> There might have been other great epics. But I am listing only those
> who became well recognized or very popular.
>
> 01. Interstellar Overdrive (Pink Floyd)
> -Interstellar Overdrive was one of the very first psychedelic
> instrumental improvisations recorded by a rock band. The opening hook
> of the piece is a distorted, descending guitar riff played in unison by
> the band. This riff eventually segues into improvisation, including
> modal noodlings, percussive flourishes on the Farfisa organ, and quiet
> interludes. The song gradually becomes almost structureless and
> tempo-less, punctuated only by strange guitar noises. Eventually,
> however, the entire band restates the main theme, which is repeated
> with decreasing tempo and more deliberate intensity until it finally
> concludes.
>
> 02. Close to the Edge (Yes)
> - Probably the greatest epic composition in rock music. The song is
> inspired by Hermann Hesse's book Siddhartha, an explanation which can
> cast the cryptic and mysterious lyrics in a new light, tracking the
> awakening of Hesse's character "close to the edge" of a river (and,
> symbolically, of the serial lifetimes of his soul) where he experiences
> a spiritual awakening.
>
> 03. The Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (Van Der Graaf Generator)
> - The Plague of Lighthouse Keepers seems to be the tale of a lonely
> lighthouse keeper going mad from the isolation and confronting his own
> inner demons. Musically, the band pulls out all the stops with one
> twist and turn after another. Beginning with a stark echoed electric
> piano, Hammill parts the curtain for our frightening tale which slowly
> builds momentum as he goes from thoughtful musing to manic screams.
> David Jackson has a field day doing his own unique take on foghorns and
> seagulls, as Guy Evans handles the chugging passing boats and Hugh
> Banton provides the mysterious moonlit and fog-shrouded scenery. From
> there, the tension mounts as Hammill takes us on a wild ride through
> the mouth of madness and finally ends with either the protaganist
> having lost it completely or finding hope, not sure which to be honest.
> A harrowing but very thrilling musical ride if ever there was one.
>
> 04. Heroin (Velvet Underground)
> - Heroin starts off innocent enough: two chords repeated over tom-toms
> and a viola. But after a while, the song randomly begins speeding up
> and slowing down with the drums emulating a heartbeat, much like a
> person using heroin actually would do. The song gradually gets more
> intense, until around the 5-minute mark, where the viola goes insane
> and just starts screeching and howling it's metallic howl, and ripping
> itself apart for the next 90 seconds.
>
> 05. Autobahn (Kraftwerk)
> - Autobahn beautifully gives the listener the feel of a high speed
> drive on Germany's autobahn. At about 22 minutes, it gives Kraftwerk
> time to develop the whole concept. There is a beautiful break featuring
> the Autobahn melody performed on flute along with the electronics.
> Another break feautures the debut of what would become Kraftwerk's
> trademark; pulsating and layered percussion that has been imitated (but
> not very well) by countless groups.
>
> 06. Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin)
> - Dazed and Confused cops its ominous bass line from a song by an
> obscure folk artist named Jake Holmes who wrote it about a bad acid
> trip. Page re-worked the lyrics in the style of evil woman blues. This
> was a springboard for live experimentation throughout the first half of
> Led Zeppelin's career, sometimes stretching out to 40 minutes.In the
> studio, the group uses the chiaroscuro technique to build tension, they
> release in a frenetic bombing run of energy, punctuated by Page's
> lightning fingers, Jones' thumping bass and Bonham's double-time fills.
>
>
> 07. Child in Time (Deep Purple)
> - The song is an epic, as it lasts for full 10 minutes and 17 seconds.
> It is a fairly simple composition, featuring an organ intro, one power
> chord, and a 2 minute long solo. Lyrically, it is quite deep and
> dark.Ian Gillan goes from quiet singing to screaming. Ritchie Blackmore
> comes in with a slow solo, which builds to a fast-pace and then ends
> abruptly, with the whole song cycle starting over again.
>
> 08. Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin)
> - The lyrics, written by Robert Plant next to an evening log fire at
> Headley Grange, were partly spontaneously improvised. Plant's own
> explanation of the lyrics was that it concerned "a woman getting
> everything she wanted without giving anything back". The lyrical
> inspiration came to Plant by his search for spiritual perfection and a
> key influence was the book Magic Arts in Celtic Britain by Lewis
> Spence, which Plant had recently read; it contained references to May
> Queens, pipers, and "bustling hedgerows." The song is a multi-movement
> suite. A quiet introduction featuring acoustic guitar and a recorder
> gradually moves into to a slow electric middle section, before the
> faster hard rock final section. .
>
> 09. Gates of Delerium (Yes)
> - "The Gates of Delirium" is a dense, 20-minute piece that was inspired
> by Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. It features lengthy improvisations by
> each member of the band, sometimes clashing intentionally with one
> another. Featuring lyrics about the futility of war, it remains one of
> the most musically aggressive songs ever produced by the band. The
> final section, in which the aggression of the previous 16 minutes is
> suddenly replaced by a gentle melody and a lyrical prayer for peace,
> was released as a US single under the title "Soon" in early 1975.
>
> 10. Echoes (Pink Floyd)
> - Echoing, nautical sounds open the album with a suspicious feel and
> slowly the music begins to gather texture and style. Some of the lyrics
> are the band's best during this song, each time followed by a classic
> descending guitar line from Gilmour. The middle part of the song is
> especially great; a long section of wailing guitar exchanges with
> clever keyboard fills gets suddenly fazed out and then there is a tense
> section of more echoes.
>
>
> Did I miss a great epic song which should have been part of this list?