Best Led Zeppelin Album?

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Does anyone else like Carouselambra on In throught the out door? I still enjoy hearing that every few years. This was the first Zep album I heard; I must have been 10 or 11 years old. I loved it. I still own the 8-track-- the only one I have. Of course, I have no way to play it.

professor ganson, Sunday, 15 April 2007 01:01 (nineteen years ago)

Oh yes, I've gone on and on about Carouselambra here on other threads. It was quite literally the song that made me finally give them an honest try despite being a band I had been determined for years not to touch with a ten foot pole.

Sigh. I'm still feeling guilty that I didn't vote for Presence. Maybe we can do this again next year? In other news, as of today I am finally the proud owner of PG on VINYL. Thanks to the ILMer named sleeve for the inspiration!

Bimble, Sunday, 15 April 2007 02:19 (nineteen years ago)

"Carouselambra"'s so good it has its own thread -- http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=42934

Rock Hardy, Sunday, 15 April 2007 03:33 (nineteen years ago)

did anyone vote for I?

Charlie Howard, Sunday, 15 April 2007 08:01 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I wish that all the people who voted II and IV had voted I.

Bimble, Sunday, 15 April 2007 08:53 (nineteen years ago)

I is still the album I least play out of the 1st 6. Even if I wanna play Dazed And Confused I generally will listen to the amazing bbc sessions version.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Sunday, 15 April 2007 13:16 (nineteen years ago)

I had forgotten all about that other thread http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=42934. Thanks for the reminder.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Sunday, 15 April 2007 23:04 (nineteen years ago)

Damnit "3"'s a good choice too. Tbh they're so consistent, it comes down to extramusical things, like "Houses" kinda shows them being all versatile, "ITTOD"'s all disco and it's an odd not v canonical or whatever choice, "PG"'s a double. Whatevs. Good band.

President Evil, Monday, 16 April 2007 08:36 (nineteen years ago)

Good? Just good?

Also, In Through The Out Door is not "all disco" but you're right about it being an odd choice.

Bimble, Monday, 16 April 2007 08:49 (nineteen years ago)

Tbh they're so consistent


That's what I find amazing about such a big band. Plus 6 amazing albums in 6 years. Hardly anyone, nevermind big bands, makes an album every year. Bands are lucky if they have 2 or 3 albums in that time.
Maybe all bands should just record and record while they have high creativity.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 16 April 2007 10:26 (nineteen years ago)

this thread inspired me to go out and buy ALL their albums for the first time.

ryan, Monday, 16 April 2007 13:04 (nineteen years ago)

III for me. but on another day it could've been I II IV or H-of-H.

m coleman, Monday, 16 April 2007 13:17 (nineteen years ago)

Go, Ryan!

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 16 April 2007 14:39 (nineteen years ago)

haven't had time to really listen to them all the way through yet, but III is gorgeous, especially "That's the Way" and basically the whole second half--had no idea they did any songs like that!

And "Achilles Last Stand" owns the entire recorded output of Mars Volta.

ryan, Monday, 16 April 2007 14:54 (nineteen years ago)

Anything Led Zeppelin did owns the entire recorded output of Mars Volta.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 16 April 2007 21:05 (nineteen years ago)

In Through The Out Door is the only complete LZ album I keep on my iPod. Therefore my vote...

Elvis Telecom, Monday, 16 April 2007 23:43 (nineteen years ago)

Is that because you have heard all the others too many times and are a bit sick of them?

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 16 April 2007 23:47 (nineteen years ago)

"That's The Way" is my fave Zeppelin song, Ryan! (though "The Song Remains the Same" is very close) And I had the same reaction you did when I got into them - "I never thought they did anything that sounded like that!"

Bimble, Tuesday, 17 April 2007 01:48 (nineteen years ago)

What album do you think will win?

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 17 April 2007 11:41 (nineteen years ago)

"Physical Graffiti". I still think the first two are best.

Tom D., Tuesday, 17 April 2007 11:43 (nineteen years ago)

"That's The Way" is my fave Zeppelin song, Ryan! (though "The Song Remains the Same" is very close)

Same here, though in reverse order.

professor ganson, Tuesday, 17 April 2007 11:57 (nineteen years ago)

Is that because you have heard all the others too many times and are a bit sick of them?


No. I simply don't like them as much.

Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, 17 April 2007 14:55 (nineteen years ago)

III over Physical Graffiti by a hair. If the first disc of Physical Graffiti was a separate album, though, I'd go with that.

Brent, Tuesday, 17 April 2007 15:17 (nineteen years ago)

Last day of voting.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 19 April 2007 11:04 (nineteen years ago)

Blew my introductory order from BMG on Led Zeppelin within the last nine months, finished up (1975 on) just two months ago. Always been a hater in the past but figured it was time, I finally get it.

Not feeling Presence, taking my time on III and voted for Houses of the Holy.

Bee OK, Thursday, 19 April 2007 11:18 (nineteen years ago)

i don't think presence is a very likable album. there's great stuff on it, but i don't dig the dark mood of it so much.

stevie, Thursday, 19 April 2007 12:32 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think it will be a surprise winner. (III might be though)

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 19 April 2007 13:05 (nineteen years ago)

oh man...killer moment off of Physical Graffiti that I had forgotten about: the bridge in "Down By the Seaside" when Plant sings "Do you still do the twist, do you find you remember things that well" right as Bonzo fucking hammers those vistalites with two killer quadruplets and the boys just explode....that brief 10 second outburst is still sublime to me.

Physical Graffiti FTW

Chaucer Arafat, Thursday, 19 April 2007 14:32 (nineteen years ago)

its all about 'in my time of dying'.

stevie, Thursday, 19 April 2007 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

or 'when the levee breaks'. i love when jimmy plays bottleneck.

stevie, Thursday, 19 April 2007 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

so far i love:

all of presence (this one is just epic)
the first disc of physical graffiti and "ten years gone"
all of houses of the holy, esp the first and last tracks
III except for a couple of tracks on the first side

this is an impossible choice!!

ryan, Thursday, 19 April 2007 16:45 (nineteen years ago)

honestly the sheer number of great songs by them is sort of overwhelming.

ryan, Thursday, 19 April 2007 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

the "dark mood" of Presence is what makes it so great. I love "Tea For One"

Stormy Davis, Thursday, 19 April 2007 19:27 (nineteen years ago)

I heart "Hots On For Nowhere" and "Royal Orleans" so fucking much. I'm glad they never EVER get any radio airplay. I can't decide who owns Presence more, Pagey or Bonzo. And I don't care.

Jeez, maybe I shoulda voted for it.

Myonga Vön Bontee, Thursday, 19 April 2007 22:04 (nineteen years ago)

"Hots On For Nowhere" is totally one of my fave Zeppelin tracks, probably top 5 for me. especially the smacked-out Page solo. but yeah I think Bonzo owns Presence -- probably his best overall performance of any of the albums.

Stormy Davis, Thursday, 19 April 2007 22:40 (nineteen years ago)

So how many are going to vote they didn't like Led Zep? The same 6 as Sabbath?

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 19 April 2007 22:43 (nineteen years ago)

Hey, "That's the Way" and SRTS are two of my all-time favourites too, so beautiful they make me want to be sick. (And, yeah, I've always really really loved "The Rover.") OK, I think IV-HOTH-PG are the best but it's so hard to choose from them that I just might not after all. If I find the time, I'll try to listen to them all in the next day and pick one. All the albums are really good but with I and II, I don't think Page was as good as he was later (either in terms of orchestrating and layering guitar parts or in developing melodies for the solos or even just in terms of playing as tightly.) Also, I think the compositions got better later, more interesting rhythmically for sure. I actually prefer the original versions of some of the songs they redid on the first two (esp. Jake Holmes' "Dazed and Confused" - and that's saying something.) "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is awesome though. Plant's screaming on the earliest albums can also be a little tiring if I'm not in the mood (even if it's just because he couldn't scream as much later.) III is awesome and is a serious contender. There are just a couple of songs on it that I don't love quite as much. The last two albums are very good but they still seem like crazy choices to me, given the rest of LZ's output. Presence has great playing but it just doesn't have the sprawling range that I love about the middle period and the tunes aren't nearly as memorable for me, although I sometimes think "Achilles' Last Stand" is the single best thing they did.

Sundar, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:11 (nineteen years ago)

Fuck! I really like In throught the Out Door.

I like how Chas and Dave supported them at Knebworth too.

Keith, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:14 (nineteen years ago)

None of them, I Don't Like Led Zeppelin 16

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:20 (nineteen years ago)

I really like In throught the Out Door.

It's a nice album but I truly can't fathom what anyone's rationale would be for e.g. picking it over Houses of the Holy.

xpost The fuck? Is it the 20th in the UK? Ah well, justice prevailed anyway.

Sundar, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:23 (nineteen years ago)

See, that's why you don't include stupid options like that, Brigadier. Anyway, I'm kind of surprised IV placed that highly, considering that only a couple people actually talked about voting for it on the thread. I guess a lot of the silent voters like that one the best.

Jeff Treppel, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:25 (nineteen years ago)

None of them, I Don't Like Led Zeppelin 16
II 7
Travesty.

NYCNative, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:26 (nineteen years ago)

6 people vote they don't like Black Sabbath.
16 people vote they don't like Led Zeppelin. 9 votes more than II got.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:27 (nineteen years ago)

I'm actually sort of curious what the result would have been over at the Blue Oyster Cult thread for "I don't like Blue Oyster Cult." I sort of suspect it would have been the number one option.

Jeff Treppel, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:28 (nineteen years ago)

I just wish those people would post why they don't like them and join in the chat rather than just voting.
But I do think people should include the I Don't Like Option in polls. It's fair enough. But they could just explain what it is they don't like.

If there's a Beatles poll will anti-canon ilxors vote for I Don't Like Them so it actually wins it?

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:46 (nineteen years ago)

Kinda weird how the first four albums got staggered and stayed in descending order.

Pleasant Plains, Thursday, 19 April 2007 23:58 (nineteen years ago)

I really can't believe II did so badly.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 20 April 2007 00:00 (nineteen years ago)

I didn't vote in this poll, but if I had, "Don't like" would have been my pick. I haven't heard all of their catalog, but I've heard quite a bit.
Based on that, I'd say that their songs seem to be either filled with lots of boring, drug-induced guitar tinkering (and other uninspiring demonstrations of technical skill), or with these sucky vocal parts that confuse seriousness with meaningfulness. Sometimes both.

Tape Store, Friday, 20 April 2007 00:33 (nineteen years ago)

It's good to see someone saying actually why they don't like them.
Even though I don't agree :)

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 20 April 2007 00:37 (nineteen years ago)

That's 16 people who shouldn't be allowed to post anymore

max, Friday, 20 April 2007 00:45 (nineteen years ago)


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