200 Greatest Epic Rock Songs

Criteria: Influence, Impact, Reputation, Popularity after release, Overlasting popularity, Composition, Song length, Variety, Uniqueness, Technical ability shown, and Difficulty to play.

What makes an epic song?
- Requires at least 5 minutes length.
- Versatile composition featuring time changes, unique instruments and sounds, etc.
- (Usually) Instrumental solos or versatile vocals.
- Lyrics and song themes, emotional topics.


Last Updated: 2011-01-25
Greatest Epic Rock Songs
  1. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
  2. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
  3. Child in Time - Deep Purple
  4. Desolation Row - Bob Dylan
  5. A Day in the Life - The Beatles
  6. Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd
  7. Hotel California - Eagles
  8. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
  9. The End - The Doors
10. Layla - Derek and the Dominos
11. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
12. Love Reign O'er Me - The Who
13. American Pie - Don McLean
14. Victim of Changes - Judas Priest
15. War Pigs - Black Sabbath
16. 2112 - Rush
17. 21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson
18. Master of Puppets - Metallica
19. Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden
20. November Rain - Guns N' Roses
21. Close to the Edge - Yes
22. Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
23. Supper's Ready - Genesis
24. Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
25. Karn Evil 9 - Emerson, Lake and Palmer
26. Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen
27. Madame George - Van Morrison
28. Firth of Fifth - Genesis
29. Sister Ray - The Velvet Underground
30. Xanadu - Rush
31. I Want You (She's So Heavy) - The Beatles
32. Evie - Stevie Wright
33. Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf
34. Sympathy with the Devils - The Rolling Stone
35. Echoes - Pink Floyd
36. Cortez the Killer - Neil Young
37. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
38. Stargazer - Rainbow
39. Paranoid Android - Radiohead
40. Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull
41. When the Music's Over - The Doors
42. Abbey Road Medley - The Beatles
43. The Rolling Stones - Midnight Rambler
44. 1983...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be) - Jimi Hendrix Experience
45. That's It for the Other One - Grateful Dead
46. The Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
47. Question - The Moody Blues
48. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleedingn - Elton Joh
49. Tarkus - Emerson, Lake and Palmer
50. Starship Trooper - Yes
51. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands - Bob Dylan
52. Pull Me Under - Dream Theater
53. I Am the Resurrection - The Stone Roses
54. Cygnus X-1 - Rush
55. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
56. MacArthur Park - Richard Harris
57. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
58. One - Metallica
59. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills & Nash
60. Time - Pink Floyd
61. Keeper of the Seven Keys - Helloween
62. Foreplay/Long Time - Boston
63. Living for the City - Stevie Wonder
64. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) - Metallica
65. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
66. Green Grass and High Tides - The Outlaws
67. Cemetery Gates - Pantera
68. Paradise by the Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf
69. Purple Rain - Prince
70. Rooster - Alice in Chains
71. Three Days - Jane's Addiction
72. Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac
73. Down by the River - Neil Young
74. Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
75. Holy Wars...The Punishment Due - Megadeth
76. Magnum Opus - Kansas
77. We the People Who are Darker than Blue - Curtis Mayfield
78. Baba O'Riley - The Who
79. Powerslave - Iron Maiden
80. Achilles Last Stand - Led Zeppelin
81. Iron Man - Black Sabbath
82. A Change of Seasons - Dream Theater
83. Christian Woman - Type O Negative
84. Stan - Eminem
85. Gates of Babylon - Rainbow
86. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel
87. High Hopes - Pink Floyd
88. Heaven and Hell - Black Sabbath
89. Innuendo - Queen
90. Dry County - Bon Jovi
91. Gates of Valhalla - Manowar
92. Ghost Love Score - Nightwish
93. Estranged - Guns N' Roses
94. Ænema - Tool
95. Lizard - King Crimson
96. For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) - AC/DC
97. The Prophet's Song - Queen
98. Megalomaniah - Black Sabbat
99. Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
100. Champagne Supernova - Oasis


101. Knights of Cydonia - Muse
102. Loaded - Primal Scream
103. Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Iron Maiden
104. Cassandra Gemini - The Mars Volta
105. Fade to Black - Metallica
106. New Potato-Caboose - Grateful Dead
107. Soma - The Smashing Pumpkins
108. Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All) - Type O Negative
109. Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
110. Whipping Post - The Allman Brothers Band
111. Band on the Run - Wings
112. Land - Patti Smith
113. Trilogy - Sonic Youth
114. Floods - Pantera
115. Heart of the Sunrise - Yes
116. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda - The Pogues
117. Dancing with the Moonlight Kit - Genesis
118. Heroin - The Velvet Underground
119. You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones
120. Who Are You - The Who
121. Forever Autumn - Jeff Wayne
122. We're in This Together - Nine Inch Nails
123. Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts - Manowar
124. Oh Comely - Neutral Milk Hotel
125. Still Loving You - Scorpions
126. In My Darkest Hour - Megadeth
127. Tunnel of Love - Dire Straits
128. Willie the Pimp - Frank Zappa
129. Love Is Like Oxygen - Sweet
130. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler
131. Wake Up - Rage Against the Machine
132. B-Boy Bouillabaisse - Beastie Boys
133. Who Wants to Live Forever - Queen
134. I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meat Loaf
135. Jizzlober - Faith No More
136. Come Sail Away - Styx
137. L'Via L'Viaquez - The Mars Volta
138. Larks' Tongues in Aspic - King Crimson
139. Eulogy - Tool
140. Halo of Flies - Alice Cooper
141. Phantom of the Opera - Iron Maiden
142. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin
143. Beyond the Realms of Death - Judas Priest
144. The Unforgiven - Metallica
145. Atom Heart Mother - Pink Floyd
146. Black Sabbath - Into the Void
147. New Year's Day - U2
148. No Quarter - Led Zeppelin
149. Under a Glass Moon - Dream Theater
150. A Quick One, While He's Away - The Who
151. Black Juju - Alice Cooper
152. Juicy - The Notorious B.I.G.
153. Dogs - Pink Floyd
154. Suite Sister Mary - Queensrÿche
155. Freedom - Rage Against the Machine
156. Jesus Christ Pose - Soundgarden
157. Trapped in the Closet - R. Kelly
158. Billy the Mountain - The Mothers of Invention
159. Fear of the Dark - Iron Maiden
160. Jesus of Suburbia - Green Day
161. No More Pain - 2Pac
162. Black Rose Immortal - Opeth
163. Don't Fear (The Reaper) - Blue Öyster Cult
164. Civil War - Guns N' Roses
165. Art of Life - X-Japan
166. Wherever I May Roam - Metallica
167. April - Deep Purple
168. Pictures of a City - King Crimson
169. Worn Down Piano - Mark & Clark Band
170. Earth Song - Michael Jackson
171. Arriving Somewhere but Not Here - Porcupine Tree
172. Alexander the Great - Iron Maiden
173. No More Tears - Ozzy Osbourne
174. Lateralus - Tool
175. The Divine Wings of Tragedy - Symphony X
176. Lady Fantasy - Camel
177. Grendel - Marillion
178. Doctor Jimmy - The Who
179. I'm Mandy Fly Me - 10cc
180. The Adventures of Greggery Peccary - Frank Zappa
181. Still of the Night - Whitesnake
182. Tupelo Honey - Van Morrison
183. Gone - Kanye West
184. Come Together - Primal Scream
185. Dopesmoker - Sleep
186. Octavarium - Dream Theater
187. Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness - Rhapsody of Fire
188. Breaking into Heaven - The Stone Roses
189. Roads to Madness - Queensrÿche
190. I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home - Grand Funk Railroad
191. Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy) - Roger Hodgson
192. Godless - Danzig
193. Marathon - Rush
194. The Road to Hell - Chris Rea
195. Cowgirl in the Sand - Neil Young
196. King for a Day - Faith No More
197. Moment of Surrender - U2
198. Kim - Eminem
199. Marquee Moon - Television
200. Coma - Guns N' Roses

Bohemian Rhapsody, Stairway to Heaven single sleeves







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10 Greatest Rock Epic Albums:
1. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
2. Wish You Were Here -Pink Floyd
3. A Night at the Opera - Queen
4. Quadrophenia - The Who
5. In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
6. Selling England by the Pound - Genesis
7. A Farewell to Kings - Rush
8. Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf
9. Master of Puppets - Metallica
10. Close to the Edge - Yes

   Led Zeppelin IV album cover         Wish You Were Here album cover








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