8 Led Zeppelin Songs That Have Something in Common
Some people billed Led Zeppelin as strictly a heavy band when their first album came out in 1969. That was a classic case of pigeonholing. For anyone who cared to listen, Zep’s songs displayed their range of styles and influences from the jump. Despite being stylistically different overall, eight Led Zeppelin songs have something in common with the way they start.
8 Led Zeppelin songs have something in common
Fans of the band would never confuse the airy, sparkling ballad “Thank You” for the grandly dense epic “Achilles Last Stand.” Yet those are two of the eight Led Zeppelin songs with one thing in common — they start with a slow fade:
- “Thank You” from Led Zeppelin II began with a slow fade into Jimmy Page’s bright acoustic guitar, John Paul Jones’ organ, and John Bonham’s gentle drums before Robert Plant started singing 26 seconds into the song.
- The drumless Led Zeppelin IV track “The Battle of Evermore” crystallized from the vapor with plinking mandolin. Another unique twist? It’s the only Led Zeppelin song with a second lead vocalist.
- “No Quarter” emerged from the ether with Jones’ liquidy synth line. The moody Houses of the Holy tune, one of the album’s best songs, stood in contrast to the rest of the record, which was bright and open.
- “In the Light” was one of the most underrated Led Zeppelin songs and one of the few with a fade-in. Page’s bowed acoustic guitar and Jones’ Eastern-tinged synth riff gave fans nearly two minutes of instrumental bliss before Plant joined the proceedings.
- Page’s acoustic solo “Bron-Yr-Aur” followed “In the Light” on 1975’s Physical Graffiti and faded into his gentle finger-picking. It gave the impression of joining the end of a long journey as the guitarist finished Led Zeppelin’s shortest song with a lush strummed chord.
- Page opens the Presence epic “Achilles Last Stand” with a reverb-soaked riff that quickly fades away when the chugging anthem starts galloping away. Led Zeppelin faded the song out with the same riff.
- Plant and Page mirrored each other with wordless vocals and flange-heavy guitar as the menacing Presence track got going.
- In Through the Out Door opener “In the Evening” started with Page using a Gizmotron to mimic his bowed guitar effect for nearly a minute.
Most of their tunes began immediately with the music or words, but those eight Led Zeppelin songs share the common trait of starting with slow fade-ins.
Other Zep songs with interesting beginning moments
The eight Led Zeppelin songs that seem to emerge from nothingness are the only ones that fade in from quiet to loud. Yet they aren’t the only ones that have unique opening moments.
“Tangerine” from Led Zeppelin III began with a false start. Page strummed away on his acoustic to find the rhythm he needed for the song and kept it on the track, a move he regretted. “Immigrant Song” and “Friends” from the same album started with tape hiss and noodling before the music began.
Led Zeppelin IV opener “Black Dog” included scratching guitars before the music started. That was Page aligning three guitar tracks he used to make the main riff sound heavy. “The Ocean” from Houses has Bonham hilariously complaining about how many takes the band performed before he counted the band in. “Black Country Woman” from Physical Graffiti captured a plane flying overhead and Plant telling the recording engineer to leave it on the track.
Led Zeppelin’s unique chemistry and unparalleled talent allowed them to cover a vast range of musical styles. They played rock, blues, folk, reggae, R&B, and heavy psychedelic tunes in their heyday. Yet eight stylistically different Led Zeppelin songs had one common theme — they began with a fade-in.
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