Happened to hear these songs back to back on Sirius Classic Vinyl this weekened. We've all heard both too many times too count.

Which is greater?

I'll throw the first punch and say Freebird > Stairway. Also Skynyrd's debut > Zeppelin's.

i prefer stairway to freebird. freebird is solid until the solo, which is kinda charming, but it really bores the fuck outta me. i might be bored w/ stairway b/c i know it like the back of my hand, but at least its still a fairly engaging song throughout it's 7 minutes in that no part overstays its welcome (unlike the 8000 min solo in freebird that plays the same lick over and over and over again).

I've always found Skynyrd to be tedious, nigh-unlistenable sludge, so I'll take Zep, though "Neither" would have been closer to my true feeling.

This thread reeks of hipster. Any "which of these is less cool" threads aren't worth anyone's time.

Freeeeeeeeeeeebird!

why isn't there a third choice for "Undercover Angel"?

Picked Satirway though Freebird's no slouch.

'Stairway...' by default of 'Freebird' being terrible.

I will never, ever tire of "Freebird." I like both, but "Freebird" gets my vote.

I like both of these songs. Maybe because I don't listen to the radio they haven't been 'played out' for me. The edge goes to Stairway though because like Hans said Freebird drags during the last section. Whereas Stairway is interesting from the first note to the last.

Oh, and I can't believe that no one has slammed the OP for saying that Skynyrd's debut is better than Zeppelin. That's just insanely wrong.

Both awesome. Stairway slightly awesomer.

Can't bear listening to either of them any more.

It's amazing to me that some of you can't stand the guitar outro to Freebird. Maybe it's a matter of poptimists vs. rockists, who knows. But that outro is the only part of either song worth listening to.

Really can't deal with either at this point.

I can skip ahead to the full-band part of "Stairway" and enjoy the remainder. I can enjoy "Free Bird" only by leaving the room when it's on.

There are gobs of songs more overplayed than these two.

I hear "Rock and Roll" and "Heartbreaker" about 10 times more often on classic rock radio than "Stairway."

"More Than A Feeling" by Boston.

Stairway is still the most played song of all time, right?

^ this

Skynyrd was a great band but Freebird sucks.

The solo is the thing, of course, but what drags about it, is that it doesnt' really sound like a solo at all, more like a bunch of riff exercises. As much as I love it, it has no real flow. And nowhere near the flow that master Page puts into every note he touches.

I love Skynyrd, but you do realize that Zep paved the way for every 70's rock band with long guitar solos, right?

And by the way, if you've never sat and read any/all of Plant's lyrics, then you're missing about 25% of Zeppelin's artistry.

Simple Man and Tuesday's Gone probably have even better lyrics that Freebird.

Really? He's always seemed like the weak link to me.

Fantastic lyrics.

Stairway just absolutely trounces Freebird. Freebird grates. The trick to overplayed rock tunes is to change the fucking dial on the station when they come on and to listen to them at your leisure. Rolling a j doesn't hurt either.

Does every one of these "which one is better" threads degenerate into "which one is the all-time worst"?

If someone could link me to one that didn't, I'd appreciate it.

I'm not sure this is what's happening?

It's kind of impossible for me to choose between these, but as much as I loved "Stairway" as a kid and as much as I've offhandedly considered "Freebird" to be a joke for most of my life, I actually still like parts of "Freebird", especially the beginning.

And I agree that Skynyrd's debut is better than Zeppelin's. Who care who's more important, the first Zeppelin album is really tedious aside from about 3 songs.

You know there are great guitar slingers in Skynyrd, but Zeppelin has master musicians filling every slot.

I would agree with this if lyrics were the only (or most) important aspect of being a vocalist. I like his voice.

Yeah, I mean sure, Zeppelin's a way better band overall. But this is about one song versus another, and then one debut versus another.

Could this be used as an argument against their sound if I feel their influence was largely negative and inspired a lot of bad music? It only seems fair.

From the linear notes from Skynyrd's "One More From the Road" I believe its Dave Marsh quoting Pete Townsend "Those guys can play." Zep had one gifted guitarist...Skynyrd had three gifted guitarist. Ronnie and the boys worked real hard to become an American icon just try "Call Me the Breeze" from the Al Kooper produced "Second Helping" you gotta love the sparks coming off the three guitar attack.

The argument drifted into band v band, instead song v song, so I was just following suit.

Underselling Page just slightly here. While Skynyrd had talent, Page is on another level.

It really has nothing to do with the number of players nor with their talent. It's what you do with them. Skynyrd had three guitarists and yet their best material never equaled the Allman Brothers' most mediocre. Most of those early 70s prog rock bands were made up of virtuosos yet the best they could do was ape classical compositions from three centuries previous.

It don't mean shit if it ain't got a riff. Or melody, hook, or halfway compelling lyrics.

Page pretty much grew up in the studio...Collins, Rossington, taught each other...King did have some experience...Gaines was at the right place at the right time. Both bands gimmick was the MUSIC.

The trouble with that logic is these are ultimately songs. In that sense, melody and emotional impact are king. Page used his guitar in a way that best served the purpose of the song, which is in the end the ultimate goal. This is what separates him from other technically skilled guitarists of the time. If you practice hard enough you can be a great guitar player. If you practice hard enough, you won't become a great guitar player who writes great songs.

I disagree completely. I'll let you make my point for me with the rest of your post:



The Allman Brothers had 20-to-30-minute hookless jams with negligible lyrics. "Free Bird" was Skynyrd's big epic at a mere 9 minutes. Most of their songs trafficked in hooks and memorable lines (and I'm thinking mainly about their first couple of albums here, not post-plane-crash stuff), and they were lean and punchy. How in the hell are you going to compare Skynyrd to wanky prog and then go champion the Allman Brothers as a better alternative?

You're obviously a moron. The Allman's longest jam, "Mountain Jam," is based on Donovan's "First There is a Mountain" - it references that melody over and over, circling back to it every few minutes before launching back into jam. "You Don't Love Me/Soul Serenade" - same deal. There's not an Allman jam not built from a melodic groove.

lol

Well it's a matter of opinion which band has "better" hooks, but to say that Skynyrd didn't have melodies or hooks is equally moronic if not more so.

Just because a song is "built on" a melodic refrain doesn't mean it has an effective hook, especially if the song is centered more around soloing along a general groove. I mean it has a melody, sure. I wasn't saying it was atonal or dissonant. Genesis had melodies, too, you know. So does jazz. Would we say those things have hooks in the pop music sense? Occasionally. "Mountain Jam"'s hook -or potential for a hook - is consistently countered by the constant improvising and slight alterations of the refrain. And it overstays the hell out of its welcome.

Look I don't hate the Allman Brothers or anything or really dislike them. But in a battle of hooks, it's not really a contest. Of course, just like I said before, I'm sure I'm wasting my time trying to reason with someone who's going to call Lynyrd Skynyrd wanky or compare them - somehow - to prog and then turn around and champion the fucking Allman Brothers as a better alternative. I mean if there's any '70s rock band that was doing a similar thing to Lynyrd Skynyrd but with less hooks and more meandering guitar wankery, it was the motherfucking Allman Brothers. Period.

And fuck, I don't even really like Lynyrd Skynyrd very much. It's just that the fundamental difference between them and the Allman Brothers is just that their songs are punchier and catchier.

But to make your argument, you've had to subvert/ignore the original point, which was that: a three guitar attack has nothing on what the Allmans did with two, and that virtuoso musicians doesn't necessarily equate to great music. Genesis is a perfect example. Virtuosity? Yes. Great songs? Not so much, no.

Skynyrd went with three guitars b/c they were very conscious of competition with the Allmans. I believe they lose that competition - their best songs don't measure up to the Allman Brothers'.

Perhaps I should have been more clear: Some have asserted that Zeppelin's the better band b/c they had more skilled players. But skill isn't the question. Great songs are. Zeppelin wrote great songs and played with virtuosity. Many of the prog rock groups of the same era had all kinds of chops, but who walks around humming King Crimson?

Not comparing the Allmans to prog rock.

Well I've hummed a little King Crimson here and there, but I agree with your broader point.

I wouldn't really compare the Allmans with prog, either, but I was just saying that they had more in common with it than Lynyrd Skynyrd, primarily with the jazz influence.

"In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" certainly skirts the border.

[quote name='superhersh2002' date='Apr 1 2010, 05:21 PM' post='950371']
From the linear notes from Skynyrd's "One More From the Road" I believe its Dave Marsh quoting Pete Townsend "Those guys can play."

Had the pleasure of seeing Skynrd open for the Who on the Quadraphenia tour --- with Keith Moon there too!! What an awesome show -- probably the only show I ever saw where they smoked a joint while playing a song (Skynrd that is)

I'd choose Stairway over Freebird. -- I always liked what was probably considered one of their weaker albums "Gimme Back My Bullets" where they only had two guitarists. I liked Ronnie Van Zant's singing -- he seemed to have a down to earth quality that I liked -- Ed King was a great guitarist too, even though he wasn't in the band too long.