of the Top 5 and three other people who only voted for two of them. There were 27 people that voted for all 5 of the Top 5.

 
cap'n grunge said:
My guess at the top 5:

1) Whole Lotta Love

2) Kashmir

3) Dazed and Confused

4) Stairway to Heaven

5) When the Levee Breaks

I'm surprised Levee made the top 5.
Click to expand...
I predicted that #1 a while back and got dismissed pretty quickly. I don't know which one I would guess now. Probably Stairway. Time will tell. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
It will be an interesting discussion once we get there. All of the remaining songs are all generally in the same category . . . lots of high-end votes, a TON of Top 10 votes, and they each have a small number of non-votes. In a roundabout way, for each of the Top 5 songs, a few people dismissed them . . . but they just were not as vocal as some of the Stairway detractors.

That being said, there are 101 points separating the #1 song from the #5 song, so there must be some reason the songs ended up ranked the way they did.

There were two people that only voted for 1 of the Top 5 and three other people who only voted for two of them. There were 27 people that voted for all 5 of the Top 5.
Click to expand...
I am one of the 27. None were in my top 4, but they are all undeniably great. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
It will be an interesting discussion once we get there. All of the remaining songs are all generally in the same category . . . lots of high-end votes, a TON of Top 10 votes, and they each have a small number of non-votes. In a roundabout way, for each of the Top 5 songs, a few people dismissed them . . . but they just were not as vocal as some of the Stairway detractors.

That being said, there are 101 points separating the #1 song from the #5 song, so there must be some reason the songs ended up ranked the way they did.

There were two people that only voted for 1 of the Top 5 and three other people who only voted for two of them. There were 27 people that voted for all 5 of the Top 5.
Click to expand...
I am not one of the 27 and could have said that from the moment I submitted my list - I expected to only have 3 of the top 5 and that's exactly how this shook out...but if you had told me my 3rd omission would be ranked #6 I'd have crooked my neck and said I'm surprised Good Times Bad Times was ranked that high. Cause I thought that'd fall off the board after Ramble On. 

**pulls pin** I've never understood this song's appeal **hurls grenade** **runs away**

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I was one of the #1 rangers for Ramble On.

All I have to add to what others have already said better is that this song never fails to improve my mood when I hear it. I can’t think of a more perfect name for a song, either. 

 
Going in to the top 5.....

My rankings compared with (consensus rankings):

1.
2. Immigrant Song (8)
3.         
4.        
5. Black Dog (7)
6.
7. Ramble On - (6)
8. The Ocean - (20)
9. Good Times Bad Times - (11)
10. What Is And What Should Never Be - (16)
11. Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman) - (12)
12. Communication Breakdown - (18)
13. The Battle Of Evermore - (21)
14. Going to California - (13)
15.         
16. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - (10)
17. Dancing Days - (41)
18. Thank You - (30)
19. Hey, Hey, What Can I Do - (24)
20. Houses Of the Holy - (37)
21. Over The Hills And Far Away - (9)
22. Trampled Under Foot - (31)
23. Four Sticks - (53)
24. Gallows Pole - (36)
25. Misty Mountain Hop - (25)

My rankings and (deviation from consensus):

1.
2. Immigrant Song - (+6)
3.
4.
5. Black Dog - (+2)
6.
7. Ramble On - (-1)
8. The Ocean - (+12)
9. Good Times Bad Times - (+2)
10. What Is And What Should Never Be - (+6)
11. Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman) - (+1)
12. Communication Breakdown - (+6)
13. The Battle Of Evermore - (+8)
14. Going to California - (-1)
15.     
16. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - (-6)
17. Dancing Days - (+24)
18. Thank You - (+12)
19. Hey, Hey, What Can I Do - (+5)
20. Houses Of the Holy - (+17)
21. Over The Hills And Far Away - (-12)
22. Trampled Under Foot - (+9)
23. Four Sticks - (+30)
24. Gallows Pole - (+12)
25. Misty Mountain Hop - (0)

You people ranked The Ocean, Dancing Days, Thank You and Four Sticks too low.  I ranked Over the Hills too low.

 
Anarchy99 said:
There were two people that only voted for 1 of the Top 5 and three other people who only voted for two of them. There were 27 people that voted for all 5 of the Top 5.
Click to expand...


1. 

2. Traveling Riverside Blues

3. Hey, Hey, What Can I Do

4. Heartbreaker/LLM

5. Immigrant Song

 
Last edited by a moderator:
⚡DEADHEAD⚡ said:
1. 

2. Traveling Riverside Blues

3. Hey, Hey, What Can I Do

4. Heartbreaker/LLM

5. Immigrant Song
Click to expand...
I'm the second

1. In My Time of Dying

2.

3. Hey Hey What Can I Do

4. Lemon Song

5. Wanton Song

 
Good run for Ramble On, definitely a song that I've liked since the first time I heard it.

Dazed and Confused has to be next, its number is up

 
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
I’m pretty sure he meant two people only had one song left in their full 25.
Click to expand...
Let's try this again.

There were two people that DID NOT include 4 songs of what ended up in our Top 5 songs on their list of 25 songs. And there were three other people who DID NOT include 3 songs of what ended up in our Top 5 songs on their list of 25 songs. So two people left four of the remaining songs off their list.

 
Anarchy99 said:
Let's try this again.

There were two people that DID NOT include 4 songs of what ended up in our Top 5 songs on their list of 25 songs. And there were three other people who DID NOT include 3 songs of what ended up in our Top 5 songs on their list of 25 songs. So two people left four of the remaining songs off their list.
Click to expand...
Yeah that’s what I said.

 
#5 - Dazed And Confused from Led Zeppelin 1 (1969)

Appeared On: 50 ballots (out of 62 . . . 80.6%)
Total Points: 780 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  50.3%)

#1 Rankers: @Sullie@beer 30@cap'n grunge
Top 5 Rankers: @MAC_32@PIK95@SteevieG@dhockster@Zeppelin@jamny@gdub@DocHolliday@BroncoFreak_2K3@Witz
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 413 (London - 1969-03-18, London - 1969-04-01, London - 1969-08-10, ,London - 1970-01-09, Orlando - 1971-08-31, Osaka - 1971-09-21, Long Beach - 1972-06-25, Offenburg - 1973-03-24, New York - 1973-07-28, Los Angeles - 1975-03-27 (45 minutes), London -1975-05-25, 2007 Rehearsal, London - 2007-12-10)
Page & Plant: 62 (Acoustic - 1994, Memphis - 1995-03-04)
Plant: 57 (Stockholm - 2015-07-14, Austin - 2016-03-20)
Page: 17 (London - 2002-02-09)
JP & Black Crowes: 1 (East Rutherford - 1999-10-09)

Covers: Aerosmith, Joe Bonamassa, Allman Brothers, Nirvana, Uncle Slam, The Cult of Dom Keller, Cunio, Hannah Williams, Blaze Bayley, Gov't Mule, Moleskins, 13 O'Clock Blues Band, Electrasy, Iron Horse, Portland Cello Project, Great White, Ann Wilson, Zepparella, Motohiko Hino, West 52nd Street Buddha Lounge Ensemble, Steamtrain Mary, Midnight Bloom, Led Ladies, Caleb Johnson, Cave In, DJ Spooky, Honeymoon Killers, Aranda, Steve Stevens, Ween, Trey Anastasio, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Ben Harper, Rat Race Choir, Buckethead, Mr. Jimmy, Thunder#####,

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 4
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 5
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 13
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 9
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 10
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 7
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 16
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 15
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 11

Not that the songs up until this point were cannon fodder, but now we start rolling out the big guns. The tale of the tape for D&C reveals three #1 selections, three #3 picks, and thirteen Top 5 slots. It also found its way into the Top 10 on 25 ballots and appeared on 50 ballots total. Our first song to break the 80% barrier and the first to surpass the 50% possible point threshold.

Page based the Zeppelin version of Dazed and Confused from the song originally recorded by Jake Holmes. Holmes recorded a handful of albums in the late 60’s and 70’s that didn’t sell all that well, but he had also written many songs for Frank Sinatra and The Four Seasons. He switched to writing advertising jingles instead. His body of work included commercials and slogans for Chevrolet, Dr. Pepper, NBC, Gillette, IBM, and the Army. Although some people concluded that the song was about a bad acid trip, Holmes insists the lyrics refer to the effects of a girl's indecision on ending a relationship.

Holmes opened for The Yardbirds for two shows in Greenwich Village in New York on 1967-08-25. Page liked what he heard and adapted a version for The Yardbirds, who performed the song on their tour dates in 1967 and 1968. Holmes said: "We were on the bill with The Yardbirds. We performed it there and blew the place apart with that song, and that's when Jimmy Page saw it. From what I gather from The Yardbirds, Page sent somebody out to get my album. He did a great job, but he certainly ripped me off.” Paris - 1968-03-09

Thirty years later, a studio version of The Yardbirds emerged, but that ended up getting pulled (some say by Page): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rM9BVNTyF4

Like several other early Zeppelin songs, this one got played out in the courts. While The Yardbirds never recorded and released the song, Led Zeppelin did, and credited the song exclusively to Jimmy Page. Holmes sued and eventually an out of court settlement was reached in 2012 when Holmes was issued a check and songwriting credit for the song was changed to “Jimmy Page, Inspired By Jake Holmes“ (43 years after the album was released).

The song underwent many changes by the time Led Zeppelin recorded it, including the famous solo where he played guitar with a violin bow. Although Page didn't invent the technique -- it was used by Eddie Phillips of the Creation on Making Time in 1966. Page learned about it through David McCallum Sr.. As Page recalled, "A violinist came to me one day and asked, 'Have you ever considered playing a guitar with a bow?' I said, 'I don't think it'll work . . .the strings on a violin are arched.’ He said 'Here's my bow. Would you like to try?' I tried it and i could see there was massive potential. After that I went and bought my own bow.”  The Zeppelin version was recorded in just two takes.

Remembering Bonham, Page noted, "We had such a connection. John changed drumming overnight. As the band progressed, he and I developed this extraordinary intuition. We were renowned for being able to stretch songs live, and that came from John following my guitar and just improvising and bending with where I was going. Dazed and Confused is a classic example. He could read my mind and go anywhere and do anything without it falling apart. These were moments of genius.”

For better or worse, Dazed and Confused became a signature, show stopping number in live performances and last up to 45 minutes long (better for those that love the song, worse for those that don’t). The guitar solo following the bow section is Page's solo from the Yardbirds Think About It. Back in the day, most albums barely hit 45 minutes in total.

With 413 performances, D&C was the most played live song by LZ (over 100 more times than Whole Lotta Love). Page and Plant added 62 times, Page alone 17 times, and Plant 57 times.

Former Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton played a gig with Blind Faith that also featured the newly formed Led Zeppelin on the bill. EC was not a huge fan, “They were very loud. I thought it was unnecessarily loud. I liked some of it; I really did like some of it. But a lot of it was just too much. They overemphasized whatever point they were making, I thought."

A famous story about Robert Plant’s early days involved the rocker attempting to buy a shirt in London’s upmarket Carnaby Street. Apparently, Plant attempted to buy the shirt using a check, for which he needed identification. Upon being asked for ID and having none, he instead went out to his car, grabbed a copy of Led Zeppelin’s first album (which was, for some reason, in his vehicle), and showed it to the sales assistant, who allowed him to purchase the shirt.

Dazed and Confused also was a film that came out in 1993 and helped launch the careers of Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, and several others. Director Richard Linklater wanted Page and Plant to compose the soundtrack. Jimmy said yes, but Robert declined.

Ultimate Classic Rock (4 of 92 songs): Page used to play "Dazed and Confused" at latter-day Yardbirds shows. He borrowed the basic parts of the song from a relatively obscure American folksinger named Jake Holmes, but beefed up the arrangement with new lyrics (penned by Plant) and a solo performed on his Telecaster with a violin bow.

Vulture (5 of 74 songs): Dazed and Confused beats the #### out of just about any hard-rock ‘70s classic you can name. Ominous beginning, another of those full-bodied Plant vocal performances, a half-dozen or so unique noises, Jones and Bonham both at top furious form — and the mother of all guitar barrages, too. Page does everything to a guitar you can do over the course of this song, from delicate harmonics to sawing it — and then beating it — with a violin bow. It’s the best example of how Zeppelin created a drama in their songs that drew listeners in and fended off boredom. (Compare, for example, the Who at their supposed best, on the longer tracks of Live at Leeds. The Who were an impressive band, but a lot of their stuff is tedious.) Docked one notch for the line, “The soul of a woman is created below,” artless even by Plant standards.  Docked three additional notches for songwriting theft. There are almost a dozen instances where the band has been accused, with varying degrees of seriousness, of ripping off lyrics or guitar riffs. Of all of these, this is the clearest and most egregious. Page didn’t just steal a riff from ‘60s folk singer Jake Holmes; he stole Holmes’s whole song. Page took the ominous opening, the melody, the structure and, most crucially, the dynamics — and, on the band’s first album and the live “Song Remains the Same” set, solo songwriting credit. “Dazed and Confused” isn’t a Led Zeppelin song; it’s a cover of another artist’s work. It’s well established that Page got the song from hearing Holmes. It was even credited to Holmes on a live Yardbirds album Page played on! (One suspects that if Page had written the song, he would certainly have demanded a correction, and the royalties.) Yet he took the credit for himself on at least two albums that have sold untold millions of copies, earning something in the neighborhood of a half-million in sales royalties and radio play. Page has lied about it in interviews, too — but eventually settled out of court with Holmes. Doesn’t take away from Zep’s concussive production and playing on one of rock’s all-time most-powerful tracks. Just means we should remember that Page as a young man was a petty (in this case, not so petty) thief, and as an older man capable of lying about it when caught.

Rolling Stone (13 of 40 songs): This psychedelic-blues beast became the centerpiece of their stage performances for years. Singer-songwriter Jake Holmes recorded the original version in 1967. Page reimagined it for Zeppelin's debut, and their ever-expanding live jam on his arrangement, featuring Page's epic bowed solos, often stretched out as long as 45 minutes.

Louder (9 of 50 songs): In 1967 the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page played the Village Theatre in New York, supported by folk singer Jake Holmes, who’d just released his debut album, The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes. Bass player Chris Dreja remembers Page coming back to the hotel with a copy of the album and enthusing over the track Dazed And Confused. The Yardbirds worked up the song and added it to their set, and at some point rookie guitarist Jimmy Page produced a violin bow that he proceeded to viciously employ on the strings of his over-cranked Fender Telecaster. It was a gob-smacking gimmick, but it represented a tantalising glimpse into rock’s future. For with this single flamboyant gesture Page was sweeping aside the studious purism of mid-60s blues austerity and flinging open the door to the grandiose gestures and limitless possibilities of titanic 1970s mega-rock. It also provided Page with his broadest canvas for live extemporization.

Uproxx (10 of 50 songs): A weird tic about my Zeppelin fandom is that I’ve actually become more tolerant of super long live versions of Dazed And Confused as I’ve grown older. I suppose this song should represent the self-indulgent side of the band that made punk “necessary” or whatever gets repeated in one million rock documentaries. But the jam band aspects of Zeppelin can’t be excised from the overall picture; if anything, their ability to veer between doom-y sludge and extraterrestrial squeaks for a half hour in front of 20,000 people and still bring down the house speaks to their unique status and power as an arena-rock band. What could be annoying about Zeppelin is also a crucial part of what made them transcendent. Also, including this specific version assuages my guilt about not putting The Crunge on this list, as The Crunge is actually tucked inside of this performance. (How the West Was Won version).

WMGK (7 of 92 songs): Despite this track lifting and arranging Jake Holmes’ 1967 track of the same title -- initially without credit -- Dazed and Confused remains one of Zeppelin’s best songs thanks in large part to the soulful, angst-ridden lyrics and Robert Plant’s vocal performance. Oh, and Jimmy Page breaking out the bow doesn’t hurt things either.

SPIN (16 of 87 songs): Better enjoyed at six-and-a-half minutes than the near-half-hour it would stretch out to onstage, Dazed is the number where it became obvious that Zeppelin were worthy of their heroes when crafting blues standards entirely of their own. The intro is still one of the most demonic-sounding things ever heard on a major rock record (even moreso than the incantation-like breakdown section) and Plant’s guttural squawking over the verses, while questionable in lyrical nature (“Soul of the woman was created below” — sorry, ladies) it’s undeniable in its transportative power.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
#5 - Dazed And Confused from Led Zeppelin 1 (1969)

Appeared On: 50 ballots (out of 62 . . . 80.6%)
Total Points: 780 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  50.3%)

#1 Rankers: @Sullie@beer 30@cap'n grunge
Top 5 Rankers: @MAC_32@PIK95@SteevieG@dhockster@Zeppelin@jamny@gdub@DocHolliday@BroncoFreak_2K3@Witz
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 413 (London - 1969-03-18, London - 1969-04-01, London - 1969-08-10, ,London - 1970-01-09, Orlando - 1971-08-31, Osaka - 1971-09-21, Long Beach - 1972-06-25, Offenburg - 1973-03-24, New York - 1973-07-28, Los Angeles - 1975-03-27 (45 minutes), London -1975-05-25, 2007 Rehearsal, London - 2007-12-10)
Page & Plant: 62 (Acoustic - 1994, Memphis - 1995-03-04)
Plant: 57 (Stockholm - 2015-07-14, Austin - 2016-03-20)
Page: 17 (London - 2002-02-09)
JP & Black Crowes: 1 (East Rutherford - 1999-10-09)

Covers: Aerosmith, Joe Bonamassa, Allman Brothers, Nirvana, Uncle Slam, The Cult of Dom Keller, Cunio, Hannah Williams, Blaze Bayley, Gov't Mule, Moleskins, 13 O'Clock Blues Band, Electrasy, Iron Horse, Portland Cello Project, Great White, Ann Wilson, Zepparella, Motohiko Hino, West 52nd Street Buddha Lounge Ensemble, Steamtrain Mary, Midnight Bloom, Led Ladies, Caleb Johnson, Cave In, DJ Spooky, Honeymoon Killers, Aranda, Steve Stevens, Ween, Trey Anastasio, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Ben Harper, Rat Race Choir, Buckethead, Mr. Jimmy, Thunder#####,

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 4
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 5
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 13
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 9
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 10
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 7
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 16
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 15
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 11

Not that the songs up until this point were cannon fodder, but now we start rolling out the big guns. The tale of the tape for D&C reveals three #1 selections, three #3 picks, and thirteen Top 5 slots. It also found its way into the Top 10 on 25 ballots and appeared on 50 ballots total. Our first song to break the 80% barrier and the first to surpass the 50% possible point threshold.

Page based the Zeppelin version of Dazed and Confused from the song originally recorded by Jake Holmes. Holmes recorded a handful of albums in the late 60’s and 70’s that didn’t sell all that well, but he had also written many songs for Frank Sinatra and The Four Seasons. He switched to writing advertising jingles instead. His body of work included commercials and slogans for Chevrolet, Dr. Pepper, NBC, Gillette, IBM, and the Army. Although some people concluded that the song was about a bad acid trip, Holmes insists the lyrics refer to the effects of a girl's indecision on ending a relationship.

Holmes opened for The Yardbirds for two shows in Greenwich Village in New York on 1967-08-25. Page liked what he heard and adapted a version for The Yardbirds, who performed the song on their tour dates in 1967 and 1968. Holmes said: "We were on the bill with The Yardbirds. We performed it there and blew the place apart with that song, and that's when Jimmy Page saw it. From what I gather from The Yardbirds, Page sent somebody out to get my album. He did a great job, but he certainly ripped me off.” Paris - 1968-03-09

Thirty years later, a studio version of The Yardbirds emerged, but that ended up getting pulled (some say by Page): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rM9BVNTyF4

Like several other early Zeppelin songs, this one got played out in the courts. While The Yardbirds never recorded and released the song, Led Zeppelin did, and credited the song exclusively to Jimmy Page. Holmes sued and eventually an out of court settlement was reached in 2012 when Holmes was issued a check and songwriting credit for the song was changed to “Jimmy Page, Inspired By Jake Holmes“ (43 years after the album was released).

The song underwent many changes by the time Led Zeppelin recorded it, including the famous solo where he played guitar with a violin bow. Although Page didn't invent the technique -- it was used by Eddie Phillips of the Creation on Making Time in 1966. Page learned about it through David McCallum Sr.. As Page recalled, "A violinist came to me one day and asked, 'Have you ever considered playing a guitar with a bow?' I said, 'I don't think it'll work . . .the strings on a violin are arched.’ He said 'Here's my bow. Would you like to try?' I tried it and i could see there was massive potential. After that I went and bought my own bow.”  The Zeppelin version was recorded in just two takes.

Remembering Bonham, Page noted, "We had such a connection. John changed drumming overnight. As the band progressed, he and I developed this extraordinary intuition. We were renowned for being able to stretch songs live, and that came from John following my guitar and just improvising and bending with where I was going. Dazed and Confused is a classic example. He could read my mind and go anywhere and do anything without it falling apart. These were moments of genius.”

For better or worse, Dazed and Confused became a signature, show stopping number in live performances and last up to 45 minutes long (better for those that love the song, worse for those that don’t). The guitar solo following the bow section is Page's solo from the Yardbirds Think About It. Back in the day, most albums barely hit 45 minutes in total.

With 413 performances, D&C was the most played live song by LZ (over 100 more times than Whole Lotta Love). Page and Plant added 62 times, Page alone 17 times, and Plant 57 times.

Former Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton played a gig with Blind Faith that also featured the newly formed Led Zeppelin on the bill. EC was not a huge fan, “They were very loud. I thought it was unnecessarily loud. I liked some of it; I really did like some of it. But a lot of it was just too much. They overemphasized whatever point they were making, I thought."

A famous story about Robert Plant’s early days involved the rocker attempting to buy a shirt in London’s upmarket Carnaby Street. Apparently, Plant attempted to buy the shirt using a check, for which he needed identification. Upon being asked for ID and having none, he instead went out to his car, grabbed a copy of Led Zeppelin’s first album (which was, for some reason, in his vehicle), and showed it to the sales assistant, who allowed him to purchase the shirt.

Dazed and Confused also was a film that came out in 1993 and helped launch the careers of Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, and several others. Director Richard Linklater wanted Page and Plant to compose the soundtrack. Jimmy said yes, but Robert declined.

Ultimate Classic Rock (4 of 92 songs): Page used to play "Dazed and Confused" at latter-day Yardbirds shows. He borrowed the basic parts of the song from a relatively obscure American folksinger named Jake Holmes, but beefed up the arrangement with new lyrics (penned by Plant) and a solo performed on his Telecaster with a violin bow.

Vulture (5 of 74 songs): Dazed and Confused beats the #### out of just about any hard-rock ‘70s classic you can name. Ominous beginning, another of those full-bodied Plant vocal performances, a half-dozen or so unique noises, Jones and Bonham both at top furious form — and the mother of all guitar barrages, too. Page does everything to a guitar you can do over the course of this song, from delicate harmonics to sawing it — and then beating it — with a violin bow. It’s the best example of how Zeppelin created a drama in their songs that drew listeners in and fended off boredom. (Compare, for example, the Who at their supposed best, on the longer tracks of Live at Leeds. The Who were an impressive band, but a lot of their stuff is tedious.) Docked one notch for the line, “The soul of a woman is created below,” artless even by Plant standards.  Docked three additional notches for songwriting theft. There are almost a dozen instances where the band has been accused, with varying degrees of seriousness, of ripping off lyrics or guitar riffs. Of all of these, this is the clearest and most egregious. Page didn’t just steal a riff from ‘60s folk singer Jake Holmes; he stole Holmes’s whole song. Page took the ominous opening, the melody, the structure and, most crucially, the dynamics — and, on the band’s first album and the live “Song Remains the Same” set, solo songwriting credit. “Dazed and Confused” isn’t a Led Zeppelin song; it’s a cover of another artist’s work. It’s well established that Page got the song from hearing Holmes. It was even credited to Holmes on a live Yardbirds album Page played on! (One suspects that if Page had written the song, he would certainly have demanded a correction, and the royalties.) Yet he took the credit for himself on at least two albums that have sold untold millions of copies, earning something in the neighborhood of a half-million in sales royalties and radio play. Page has lied about it in interviews, too — but eventually settled out of court with Holmes. Doesn’t take away from Zep’s concussive production and playing on one of rock’s all-time most-powerful tracks. Just means we should remember that Page as a young man was a petty (in this case, not so petty) thief, and as an older man capable of lying about it when caught.

Rolling Stone (13 of 40 songs): This psychedelic-blues beast became the centerpiece of their stage performances for years. Singer-songwriter Jake Holmes recorded the original version in 1967. Page reimagined it for Zeppelin's debut, and their ever-expanding live jam on his arrangement, featuring Page's epic bowed solos, often stretched out as long as 45 minutes.

Louder (9 of 50 songs): In 1967 the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page played the Village Theatre in New York, supported by folk singer Jake Holmes, who’d just released his debut album, The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes. Bass player Chris Dreja remembers Page coming back to the hotel with a copy of the album and enthusing over the track Dazed And Confused. The Yardbirds worked up the song and added it to their set, and at some point rookie guitarist Jimmy Page produced a violin bow that he proceeded to viciously employ on the strings of his over-cranked Fender Telecaster. It was a gob-smacking gimmick, but it represented a tantalising glimpse into rock’s future. For with this single flamboyant gesture Page was sweeping aside the studious purism of mid-60s blues austerity and flinging open the door to the grandiose gestures and limitless possibilities of titanic 1970s mega-rock. It also provided Page with his broadest canvas for live extemporization.

Uproxx (10 of 50 songs): A weird tic about my Zeppelin fandom is that I’ve actually become more tolerant of super long live versions of Dazed And Confused as I’ve grown older. I suppose this song should represent the self-indulgent side of the band that made punk “necessary” or whatever gets repeated in one million rock documentaries. But the jam band aspects of Zeppelin can’t be excised from the overall picture; if anything, their ability to veer between doom-y sludge and extraterrestrial squeaks for a half hour in front of 20,000 people and still bring down the house speaks to their unique status and power as an arena-rock band. What could be annoying about Zeppelin is also a crucial part of what made them transcendent. Also, including this specific version assuages my guilt about not putting The Crunge on this list, as The Crunge is actually tucked inside of this performance. (How the West Was Won version).

WMGK (7 of 92 songs): Despite this track lifting and arranging Jake Holmes’ 1967 track of the same title -- initially without credit -- Dazed and Confused remains one of Zeppelin’s best songs thanks in large part to the soulful, angst-ridden lyrics and Robert Plant’s vocal performance. Oh, and Jimmy Page breaking out the bow doesn’t hurt things either.

SPIN (16 of 87 songs): Better enjoyed at six-and-a-half minutes than the near-half-hour it would stretch out to onstage, Dazed is the number where it became obvious that Zeppelin were worthy of their heroes when crafting blues standards entirely of their own. The intro is still one of the most demonic-sounding things ever heard on a major rock record (even moreso than the incantation-like breakdown section) and Plant’s guttural squawking over the verses, while questionable in lyrical nature (“Soul of the woman was created below” — sorry, ladies) it’s undeniable in its transportative power.
Click to expand...
My rank: 6

My friend’s rank: None

This is just beastly. It combines blues and acid rock into an awe-inspiring sound that would dominate for the next 10 years. It is heavy without being sludgy, and the violin-bow work is remarkable. 

My friend is bothered more than I am by Zep’s songwriting theft, and I know he doesn’t care for 30-minute live workouts that aren’t jazz, so those may be the reasons it’s not on his list.

 
1--
2--The Song Remains The Same--23
3--
4--Immigrant Song--8
5--Going To California--13
6--Over The Hills And Far Away--9
7--Black Dog-- 7
8--Babe I'm Going To Leave You--10
9--Heartbreaker--12
10--Fool In The Rain--35
11--
12--Ramble On--6
13--Communication Breakdown--18
14--Rock and Roll--14
15--How Many More Times--27
16--Good Times Bad Times--11
17--All My Love--44
18--What Is and What Should Never Be--16
19--House Of The Holy--37
20--The Ocean--20
21--The Battle of Evermore--21
22--In The Evening--34
23--Misty Mountain Hop--25
24--Dazed And Confused--5
25--Achilles Last Stand--33

 
Whyatt said:
I used @AAABatteries math 2 weeks ago to correctly predict the top 10. It's gonna be epic. 🤣
Click to expand...


Anarchy99 said:
#5 - Dazed And Confused from Led Zeppelin 1 (1969)

Appeared On: 50 ballots (out of 62 . . . 80.6%)
Total Points: 780 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  50.3%)

#1 Rankers: @Sullie@beer 30@cap'n grunge
Top 5 Rankers: @MAC_32@PIK95@SteevieG@dhockster@Zeppelin@jamny@gdub@DocHolliday@BroncoFreak_2K3@Witz
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 413 (London - 1969-03-18, London - 1969-04-01, London - 1969-08-10, ,London - 1970-01-09, Orlando - 1971-08-31, Osaka - 1971-09-21, Long Beach - 1972-06-25, Offenburg - 1973-03-24, New York - 1973-07-28, Los Angeles - 1975-03-27 (45 minutes), London -1975-05-25, 2007 Rehearsal, London - 2007-12-10)
Page & Plant: 62 (Acoustic - 1994, Memphis - 1995-03-04)
Plant: 57 (Stockholm - 2015-07-14, Austin - 2016-03-20)
Page: 17 (London - 2002-02-09)
JP & Black Crowes: 1 (East Rutherford - 1999-10-09)

Covers: Aerosmith, Joe Bonamassa, Allman Brothers, Nirvana, Uncle Slam, The Cult of Dom Keller, Cunio, Hannah Williams, Blaze Bayley, Gov't Mule, Moleskins, 13 O'Clock Blues Band, Electrasy, Iron Horse, Portland Cello Project, Great White, Ann Wilson, Zepparella, Motohiko Hino, West 52nd Street Buddha Lounge Ensemble, Steamtrain Mary, Midnight Bloom, Led Ladies, Caleb Johnson, Cave In, DJ Spooky, Honeymoon Killers, Aranda, Steve Stevens, Ween, Trey Anastasio, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Ben Harper, Rat Race Choir, Buckethead, Mr. Jimmy, Thunder#####,

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 4
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 5
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 13
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 9
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 10
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 7
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 16
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 15
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 11
Click to expand...


After Anarchy revealed the album details it was fairly straightforward to decipher the top 10 save one thing - D&C and BIGLY.  I had them swapped in my top 10 "guess" but obviously I underestimated how highly thought of D&C is with critics (see above) and our group.  I had it at #15 so I really like it too just not as much as most (apparently).  And as I mentioned previously, BIGLY has shot up my post submission rankings so I think I let that cloud my judgement.  I had D&C > BIGLY in my submitted list but just by one spot (15 and 16).

I had Immigrant #2 but these next 4 songs are powerhouse songs - ones I never tire of.  The order is almost irrelevant at this point because these are all Top Tier songs for me - I had them - 1, 3, 4, 6.

I do wonder if the amount of radio play these next 4 have gotten over the years has influenced our collective top 5.

 
Anarchy99 said:
#5 - Dazed And Confused from Led Zeppelin 1 (1969)

Appeared On: 50 ballots (out of 62 . . . 80.6%)
Total Points: 780 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  50.3%)

#1 Rankers: @Sullie@beer 30@cap'n grunge
Top 5 Rankers: @MAC_32@PIK95@SteevieG@dhockster@Zeppelin@jamny@gdub@DocHolliday@BroncoFreak_2K3@Witz
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 413 (London - 1969-03-18, London - 1969-04-01, London - 1969-08-10, ,London - 1970-01-09, Orlando - 1971-08-31, Osaka - 1971-09-21, Long Beach - 1972-06-25, Offenburg - 1973-03-24, New York - 1973-07-28, Los Angeles - 1975-03-27 (45 minutes), London -1975-05-25, 2007 Rehearsal, London - 2007-12-10)
Page & Plant: 62 (Acoustic - 1994, Memphis - 1995-03-04)
Plant: 57 (Stockholm - 2015-07-14, Austin - 2016-03-20)
Page: 17 (London - 2002-02-09)
JP & Black Crowes: 1 (East Rutherford - 1999-10-09)

Covers: Aerosmith, Joe Bonamassa, Allman Brothers, Nirvana, Uncle Slam, The Cult of Dom Keller, Cunio, Hannah Williams, Blaze Bayley, Gov't Mule, Moleskins, 13 O'Clock Blues Band, Electrasy, Iron Horse, Portland Cello Project, Great White, Ann Wilson, Zepparella, Motohiko Hino, West 52nd Street Buddha Lounge Ensemble, Steamtrain Mary, Midnight Bloom, Led Ladies, Caleb Johnson, Cave In, DJ Spooky, Honeymoon Killers, Aranda, Steve Stevens, Ween, Trey Anastasio, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Ben Harper, Rat Race Choir, Buckethead, Mr. Jimmy, Thunder#####,

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 4
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 5
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 13
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 9
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 10
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 7
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 16
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 15
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 11

Not that the songs up until this point were cannon fodder, but now we start rolling out the big guns. The tale of the tape for D&C reveals three #1 selections, three #3 picks, and thirteen Top 5 slots. It also found its way into the Top 10 on 25 ballots and appeared on 50 ballots total. Our first song to break the 80% barrier and the first to surpass the 50% possible point threshold.

Page based the Zeppelin version of Dazed and Confused from the song originally recorded by Jake Holmes. Holmes recorded a handful of albums in the late 60’s and 70’s that didn’t sell all that well, but he had also written many songs for Frank Sinatra and The Four Seasons. He switched to writing advertising jingles instead. His body of work included commercials and slogans for Chevrolet, Dr. Pepper, NBC, Gillette, IBM, and the Army. Although some people concluded that the song was about a bad acid trip, Holmes insists the lyrics refer to the effects of a girl's indecision on ending a relationship.

Holmes opened for The Yardbirds for two shows in Greenwich Village in New York on 1967-08-25. Page liked what he heard and adapted a version for The Yardbirds, who performed the song on their tour dates in 1967 and 1968. Holmes said: "We were on the bill with The Yardbirds. We performed it there and blew the place apart with that song, and that's when Jimmy Page saw it. From what I gather from The Yardbirds, Page sent somebody out to get my album. He did a great job, but he certainly ripped me off.” Paris - 1968-03-09

Thirty years later, a studio version of The Yardbirds emerged, but that ended up getting pulled (some say by Page): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rM9BVNTyF4

Like several other early Zeppelin songs, this one got played out in the courts. While The Yardbirds never recorded and released the song, Led Zeppelin did, and credited the song exclusively to Jimmy Page. Holmes sued and eventually an out of court settlement was reached in 2012 when Holmes was issued a check and songwriting credit for the song was changed to “Jimmy Page, Inspired By Jake Holmes“ (43 years after the album was released).

The song underwent many changes by the time Led Zeppelin recorded it, including the famous solo where he played guitar with a violin bow. Although Page didn't invent the technique -- it was used by Eddie Phillips of the Creation on Making Time in 1966. Page learned about it through David McCallum Sr.. As Page recalled, "A violinist came to me one day and asked, 'Have you ever considered playing a guitar with a bow?' I said, 'I don't think it'll work . . .the strings on a violin are arched.’ He said 'Here's my bow. Would you like to try?' I tried it and i could see there was massive potential. After that I went and bought my own bow.”  The Zeppelin version was recorded in just two takes.

Remembering Bonham, Page noted, "We had such a connection. John changed drumming overnight. As the band progressed, he and I developed this extraordinary intuition. We were renowned for being able to stretch songs live, and that came from John following my guitar and just improvising and bending with where I was going. Dazed and Confused is a classic example. He could read my mind and go anywhere and do anything without it falling apart. These were moments of genius.”

For better or worse, Dazed and Confused became a signature, show stopping number in live performances and last up to 45 minutes long (better for those that love the song, worse for those that don’t). The guitar solo following the bow section is Page's solo from the Yardbirds Think About It. Back in the day, most albums barely hit 45 minutes in total.

With 413 performances, D&C was the most played live song by LZ (over 100 more times than Whole Lotta Love). Page and Plant added 62 times, Page alone 17 times, and Plant 57 times.

Former Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton played a gig with Blind Faith that also featured the newly formed Led Zeppelin on the bill. EC was not a huge fan, “They were very loud. I thought it was unnecessarily loud. I liked some of it; I really did like some of it. But a lot of it was just too much. They overemphasized whatever point they were making, I thought."

A famous story about Robert Plant’s early days involved the rocker attempting to buy a shirt in London’s upmarket Carnaby Street. Apparently, Plant attempted to buy the shirt using a check, for which he needed identification. Upon being asked for ID and having none, he instead went out to his car, grabbed a copy of Led Zeppelin’s first album (which was, for some reason, in his vehicle), and showed it to the sales assistant, who allowed him to purchase the shirt.

Dazed and Confused also was a film that came out in 1993 and helped launch the careers of Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, and several others. Director Richard Linklater wanted Page and Plant to compose the soundtrack. Jimmy said yes, but Robert declined.

Ultimate Classic Rock (4 of 92 songs): Page used to play "Dazed and Confused" at latter-day Yardbirds shows. He borrowed the basic parts of the song from a relatively obscure American folksinger named Jake Holmes, but beefed up the arrangement with new lyrics (penned by Plant) and a solo performed on his Telecaster with a violin bow.

Vulture (5 of 74 songs): Dazed and Confused beats the #### out of just about any hard-rock ‘70s classic you can name. Ominous beginning, another of those full-bodied Plant vocal performances, a half-dozen or so unique noises, Jones and Bonham both at top furious form — and the mother of all guitar barrages, too. Page does everything to a guitar you can do over the course of this song, from delicate harmonics to sawing it — and then beating it — with a violin bow. It’s the best example of how Zeppelin created a drama in their songs that drew listeners in and fended off boredom. (Compare, for example, the Who at their supposed best, on the longer tracks of Live at Leeds. The Who were an impressive band, but a lot of their stuff is tedious.) Docked one notch for the line, “The soul of a woman is created below,” artless even by Plant standards.  Docked three additional notches for songwriting theft. There are almost a dozen instances where the band has been accused, with varying degrees of seriousness, of ripping off lyrics or guitar riffs. Of all of these, this is the clearest and most egregious. Page didn’t just steal a riff from ‘60s folk singer Jake Holmes; he stole Holmes’s whole song. Page took the ominous opening, the melody, the structure and, most crucially, the dynamics — and, on the band’s first album and the live “Song Remains the Same” set, solo songwriting credit. “Dazed and Confused” isn’t a Led Zeppelin song; it’s a cover of another artist’s work. It’s well established that Page got the song from hearing Holmes. It was even credited to Holmes on a live Yardbirds album Page played on! (One suspects that if Page had written the song, he would certainly have demanded a correction, and the royalties.) Yet he took the credit for himself on at least two albums that have sold untold millions of copies, earning something in the neighborhood of a half-million in sales royalties and radio play. Page has lied about it in interviews, too — but eventually settled out of court with Holmes. Doesn’t take away from Zep’s concussive production and playing on one of rock’s all-time most-powerful tracks. Just means we should remember that Page as a young man was a petty (in this case, not so petty) thief, and as an older man capable of lying about it when caught.

Rolling Stone (13 of 40 songs): This psychedelic-blues beast became the centerpiece of their stage performances for years. Singer-songwriter Jake Holmes recorded the original version in 1967. Page reimagined it for Zeppelin's debut, and their ever-expanding live jam on his arrangement, featuring Page's epic bowed solos, often stretched out as long as 45 minutes.

Louder (9 of 50 songs): In 1967 the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page played the Village Theatre in New York, supported by folk singer Jake Holmes, who’d just released his debut album, The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes. Bass player Chris Dreja remembers Page coming back to the hotel with a copy of the album and enthusing over the track Dazed And Confused. The Yardbirds worked up the song and added it to their set, and at some point rookie guitarist Jimmy Page produced a violin bow that he proceeded to viciously employ on the strings of his over-cranked Fender Telecaster. It was a gob-smacking gimmick, but it represented a tantalising glimpse into rock’s future. For with this single flamboyant gesture Page was sweeping aside the studious purism of mid-60s blues austerity and flinging open the door to the grandiose gestures and limitless possibilities of titanic 1970s mega-rock. It also provided Page with his broadest canvas for live extemporization.

Uproxx (10 of 50 songs): A weird tic about my Zeppelin fandom is that I’ve actually become more tolerant of super long live versions of Dazed And Confused as I’ve grown older. I suppose this song should represent the self-indulgent side of the band that made punk “necessary” or whatever gets repeated in one million rock documentaries. But the jam band aspects of Zeppelin can’t be excised from the overall picture; if anything, their ability to veer between doom-y sludge and extraterrestrial squeaks for a half hour in front of 20,000 people and still bring down the house speaks to their unique status and power as an arena-rock band. What could be annoying about Zeppelin is also a crucial part of what made them transcendent. Also, including this specific version assuages my guilt about not putting The Crunge on this list, as The Crunge is actually tucked inside of this performance. (How the West Was Won version).

WMGK (7 of 92 songs): Despite this track lifting and arranging Jake Holmes’ 1967 track of the same title -- initially without credit -- Dazed and Confused remains one of Zeppelin’s best songs thanks in large part to the soulful, angst-ridden lyrics and Robert Plant’s vocal performance. Oh, and Jimmy Page breaking out the bow doesn’t hurt things either.

SPIN (16 of 87 songs): Better enjoyed at six-and-a-half minutes than the near-half-hour it would stretch out to onstage, Dazed is the number where it became obvious that Zeppelin were worthy of their heroes when crafting blues standards entirely of their own. The intro is still one of the most demonic-sounding things ever heard on a major rock record (even moreso than the incantation-like breakdown section) and Plant’s guttural squawking over the verses, while questionable in lyrical nature (“Soul of the woman was created below” — sorry, ladies) it’s undeniable in its transportative power.
Click to expand...
I had trouble ranking this one and it ended up at 10 on my list.

I have great memories of watching The song remains the same movie  in high school both on VHS and the theater. This song was the highlight for me, and that colored sword 🤩.

It was great to find the movie on YouTube and watch again 25+ years later.

 
Anarchy99 said:
#5 - Dazed And Confused from Led Zeppelin 1 (1969)
 

Like several other early Zeppelin songs, this one got played out in the courts. While The Yardbirds never recorded and released the song, Led Zeppelin did, and credited the song exclusively to Jimmy Page. Holmes sued and eventually an out of court settlement was reached in 2012 when Holmes was issued a check and songwriting credit for the song was changed to “Jimmy Page, Inspired By Jake Holmes“ (43 years after the album was released).
Click to expand...
To clarify: the songwriting credit has not changed. Jake Holmes agreed to let Page keep 100% of the copyright in exchange for an undisclosed sum along with the stipulation that Page would add "Inspired by Jake Holmes" to the fine print of any Zep-related releases.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
Page based the Zeppelin version of Dazed and Confused from the song originally recorded by Jake Holmes. Holmes recorded a handful of albums in the late 60’s and 70’s that didn’t sell all that well, but he had also written many songs for Frank Sinatra and The Four Seasons. He switched to writing advertising jingles instead. His body of work included commercials and slogans for Chevrolet, Dr. Pepper, NBC, Gillette, IBM, and the Army.
Click to expand...
Jake Holmes was arguably the most successful jingle writer of his era, if not history. If you were alive in the '70s or '80s, you almost certainly knew of his work.

Chevrolet, Building A Better Way To See The USA
The Army - Be All That You Can Be
Dr. Pepper - Be A Pepper
Gillette - The Best A Man Can Get
Aren't You Hungry For Burger King Now? (why yes I am, young Meg Ryan)
Raise Your Hand If You're Sure

 
Down goes Frazier! My number one song though lately thinking it may have been better swapping with my number three. In the end I had 5 songs in my top 5 that just seemed to be a tier above everything else. Bonzo's drums on this track are so powerful, not to mention Jimmy's bow.

My top 25 (consensus)

1. Dazed and Confused (5)
2. Since I've Been Loving You (15)
3.
4. The Rain Song (17)
5. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (10)
6. The Ocean (20)
7.
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. 
18.
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)

 
FairWarning said:
I didn’t rank it, just didn’t care for their live versions of D+C.  Far too Spinal Tappish for me.
Click to expand...
Same.  Older me won out as this was probably the most played song overall when I was younger, especially from The Song Remains the Same and a bootleg I had that were a while album side.  Now, I just can't even listen to it as I get annoyed with how much Robert "inserted" himself in the song.  I far prefer how Robert "inserts" himself in much more mellow fashion in his solo stuff (which I guess has come with age).   

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
Thirty years later, a studio version of The Yardbirds emerged, but that ended up getting pulled (some say by Page): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rM9BVNTyF4
Click to expand...
This is actually a live performance from a French TV appearance in March 1968 (the full video can be seen here). The Yardbirds never recorded a true studio version of "Dazed And Confused", although they did perform a "live in the studio" rendition for the BBC in 1968 (listen here).

 
I had it at 9, but I could see putting at 5 if quizzed on a different day where the wind blows from the east.

Frankly, at this point we're getting straight bangers.

 
I thought Dazed and Confused was a bit overhyped when I first got into LZ, but I got over that pretty quickly as the song won me over.  I had it at 8, and it could have been even higher.  Like others, I ranked all of these songs off the studio versions (I never listen to live LZ stuff anyway). 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pip's Invitation said:
My friend is bothered more than I am by Zep’s songwriting theft, and I know he doesn’t care for 30-minute live workouts that aren’t jazz, so those may be the reasons it’s not on his list.
Click to expand...
I'm not bothered that much, either. Generally speaking, the Zep versions of these songs in question are quite different due largely to the musicianship of Page, Bonham, and Jones and the style of their music. My view is that musicians have been reusing riffs, arrangements, lyrics, etc. for as long as we have had music.

I get that there is money involved, and that matters. Zep got sued a number of times, and ended up paying up, so AFAIK every artist they borrowed from has been made whole. I don't really care much that they didn't always do it via credit given up front. What I care about is the incredible music they made doing it.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
#5 - Dazed And Confused from Led Zeppelin 1 (1969)

Appeared On: 50 ballots (out of 62 . . . 80.6%)
Total Points: 780 points (out of 1,550 possible points . . .  50.3%)

#1 Rankers: @Sullie@beer 30@cap'n grunge
Top 5 Rankers: @MAC_32@PIK95@SteevieG@dhockster@Zeppelin@jamny@gdub@DocHolliday@BroncoFreak_2K3@Witz
Highest Ranking: 1

Live Performances:
LZ: 413 (London - 1969-03-18, London - 1969-04-01, London - 1969-08-10, ,London - 1970-01-09, Orlando - 1971-08-31, Osaka - 1971-09-21, Long Beach - 1972-06-25, Offenburg - 1973-03-24, New York - 1973-07-28, Los Angeles - 1975-03-27 (45 minutes), London -1975-05-25, 2007 Rehearsal, London - 2007-12-10)
Page & Plant: 62 (Acoustic - 1994, Memphis - 1995-03-04)
Plant: 57 (Stockholm - 2015-07-14, Austin - 2016-03-20)
Page: 17 (London - 2002-02-09)
JP & Black Crowes: 1 (East Rutherford - 1999-10-09)

Covers: Aerosmith, Joe Bonamassa, Allman Brothers, Nirvana, Uncle Slam, The Cult of Dom Keller, Cunio, Hannah Williams, Blaze Bayley, Gov't Mule, Moleskins, 13 O'Clock Blues Band, Electrasy, Iron Horse, Portland Cello Project, Great White, Ann Wilson, Zepparella, Motohiko Hino, West 52nd Street Buddha Lounge Ensemble, Steamtrain Mary, Midnight Bloom, Led Ladies, Caleb Johnson, Cave In, DJ Spooky, Honeymoon Killers, Aranda, Steve Stevens, Ween, Trey Anastasio, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Ben Harper, Rat Race Choir, Buckethead, Mr. Jimmy, Thunder#####,

Ultimate Classic Rock Ranking (out of 92 songs): 4
Vulture Ranking (out of 74 songs): 5
Rolling Stone Ranking (out of 40 songs): 13
Louder Ranking (out of 50 songs): 9
Uproxx Ranking (out of 50 songs): 10
WMGK Ranking (out of 92 songs): 7
SPIN Ranking (out of 87 songs): 16
Ranker Ranking (out of 87 songs): 15
Anachronarchy Ranking (out of 80 songs): 11

Not that the songs up until this point were cannon fodder, but now we start rolling out the big guns. The tale of the tape for D&C reveals three #1 selections, three #3 picks, and thirteen Top 5 slots. It also found its way into the Top 10 on 25 ballots and appeared on 50 ballots total. Our first song to break the 80% barrier and the first to surpass the 50% possible point threshold.

Page based the Zeppelin version of Dazed and Confused from the song originally recorded by Jake Holmes. Holmes recorded a handful of albums in the late 60’s and 70’s that didn’t sell all that well, but he had also written many songs for Frank Sinatra and The Four Seasons. He switched to writing advertising jingles instead. His body of work included commercials and slogans for Chevrolet, Dr. Pepper, NBC, Gillette, IBM, and the Army. Although some people concluded that the song was about a bad acid trip, Holmes insists the lyrics refer to the effects of a girl's indecision on ending a relationship.

Holmes opened for The Yardbirds for two shows in Greenwich Village in New York on 1967-08-25. Page liked what he heard and adapted a version for The Yardbirds, who performed the song on their tour dates in 1967 and 1968. Holmes said: "We were on the bill with The Yardbirds. We performed it there and blew the place apart with that song, and that's when Jimmy Page saw it. From what I gather from The Yardbirds, Page sent somebody out to get my album. He did a great job, but he certainly ripped me off.” Paris - 1968-03-09

Thirty years later, a studio version of The Yardbirds emerged, but that ended up getting pulled (some say by Page): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rM9BVNTyF4

Like several other early Zeppelin songs, this one got played out in the courts. While The Yardbirds never recorded and released the song, Led Zeppelin did, and credited the song exclusively to Jimmy Page. Holmes sued and eventually an out of court settlement was reached in 2012 when Holmes was issued a check and songwriting credit for the song was changed to “Jimmy Page, Inspired By Jake Holmes“ (43 years after the album was released).

The song underwent many changes by the time Led Zeppelin recorded it, including the famous solo where he played guitar with a violin bow. Although Page didn't invent the technique -- it was used by Eddie Phillips of the Creation on Making Time in 1966. Page learned about it through David McCallum Sr.. As Page recalled, "A violinist came to me one day and asked, 'Have you ever considered playing a guitar with a bow?' I said, 'I don't think it'll work . . .the strings on a violin are arched.’ He said 'Here's my bow. Would you like to try?' I tried it and i could see there was massive potential. After that I went and bought my own bow.”  The Zeppelin version was recorded in just two takes.

Remembering Bonham, Page noted, "We had such a connection. John changed drumming overnight. As the band progressed, he and I developed this extraordinary intuition. We were renowned for being able to stretch songs live, and that came from John following my guitar and just improvising and bending with where I was going. Dazed and Confused is a classic example. He could read my mind and go anywhere and do anything without it falling apart. These were moments of genius.”

For better or worse, Dazed and Confused became a signature, show stopping number in live performances and last up to 45 minutes long (better for those that love the song, worse for those that don’t). The guitar solo following the bow section is Page's solo from the Yardbirds Think About It. Back in the day, most albums barely hit 45 minutes in total.

With 413 performances, D&C was the most played live song by LZ (over 100 more times than Whole Lotta Love). Page and Plant added 62 times, Page alone 17 times, and Plant 57 times.

Former Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton played a gig with Blind Faith that also featured the newly formed Led Zeppelin on the bill. EC was not a huge fan, “They were very loud. I thought it was unnecessarily loud. I liked some of it; I really did like some of it. But a lot of it was just too much. They overemphasized whatever point they were making, I thought."

A famous story about Robert Plant’s early days involved the rocker attempting to buy a shirt in London’s upmarket Carnaby Street. Apparently, Plant attempted to buy the shirt using a check, for which he needed identification. Upon being asked for ID and having none, he instead went out to his car, grabbed a copy of Led Zeppelin’s first album (which was, for some reason, in his vehicle), and showed it to the sales assistant, who allowed him to purchase the shirt.

Dazed and Confused also was a film that came out in 1993 and helped launch the careers of Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, and several others. Director Richard Linklater wanted Page and Plant to compose the soundtrack. Jimmy said yes, but Robert declined.

Ultimate Classic Rock (4 of 92 songs): Page used to play "Dazed and Confused" at latter-day Yardbirds shows. He borrowed the basic parts of the song from a relatively obscure American folksinger named Jake Holmes, but beefed up the arrangement with new lyrics (penned by Plant) and a solo performed on his Telecaster with a violin bow.

Vulture (5 of 74 songs): Dazed and Confused beats the #### out of just about any hard-rock ‘70s classic you can name. Ominous beginning, another of those full-bodied Plant vocal performances, a half-dozen or so unique noises, Jones and Bonham both at top furious form — and the mother of all guitar barrages, too. Page does everything to a guitar you can do over the course of this song, from delicate harmonics to sawing it — and then beating it — with a violin bow. It’s the best example of how Zeppelin created a drama in their songs that drew listeners in and fended off boredom. (Compare, for example, the Who at their supposed best, on the longer tracks of Live at Leeds. The Who were an impressive band, but a lot of their stuff is tedious.) Docked one notch for the line, “The soul of a woman is created below,” artless even by Plant standards.  Docked three additional notches for songwriting theft. There are almost a dozen instances where the band has been accused, with varying degrees of seriousness, of ripping off lyrics or guitar riffs. Of all of these, this is the clearest and most egregious. Page didn’t just steal a riff from ‘60s folk singer Jake Holmes; he stole Holmes’s whole song. Page took the ominous opening, the melody, the structure and, most crucially, the dynamics — and, on the band’s first album and the live “Song Remains the Same” set, solo songwriting credit. “Dazed and Confused” isn’t a Led Zeppelin song; it’s a cover of another artist’s work. It’s well established that Page got the song from hearing Holmes. It was even credited to Holmes on a live Yardbirds album Page played on! (One suspects that if Page had written the song, he would certainly have demanded a correction, and the royalties.) Yet he took the credit for himself on at least two albums that have sold untold millions of copies, earning something in the neighborhood of a half-million in sales royalties and radio play. Page has lied about it in interviews, too — but eventually settled out of court with Holmes. Doesn’t take away from Zep’s concussive production and playing on one of rock’s all-time most-powerful tracks. Just means we should remember that Page as a young man was a petty (in this case, not so petty) thief, and as an older man capable of lying about it when caught.

Rolling Stone (13 of 40 songs): This psychedelic-blues beast became the centerpiece of their stage performances for years. Singer-songwriter Jake Holmes recorded the original version in 1967. Page reimagined it for Zeppelin's debut, and their ever-expanding live jam on his arrangement, featuring Page's epic bowed solos, often stretched out as long as 45 minutes.

Louder (9 of 50 songs): In 1967 the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page played the Village Theatre in New York, supported by folk singer Jake Holmes, who’d just released his debut album, The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes. Bass player Chris Dreja remembers Page coming back to the hotel with a copy of the album and enthusing over the track Dazed And Confused. The Yardbirds worked up the song and added it to their set, and at some point rookie guitarist Jimmy Page produced a violin bow that he proceeded to viciously employ on the strings of his over-cranked Fender Telecaster. It was a gob-smacking gimmick, but it represented a tantalising glimpse into rock’s future. For with this single flamboyant gesture Page was sweeping aside the studious purism of mid-60s blues austerity and flinging open the door to the grandiose gestures and limitless possibilities of titanic 1970s mega-rock. It also provided Page with his broadest canvas for live extemporization.

Uproxx (10 of 50 songs): A weird tic about my Zeppelin fandom is that I’ve actually become more tolerant of super long live versions of Dazed And Confused as I’ve grown older. I suppose this song should represent the self-indulgent side of the band that made punk “necessary” or whatever gets repeated in one million rock documentaries. But the jam band aspects of Zeppelin can’t be excised from the overall picture; if anything, their ability to veer between doom-y sludge and extraterrestrial squeaks for a half hour in front of 20,000 people and still bring down the house speaks to their unique status and power as an arena-rock band. What could be annoying about Zeppelin is also a crucial part of what made them transcendent. Also, including this specific version assuages my guilt about not putting The Crunge on this list, as The Crunge is actually tucked inside of this performance. (How the West Was Won version).

WMGK (7 of 92 songs): Despite this track lifting and arranging Jake Holmes’ 1967 track of the same title -- initially without credit -- Dazed and Confused remains one of Zeppelin’s best songs thanks in large part to the soulful, angst-ridden lyrics and Robert Plant’s vocal performance. Oh, and Jimmy Page breaking out the bow doesn’t hurt things either.

SPIN (16 of 87 songs): Better enjoyed at six-and-a-half minutes than the near-half-hour it would stretch out to onstage, Dazed is the number where it became obvious that Zeppelin were worthy of their heroes when crafting blues standards entirely of their own. The intro is still one of the most demonic-sounding things ever heard on a major rock record (even moreso than the incantation-like breakdown section) and Plant’s guttural squawking over the verses, while questionable in lyrical nature (“Soul of the woman was created below” — sorry, ladies) it’s undeniable in its transportative power.
Click to expand...
D&C was my number 1. Give me the long, live, bloated, never ends version to boot. Out of all of their songs, this is the one I could listen to on repeat and always discover something new. Page with the bow was a rock hero for me. Blew out man speakers with this on back in the day.

 
I had D&C at 6 but probably should have had it 2 or 3 spots higher. Bonzo's work is what really makes it for me. So damn good. 

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

timschochet
The 100 Greatest Classic Rock Albums of All Time: #1. Sticky Fingers
40 41 42
Replies
2K
Views
133K
New Binky the Doormat
New Binky the Doormat
Anarchy99
FBG'S TOP 100 PINK FLOYD SONGS - #01 - Comfortably Numb from The Wall (1979)
32 33 34
Replies
2K
Views
119K
Anarchy99
Anarchy99
Pip's Invitation
The THIRD 100 from 1971. #1: Echoes
5 6 7
Replies
310
Views
11K
BobbyLayne
BobbyLayne

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Top