Three of the best Rock N’ Roll songs of all time, IMO, and with good reason.
Although all these 3 songs do vary to some degree, they do have certain similarities. For one thing, all these songs are the most recognizable songs of some of the greatest rock bands of all time.
They all have interesting lyrics, they all have awsome guitar solos and they all go through cool transitions.
Of course, getting an objective answer to such a question is impossible, but debating which one is best (or your favorite) is always fun.
I’d say that Comfortably Numb is slightly better than both Stairway to Heaven and Baba O’ Reilly. The lyrics of Comfortably Numb are amazing, IMO, and the song is slightly more coherent than Stairway to Heaven.
Baba O’ Reilly is a great song with good vocals and interesting transitions and seems to be, from beggening to end a more “listenable” song than Stairway to Heaven.
However, I must say that the last part of Stairway to Heaven is musical exstacy. The last solo part and the vocals are probably the best ever in any song I’ve heard. But the beggening, although quite good, is a bit slow for my tastes.
So I’d have to say:
Comfortably Numb
Tie: Baba O’ Reilly/ Stairway to Heaven (This one depends on my mood)
What’s your say on these songs? Which do you consider better (or like more) and why?
The Who, usually, knew more about songcraft and songwriting than either of the other bands, IMHO. They knew how to focus a song and get out of it what was necessary. In that vein BOR has the lead in and the solid middle that sum up what they’re writing about.
Contrary to that both Stairway to Heaven and Comfortably Numb struck me as spongier (to coin a phrase) and less focused. Some of that may be the nature of the work that CN is embedded within but it still leaves a weakness in the song.
Stairway to Heaven, to me, has always just been a mess of a song.
Wow this is kind of like debating which is the “better” color: red, green, or blue (green, of course
All 3 are killer songs in their own right. But I used the “if I had to listen to each song for 10 hours straight” test, and the results were pretty easy. Another vote for:
Baba O’Reilly
Comfortably Numb
Stairway to Heaven
Baba “gets going” right from the start, and only kind of changes mode at the ending (violin part).
Both Comfortably Numb and (most definitely) Stairway build toward a crescendo ending. Comfortably Numb has “stronger” vocals leading up to this ending. Whereas Stairway takes a bit too long to get to the big finish.
I wouldn’t put Baba O’Reilly even in the top ten songs by the Who, and wouldn’t include Comfortably Numb as one of Pink Floyd’s best. Stairway is one of Led Zeps best songs (though there are better), so wins simply because the competition is hobbled.
Now, if we included the best of each group, I’d say the Who wins easily with any of Won’t Get Fooled Again, I Can See For Miles, We’re Not Gonna Take It, Pinball Wizard, A Quick One While He’s Away, Music Must Change, Magic Bus, Guitar and Pen, or Who Are You?. Floyd would have a shot with Echoes, Summer '68, Astronome Domine, Careful with that Axe, Eugene, Brain Damage/Eclipse or Shine On You Crazy Diamond, while Zep can only add When the Levee Breaks, Communcations Breakdown, and Good Times Bad Times.
Baba O’Reilly is rather repetitive. They just change the pace a few times (and the sparkly glitter sound that keeps being repeated in the background is annoying and distracting and REALLY repetitive.)
Da da-dun Da da-dun weedaweewah dun dun
Da da-dun Da da-dun weedaweewah dun dun
->
Stairway is also decently repetitive, but they present it a lot differently throughout–particularly in the singing. The song could use to be shorter. My main issue with it is that most of it sounds like flaming hippy music, and not being a flaming hippy myself nor having grown up in the seventies, I just can’t take that serious.
Comfortably Numb is good. It varies between sad, hopeful, rocking, and thoughtful. There’s a few parts that sound like they were recorded in a fishbowl and some bits are slightly pompous, but of songs that could make you cry, this is in there.
I’m honestly not a big fan of any of them. If you asked me for my top five or top ten classic rock-era songs, none of those would be on the list. I’d put Layla above and of them.
But in the spirit of the thread, I think I’d go Baba O’Reilly, Stairway, Comfortably Numb.
Comfortably Numb. I’m a card-carrying Floyd fangirl.
But I definitely agree that it is nowhere near their best song. For mass appeal, Time far outshines CN.
As for the other two, I’m a casual fan of both bands, and like both songs for different reasons. I think I’d put Baba O’Reilly slightly ahead, just because it doesn’t drag on as much.
I suppose that Gilmour’s soaring, spotlit solo from the Wall performance is just burned into my brain. You can get a sense of it from the “Pulse” DVD.
Beyond that, I recall certain nights as opposed to specific songs. John Goodsall with Brand X in the UC Davis Coffee Shop. Jeff Beck on almost any night. Pete’s riff from “Love Reign O’er Me” in 1982, Steve Miller’s intro to “Fly Like An Eagle” back in the early 70s…
Been a Zeppelin fan since the eighties, but Stairway to Heaven was never one of my favourites. Can think of a handful of their ‘epic’ songs I’d rather throw into this contest (When the Levee Breaks, Going to California or Misty Mountain Hop from the same album, for instance.)
Zep and The Who have something as individuals, instrumental expertise, that Floyd never had with the exception of Gilmour. Not to say they aren’t good constructors- weren’t they all architects or students thereof prior to the band?
Gilmour himself is no maestro and seems to stay in the slowhand blues genre. Yet I hear so many people cite that song (Numb) as a favorite because of the solos, people who may not be guitarists/ musicians.
So Numb has a very elemental connection going for it apart from any other aspect.
Stairway I liked 40,000 hearings ago. To me the solo is “Page plays All Along the Watchtower”. Nice solo too.
I’d agree with the possible exception of Mason – the drums, especially in DSOTM are unique in both their writing and delivery. Which isn’t to say that it takes a lot of talent to play the way he did on that album, just I’ve never heard it anywhere else. Which is why I can’t decide if it’s the writing or his playing.
To me, the three songs from the OP are each on different levels of quality and epic-ness, so can’t really be compared with each other.
BOR doesn’t really aim too high, but still manages to reach higher in scope than it even tried to. Perhaps this is even a tick mark against it: shouldn’t the lyrics be much more meaningful if you want to include a 4 minute solo at the end? But I personally don’t count it against them.
Stairway has somewhat the opposite problem: it tries to be an Epic Song, but something in the (admittedly amazing) solo just doesn’t cut it for me. Even moreso, the ending is a big letdown (to be a rock and not roll? WTF? I know she’s buying a stairway to heaven, can’t the last phrase have more oomph to it?) Don’t get me wrong, I like the song and the buildup, it just doesn’t deliver what it builds up to.
CN, OTOH, hits exactly where it was aiming for. Even the indulgent-according-to-some soloes are explainable by the fact the speaker is strung out on drugs at the time. And even the first solo is famous in its own right and Gilmour wasn’t even trying with that one. Needless to say the second one is amongst my favorite ever (my favorite being ABitW2).
My vote is for CN. The other two it depends on how I’m feeling, it’s really a tie.
Hey, look at that, as I began replying, CN came on the radio.
Well, if I have to rank them, I’d go:
1 Stairway
2 B O’R
3 CN
All three are great songs, but none of them are my favorite songs by their respective bands. Well, maybe CN. It’s at least probably tied for my favorite Floyd song.
