Most Epic Rock Songs Ever (Revised)

This is the compendium of the most epic rock and metal songs ever! No other lists matter. This is the list.

Note: For all of you idiots out there, epic does not necessarily mean badass or cool, or some other quality found in a "good" song. Epic is grand is scope -- it is a song that takes you on a journey.

Legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple; Rainbow).

His bands make two appearances on this list.

20) Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas
19) You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth by Meat Loaf 
18) Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf 
17) I'd Do Anything For Love by Meat Loaf
16) Love, Reign O'er Me by The Who

15) Baba O'Riley by The Who (suggestion made by Eric Sedler)

14) Paradise City by Guns 'N' Roses (suggestion made by Dan Blum and Eric Sedler)
13) One by Metallica
12) Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
11) Fade to Black by Metallica
10) Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Iron Maiden
9) Civil War by Guns 'N' Roses
8) Mistreated by Ritchie Blackmore/Rainbow
7) Estranged by Guns 'N' Roses
6) Victim of Changes by Judas Priest
5) 2112 by Rush

2112 (The Opening)

As the song is 20+ minutes I just posted the opening part here.

It would have been higher if it played like one song, but instead

it plays more like 5-6 linked songs.

4) Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin

Stairway to Heaven

It would have a higher score if it's build-up was shorter.

3) Child in Time by Deep Purple

Child in Time

Epic epic song, it has a good build up and nice crescendo.
It would have beat November Rain if Ian Gillan's voice
was less squealy.

2) November Rain by Guns 'N' Roses

November Rain

Beautiful/weird music video, and epic Slash playing on guitar.
Perfect mix of vocals and piano.

1) Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Free Bird

The studio version is better (with the organ). Only organ beats piano,

just like rock beats scissors, just like the North beat the south.

Most Mentions
1) Guns 'N' Roses (with 4 songs)
2) Meat Loaf (with 3)
3) Ritchie Blackmore (with 2 (1 in Deep Purple, 1 in Rainbow))
4) The Who (with 2)
5) Metallica (with 2)

If you think your list is better -- don't care -- suck it.

Notable Mentions: 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson), The Ballad of Billy the Kid (Billy Joel), Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden), Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath), Rainbow in the Dark (Dio), Paradise by the Dashboard Light (Meat Loaf), Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin), The End (The Doors).

Uriah Heep: The Forgotten Band

Uriah Heep. You may have never heard of them. I hadn't until earlier this year. I was really confused, I thought I knew most of the rock bands worth knowing, and then BOOM, it hits me... I know nothing! My world hath been rocked, Maiden save me!

"The Wizard" off of 1972's Demons and Wizards

(I'm glad mustaches went out of style)

Uriah Heep was a well known progressive rock band in the 1970's. They were something like a mix of King Crimson and RUSH, but they are certainly their own beast. There was at least one tour where RUSH opened for them, in RUSH's early days.

In fact, their first album was released in 1970, entitled Very 'eavy... Very 'umble. They followed up in 1971 with Salisbury which is more solidly progressive rock. The self-titled song from that album is freggin' epic, check it out. They released Look at Yourself in 1971, which included one of my favorite songs by them -- July Morning.

Uriah Heep made 12 albums between 1970 and 1979 -- which is an awesome amount of work. They played contemporaneously with the greats: Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zep, Priest, RUSH. It's too bad they couldn't turn it to 11, for they will always be stuck on 10.

By the time 1980 rolled around their popularity waned, and children across the world wept, with their parents never knowing the true reason. However, they left a mega-epic legacy on the bands forming in the late 1970's. I could never put them in the category of heavy metal founding fathers... but they were one of those bands that you know influenced bands that influenced bands that I care about. And for me, that is enough. I thank you.

I guess everyone in the 70's was hairy as shit.

P.S. Uriah Heep still plays in Germany and Scandinavia, if you feel like a very weird vacation.