Perhaps the absolute greatness of Led Zeppelin can be described by the fact that when you see one of their song names, the distinct melody immediately comes to mind. When you hear the term ‘Immigrant Song’, a synapse shoots thoughts of “Aaaaahaaaa” in a frenetic instant. Even their name brings to mind a couple iconic melodies.
Their distinct sound is somehow stored in your brain and can be summoned in an instant, similar to how your body stores adrenaline. Their music stands out—it cannot be mistaken for anyone else, and few have attempted to be as daring since. While anthems like as ‘Kasmir’, ‘The Song Remains the Same’, and ‘Whole Lotta Love’ may now be considered their quintessential songs, they were always an album band, with a wide back catalogue and lurid depth.
There is one song that stands out among this cherished melee as a defining moment in their output, but it nonetheless falls short of monuments like ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in the hearts of many. Fortunately, it has Robert Plant fighting its nearly forgotten corner. The lion-like singer has long described ‘The Battle of Evermore’ as not only one of his favorite Led Zeppelin songs, but also one that captured the essence of the mystic spell they were casting.
The vocalist told Digging Deep, “There was a wide range of artistic influences in everyone’s playing. “‘Battle of Evermore’ was beautiful even as an instrumental piece.” The 1971 track from their untitled fourth album comes when the band realized who they were. They’d made four albums in just two years, and it took them little time to grasp how far away from the blues they’d strayed.
Now, with folk legend Sandy Denny singing a duet with Plant, foreign flavors in the mix, and The Lord of the Rings serving as the vast foundation, it was evident that they were doing far more than just a variation on the old 12-bars. While this was a watershed moment for the band, they openly concede that it was somewhat eclipsed upon release by gaudier giants on the album like as ‘Black Dog’, ‘Rock and Roll’, and, of course, ‘Stairway to Heaven’, a song that Plant has done his best to mock over the years.
However, he has always praised the elaborate ‘Evermore’. Beyond the amazing musicianship, he thinks it defines the band’s strength in ways that cannot be quantified. “The way it sounded—it had some essence of heralding, of drawing people together, of summoning a mindset if you like,” she said.
Indeed, it was the foundation for what was to come in the 1970s. And, in some ways, asserting that would always necessitate a more ambiguous, less radio-friendly music. Led Zeppelin represented a new world to be discovered, and ‘Evermore’ served as a come-hither calling card. In truth, the band was always destined to become the world’s largest cult hit. They were never really mainstream, and the only crossovers were strange and cultish in nature.
Jorgen Angel, the photographer who photographed their debut performance in 1968, recalls, “When they went on stage, it was something very special, different, and spectacular.” They were energetic and unique. “I had no idea they’d be so big.” He was correct, and in every mystical sense, rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t get much bigger than ‘The Battle of Evermore’, but it was never intended to be big in many other ways.
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