Led Zeppelin - Best Album?

[Papa G]

Physical Graffiti is my favorite Led Zep album, but I also love the 2nd disk, particularly In The Light, Ten Years Gone & Sick Again

Down By the Seaside is my favourite track on album 2.

 

[TheStinger]

I would say IV but with Physical Graffiti not far behind.

I know it is basically just Page and Plant but No Quarter - Led Zeppelin Unledded is such a good album. One of the best "unplugged" era albums.

 

[EnglishWarrior]

Not a fan of Zeps rock stuff like Whole Lotta Love but do like the more enigmatic songs. For a newbie what would be the albums that have more of the tolkien-esque material then the straight blues rock?

LZ III all day mate. Apart from the opening track and the blues of "Since I've Been Loving You" (which is excelllent btw) it is all accoustic folky stuff, and superb with it.

 

[Fossie 32]

3 is my fave and Since I've Been Loving You one of the greatest tracks of all time - of all time!

Just ahead of 1 and 2 then 4 and PG

Love Dazed and Confused live on The Song Remains The Same too.

 

[porpoise40]

Zep IV just flows so well as an album. One of my all time favourites.

IV
Houses of the Holy
I
III
Physical Graffiti
II

the others

 

[eldorado]

To me, they got truly great with their 3rd album.

Don't get me wrong, I love I and II as well, but they got a complexity to them on III, and then there came the masterpieces later. I and II pretty much showcased the bombastic blues/rock Cream-type thing (albeit better), the later albums incorporated all their influences much more cohesively; the blues, soul, folk, raga, more complex tunings and production, etc etc

For me

Graffiti
Houses
IV
III

Next 4 in any order...
I
II
Presence
ITTOD

 

[SA HAWK]

Physical Graffiti
Houses Of The Holy
IV
III
II
I

Presence
ITTOD
Coda

IMO each album was better than the last until they peaked with Physical Graffiti.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin II
Physical Grafiti
Led Zeppelin III
Houses of the Holy

I was wondering if someone was going to have the same order I do, and this is spot on.

 

[Ron The Bear]

II ahead of I.

 

[sblack]

3 is my fave and Since I've Been Loving You one of the greatest tracks of all time - of all time!

Just ahead of 1 and 2 then 4 and PG

Love Dazed and Confused live on The Song Remains The Same too.

Love the huge jam session versions of Dazed and Confused. HTWWW one is great too

 

[chesson]

LZ2. Moby Dick FTW.

 

[Fossie 32]

Love the huge jam session versions of Dazed and Confused. HTWWW one is great too

Well I was thinking of starting a thread on LZ live performances inspired by how Plant regularly seems to stuff up the vocals - but on the Song Remains The Same version of D&C all his adlibs etc seem to come off beautifully and as usual music is brill.

 

[Magma]

IV/HOTH (Can't split; both extremely different)
III
II
Graffiti
I
Presence
ITTOD

this is my list

iv and hoth are two of the greatest albums of all time imo.

 

[WALL-e]

So many hard to split, and so many awsome songs over many albums.

I'd have to go with IV because of the wall to wall awesomeness.

RIP JHB.

 

[HoldenMagroin]

I got into Zep after sampling the first side of The Song Remains The Same soundtrack, and it was love at first sound. Then I made a beeline for the studio album back catalogue, and to this day they're still difficult to rate.

Here goes, anyway:

Physical Graffiti
Houses Of The Holy
In Through The Out Door
Presence
IV
II
I
III

If we were to count The Song Remains... (original, not remastered) I'd stick it right at the top.

 

[Rik E Boy]

1. Physical Graffiti

A sprawling ambitious set with Zeppelin in their prime in the studio and on the road. Kashmir my favourite all time Zep song with perhaps only Down by the Seaside the only flat spot.

2. III

A criminally underrated album that was slagged by the critics who couldn't get their head around the 'soft' side of the album. Immigrant Song kicks arse of course but That's the Way and Tangerine are bittersweet ballads.

3. IV

The definitive Zeppelin opus to most I reckon it is shaded by the albums above. Reading up on Zep as I have done it appeared that Four Sticks took quite a bit of skill to nail down. Listening to it's rumbling cadence you can see it was well worth the effort. Stairway overplayed but still timeless.

4. II

Someone said Presence was rushed but if any Zeppelin album was rushed it was this one. Peter Grant was hoping to capitalise on successful tours and the impact of I and this one was recorded while the band was still touring. Some real classic bluesy numbers here including Bring it on Home and the guitar solo on Heartbreaker remains one of Page's finest.

5. I

A solid enough start, almost a Jimmy Page solo album really as he took the lead when the band first formed (as indeed he was the main authority until Herion sidetracked him in the mid to late 70's). Dazed and Confused is the showstopper here with a blistering guitar solo that still strips the paint off the walls today so you can imagine the impact it had when it was first released in early 1969.

6. The Song Remains the Same

An honest live album without some clangers edited out I've always enjoyed this album although Moby Dick is for fans only. The highlight for me is the title track and the way it blends into the excellent version of Rain Song.

7. Houses of the Holy

HOTH has some funky experiments on here that aren't quite perfected the way they were on Physical Graffiti. The studio version of Song remains the same is Zeppelin's weakest album oponer by far and I reckon the Crunge doesn't really work either. However Rain Song, No Quarter and my favourite on the album Over the Hills and Far Away are instant Zeppelin classics.

8. In through the Out Door

Widely but unfairly panned. Hot Dog is taking the piss but I am almost alone in admiring Carsoselambra. In the Evening is a great song as is Fool in the Rain love that one. This album is almost a John Paul Jones effort with minimal input from Page who was off his nut the whole time.

9. Presence

A very defiant album that is Zeppelin's heaviest album. Nobody's Fault but Mine and Achilles Last stand are monster tracks but the cracks are starting to show on some of the material which is sounding a bit bleak in places. With Robert Plant injured and trying to recover from the shock of the death of his son the Zep were starting to struggle.

10. Coda

Some good songs on here, like the album opener and Ozone Baby and Poor Tom aren't too bad but this album is what it is...Zeppelin left overs.


WE ARE YOUR OVERLORDS!

 

[Papa G]

1. Physical Graffiti

A sprawling ambitious set with Zeppelin in their prime in the studio and on the road. Kashmir my favourite all time Zep song with perhaps only Down by the Seaside the only flat spot.

Down by the Seaside is my favourite song off the second side. Easch to their own I guess.