Whole Lotta Love - Led Zepplin (1970) 7/26/22

Very few "Great Songs" of ANY decade can generate a list like this:

*Top 10 chart positions in 13 countries.

*The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock & Roll."

*Grammy Hall of Fame (Inducted 2007).

*BBC Radio's #1 rated Guitar Riff of All Time.

Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks of All Time" (#3).

*VH1's "Greatest Hard Rock Songs of All Time" (#3).

*VH1's "Top 100 Rock Songs of All Time (#46).

*Spin Magazine's "100 Greatest Singles of All Time" (#39).

*Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" (#128).

Whew!

"Whole Lotta Love," from the album "Led Zepplin II," was released in late November 1969, and by the time the new decade began, it was already gaining major radio airplay around the world--and rock fans were cranking up their radios to "loud!

A few bits of trivia:

Robert Plant wrote the song (which, then and now, was blatantly sexual). The lyrics were based on a 1962 Muddy Waters song written by Willie Dixon: "You Need Love." (Check Link below.) Willie filed a copyright infringement suit, and a cash settlement was reached. Willie then used the money to start a program to furnish musical instruments to schools. Very cool!

Now about that strange, but intriguing, backward echo effect at the 4 minute mark of the song: It was an accident!

A different vocal take bled into the master track, and engineer Eddie Kramer couldn't get rid of it, so he and Robert highlighted it by adding reverb so it sounded like foreshadowing. Genius at work!

(Personal note: Before long, recording engineers and radio professionals (including myself) figured out how to create the effect on purpose, and it started popping up on other songs--and even radio commercials.)

"Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zepplin: starting the 'decade with one of the greatest "Great Songs of the '70s--and all time!

"You Need Love" (Dixon/Waters):