Led Zeppelin: the 20 best lesser-known songs, according to Ultimate Classic Rock

The other side of Led Zeppelin in Ultimate Classic Rock's new ranking. Unlike many of their contemporaries who emerged in the late Sixties, Led Zeppelin were never considered a singles band. They rose to fame in the album era and, in many ways, helped define it – as the magazine notes in its introduction. And yet, across the roughly ten years between their 1969 debut and 1979's “In Through The Out Door”, they released twelve singles. Other tracks, like “Stairway To Heaven”, became radio staples, only charting much later. Four tracks were pulled from the debut album, followed by four more from “Led Zeppelin II” and “Led Zeppelin III”. “Whole Lotta Love”, backed with “Living Loving Maid” on the B-side, went gold and reached the top five on the American singles chart. “Immigrant Song” and “Black Dog” – UCR also notes – made the Top 20 as well. “Houses Of The Holy” yielded six songs in total across A- and B-sides, with “D'yer Mak'er” reaching the US Top 20. “Fool In The Rain”, the band's last major single, stalled at number 21.
According to Nick DeRiso, Ultimate Classic Rock editor and author of this ranking, these tracks must therefore be excluded from a selection of Led Zeppelin's lesser-known gems. The same goes for the entire fourth album, which became so popular that it's hard to call even a single one of its songs overlooked. What remains is still an incredibly rich catalogue to explore, starting with the double album “Physical Graffiti”, naturally excluding “Kashmir”: although it was never released as a single during the band's active years, it can hardly be called a hidden gem. From “Presence” only “Candy Store Rock” and “Royal Orleans” were released as singles, with no chart success. Rounding out the picture is “Coda”, the collection of archival material released in 1982, after the band's split. Enough – UCR concludes – to compile this ranking.

Here, then, is the ranking of Led Zeppelin's 20 best lesser-known tracks, according to Ultimate Classic Rock

20. Your Time Is Gonna Come (Led Zeppelin I, 1969)
19. Ozone Baby (Coda, 1982)
18. The Wanton Song (Physical Graffiti, 1975)
17. For Your Life (Presence, 1976)
16. Bring It On Home (Led Zeppelin II, 1969)
15. Hots On For Nowhere (Presence, 1976)
14. Ten Years Gone (Physical Graffiti, 1975)
13. Custard Pie (Physical Graffiti, 1975)
12. The Song Remains The Same (Houses Of The Holy, 1973)
11. How Many More Times (Led Zeppelin I, 1969)
10. In My Time Of Dying (Physical Graffiti, 1975)
9. Thank You (Led Zeppelin II, 1969)
8. No Quarter (Houses Of The Holy, 1973)
7. Nobody's Fault But Mine (Presence, 1976)
6. That's The Way (Led Zeppelin III, 1970)
5. What Is And What Should Never Be (Led Zeppelin II, 1969)
4. In The Evening (In Through The Out Door, 1979)
3. Ramble On (Led Zeppelin II, 1969)
2. Achilles Last Stand (Presence, 1976)
1. Houses Of The Holy (Physical Graffiti, 1975)

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