10 Times Hard Rock Bands Went Acoustic (And Nailed It)

Led Zeppelin are basically living proof that hard rock bands could go acoustic. Going from one Zeppelin album to the next, pretty much every kickass rocker is juxtaposed with a mellow acoustic passage for Jimmy Page to riff on. Some may have been more downtempo than others, but "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" manages to cover hard rock and acoustic in one place.

Coming off of their debut album, this cut is originally a cover of a song by Joan Baez, but Zeppelin take this humble folk tune into the stratosphere. The song starts off as a typical blues lament, but as the verses go on, the entire song gives way to a punchy acoustic riff, as John Bonham thunders away on the drums.

As we eventually make our way into the breakdown, all bets are off once the acoustic hits are played in lockstep with Bonham's tom tom accents.

Even though Robert Plant's vocal approach can seem a bit over the top at times, it comes off like he has raw emotion that needs to leave his body before he loses his sanity.

Zeppelin weren't exactly ready for something like "Stairway to Heaven" yet, but for one of their first go-rounds with acoustic music, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is the perfect example of a hard rock tune that just so happens to be unplugged.