10 Perfect Songs That Started Hard Rock

Every rock band that has ever jammed in a garage has always thrown together some kind of bluesy jam to get everything started. Those lowdown and dirty songs from rock's infancy may have set the foundation, but Jimmy Page was looking for something a little more than what he was getting out of the Yardbirds. The future looked a lot more promising, and bringing together Led Zeppelin was the moment where blues started to go off the beaten path.

Though you can argue all you want about this song originally being cut by Jake Holmes before Zeppelin, the band take it to a completely realm than what you would hear on the original folk version. Putting a heavy emphasis on the drums and bass, there's almost a foreboding feeling that comes with Robert Plant's vocal, almost like he's being tortured by some angel as he's singing, begging to be free from a woman that has done him wrong. It's not atypical from traditional blues, but the sounds of Jimmy's guitar were something pulled right out of Hell at the time, being the moment where the demons of rock and roll started to show their faces.

It also makes for some of the best jamming ever to take place in a pre hard rock world, with Jimmy pulling out the theremin and creating different spooky sounds, creating a sonic atmosphere without needing actual notes before the rest of the band comes roaring back in for the final few minutes. The early days of rock may have sounded fun, but this was the moment where everything started to get deadly serious.