As summer cools into winter and everyone crafts their new playlist for the new season, I would like to highlight two masterpieces from arguably the greatest band ever.

Led Zeppelin took the art of music by storm with their legendary debut album, Led Zeppelin, in 1969. The album is crafted purely of straight bangers, failing to miss at any given second. ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You/Dazed and Confused’ was released as a promotional single for the album. It gleamed particularly bright among a star-studded collection of music. I hope to convince you to revisit or experience these songs for the first time in this article.

‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’

‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ was selected as the A-side of this single. Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham reinterpret the 1950s folk song by Anne Bredon into a classic rock anthem like much of their catalogue. The song begins with Page’s rendition of a beautiful, yet almost haunting, guitar line which perfectly encapsulates the bleak theme of leaving a partner. The steel-stringed tone compliments the bittersweet song by adding a glistening twang to Bredon’s version.

Plant belts out the song’s title over the guitar in a powerful cocktail of misery and triumph, giving the listener a buffet of emotion to connect with. Bonham’s drums effortlessly progress the song into momentum with a shuffle, musically depicting that the process of leaving a partner is commencing. Jones’s bass and Page’s little guitar noodles over the top are added, further texturing the song.

The band executes Bredon’s descending guitar line with the classic Led Zep twist of added distortion and booming drums. The song continues to soften and explode between the two main parts, overall creating an emotional journey of ‘leaving’. 

‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ is a fantastic listening experience where any listener can draw meaning. This tune sets a precedent for Led Zeppelin’s role in the musical revolution of the late 1960s. The bleak and powerful emotion is perfect for catching a vibe during a winter walk and is certainly an essential single.

‘Dazed and Confused’

The B-side, ‘Dazed and Confused,’ was created similarly, with Led Zeppelin reinterpreting Jake Holmes’s psychedelic folk song. Led Zeppelin’s version starts with Jones’s bass booming the now-iconic descending bass line with guitar notes weeping over the top. Plant articulates the music’s dazed and confused nature and before you know it, the song swells into a grandiose trip over the bass line. Page expertly uses reverb and wah effects to craft a sound nothing short of awesome. 

As the song progresses, it suddenly speeds up. The guitar takes the lead and Plant steps back to texture the sound with vocal ad-libs. The drums and bass are the foundation of this breakdown, rushing the song into a dazed panic. Jones’s bass sees the rest of the song out with the other instruments coming in and out to complete this musical representation of a horror trip. 

‘Dazed and Confused’ is a staple tune of all classic rock. The sound is executed brilliantly to manufacture this feeling of hysterical confusion. ‘Dazed and Confused’ was one of those songs that left me thinking, ‘so this is music,’ on my first listen. Its masterfully engineered sound is a must-listen for enjoyers of classic, heavy, or psychedelic rock, or anyone who looks to be blown off their feet by a classic tune. 

Both songs are classics for sure, but the nature in which these songs came to be must be addressed. For most of the 20th century, both songs were presented as original creations of Led Zeppelin. Both Bredon and Holmes had to actively fight for accreditation and royalties. The exclusion of the original writers of these tunes is no doubt scummy and important to highlight. 

I would like to argue that, from a purely musical perspective, Led Zeppelin’s reimagining (or, you could say, stealing) of the songs are valuable contributions to music. With the classic rock sound being so well executed, they deserve their flowers – hence why I wrote this article. I also recommend listening to Bredon’s version of ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ and Holmes’s version of ‘Dazed and Confused’ as they both stand on their own feet as classic and masterfully written folk songs.

This two-track promotional single by Led Zeppelin is no doubt an essential listen. The revolution of the classic rock sound in this era is encapsulated within these songs. I’d score the single a 9/10, with a point lost from the plagiarised context of these songs.

Rating: 9/10

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