Rick Rubin’s 15 favourite Led Zeppelin songs
“After the Beatles, Led Zeppelin are the most consistent band from album to album, song to song,” producer Rick Rubin said about the iconic 1970s rock band. Rubin has eclectic tastes, ranging from the hip-hop and rap sounds he started out working with to the worlds of heavy and nu-metal. But amidst it all, his love for great rock and roll has always rung true, with Led Zeppelin sitting as one of his all-time favourite artists.
“They take all different modes of music and put them through the Zeppelin filter,” he said, singing the band’s praise. Perhaps he sees some of himself in that or takes inspiration from it, as Rubin also works in several different styles of music but translates it all through his own lens. Following his philosophy of creativity and artistry, people tend to either love or hate his approach to making music. But that same divisive spirit also exists in the world of Led Zeppelin, with people tending to either fall in the camp of fans, haters or a gaggle of disinterested, opinionless ears who have simply never given them the time of day.
Rubin is firmly in the former. “Zeppelin completely changed how we look at what popular music can be,” he said as another major accolade he lays on the band’s shoulders. At a time when people were beginning to understand what rock and roll looked and sounded like, Led Zeppelin came along and changed the game. With long songs complete with extended musical jams or even extended moments of quietness, building tension for a big drop, they cast off any idea of typical structure or form to do something different. That’s what makes them so special to Rubin, especially on his selection of favourite songs from the band.
‘No Quarter’ is his ultimate example of this and one of his favourite songs from the band. “It takes such confidence to be able to get really quiet and loose for such a long time,” Rubin said of the track and his admiration for the band’s bravery.
‘Rain Song’ is another major favourite of his and another example of the band’s experimental power as he said, “It defies classification.” He told Rolling Stone, “I could listen to this song all day. That would be a good day.”
He admires their actual skill as individual musicians, too. He selected ‘Your Time Is Gonna Come’ as another favourite, stating, “It’s like the drums are playing a big rock song and the guitars are playing a gentle folk song.”
‘What Is and What Should Never Be’ is another musical favourite. Rubin said, “The descending riff is amazing: It’s like a bow is being drawn back, and then it releases.” ‘Thank You’, meanwhile, is a favourite because of the way the members all work together, merging into something special. As he said, “The delicacy of the vocals is incredible; the acoustic guitar and the organ work together to create an otherworldly presence.”
When asked to talk about his love for the band, Rubin provided a length 15 track playlist of his favourite songs, spanning the band’s entire career, from their 1969 debut album through to their last releases, as he included ‘Houses of the Holy’ from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti as a favourite, stating, “This is a funk jam with really interesting, jazzy chords. It’s one of their more compact feeling songs.”
Being a major fan of the band with a clearly encyclopedic knowledge of their music, Rubin’s list of his top Led Zeppelin songs also provides a perfect starter pack for anyone looking to dive into the group’s discography.
Rick Rubin’s favourite Led Zeppelin songs:
- ‘Your Time Is Gonna Come’
- ‘What Is and What Should Never Be’
- ‘Thank You’
- ‘Heartbreaker’
- ‘Ten Years Gone’
- ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’
- ‘Misty Mountain Hop’
- ‘No Quarter’
- ‘Nobody’s Fault but Mine’
- ‘In My Time of Dying’
- ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’
- ‘Celebration Day’
- ‘Stairway to Heaven’
- ‘The Rain Song’
- ‘Houses of the Holy’
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