The album was already out by the time I got into Zep, so I honestly can’t say whether I think it’s a great song because I came to that conclusion on my own, or because “everyone” told me it was, and I believed them. When you’re young, it’s easy to be swayed by what the “experts” tell you. As you get more experience, you eventually form your own opinions. Sometimes, they are the same.
OTOH, I found When The Levee Breaks all by myself. And Goin’ To California, and learned to dislike their Tolkien songs as I got older, too.
But Bohemian Rhapsody? I knew that was special the very first time I heard it. Before it was even finished!
“Bohemian Rhapsody” came out a few months before “More Than A Feeling”, and I agree with what you said.
I’ve never cared for Nirvana, but the first time I heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (specifically, turned the channel to MTV and it was playing), I knew that I was hearing something new and unique. My brother was a college DJ in the late 1980s, just a few years earlier, and I asked him if he ever played anything from Nirvana’s first album, “Bleach.” He replied that he did, and if a time traveler had come from the fall of 1991 and told him that this band would release an album that would hit #1 in almost every nation on earth that keeps a chart, and totally turn popular music on its ear (no pun intended), he’d have said they were crazy.
Oh, yeah, those moldy-oldies stations, leaning towards hard rock, that had the same playlist from the time they were instituted in 1978 (I distinctly remember) until around 2000, when they finally added some new songs.
My area had an alt-rock station that was great at first, even though I knew it was strictly formatted, and then it became the Sheryl Crow Network. I kid you not - every 3rd or 4th song was by her.
My friend and I, who used to drive around a lot, had a running joke that we would win a lot of money the day that stairway to heaven, free Bird, and long-distance roundabout got played back to back to back on the radio. I cannot even guess now how many times we got two of those in a row, and sat there in eager anticipation waiting to see if we would hit the third, but we never did. Still, it felt like someday…
Sorry for capitalization, using voice to text poorly.
I wonder, reading this, if that’s why when I bought my second album in 1976, it was Led Zeppelin IV. God knows it played incessantly that year.
In response to someone above talking about the changes in rhythm, my wife, who went to a lot of junior high and high school dances, said she hated the song because of all the speed changes.
Long Distance Roundabout would be one lengthy tune LOL!
A couple years ago, I stopped at a food truck and the station was playing “Yours Is No Disgrace” (9 minutes 36 seconds) and I happened to have my copy of The Yes Album in my car and listened to it again on the way home.
I’ve never recognized a song as an instant classic. The only time I recognized a new song as groundbreaking that later became huge was “Loser” by Beck, and while it was different from anything I’d heard before, I was less sure that it would catch on.
Beck’s “Loser” was another one for me. I first heard it on “120 Minutes” and wasn’t all that surprised when it showed up on pop radio a few weeks later.
I’m actually curious about what songs they designated as “classic” 50 years and how many of them are still part of the “classic rock canon”. I also wonder if the tag was only applied to rock records or whether R&B classics like “What’s Going On” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” were included.
Funny you would mention high school dances, but the reason I remember “Stairway” as a 45 rpm promo copy is that I used to get requests for it when I would DJ school dances back in the day. I carried a copy of it because it was easier to play a 45 than an LP cut on my trusty Garrard turntables. I’d play it if enough kids asked for it, reluctantly because it brought the momentum to a screeching halt. You couldn’t dance to it, though some gamely tried. Before playing it I’d say something about playing a song that was great music for going to the snack bar.
Recognizing instant classics from Queen is no great challenge. Stairway was long and complex. The people who picked up the special qualities of the song right away certainly had more distinguishing ears than mine, but even I could tell so much of what Queen produced was instantly timeless. I didn’t even have to know who the band was to know a song came from Queen.
