ROLLING STONE 500 GREATEST SONGS

[The Rover]

Saw this rag at the supermarket the other day.

For the STH entry, the RS editors managed to include a live photo of Jimmy with his Les Paul, and not the Double-Neck. A minor issue, yet, so telling of RS's lack of involvement in the finer details of Rock.

From Wikipedia:

With 23 songs on the list, The Beatles are the most-represented musical act. John Lennon is the only artist to place multiple songs in the top 10 (as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist). The Beatles are followed by The Rolling Stones (14); Bob Dylan (12); Elvis Presley (11); The Beach Boys and The Jimi Hendrix Experience (7); Chuck Berry, U2, James Brown, Prince, Led Zeppelin, and Sly & the Family Stone (6); and The Clash, The Who, The Drifters, Elton John, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, and Little Richard (5).

The longest tracks are "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang at 14:37, "The End" by The Doors at 11:44, "Desolation Row" by Bob Dylan at 11:23, and "Marquee Moon" by Television at 10:47.

Someone that may know can tell if any live songs made it onto the list.

Personally, I gag at many of the songs that made it into the TOP 200.... To each, his own...

[SteveAJones]

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (Summer 2010) (USA)

Front Cover

Back Cover

#31 Stairway to Heaven, #75 Whole Lotta Love, #141 Kashmir, #300 Black Dog, #328 Heartbreaker, #440 Ramble On

[Ledzep101]

Rolling stone has always been and will always be zeppelin haters. They never give them the respect they deserve.

[Lunacy]

Worst list ever.

[pagemccartney95]

Some of the songs I agreed with, but WTH is up with all the crap on the list, too? "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse?! Please! What's with all the rap songs on the list, too?

On top of that, they could have chosen a heck of a lot more Zeppelin, and a lot less rap...man, I hate that "genre"!

[Tripmender]

I don't give a rat's ass about RS, its polls (or any polls, for that matter), or the sad-sacks they chose for their 'Five Star Jury'. But if Jay-Z was one of them, (a) he ain't 5-star and (b ) WTF does he know about Rock?

With the exception of Ramble On, the 5 LZ songs that do appear are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO predictable, and without wishing to sound too controversial, only one of them MIGHT appear in my top 10 LZ tunes. This just goes to show that, as well as knowing fuck all about Rock, RS and its 5-star clowns know nothing about LZ.

Fuck 'em all.

[Oracle]

Lists like this will always be dissed unless your favorite band occupies the top 20 songs or wait, the top (how many songs did Led Zeppelin produce?) fill in the blank.

I have to laugh at the list too though, ALL the songs are overplayed to death.

In the mainstream, popularity will always be credited with greatness. Don't cater to the fringe, they're so insignificant.

[zepprules]

Rolling stone has always been and will always be zeppelin haters. They never give them the respect they deserve.

Yeah what's up with that? Zeppelin always seemed to be on RS's bad side from the get go, not that anyone from band has ever cared.

[Led_Zeppelin_Chick]

Whoa ramble on at 440? What the hell! Why did i even click this thread i knew it would anger me

[Oracle]

Whoa ramble on at 440? What the hell! Why did i even click this thread i knew it would anger me

All anyone has to do is read 2 posts above yours.

http://forums.ledzep...post__p__462434

[Led_Zeppelin_Chick]

All anyone has to do is read 2 posts above yours.

http://forums.ledzep...post__p__462434

Okay good point. But i'm entitled to my own opinon.

[SelfDevouringSnake]

Well, fuck, it's Rolling Stone. I compared the positions of the six songs to make the new edition to the old list - "Stairway to Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love" kept their positions which is disappointing. The other four songs all went down which is just disgraceful. If Rolling Stone ever wants or wanted to recover a reputation, this was their chance. I myself would have called it a battle won if "Stairway to Heaven" had raised up to the top twenty, within which there are four Beatles songs and no Led Zeppelin songs. It puts it in a particularly nasty perspective if you consider that "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is above every Led Zeppelin song. I don't have anything against that song, but what kind of classic rock magazine puts it above "Stairway to Heaven"?

But in the end it's not anything I wouldn't have expected. Besides, whenever I read a Rolling Stone list, I always try to see the reasoning behind the list.

[Gospel Zone]

What's with all the rap songs on the list, too?

That's the problem with rap, it will always be a big pee stain on the mattress of music.

[Wizard of Oz]

I am astonished by the List and in a way not, in regards to it being Rolling Stone's List.

If I remember rightly, Triple JJJ in Australia has had "Stairway to Heaven" from #1 to #5 quite often over the years it runs its Hottest 100 poll by the listeners. In other words, Australians do have a high regard for the Zep, let alone one of their best songs.

Stairway to Heaven is not just a great 'Song', it is also a great peice of 'Music' too.

I tend not to take the USA Music scene too serious beyond the equation of romps of fast money/sex like a quick fix. I tend not to take the USA Medical scene too serious either with its over-priced '3rd-World' quality.

If you cross Politics and Singing = you get Rap. I think Race-Callers could make greater Rappers. By and by, if it wasn't for the last word of a sentence sounding like the previous last word of a previous sentence, then the so-called 'song' would just be a monotonous talk without any little 'slide' of the same sound. In the end though, USA being more a Political Nation than a Musical Nation, me tends to think that the "singing" is being bred out of the Rap Song more than the "talking".

You don't need to speak "English" to sing good Songs. Plant does well but the best example is possibly Lisa Gerard (from Melbourne) of the former Aust/NZ band "Dead Can Dance". She can speak English extremely well, but knew that for Singing, the English language falls short, let alone any 'language' (even Latin) - the real essence was the 'sound' that was created. The Voice was not just another Musical Instrument, it was emotion in motion. Listen to Miserere Mei Deus to hear what 'Singing' can do beyond just instrumentation.

Anyway. Led Zeppelin would rank much higher upon an overall European poll, let alone a Global Poll, with "Stairway to Heaven" ranking higher than any Beatle song, though Lennon's "Imagine" could pip at the Post. But if you took into consideration that the musical score is more "imaginative" than Lennon's "Imagine", then you have to give "Stairway to Heaven" to higher accolade.

[Led Zep Girl]

Why is it that Rolling Stone hates Led Zeppelin?

[goldenguitar]

I don't trust RS,how can Satisfaction be a better song than Stairway to heaven?

They don't like Zep, but they really love the Stones, Zep is too sophisticated for them.

[Wizard of Oz]

I think you have it in a nutshell Golden Guitar. European music (except possibly the Eurovision contest) has always pumped out a more sophisticated music scene that North America. Nick Cave 'found himself' in the German Cauldron. North America has been sophisticated in the Instruments that it has created, beyond this, things are pretty much shallow and as Elvis sang "Easy come, easy go".

Rolling Stone Magazine will always love the Rolling Stones. There was a moment in the Zep history where 'not making the mainstream' that the Rolling Stone Magazine offered really bothered them. On the same moment, Zep wanted to take their 'music' to the World. What they should have done was just keep touring North America they way they always did, no need for hype or special effects or in need of Rolling Stone Magazine, etc. Then travel as many countries as they could (they could easily have afforded to) and both bring the music to the World and let the rest of the world influence them. Kashmir was (although they never went there) a good example of the potential that was offered them. Instead, they fell into the old trap of perceiving the USA Commercialisation as having conquered the 'World'.

I mean, if you were to 'believe' that the English Language was a gift to be the International Language of the World. Would you percieve it through the United Nations or through the Anglo-Saxon Empire of USA/UK & their Australian/New Zealand subdivisions ? Sure the Anglo-Saxons may have 'found' the English language, but we all know that some 'precious' things must be 'let go' of - eh (wink).

I think there has never really been a true 'World' class Band ...but Led Zeppelin did well. Dead Can Dance, although no longer in existence, came the closest, though they never made such a financial milestone (thanks to the USA/UK) as what Zeppelin did. I think Zeppelin's greatest achievement is the fact that they 'conquered' the Music Industry itself (they changed much in how the Music Industry worked) and that's what pissed Rolling Stone Magazine (amongst others) off. They nearly made Rolling Stone Mag come to their Tea Party, but as you know, they went to the Rolling Stone Mag Tea Party instead.

[TheMightyZep09]

I have seen many a Rolling Stone lists, and they all have three things in common.

1. They tremendously underrate Led Zeppelin

2. They always put Rolling Stones at the top,( gee, couldn't see that coming! )

Even when there are much better recipients on the list for wutever topic.

3. Their lists are complete shit.........................absolute bullshit!!!

I agree with wut Debra said on another post. Wut a waste of paper!!!

Worst magazine ever!

Fuck Rolling Stone!!!!!!

[JiMiHeNdRiX1967]

i bought it, looked at the order once, disgusted, i threw it in the trash

[Kiwi_Zep_Fan87]

WTF??! Damn RS mag!! What a f*cked up list!!

[Electrophile]

It's subjective, people. Just because Rolling Stone said so, doesn't mean it is so. All of us have groups/artists we like that the mainstream music media doesn't give two shits about, but we still love them right? Alright then. Who cares if Rolling Stone didn't have 500 Led Zeppelin songs as the Top 500 songs of all time? You mean to tell me you care enough what they say to be annoyed when they don't say what you want them to? Oy gevalt.

[DragonTelecaster]

Why is it that Rolling Stone hates Led Zeppelin?

I've always attributed it to naming their rag "Rolling Stone" and not "Led Zeppelin".

DT

[Escoban]

It's funny how many people in this thread have a great dissapproval of rap. While there is a lot of terrible rap music out there, there are some very talented artists in the rap industry.

[BenRassmu]

I think it's even funnier that people use the word, hate, because the magazine list's the highest ranked Led Zeppelin song at #14.

If you're not number 1, you ain't shit! Is that right?

Or wait, number 31 ! Well then, bring on the infantry!!!!!!

*edit*

[cheesehead1204]

Of course everyone's gonna find something they don't like on this list. For me, I'm disappointed Stairway and Kashmir were not as high as what I would have liked, but I'm more disappointed at some of the songs that are WAY too high on the list (in my opinion) including (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Smells Like Teen Spirit, London Calling, Anarchy In The U.K., and others. Yet, I'm sure a lot of people think those songs are more than deserving, so who cares, it's all a matter of opinion.