Today, Oct. 22, marks the 45th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's classic second album Led Zeppelin II. Released just nine months after their debut, Led Zeppelin II refined the band's soaring, metallic take on blues, delivering some of rock's greatest guitar riffs in the process. In celebration of this incredible album, here are its nine songs ranked.
9. Thank You
"Thank You" has always been my least favorite song from Led Zeppelin II, but it has nothing to do with the fact that it's an acoustic ballad. Some of Zeppelin's best songs are acoustic, such as "That's The Way" and "The Battle of Evermore," but "Thank You" can't match either of those songs in terms of beauty or intensity, floating along without much momentum or even a hook.
8. The Lemon Song
Led Zeppelin infamously stole quite a few of their songs in the early days, and one of the most blatant examples of this was "The Lemon Song," which is basically a heavier, looser version of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor." It's a great song with a cool riff (John Paul Jones' bass playing in particular is stellar), but the plagiarism shaves off a few points. Plus, it runs a bit too long.
7. Moby Dick
The ultimate drum solo track, "Moby Dick" is often cited as an example of why John Bonham was rock's greatest drummer. It's a fascinating listen, and the opening guitar riff is one of Zeppelin's most memorable, but this is the sort of song that only diehard drum freaks are going to want to listen to more than once.
6. Heartbreaker
Even though he's just running up the blues scale, Jimmy Page delivers one of his most indelible guitar riffs in "Heartbreaker." He also delivers one of his most famous guitar solos, which is quite literally a guitar solo, with the band's other three members dropping out entirely for 45 seconds while Page performs a bizarre series of furious, totally improvised blues riffs.
5. Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)
The most under-appreciated song on Led Zeppelin II is "Living Loving Maid," which only ever gets played on the radio in conjunction with "Heartbreaker" as a sort of afterthought. After the loose, bluesy sprawl of songs like "Whole Lotta Love," "The Lemon Song," and "Heartbreaker," "Living Loving Maid" absolutely rips through the speakers with its punchy guitar riff and no-nonsense concision, coming in at under three minutes.
4. Whole Lotta Love
Back in August, "Whole Lotta Love" was voted the greatest guitar riff of all time, and though I don't exactly agree (I can think of at least five Zeppelin riffs off the top of my head that are better), it's undoubtedly a classic, and perhaps the most urgent and propulsive riff on the entire album. Because of the riff, the song's psychedelic middle section tends to be forgotten, though it shows off one of my favorite sides of Led Zeppelin.
3. Ramble On
Though they rarely ever wanted to, Led Zeppelin could write an excellent pop song when they put their mind to it, if "Ramble On" is any indication. While most of the other songs on the album are absolute riff monsters, the sunny acoustic strumming and lighter-than-air guitar solos in "Ramble On" are a totally refreshing change of pace. Plus, it's the first Zeppelin song where Robert Plant references The Lord of the Rings, so it gets huge points for that as well.
2. What Is and What Should Never Be
The weirdest song on Led Zeppelin II, "What Is and What Should Never Be" dreamily drifts in as if it was a song from another album by another band entirely. However, once that massive chorus hits (the best chorus on the album and possibly the best Zeppelin ever wrote), it's undeniably Zeppelin all the way.
1. Bring It On Home
Remember when I said there were at least five Zeppelin riffs that were better than "Whole Lotta Love"? "Bring It On Home" is absolutely one of them, a barrage of fuzz and blues intensity that could crush your skull if you're unprepared for it. What makes it even better, though, is the bookending of the song with Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bring It On Home," which puts the listener in a false sense of complacency before the blistering riff comes in.
What are your favorite songs from Led Zeppelin II? What did I get wrong? Let us know down in the comment section!
