Led Zeppelin, Gallows Pole - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

[@darcianflux5750]

When the Levee Breaks - that will take you somewhere else, if you've not heard it. Absolute legends....

[@BigTimeRushFan2112]

all last night sat on the levee and moaned...

[@AlonzoTG]

Like Chicago?

[@PeterTea]

Definitely time for Levee

[@mipsungvuclam]

Ways thinking the same thing!

[@kathoney7908]

Worth it for those opening Bonham strokes alone...

[@marcelqueiroz8613]

Finally back! Led Zeppelin deserves a series too. They are one of the best rock bands that ever existed.

[@juliafox7904]

The best.

[@lshin80]

Ten Years Gone, their hidden gem. An helluva song to analyze and listen to. I strongly suggest you to listen to it! 😜

[@juliemanarin4127]

Yes!!!

[@WiserInTime]

Yes!!!!!! My favorite Zep song.

[@KellyDaye]

As a guitar player I rank the solo in that tune up with Comfortably Numb..

[@stevenorthwick2480]

What I find strange about comments like yours, which are common on all reaction videos, is that they suggest Led Zeppelin's reputation is based on a couple of deep cuts which are better than their other material, which would imply they have limitations as a band.........Zeppelin are one of those few bands who don't need to have a handful of tracks identified as worth seeking out - reactors can find their own way to discover them.

[@KellyDaye]

@@stevenorthwick2480 Ya. I know all that...I don't see where that had anything to do with my comment though..

[@lupcokotevski2907]

Led Zeppelin are essentially a roots band, based in folk and blues. I love this tune - great build up, nice surprises, and they infuse it with a combined English and American aesthetic.

[@dogsminitoy963]

Thank you for coming back to Led Zeppelin, I love very much your analysis, and especially of their songs, please continue!

[@utmanbeast8479]

Hi! Enjoy the channel. Please note when John Paul Jones comes in with the bass, the song changes immediately becoming more urgent. Then at the end when he starts the descending pentatonic riff, its pretty straight forward...BUT...then he starts messing with it. Sliding into the first note causing it to drag, adding an extra 2 notes to push. A brilliant performance by a gifted bassist. Cheers!

[@jhohiii]

JPJ going ham on the bass is otherworldly!

[@petermanzi9363]

One of their best songs. The third album was more diverse and acoustic. Underrated too. Plant's vocals great.

[@marcelqueiroz8613]

That's the way That's the way it ought to be, oh, don't you know now Mama said, mama said that's the way it's gonna stay Yeah, oh More Led Zeppelin, please! Led Zeppelin deserves a series!

[@Dale3CR]

There's a moment where the sound of what could be an electric guitar lead break or violin becomes Plant's VOICE, that absolutely SLAYS me...

[@juliafox7904]

Led Zep 111 is my favourite, it’s haunting and beautiful and transports me back the sultry summer days in the English countryside growing up with my friends.

[@transponderful]

Led Zeppelin are the most important band in Rock n Roll history.

[@pmbbmp]

How so?

[@kellylappin5944]

@@pmbbmp If you have to ask, you’ll never know.

[@alexbowman7582]

Ahead of the Beatles, Stones, Doors and Pink Floyd? No chance.

[@alexbowman7582]

I think you mean LZ where the first (Jeff Beck’s band where actually first) known band to do that kind of music and everyone jumped on them even though they’re not the best.

[@robertmccoll3569]

@@alexbowman7582I love the Doors. One of my top five favorite band. Stones? Sorry. Iconic yes. Led Zeppelin level? No. No other band can match Zeppelin.

[@manerg8171]

No other comments.. BEST BAND EVER!!!! ❤ Unrepeatable!

[@kimchandler]

❤❤❤😂❤❤❤

[@laszlovszky1234]

One of my favorites, although it's always my favorite Led Zeppelin track I'm listening to. Respect for the four geniuses, greatest band ever.

[@petermanzi9363]

Zeppelin were outstanding musicians and wrote great songs most of the time. Having just one vocalist was a limitation when comparing them to the Beatles. Beatles songs were lyrically astute and were more experimental than Zeppelin.

[@edpas007]

Me too..... except for Hot Dog lol

[@Mikeysixkiller]

The depth and complexity that LZ takes an astute listener on it absolutely crazy. The music choices, the composition, the rearrangements, taking back water music and making it the best selling of it's time, filling arenas. It's a journey I've been on for 40 years and I still hear new things. They are always surprising and taking odd turns, and it's wonderful.

[@maceofbass9295]

When the Levee Breaks, The Battle of Evermore, Bron-Yr-Aur, Black Mountain Side, Going to California.... there's a number of brilliant Zeppelin tracks that break from the harder rock mould. Gallows Pole is one of my faves of theirs.

[@djknox2]

Another gem. It is an adaptation of an old English folk song. The best live version is actually Page & Plant back in the 90s on their Unledded tour.

[@jonibz1456]

A good version from Robert Plant and The Sensational Spaces Shifters as well

[@chrisbanks6659]

Was going to suggest exactly the same too. Also with the great Michael Lee (RIP) on drums AND I believe there's a Hurdy Gurdy involved 😄

[@zeppelinmexicano]

I don't remember any banjo involvement during the 1990s versions. Banjo almost turns it into an American bluegrass sound, and is quite distinctive. I would vote for the banjo version, but I did stand up and cheer for the other versions live at Boston Garden. Whatever they did turned out right, with or without orchestra, bells and whistles, etc.

[@djknox2]

@@jonibz1456 That one is quite different. Because I love the song so much I did enjoy it - Plant's vocals are quite good. But I don't believe it improves on the song the way Page & Plant did. Great song all around however.

[@djknox2]

@@chrisbanks6659 You bet! I attended concerts in that tour 3 times! Twice in Toronto and once in Osaka while on a business trip. Cost me a sh*tload to get scalpers tickets in Tokyo and the bullet train to Osaka. That was a magical time when Page & Plant released that LP reinterpreting many Zep greats.

[@LeeKennison]

It is always great to have you return to my favorite rock band of all time. This is another great one from their many great songs you have yet to hear. I'd love to see a Led Zeppelin 50 series when you finish the Queen 50. Great background info, including the tie to Lead Belly. An age old folk type story of corrupt justice found in songs, literature and real life over the centuries. I liked the way you described the opening guitar as flowing in waves of intensity, corresponding to his hope rising and then subsiding. I enjoyed all your commentary on it, including on how Plant's voice really expresses the fear and desperation, along with your comments on Led Zeppelin's music in general. Great reaction!

[@redpine8665]

That's a mandolin playing alongside the acoustic guitar throughout. The banjo only comes in later, exactly when the drums do.

[@seajaytea9340]

Their sound as a band is diverse, but Plant's voice is so distinctive!

[@falconquest2068]

Arguably the best voice in all of Rock & Roll.

[@feminist5641]

One of my favorite Zep songs! I love the buildup on this song to the end which completely rocks! You will continue to be surprised by Led Zeppelin as they come at you with different styles and genres on most of their songs.

[@grahamokeefe9406]

This song is a great argument for not using click tracks (metronome) in recording. The tempo seems to move around a bit, but it suits the song.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

I agree

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

No band back then used that

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@JulioLeonFandinho that’s true. Click tracks killed rock.

[@grahamokeefe9406]

@@Hartlor_Tayley Eh, it kind of depends. Early Metallica used a lot of abrupt tempo shifts, and they'd spend weeks building out the click tracks for them. The arrangements would have been impossible without them. So in a case like that, I'd say they're useful. Like a lot of technological things, they can be a great aid, but they get overused and become a straitjacket.

[@PeterTea]

The tempo speeds up slowly, like Stairway to Heaven.

[@Upe-f9c]

Led Zeppelin will always take you on a great trip, so diversed, so talented.

[@falconquest2068]

Yes, think of The Rain Song.

[@smirkingguru]

This album is often dismissed for not having the "Punch" of their previous two albums. For me their best album. I remember receiving this record as a Christmas present from my parents just after it was released. this is my favorite song on the album Thank you,Amy. Chuck Reed

[@mitchellbeston1033]

I don't like saying i have a favourite Zeppelin album but 3 has a special place for me. I started with LZ4, then went back to 1 & 2 before hearing 3. I love the acoustic style of this album and it has "Since i've been loving you" on it. I find the Houses of the Holy album to be similarly up there

[@omni379]

This song is a great example of the “light and shade” element found in so much of Led Zeppelin’s work. The song starts off light, builds and builds, then climaxes, then eases off. It’s a quality that Led Zeppelin really used well to add a 3d element to their music. Glad you liked it!

[@markdrechsler5660]

My favorite song from LZIII. Just before forming LZ, Page was kicking around the idea of forming a group similar to Pentangle, a pioneering band fusing English folk music with jazz, Americana, Indian, and classical elements, using mostly acoustic instruments. I wonder if Page’s band would have evolved into something like this. The arrangement is amazing. PS: You should listen to Pentangle. Full of excellent musicians, great arrangements, and quite popular and influential from about 68-72.

[@verity231]

So glad you've returned to Led Zeppelin! This is a great song and I love how you've noticed the shift from more traditional folk arrangement to the rural America part. Both of these genres are the bedrock of Led Zeppelin music. You should definitely consider listening to The Battle Of Evermore if you want some more of the folk+ kind of thing and to When The Levee Breaks or In My Time Of Dying for the American angle.

[@astroteech]

I love your analysis and interpretation. I was listening to this in high school at the time it came out, having been raised by a musician mother who had all her sons learn to play an instrument. I'm a Led Zeppelin fan for life. Their music always brings me joy. I'm 67.

[@alexguitar841]

I've always loved music that makes me feel like I'm being taken on a journey to some far away land I've never been. Led Zeppelin does this better than anyone.

[@lynby6231]

Especially Kashmir

[@dennish.7708]

Kashmir, or even Over the Hills etc…

[@arphod]

Or Battle of Evermore.

[@DanCrescenzo]

Many bands have talent, skill, creativity, or amazing delivery. But Led Zeppelin had them all, which is why they are legendary. You got the delivery - the emotion and position of the song historically, betree than most peoplle ive known who have listened to it. I think on some level, you do get Led Zeppelin. Ypu are in for a treat!!!

[@ChrisLegner-qp1yh]

Great choice. This one is a fine example of a unique quality that Zep possessed. Even their acoustic tracks had a hard to describe hint of heaviness and mystery to them.

[@tektoniks_architects]

Atmospheric....that's Zeppelin. Really fun live versions of this out there in cyber-space. Also consider: Rain Song, Fool In The Rain, Ten Years Gone, In The Light. Could name two dozen more of their songs, each distinctly atmospheric. Great analysis.

[@douglasb5046]

This lady exudes sophistication!!

[@rafthejaf8789]

Which is a sophisticated way of saying you fancy her. 😁

[@douglasb5046]

@@rafthejaf8789 yup!!!

[@rafthejaf8789]

@@douglasb5046 I can see why! 😅

[@rollingstoneworks3183]

I’ve been pulled over twice with this blaring on the radio…when that drum/mandolin kicks, my foot goes right down…

[@StaceyWatson-e2q]

Funny how the driving beat makes our foot push that excelerator down!

[@The-Saxon]

There are just so many great songs from Led Zep, but this has always been one of my all time favourites. It epitomises the versatility of these four incredible musicians

[@deividasprunskas6689]

Rain Song next please ;)

[@r.plante2916]

YES

[@wolfingfly]

THIS

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Thanks Amy. Loved it

[@shanedorr2236]

Your facial expressions were amazing during this video,a mix of wonder and glee,a joy to watch a 'newbie' hear a legendary rock band!!!!!!

[@DalePotter-v7c]

They are great storyteller's that can transport you back in time!! you can close your eyes listen and be in the time of knights and castles and princesses !! be in the presence of a people that existed long ago in places we can only imagine!!! I'm 68 seen them twice and still can't describe how they made me feel then and now!! 😲😔✌️😎

[@billpo]

What a great analysis of this song…

[@bowtiefidenine]

I’m a Led Zeppelin fan since 1969 No Quarter and Tea for one are two great songs for showing their diversity ❤

[@davidschecter5247]

Never looked at the song this way before. Now I always will!

[@nicholasbell9017]

How a piece of music can take you to some imaginary place and time, is incredible. You think of a dusty wild West town, I am in Thomas Hardy's Dorset, and many years earlier. But, hey, what a beast of a song! The bass! And the drums, those double beats on the kick drum, no double pedals. Creatively, this band was right out there.

[@WindmillChef]

Led Zeppelin is criticized by some for Led Zeppelin 3 containing too much acoustic music but this is pure genius in a class by itself. Amy, I hope that by the time you retire this channel you will have covered every Led Zeppelin song. Thanks

[@of6594]

Throughout their 12 year long existence Led Zeppelin took us on quite a journey, and the first album is quite different from the last, but I have favourites from both ends. Twelve favourite tracks: Achilles last Stand No quarter Ten years gone In the light The Rover The song remains the same The battle of evermore Over the hills and far away Misty mountain hop Dazed and confused Carouselambra Celebration day Yes, I know some well known tracks are missing. I could easily have picked 25 tracks. I intended to pick 10 but ended up with 12 /Ola

[@keeferdog5617]

I saw Zep the summer of ‘77 at the LA Forum. They played 5 sold out nights. My show was the night a VERY DRUNK Keith Moon came on stage. To this day “the best concert I’ve ever seen”…welcome to the party!

[@sumitamishra5160]

So much musical variety in one band !! Incredible ❤

[@prisonersforprofit]

love this song, love its dark traditional folk roots, of course led zeppelin is renowned for their ability to transform old blues/folk music into an amazingly nuanced and heavier music. robert plants vocals are amazing. really enjoy your interpretations. something else in the same vein you might enjoy, "pretty polly" by katiejane garside, also english, it might have been a single, it was while she was in the band queenadreena.

[@duanedelperdang1749]

Led Zeppelin was so f'n great! So glad I grew up through their catalog as it was released. That feeling of the anticipation of the next Zep album is something that has never left me.

[@andrewhellman7034]

Bravo. An exceptional and insightful critique. You get it 👍

[@innercircle341]

Yes it's in the English folk tradition. And we English appreciate it. Many non-Brits don't get it and decry it because it's "not rock". And YEs it goes to the Wild West... I love this entire album and I recommend you listen to the entire album in one sitting. The album has personality and is not just a sequence of tracks. I am certain you will love it precisely because you are not wedded to "rock" music only

[@lynby6231]

Yeah this is probably their folkiest album, (apart from “Since I’ve been lovin’ you” and “Immigrant song”)

[@johnburns3703]

Wonderful love your reactions.

[@zachramsden9549]

I think you would really really dig The Rain Song. I would love to see your reaction to that one! My favorite and in my opinion, their most beautiful song.

[@petermastronardi6641]

Great Band saw them 2 time's back to back nights in 1978.

[@micahcunningham6812]

One of my favorite deep tracks of Zeppelin’s

[@LoriCollis]

For Your Life! One of my fav Zep tunes!

[@jay-remedy-plz]

Probably my favorite song from them alongside Good Times Bad Times. 🎉

[@Ztandard32]

great music to listen to.

[@rioriggs3568]

What a song!

[@martinconnelly1473]

They also did this with a hurdy gurdy in the instrument line up a few times.

[@ryanmercer600]

A Masterpiece

[@jakeenan]

The guitar in the beginning part of the song was the recording from the cottage they were staying in. You can hear the fire crackling in the background.....and then for the song to end up where it did is a stunning journey of arrangement.

[@joaolucasgomes3033]

I recommend That's The Way, another acoustic masterpiece by Led Zeppelin with beautiful lyrics.

[@tgmcface]

Thank you, love this song.

[@daledeimel1833]

The old world brought to the new world. What a great Reaction.

[@JSchroederee]

I've heard this song so many times, i own the album, but it's a fair question if I've ever "listened" to it. I love that reaction videos get me to take a step back and listen to songs i love with a new ear. ❤

[@StefanEngler-rb8lu]

This song is just so…so…yeah! 🤘

[@kathoney7908]

I remember reading that Page said that rock and roll was simply amplified folk music -- and I thought that was such an interesting observation. Zeppelin built their sound on a foundation of American blues -- a lot of early UK rock bands were smitten with American roots music -- but of course there are elements of their homeland too -- english history, class divides, etc. Rock and roll was long despised by the upper class while enthusiastically embraced by the "folk"...

[@danw2276]

they are the best band ever assembled.

[@orohyuno]

My favorite song from Led Zeppelin is Achilles Last Stand. I hope you get to hear it someday!

[@WhiteNacho]

This is my top fave Zep song.

[@peterliljeholmen5703]

Here we go, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, more of those bands please!

[@WilliamofKent]

I really enjoy your impressions and analysis - outstanding! Thank you.

[@billywitwhistle202]

From London to Mordor with Middle-Earth always on my mind and the Shire in my heart

[@koronakike1205]

This trad. track has an occult meaning. One of the reasons that's Pagey's favourite! :) Imagine 18th Century Victorian England, of Dickens, Disraeli, Rothschild and debtors' prisons. Actually, the "Gallows Pole" is a metaphor for the "May Pole Festival"(in springtime, which is connected to the "Resurrection" of Nature). The begging sentenced doomed soul could not find any help brought in gold and silver for keeping it from the wrath of jury's hangman execution : the body was hanged on the Gollows Pole, but the soul was released joining the jolly festival of the May Pole rejoicing the freedom of madness of merry-go-round: the body was not freed, swinging on the Gallows Pole, but the soul finally was - swinging on the May Pole: "Now I laugh and pull so hard swinging on the Gallows Pole". The same occult connotation Robert's lyrics made in the "Stairway To Heaven" by "the springclean for the May-Queen"(the same festival of the May-pole's hustle and bustle);

[@armadillotoe]

Thank you.

[@joshmontgomery4040]

Love your channel ❤ Good stuff! 😊

[@wayhip]

A large amount of American FOlk Music is rooted in UK folk music.

[@eggnogfrog]

This album is one of the best ever. One of the five I could have on a desert Island.

[@daveheesen9174]

30 or 40 years ago I was watching a late night movie...think it was "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"...a street performer in the square was singing this song...a movie made in the 30s about something a couple centuries ago and the song was recognisable

[@mikeconway9849]

Great reaction, Amy! I was never aware of the history of the song so I always assumed this was about the old west.

[@BigTimeRushFan2112]

Now this is what I'm talking about! Getting the Led out!

[@adamclark6756]

I saw Robert Plant performing this earlier this year. It is quite often in his set when he is doing a bluesy set.

[@terrykennedy-lares8840]

Much more than other bands of the era, Led Zeppelin explored musically while still keeping their blues roots intact. I loved your astute description of that last part as "gold rush" west. You nailed it! Interestingly, Their Third Album irritated a lot of their fans who were so used to their more heavy metal/ blues style in Albums 1 and 2, which I don't believe you have explored yet. Album 3 with its folksy spin shocked their fans. I believe the only song that hit the air waves on that Album was The Immigrant Song, but I loved their take on "The Gallows Pole". If you continue to explore Led Zeppelin, you will find a wealth of different genre's and styles within what they did, because as I mentioned before they loved exploring music.

[@Chefticles]

What I've always found amazing about Led Zepplin is their ability to take, what is a very American sound and turn it into something incredible. Led Zepplin were formed in the West Midlands England a very industrial part of England, they took that sound out of the 'Black country' and dominated the Album charts of the 70's globally...Quite an achievement!

[@LtJackboot]

1st Zeppelin song I ever heard.

[@iantreefellow]

Page and Plant & friends did a great version in their 'reunion' tour in the 90's which includes a hurdy-gurdy - really worthwhile listening to.

[@Stopcolonizinglebanon]

. PS. All Zeppelin's early stuff was legend but oh Tangerine......Tangerine. My first love dawned to that tune.

[@altair8598]

Led Zep were one of the British bands (and artists like Eric Clapton) who loved the blues and reintroduced it to the mainstream in the US. Not that this track is blues but it was part of the package. Enjoying you do this reaction it made me revisit your analysis of Kashmir, Since I've Been Loving You and Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. All interesting!

[@josephbadura5390]

Led Zeppelin 3 was their finest album. Showed just how much more than a rock band they are.

[@AdmiringBear-nh5yu]

One of the BEST Rock and Roll bands ever

[@Vadik-r2b]

Brilliant!

[@verginithe]

Fantastic analysis, your best one for Zep! Keep Zep coming

[@hippydippy]

Interesting perspective. Zep lll is my favorite album by them.

[@LauraComstock]

The Rain song Madison Square Garden. Beautiful!

[@LiadMalone]

Every time I listen to this song I hope that the electric guitar solo will keep on going for just a little while longer.

[@stephenpeterson6676]

God i want to hear that guitar solo by itself, it’s some of my favorite work page has ever done on an album, that TONE is so damn good

[@lw3918]

Great lyrics.

[@michaelmiller4606]

Best Band, Ever!

[@darkelfling65]

The ending part has a drive that always reminded me of the old steam locomotives and the whole puffing of the engine.

[@danielfox6907]

Always an insightful interpretation.

[@vgovger4373]

I enjoy listening to Amy, the Eleanor Roosevelt of music reviews...

[@jmason61]

Love the video! I was a child when my older brother started playing this LP & I remember realizing that this was about gold coins & somebody being hanged to death!