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If you were going to introduce someone to the music of Zeppelin...


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So, sadly, most of my friends are stuck in modern music and are not very familiar with the music of Zeppelin.

They all hear me talk about Zeppelin all the time, and some have showed interest in listening to a few songs that they would like me to choose for them.

Question is:

If you had 5 songs to introduce Zeppelin to someone, which songs would it be and why?

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So, sadly, most of my friends are stuck in modern music and are not very familiar with the music of Zeppelin.

Being "stuck" in modern music isn't a bad place to be. Depending upon what that music is, of course...

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Whole Lotta Love

Since I've Been Loving You

Black Dog

Over the Hills and Far Away

Kashmir

The Pagemeister pretty much nailed it, except I would exchange Stairway for SIBLY. I want to choose songs that represent most of Zeppelin's different styles. Hard, guitar driven, eastern influenced, blues, acoustic/electric interplay etc. They also showcase the band's sound throughout the majority of their career. Stairway is the quintessential Zeppelin song, mainly because it is so popular. Chances are they have heard it at least once before, which is why I chose to exclude it.

If I could pick one album to use to introduce someone to Zeppelin however, I would choose IV.

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I would try to steer them away from the "big Hitters" and break em in gently

I can't quit you babe

Bring it on home

Down by the seaside

fool in the rain

Achilles last stand

that should do nicely :wizard:

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Being "stuck" in modern music isn't a bad place to be. Depending upon what that music is, of course...

Being stuck in any music is a bad thing. If you limit yourself to one genre no matter how good you miss out on so much.

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Here is what I would do. Introduce them not just to Led Zeppelin's biggest or most popular songs but to their versatility.

1.Pick a hard rock hit. Something like Black Dog, Rock And Roll, Whole Lotta Love or Heartbreaker. If you go with a song like Heartbreaker or Whole Lotta Love use a live version where Jimmy Page really tears it up on guitar such as the Heartbreaker from How The West Was Won or Whole Lotta Love from The Song Remains The Same.

2.Pick an acoustic or mellow song. Something like Going To California, Tangerine, Ten Years Gone or The Rain Song.

3.Pick a unique song. Something that's unlike anything you're likely to hear from anyone else. Something like No Quarter or a live version of Dazed And Confused.

4.Pick a blues song. Something like You Shook Me, The Lemon Song or I Can't Quit You Baby.

5.Stairway To Heaven. It's the most popular song ever for a reason. If you've never heard Stairway you've never heard Zeppelin. If you've never heard Zeppelin you've never really heard real music. If you've never heard real music you've never really lived. If you've never really lived your practically dead. Don't let your friends be dead. Play them Stairway To Heaven.

It's impossible to really expose someone to the greatest band ever with just five songs but if you have to I would do it like outlined above. I've known people who think they hate Zeppelin because all they know is Black Dog and Whole Lotta Love and other of the most popular radio hits today. They had no idea that this band produced songs like The Rain Song, Ten Years Gone, All My Love, Hot Dog, The Lemon Song, Your Time Is Gonna Come and on and on. They just heard a few heavy songs and thought they were just another heavy band. Obviously if you know the people you can find songs they are more likely to enjoy. But with no knowledge here is where I would start with.

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I would try to steer them away from the "big Hitters" and break em in gently

I can't quit you babe

Bring it on home

Down by the seaside

fool in the rain

Achilles last stand

that should do nicely :wizard:

This is a great list imo.

I Can't Quit You Baby - Blues.

Bring It On Home - Hard Rock if you go with a live version (I would go with a live version).

Down By The Seaside - Mellow with a uniquely awesome riff by Jimmy.

Fool In The Rain - Unique and versatile musical arrangements in this one but really more of a Mellow(ish) song imo.

Achilles Last Stand - Another more of a Hard Rock type of song.

I would have picked different songs myself but this is about the same idea.

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Communiction Breakdown

Traveling Riverside Blues

Going to California

Kashmir

All of My Love

Light & Shade, Power, restraint, lyrical passages, Variety, Highlighting of all members.......

Exactly! And your list is also excellent.

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On second thought you should probably just tie your friends up and leave them in your basement with The Complete Studio Recordings playing on a loop for a few weeks.

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Being stuck in any music is a bad thing. If you limit yourself to one genre no matter how good you miss out on so much.

Not sure about the Top 40 charts these days but used to, they represented a cross section of genres. As for the current commercial Country format, it's pretty much in the shitter and has been for quite some time. There's tons of Country music artists out there worthy of airplay but they seldom, if ever, get played on commercial Country radio. Thankfully, those artists do get played on lots of progressive stations as well as on satellite radio. On the upside, it sounds like this person hasn't limited themselves to just one genre of music but there's so much more out there than what Top 40 and commercial Country radio has to offer.

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Sorry about my langauge,but I am from spain.I think the same about today´s music and people,but always I heard Zeppelin´s music I think about the idea to put to hear this music to people who dosn´t know Led Zeppelin, and I am sure that they would think that this band is not from the 70´s.When I hear Achilles last stand or Kashmir I think they were from another planet or another century.If I need to show a firend Zeppelin´s music, the five song will be: Achilles Last Stand,Kashmir,The Raing Song,No Quarter and Stairway to Heaven

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Easy, I would simply give them Led Zep II to listen to.

That's the album I started with, and that should be good enough for someone that is not familiar with Zeppelin. If they like what they hear, then they will embark on their own Zeppelin adventure.

But, I would not feel the need to cherry pick 5 songs.

The album speaks for itself.

The best way to discover Zeppelin is album by album, imo.

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I can't narrow it down to 5 songs, but I can give you one from each album:

Communication Breakdown

What is and What Should Never Be

Out on The Tiles (personally I LOVE this song) but Since I've Been Loving You is one you can't go wrong with.

Stairway to Heaven

The Ocean

No Quarter (from the original TSRTS not the re-issue)

Kashmir

Achilles Last Stand

Fool in the Rain

Bonzo's Montreux

Dazed and Confused (from HTWWW)

This list (IMO) shows the versatility of Zeppeln from just about every angle.

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