5 of the Best Led Zeppelin Songs Without Jimmy Page Guitar Solos

Jimmy Page took center stage in Led Zeppelin. The guitarist formed the band, produced the albums, and wrote most of the songs. Oh, and his best guitar solos became legendary. But not every song had one. The best Led Zeppelin songs without a Page guitar solo include some of the band’s best.

Jimmy Page worked hard to perfect his guitar solos 

Page’s solos often seemed so effortless and passionate that they appeared to be spontaneous compositions. That was hardly the case.

Sure, he laid down the breathtaking solo for “Since I’ve Been Loving You” in one take, and it’s the best rock guitar solo ever in some estimations. Still, he labored over his “Tea For One” solo, and Page considers “Achilles Last Stand” his best solo because of the thought and work he put into it.

Page’s solos provided can’t-miss moments on Led Zeppelin songs, but some of the band’s best tunes don’t have one at all. (Presented chronologically and hardly the full list).

1. ‘Immigrant Song’

The best of Led Zeppelin’s “song” songs (tunes with “song” in the title), the lead track from Led Zeppelin III is firmly one of the best Zep tunes without a Page solo. The band never deviates from the chugging riff established at the beginning, and why would they? It added to the punk rock blueprint long before punk existed. There’s no room for a Page solo anyway. At a tidy and economical 2:26, it’s one of Led Zeppelin’s shortest songs.

2. ‘When the Levee Breaks’

“When the Levee Breaks” closes Led Zeppelin IV with a psychedelic blues dirge. John Bonham’s thudding, thundering, epic drum beat takes center stage, and the band lets him bask in it. Robert Plant flashes his underrated harmonica skills on the song, but Page refrains from taking a solo. Yes, his slide guitar comes to the forefront a few times during the song, but those passages aren’t true solos. Nor does the song need Page to take over. Led Zeppelin always understood the crucial interplay between each band member and letting each one display their talents. The band did that perfectly on “When the Levee Breaks.”

3. ‘The Rain Song’

Beatles guitarist George Harrison implored Led Zeppelin to write more ballads, and the band responded with “The Rain Song.” Harrison was completely wrong about the band’s ballad count, but the Houses of the Holy song is one of Led Zeppelin’s best songs without a Page solo. Like the first two songs on our list, a solo wouldn’t have fit the mood. Page’s delicate strumming starts “The Rain Song” in fine fashion, and the song gently builds toward an emotional climax. “The Rain Song” doesn’t need a Page solo to prove Zep had a soft side.

4. ‘Trampled Under Foot’

John Paul Jones sets the tone with a clavinet intro, the rest of the band jumps in moments later, and Led Zeppelin settles into a rocking groove that a Page solo would only interrupt. He pushes a few mini-riffs to the forefront of the mix throughout the song, but none of those are what you would call solos. Plant’s lyrics include automobile imagery to “talk about love,” and the music hums along in fifth gear for most of the runtime. It was a favorite live staple for Bonham, and it’s one of Led Zeppelin’s best songs without a solo.

5. ‘Kashmir’

“Kashmir” is last on our list but certainly not least in any other measure. Page and Plant call it the definitive Led Zeppelin song. It’s the centerpiece of an album, Physical Graffiti, that you can reasonably call their greatest. Page said the escalating central riff is the greatest he ever played. “Kashmir” is one of the best Led Zeppelin songs without a Page guitar solo. 

Indeed, spotlighting Page in any way would mar the song. It’s perfectly constructed the way it is. “Kashmir” is a grand statement, from Page’s thick main riff to the orchestral parts Jones arranged to the timeless lyrics that had Plant in tears while writing them to the steady Bonham beat that underpins it all. It’s one of the best Led Zeppelin songs, period, and it happens not to have a Page solo.

The shredding solos became drawing points, but some of Led Zeppelin’s best songs didn’t need a Jimmy Page guitar solo to make them stand out.

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