In 2004, the song was ranked number 75 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and in March 2005, Q placed “Whole Lotta Love” at number three in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. It was placed 11 on a similar list by Rolling Stone. In 2009 it was named the third greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.^[1] In 2014, listeners to BBC Radio 2 voted “Whole Lotta Love” as containing the greatest guitar riff of all time.^[6]

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In a retrospective review of Led Zeppelin II (Deluxe Edition) (2014), Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound praised the remastering of “Thank You”, believing the track now sounds “mellow and well-balanced”.^[6] Madden further praised the remastering, writing the track “breathes easy during the verses and ascends elsewhere in the song”, along with “illuminating Page’s touch and Bonham’s haymakers”.^[6] When reviewing the added bonus tracks of the Deluxe Edition, Madden further praised the new version of “Thank You”, titled “Thank You (Backing Track)”, writing the track “magnifies the song’s tasteful sheen, popping with Bonham’s drums and Jones’ organ, which seems to have a mind of its own.”^[6]

Record producer Rick Rubin remarked on the song’s structure: “The delicacy of the vocals is incredible; the acoustic guitar and the organ work together to create an otherworldly presence.”^[7]

Mark Richardson of Pitchfork found “Thank You” to be “musically brilliant”, and that it “mix[es] folk with proto-metal” via “chiming acoustic guitars” which “provide the contrast to the crunch in a whole new way”.^[8]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Thank You (Led Zeppelin song), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

The song has three sections, each one progressively increasing in tempo and volume. The song begins in a slow tempo with acoustic instruments (guitar and recorders) before introducing electric instruments. The final section is an uptempo hard rock arrangement highlighted by Page’s guitar solo (considered by many to be one of the greatest ever^[6]) accompanying Plant’s vocals that end with the plaintive a cappella line: “And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.”

“Stairway to Heaven” was voted number three in 2000 by VH1 on its list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs,^[7] and was placed at number 31 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was the most requested song on FM radio stations in the United States in the 1970s, despite never having been commercially released as a single there.^[8] In November 2007, through download sales promoting Led Zeppelin’s Mothership release, “Stairway to Heaven” reached number 37 on the UK Singles Chart.^[9]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Stairway To Heaven, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

The song became a concert staple, performed by the band at almost every concert after its release. It has been described as one of Led Zeppelin’s two most overtly progressive epics (the other being “Stairway to Heaven“).^[1]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Kashmir (song), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Though Led Zeppelin are typically regarded as an album-oriented group, “Immigrant Song” is one of the band’s several hit singles.^[5] The song’s popularity has led to its inclusion in such compilation albums as Led Zeppelin Remasters (1990) and Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Vol. 1 (1999).^[5][6]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Immigrant Song, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

“Heartbreaker” opens the second side of the album and features a guitar riff by Jimmy Page. It also includes a spontaneous unaccompanied solo, using a pull-off technique, which was voted the 16th-greatest guitar solo of all time by Guitar World magazine.^[5] “Heartbreaker” was ranked number 320 in 2004 by Rolling Stone magazine, in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,^[6] and number 328 in 2010.^[7]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Heartbreaker (Led Zeppelin song), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Good Times Bad Times, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Going To California, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Black Dog (Led Zeppelin song), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Guitarist Jimmy Page heard Baez’ version and began developing “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” early in his career as a session guitarist.^[1] He played the song for singer Robert Plant during their first meeting at Page’s riverside home at Pangbourne in late July 1968.^[12] In his book Stairway to Heaven, Zeppelin tour manager Richard Cole claims that the arrangement evolved when Plant played Page the guitar part that eventually appeared on the album; however, this has been refuted by Page.^[13] In an interview, Page commented, “I used to do the song in the days of sitting in the darkness playing my six-string behind Marianne Faithfull.”^[14]

Although based on the Baez version, Led Zeppelin came up with a very different approach.^[1] They incorporate hard rock sections with electric guitar that are performed by the whole group, thus more than doubling the length of Baez’ original.^[3] When the recording appeared on their 1969 debut album, the credit read “Traditional, arr. by Jimmy Page” following the unspecified authorship of the track on Baez’s album, at the time. In the 1980s, Bredon was made aware of Led Zeppelin’s version of the song; since 1990, the Led Zeppelin version has been credited to Anne Bredon, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant. Bredon received a substantial back-payment of royalties.^[12]

The band played this song at Led Zeppelin concerts on its 1969 concert tours; a filmed performance at Danmarks Radio, Gladsaxe, Denmark, on March 17, 1969, is included on the Led Zeppelin DVD (2003). For their 1998 reunion, Page and Plant performed a 9-minute version of the song. Plant has performed the song as a solo artist and with his bands Strange Sensation and the Sensational Space Shifters.

As of 2002, the 1969 promotional EP using the song as the A-side track and “Dazed and Confused” as B-side had been one of top ten Led Zeppelin music collectibles.^[15] A collector, Rick Barrett, dedicated to his Led Zeppelin memorabilia, sold several copies of the promo EP for US$300–500 each, “depending on the condition of the sleeve and of the record itself,” said Barrett.^[16]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.