It’s the hard, fast stuff from Zeppelin that I love the most. But I always admired how the band slowed it down with craft for this third track on IV, sandwiched between the monster hits. “The Battle of Evermore” proved that they could excel without Page’s riffs. Without Bonzo’s thunderous beats. Without Plant’s signature howl. It’s like they took away their best elements to see what they could still come up with. “Evermore” would easily be the best song for many other bands. Even on an album packed with epic hard rock anthems, “The Battle of Evermore” was still too hard to overlook. Too hard to skip—on cassette, LP, CD, or however your ears took it in.

“Waiting for the eastern glow. The apples of the valley hold. The seas of happiness. The ground is rich from tender care. Repay, do not forget, no, no. Oh, dance in the dark of night. Sing to the morning light.”