The 35 Best Led Zeppelin Covers Ever

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20. David Rawlings & the Machine (w/Gillian Welch) – Going to California

One of the most original acoustic guitar stylists of his age, the Nashville-based David Rawlings has collaborated with some of the finest bluegrass and country musicians on the planet. The fact that John Paul Jones suddenly ended up in Rawlings’ orbit was an entirely unexpected surprise.

Rawlings and JPJ as personalities are modest to a fault. They are most at ease letting others do the shining while they ply their craft almost in the shadows; they slot in perfectly without drawing attention to themselves. In this arrangement (a backstage warmup), the most hair-raising moments come when Gillian Welch and Willie Watson lean in to add bluegrass-style vocal harmonies. JPJ even adds his voice to the chorus on the outro. – Tom McDonald

19. SOAK – Immigrant Song

You’re already singing it in your head: “Ah-ah-ahhhh, ah!” But instead of yelping it to the rafters, Irish singer-songwriter SOAK delivers it in a muted hush. That vibe carries throughout her surging synth-pop version of “Immigrant Song.” This wasn’t made for a movie trailer as far as I know, but it certainly could have been. A horror movie, presumably. – Ray Padgett

18. Stanley Jordan – Stairway to Heaven

Stanley Jordan was a year ahead of me in college, and for a brief period, I followed him on the air on our college radio station. Even then, it was clear that he was prodigiously talented, and we were all in awe of his playing. We chat briefly when our paths cross, often at college reunions, or at his shows. Stanley’s musical claim to fame is his mastery of the “tapping” technique, in which he uses both hands to tap the strings, allowing himself to play multiple lines at the same time, so it often sounds like more than one guitar is playing. He uses this technique on his instrumental cover of “Stairway,” which, like the original, starts quietly, building to an intense climax, allowing Stanley to show that he can also shred with the best of them. Live, he plays the song on two guitars at the same time, which is not something you see every day. – Jordan Becker

17. Jake Shimabukuru – Going to California

This song plays to Led Zeppelin’s folk roots, sounding almost dainty in comparison to some of their harder rock songs. This version goes even daintier with a ukulele. Even though this cover is only instrumental, the precision plucking mixed with firm strumming, almost flamenco-style at times, gives the listener the wistfulness of the original. You provide the storyline here. Hop in the car; you’re going to California with this as the calming soundtrack. – Sara Stoudt

16. Rodrigo Y Gabriela – Stairway to Heaven

“Stairway to Heaven” has got to be the most covered Led Zeppelin song. So, for us to cover this tune, said versions of the song(s) must be exceptional. Without further ado, meet Rodrigo Y Gabriela, an acoustic guitar duo. They got their start to their career in Dublin in the early 2000s, and continue to make music today. Hailing from Mexico City, Mexico, members Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero add a virtuosic and alternative flair to every project they tackle.

As “Stairway to Heaven” progresses, the licks become something “con brio.” It’s locked-in, while simultaneously never losing the flow of artistry. It’s dynamic, with hints of Mexican folk music, classical, and prog rock peppered inside all these little licks and moments. By the time we reach the middle of the tune, Gabriela begins playing with Rodrigo, adding a fuller texture, rhythmic contrast, and a lusher dual timbre. And as for the end? It goes out not with a whimper, but with a bang! – Aleah Fitzwater

15. Sly & Robbie – Rain Song

The legendary rhythm section/production team Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare rocked as much as they reggae’d. In 2007 they released the fabulously titled tribute album Sly & Robbie Greets Led Zeppelin. The LP’s centerpiece is a cover of arguably the greatest Zeppelin ballad (no argument from me), “The Rain Song.” Unlike Robert Plant on the original, vocalist Leba Hibbert (daughter of Toots!) runs all over the field, embellishing the ominous groove with sensuous ad-libs and vocal runs, assertively claiming and coloring literally every open space. Sly (drums) and Robbie (bass) sound like the world’s sexiest metronome. Languid and utterly hypnotic, let it rain, rain, rain. – Hope Silverman

14. James Taylor Quartet – Whole Lotta Love

Led Zeppelin made their own innovative use of the Leslie speaker throughout their time, but it always sounds best when combined with a Hammond organ. The swirling sound makes a great facsimile for Robert Plant’s vocals.

JTQ appear to take their lead not from the original, but from a version by CCS (Collective Consciousness Society), a British supergroup of session musicians assembled and directed by venerable bluesman Alexis Korner. This charted as a single, which, as per their practice in the UK, Led Zeppelin never released. CCS provide a looser, spacier version of the original. Every aspiring musician in the UK in the ‘70s would be exposed to this version on a weekly basis, as the Top of the Pops theme. As the main music program in a three-TV-channel environment all people with the vaguest interest in music would know it well.

JTQ have as much fun with this as they do with all of their original and cover pieces. Fun and danceable, as Acid Jazz should be. – Mike Tobyn

13. Karen O & Trent Reznor – Immigrant Song

There’s something about the opening wail in this song that always gets me. It’s haunting and presages bad things coming. While Zeppelin were talking about Vikings, this take, from the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo soundtrack, calls up the evil. The driving drumbeat ratchets up the tension and, much like Fincher’s film, you know bad stuff is happening. While more low key than the original, the evil lurks just below the surface and burns just as hot in this version. – Luke Poling

12. Dolly Parton – Stairway to Heaven

When we’re talking Led Zeppelin, we’re talking the full band package – it’s the voice, the guitar, the drums, the song structure and stories. So how do you take a song that is considered the pinnacle of the band’s sound and do it justice with a cover? One way is to be Dolly Parton. That’s not to say every glittering cover Dolly has touched is gold, but when she nails it, she NAILS it. The acoustic accompaniment here is excellent, a little fiddle tossed in to give it that country feel that best fits Parton’s voice. But at its core, this version excels because of Parton. Her voice here, beautifully harmonized at just the right points, is heavenly. She was almost 60 when she recorded “Stairway,” and her voice was as strong as ever. This could have gone down as one of the best Led Zeppelin covers even as an acapella track, but thankfully you can listen to the full version and decide for yourself. – Mike Misch

11. Jerry Lee Lewis – Rock ‘n’ Roll

This “Rock ‘n’ Roll” is less a cover than a complete takeover, as the Killer completely consumes the polished precision of the original, regurgitating instead a haywagon of chaotic mayhem. Lyrics are personalized willy nilly, and the melody gets distilled into essence of ol’ Jerry, an impassioned honkytonk rollercoaster. Jimmy Page is actually present, supplying the by-numbers rock guitar, but it is the wonderfully haphazard piano thrashing that sticks. If there is any doubt, whatever the Zep were, Jerry is saying, THIS is rock and roll!!!
– Seuras Og

The list continues on Page 4.

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