10 Greatest Classic Rock Led Zeppelin Songs
7. When The Levee Breaks
Zeppelin's sound knows no boundaries, but if there's any clear starting point of their journey, it lies in the blues. The entire idea of Zeppelin came about when Jimmy Page decided to form a group after leaving his blues outfit the Yardbirds. Though Zeppelin had taken a quantum leap from their roots by their fourth outing, they could still put their signature spin on the genre when they wanted to.
The original version of "When the Levee Breaks" is already immersed in dread, with Kansas Joe and Memphis Minnie singing with absolute despair about a devastating flood. What Zeppelin did with it was bring it into the hard rock realm, with Bonzo's drums providing an even greater sonic presence to the ordeal. Once the guitars kick in and Plant makes his entrance, it doesn't even feel like your average calamity. Instead of a simple flood, this seems like the apocalypse is coming as water fills all around you.
The band stick to the typical blues progression, but their subtle accentuations of different melodic ideas turn it into something that is pure Zeppelin all the way. As Plant's pained howls screech throughout the ending, one of the greatest rock albums in history is brought to an ominous close.