Compiling such a finite list presents tough choices for anyone, as the band’s recorded output of great music during its heyday was impressively prolific by any standard and includes well over 50 gems.

There are lots of mystical and moving metaphors to be found in Led Zeppelin songs, but when Robert Plant sang about coming from the land of ice and snow in “Immigrant Song,” he meant it literally.

For a band that helped kick-start hard rock and heavy metal, Led Zeppelin’s most famous song is the power ballad “Stairway to Heaven.” Still, Jimmy Page’s guitar riffs, John Bonham’s thundering drums, ...