10 Greatest Classic Rock Bands Of All Time
2. Led Zeppelin
Created from the ashes of the Yardbirds, no-one could have predicted the staggering impact that Led Zeppelin would have on the music world. Despite initially receiving mixed reviews and the inability to have many of their songs released as singles due to their extended length, the Robert Plant lead group quickly developed a cult following that gradually transformed to worldwide appreciation.
Their first four albums, all self-titled, produced their finest music, remarkably produced in just a two year time frame. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You was the one truly epic song from their first album, the mix of melancholic chants and epic Jimmy Page riffs giving us an indication of the mastery to come. While the next two albums cemented their status as leaders of the Rock genre, it was Led Zeppelin IV/Untitled Album that sent them into legendary status. Every song on this album is perfection, from the radio friendly singles Rock 'n Roll and Black Dog to the song that would become their staple hit, Stairway to Heaven.
Stairway typified everything that makes the band so great, the slow build up, the ability to set the mood for the listener before building up to an explosion of rock epicness. Plant's vocals echo out in symphony with his band, before finally reaching that epic crescendo. Like the band itself, the song is nothing short of rock perfection.