Led Zeppelin Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
Vložit
- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- This week we're remastering a Listography that has been heavily requested. The mighty Led Zeppelin! My original video was met with mixed reviews. Spoiler: My list hasn't changed. But now Joe and Kramzer get to weigh in on this excellent discography.
****
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal, although their style drew from a variety of influences, including blues and folk music. The band have been credited with significantly impacting the nature of the music industry, particularly in the development of album-orientated rock (AOR) and stadium rock. Many critics consider Led Zeppelin one of the most successful, innovative and influential rock groups in history.
After changing their name from the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that afforded them considerable artistic freedom. Although the group were initially unpopular with critics, they achieved significant commercial success with eight studio albums released over ten years, from Led Zeppelin (1969) to In Through the Out Door (1979). Their untitled fourth studio album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV (1971), became one of the best-selling albums in history. It featured the song "Stairway to Heaven", which has come to be among the most popular and influential works in rock music, and helped to secure the group's popularity.
Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin's music, particularly early in their career, while Plant generally supplied the lyrics. Jones's keyboard-based compositions later became central to the group's catalogue, which featured increasing experimentation. The latter half of their career saw a series of record-breaking tours that earned the group a reputation for excess and debauchery. Although they remained commercially and critically successful, their output and touring schedule were limited during the late 1970s, and the group disbanded following Bonham's death from alcohol-related asphyxia in 1980. In the decades that followed, the former members sporadically collaborated and participated in one-off Led Zeppelin reunions. The most successful of these was the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London, with Bonham's son Jason Bonham on drums.
Led Zeppelin are one of the best-selling music artists of all time; various sources estimate the group's record sales at 200 to 300 million units worldwide. With RIAA-certified sales of 111.5 million units, they are the third-best-selling band and fifth-best-selling act in the US. They achieved eight consecutive UK number-one albums, and each of their nine studio albums placed in the top 10 of the Billboard album chart and six reached the number-one spot. Rolling Stone magazine described them as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the Seventies", and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history". They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum's biography of the band states that they were "as influential" during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.
****
Leave your list below and thanks for watching!
Stock footage provided by Videvo, downloaded from www.videvo.net
~~~
/ listographymusic
/ therecordranker
/ listographymzk
My youngest brother lives and dies by Zeppelin. One of my proudest moments as a “big brother” was when I asked him fairly recently how he got turned onto LZ. He told me after I joined the Army a year out of high school (‘83’), he started listening to my record collection (he’d have been around 12 at the time). He noticed I had a lot of LPs by this same band, so figured they must be good, if I had 9 of their records, so he started with them. He felt everything else in my collection paled by comparison. I’ve always felt kind of bad, because I left home before he even hit his teens, and only saw him infrequently over the next 20 or so years. It kind of made me feel a little better to know even though I wasn’t around, I had an influence on who he became as a person.
What's his favourite album?
I didn't appreciate Zeppelin until I was in my 30s. Growing up, it always seemed like a "little brother's band."
What a great story! You impacted his life with your taste in music.
Older brother effectively pulled the _"One day you'll be cool. Look under your bed... it'll set you free."_
Man ya'll were breaking my heart with that ranking of Led Zeppelin 2 lol.
I think Presence is sorely underrated. It's not full of their "hits" but it kinda has a progressive rock vibe to it that their other albums don't have. And Achilles Last Stand is my favorite Zeppelin track. It's really an incredible composition.
Agreed. Just got the album today and I love it!
Presence is their very best from a virtuosity and mixing/mastering standpoint. It certainly was Bonham at his absolute peak powers.
@@KristianWontroba agreed. It’s become my favorite of theirs
Presence is good but as was said in the video, the album gets a bit samey across it’s runtime. Achilles Last Stand is phenomenal but the rest of the album doesn’t live up to that track, and I’ve never heard a live version that stands up to the studio version, although to be fair probably a hard track to pull off well live. I also quite like For Your Life. The rest of the album is decent but doesn’t do a lot for me. I think it’s rightfully placed in the lower tier but still a decent album. It’s been said that the album was rushed and it kind of comes across that way, like it wasn’t totally put together in such a way where the tracks really work together and it being artfully presented as a complete statement.
LZ II number 7, 8?!
Wow.
My top 3 are:
LZII
LZI
Houses of the Holy.
Hey, to each his own.......but you guys are NUTS!!
But that why I love this channel.
Keep rockin fellas, and happy holidays!
Physical, II and HOTH are my top 3. So that shocked me also.
Went to the record store the day PG was released in '75. We signed out of journalism class on the pretense of covering a story off campus. 5th hour we talked the teacher into canceling the lecture and grabbing a record player from the library. It was the only time he canceled lecture. First time hearing this album was in history class with the other students. Well, I guess that's a piece of history.
My kind of history brother
9. Coda
8. Presence
7. In Through the Out Door
6. III
5. Physical Graffiti
4. Houses of the Holy
3. I
2. II
1. IV
Not bad but I’d swap 4 and 5
Great reviews as always... definitely was shocked by how high In Through The Out Door was, but that's why you guys are a great combo, always a bit surprising, and making me want to revisit stuff I wrote off for years.
Same. Shocked by that and how low they ranked II.
1. IV (5/5)
2. Physical Graffiti (5/5)
3. III (5/5)
4. Houses of the Holy (5/5)
5. II (5/5)
6. I (4.5/5)
7. In Through the Out Door (3.5/5)
8. Presence (3/5)
9. Coda (2.5/5)
Top 5 band, for me.
In Through the Out Door is incredibly underrated.
Totally agree. Very forward looking, ahead of it's time in several ways
Compared to other LZ albums, it's good. Compared to anyone else's albums, its a 9.5.
9: Coda
8: Led Zeppelin II
7: Led Zeppelin I
6: Presence
5: In Through the Out Door
4: Led Zeppelin IV
3: Led Zeppelin III
2: Physical Graffiti
1: Houses of the Holy
I'm glad you resubmitted this with Joe and Kramzer adding their two cents... Great band, Great lists by you guys!!!
My list:
1.Led Zeppelin IV
2.Led Zeppelin II
3.Physical Graffiti
4.Houses of the Holy
5. Led Zeppelin I
6.In Through the Out Door
7.Led Zeppelin III
8. Presence
9. Coda
01) Physical Graffiti
02) Houses of the Holy
03) Led Zeppelin III
04) Presence
05) Led Zeppelin II
06) Led Zeppelin IV
07) In Through the Out Door
08) Led Zeppelin
09) Coda
Hugs; Your top 2 -- ARE MINE !!!!
Ha ha ha, not even close. Broad is the taste spectrum!
These reviews and discussions are really fun! (I always like leaving in memories, it helps me when looking at these list from other commenters lol!). Thanks guys. I got into Robert Plant's solo album from the late 80's from a borrowed cd collection from one of my fraternity brothers. That album always stayed in my music collection, and I grew to really enjoy Now and Zen over the years. It somehow stayed in my random cd folder along with LL COOL J's greatest hits haha. I had no clue that he was the lead singer for Led Zeppelin. I will have to check this out for discography. I love watching his live performances. Keep up the good work.
I just checked out two of your guys' picks from album reviews! They were great! This has been a good discussion.
01) Led Zeppelin IV
02) Led Zeppelin II
03) Houses of the Holy
04) Led Zeppelin
05) Physical Graffiti
06) Led Zeppelin III
07) In Throught The Out Door
08) Presence
09) Coda
Agreed
Very interesting putting In through the out door at #5... But hey... I 100% respect that 💪💪. You guys amazing! Thanks for all y'all do
its always great to go back to one of these older episodes after i've become a much more fully seasoned fan of zeppelin. here's what i got for a list...
1. led zeppelin iii (for whatever reason this one's always been my favorite since i first got into the band. i completely agree with kramzer on how the first half is this perfect collection of all of their greatest sounds, while the second half is a more lowkey but emotional batch of folk songs that take you on a journey. friends into celebration day always steals the album for me, and thats the way might be the most emotionally moving track for me in their entire discog. pure perfection, and sits somewhere in my top 20 favorite albums of all time)
2. led zeppelin ii (i can see why you guys feel low on this one considering how much more straightforward it is, and maybe its cool factor will wear off on me when i get older, but im absolutely dumbfounded at the beautiful simplicity this album has and how much of a breeze it is to listen to every time. to me this album feels like the textbook rock and roll album; it might not be as complex as other works, but it knows exactly what it wants to do-make iconic riffs and blues it up-and does it excellently. heartbreaker and bring it on home are my personal favorites)
3. led zeppelin iv (simply a classic of all classics, especially when it comes to rock. side a is literally perfect, battle of evermore into stairway to heaven is untouchable. when the levee breaks might be my favorite track from them, too. the only reason why this doesnt make my number one spot is that misty mountain hop and going to california have personally never done much for me)
4. physical graffiti (part of me wants to see this album the same way others do and put it higher because i can definitely see the appeal of this being many people's favorites, but i personally struggle with the classic era double albums like the white album where the artist throws everything they got and see what work. i appreciate and agree with the decision not to cut anything for the sake of art, but i do tend to prefer a tighter, more focused record thats closer to 40 minutes or so. trampled under foot and in my time of dying are just a few examples of tracks that are among their best songs, and i think as a double album i prefer it over the white album, but it could have been my favorite if the 8 to 10 best tracks were the remaining album)
5. led zeppelin i (some of zeppelin's peak works already show up on their debut like baby im gonna leave you, but i only put it below the other early albums because i dont think the rest of the album reaches the same level as zeppelin ii or iii. overall though its an amazing first album that began to carve a legacy for the group)
6. in through the out door (i was pleasantly surprised with this listen. not many of my all time favorite zeppelin tracks, but it was a really fun consistently good listen. i really like how much this one stands out compared to the rest.)
7. houses of the holy (it has a few great tracks, no quarter and rain song are two of my favorites, but i was kinda shocked by how underwhelmed i was with some of the other tracks. over the hills isnt really my thing, and the crunge and dancing days sounds like some drunk 50 year olds in a country club jam session. that stretch of tracks really makes this one the biggest mixed bag for me)
8. presence (definitely does less for me than the rest of their catalog, achilles last stand isnt even one of my favorites out of their bigger tracks, overall feels like there's a lack of energy despite the album still sounding great)
I'm with you, especially with Houses of the Holy. Sadly, the weaker tracks really drag down my enjoyment of the album. There are a couple of tracks on IV that are just fine, but nothing as poor as Houses of the Holy.
Whereas I love the Beatles Abbey Road - and can make a mental exception and mental block for Maxwell's and Octopus Garden - I cannot do that for Houses of the Holy. I love "Over the Hills", but "The Crunge" is more like "The Cringe". Just ooof.
That just illustrates how good III, IV and Physical Graffiti are. II is so far below these, yet II is better than anything most bands have recorded.
"Friends" is one of my favourite Zeppelin pieces period.
Forgot to mention this before, but in addition to great albums, they have some of the best album covers.
1. Physical Graffiti
2. Led Zeppelin III
3. Houses Of The Holy
4. Led Zeppelin II
5. Untitled
6. Presence
7. Led Zeppelin
8. In Through The Out Door
9. Coda
All brilliant albums.
Your recognition of the greatness of Physical Graffiti sent me back to rewatch the 1975 list. Interesting how artist lists match up to year lists.
PG was my #6 that year. -Jason
Every Zeppelin album made a top 5 except Presence and Coda. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic presence is great
I was honestly hoping to hear more love for Fool In The Rain. While In Through The Out Door isn't in my top 5 of theirs, Fool In The Rain is definitely a top 10 Zeppelin song for me.
I used to love it, but I can't stand it now.
It's the only truly great song on their ONLY (shall we say?) less-than-stellar release.
Hot Dog is the worst song they ever wrote. Carouselumbra is a masterpiece tho. All of My Love is radio fodder .
@LannieLord hot dog rules
@@TastesLikeMusic It might have worked better if they´d changed their name from LZ to "The Gay Twats".
George Harrison was the Beatle who made the melody statement.......that's why the start of The Rain Song sounds kinda Something-ish
I'm not sure this is true but a guitar player could tell us - supposedly the first chord of "Rain Song" is the same as "Something." Page's little nod to George.
@@Twotontessie He's so fine!
1. Led Zeppelin IV 10/10
2. Led Zeppelin II 9.5/10
3. Houses of the Holy 9/10
4. In through the Outdoor 8/10
5. Led Zeppelin III 8/10
6. Physical Graffiti 6/10
7. Led Zeppelin
8. Presence 6/10
Gotta be a generational thing,these guys not having 2 in their top 3.Im 53 and all the Zep fans I know hold that one in high esteem.
Yeah as a younger fan (I'm 39 and started listening when I was 15) I've always wondered why II is rated as highly as it is. It's got a bit of filler and is produced pretty badly imo. Still has great songs though.
I'm 61, & LZ 2 was the only LZ album I never bought. Love all the others, but 2 is just so tired & stereotypically heavy metal. Whole Lotta Love is enormous, of course!
8: In Through the Out Door
7: Presence
6: Led Zeppelin II
5: Led Zeppelin III
4: Houses of the Holy
3: Led Zeppelin IV
2: Led Zeppelin
1: Physical Graffiti
1) IV 2) II 3) Physical Graffiti 4) III 5) Houses of the Holy 6) I 7) In Through The Out Door 8) Presence 9) Coda.
Wow, Christmas present from the boys. This is gonna be great!
Wow, Joe's list is almost the same as mine! The only thing different is that I'd put Zep 4 at the bottom of the top 3. It's great to see I'm not the only one who's not keen on Led Zeppelin II. I always felt the majority of the songs felt boring and they were too afraid to play their instruments. (Maybe people complained they were too loud after the debut, so they decided to tone it down a bit? hehehe)
really like the format of your videos i.e. x3
My Zeppelin 4 comment is that I have heard the songs countless times for the last 40 + years. When I play it now it's at a time when I can play it LOUD. My number 1.
Everything seems perfect but so few songs I was enamored with. They didn't write their songs. 25 songs settled out of court or in court. I mean I am not sure if they wrote any songs from scratch. Good live, sure. Always thought they had the best drummer in the world. Always like Jimmy as a session musician. It wasn't until I saw Almost Famous that I appreciate them a little more and liked the beautiful song Tangerine. It's not like I love hard rock, but I liked Hendrix and I think Clapton is a pussie. But all the groups they spawned ... they are better than THEM but i am setting the bar low. Oh the band Them is so much better with Van Morrison's original ground-braking songs.
Deep Purple is good for a couple songs, Black Sabbath is just like I never need to hear them again, Rush is a horrible band that I know you guys love, Queen is horrible, Aerosmith - I like one or two song, the Black Crowes - now they had a good sound. I'm sure they influenced the Cult but the Cult have two great songs better than Led except for Whole Lotta Love.
I will never forget seeing them in Aug 1970. That was a special time for us (The prior weekend, we went to the theatre to see the newly released "Woodstock"). I have to say that Zep I and II need to be ranked in the top 3, but then, maybe it is a nostalgia thing. All of their albums really, are great.
I'm so jealous. I wish I had a time machine
I also saw them Aug. of 1970, Municipal Auditorium Kansas City MO.
Love the mighty zep. Saw them in 77 in Los Angeles
You should do the Byrds albums ranked from worst to best.
We will.
Best Zeppelin Lyrics.. '' Can the people hear, what the little fish are sayin' ? ''
And..
'' I saw a lion , he was standing alone , with a tadpole in a jar ''
LOL! Those lions with the tadpoles in a jar....I was always on the lookout for those.
"Standing on the Mountain of Dreams, telling myself it's not as hard as it seems."
My favorite band, but this (studio album) ranking changes week to week:
8. In Through the Out Door - A great album, but sounded like they were done. Bonzo's drumming on "Fool in the Rain" always makes me smile.
7. Untitled - Great FM songs, but stuff like 'Battle of Evermore", "Four Sticks", and "Going to California" just leave me wanting.
6. Houses of the Holy- Side One is what we used to call a Perfect Album Side. "The Rain Song" may be Zeppelin's best, "D'yer Mak'er" is most certainly their worst.
5. Presence - The Guitar Album. A good deal of Page-indulgence, but it works. "Candy Store Rock" is the only lowlight, but the disc finishes strong with "Hots on for Nowhere" and "Tea For One", and Zeppelin's (and Page's) place is cemented.
4. Led Zeppelin II - Not the most ambitious album, but it touches all of the bases for a British Blues and Hard Rock Band. We really did not know you could compose/structure rock songs as the band did with many of the tracks; going one direction, shifting and kicking it into overdrive in a different direction so smoothly.
3. Led Zeppelin III - "Since I've Been Loving You" is their best Blues Rock piece, but they give us a little of ALL of their styles, almost flaunting their talents, in this most-diverse collection. Each song is a masterpiece of its genre. I often think that "Out on the Tiles" would be the best song that at least 20 great groups would have recorded, and yet it seems like an afterthought, in the band's catalog.
2. Physical Graffiti - Another album that covers all the bases, and not just because it has two discs. "Trampled Under Foot" sounds like a runaway locomotive, except its drivers are each in total control. Signature moments all over the place: the opening riff of "Custard Pie" (also, Bonzo's drums on the track), the guitar solos on "Ten Years Gone", Jones' bass trill and Plant's guttural flourish on "Night Flight", and the over-the-top send-up of "In My Time of Dying". just a fabulous collection.
1. Led Zeppelin - I know I should not think my favorite band's debut was its best album, but so be it. (I have similar issues with Springsteen and the Police). Nine perfect songs for a debut. They state their case and need no further questions. I will never tire of "Dazed and Confused"; if bloated and dramatic, but perfectly constructed. Rockers like 'Good Times Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown" are tossed in like would-be singles, and then it's back to the long-form masterworks. When the album closes with "How Many More Times" you feel like you should stand up and applaud.
👏👏👏
Physical Graffitti is Zeppelin's Masterpiece
It is even Rocks masterpiece. Greatest album of all.
Hard to argue with any of your lists. Another great video.
1. Houses of the Holy (song remains the same is the best Zep song Mr Kramzer :))
2. Physical Grafitti
3. 3
4. 1
5. 2
6. 4
7. In Through the Outdoor
8. Presence
9. Coda
How I would rank them:
9. Coda
8. Houses of the Holy
7. In Through the Out Door
6. Presence
5. Physical Graffiti
4. III
3. Untitled (a.k.a. IV )
2. I
1. II
Physical Graffiti should be way more closer to the 1st.
@@Batatudo I like them all, just prefer the first 4 a little more.
@@donb9860 i got you
Houses of the Holy at 8...ouch
zeppellin 2 absolutely the best
9.coda
8.presence
7.Led zeppelin I
6 .in through the outdoor
5. Led zeppelin II
4. Led zeppelin III
3. houses of the holy
2.Led zeppelin IV
1.physical graffiti
I've seen LZ called overrated music thieves by some, Classic Rock Gods by others. Their records just sound amazing and they knew how to cultivate mystique. Their arrogance and debauchery were legendary. All Zeppelin's albums are good. Top 5 #1 Houses of the Holy #2 Physical Graffiti #3 LZ IV #4 LZ I #5 LZ III.
The first 6 albums are classics. The third album is my favorite
I like all 8 for different reasons. Of course Coda is interesting in its own right. Different albums, different moods. Got caught washing dishes to Presence recently. Cool funky underated LP.
Love the third album too !
Agree, III is top of the heap in my list.
1. Led Zeppelin IV
Fav song: When The Levee Breaks
2. Led Zeppelin
Fav song: Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
3. Physical Graffiti
Fav song: Kashmir
4. Led Zeppelin II
Fav song: Ramble On
5. Houses Of The Holy
Fav song: Song Remains The Same
6. Led Zeppelin III
Fav song: Tangerine
7. In Through The Out Door
Fav song: All My Love
8. Presence
Fav song: Achilles Last Stand
9. Coda
Fav song: Bonzo’s Montreux
This was a cool discussion. I was born the year the first album came out and became a fan the year In Through The Out Door Came out. I worshipped this band and they are still my favorite band to this day. Anyway, here’s my ranking:
1) Led Zeppelin IV
2) Physical Graffiti
3) Houses Of The Holy
4) Led Zeppelin III
5) Led Zeppelin I
6) In Through The Out Door
7) Led Zeppelin II
8) Presence
9) Coda
I had a stroke when he put LZ2 at number 8
1. Physical Graffiti
2. Zeppelin IV
3. Zeppelin III
4. Houses of the Holy
5. Zeppelin I
6. Zeppelin II
7. In Through the Outdoor
8. Presence
9. Coda
All great albums, hard to rank
Here is my ranking. I am leaving Coda out because I haven't spent enough time with it.
1. Physical Graffitii
2. Houses of the Holy
3. IV
4. Presence
5. In Through the Out Door
6. III
7. I
8. II
4: Led Zeppelin IV
3: Led Zeppelin III
2: Houses of the Holy
1: Physical Graffiti
Nailed it! With 1 being number five.
Just my 2 cents. The first album is in my top 10 favorite lps. Some day I hope to own an original UK first pressing with the turqouis lettering. Presence is under rated by most fans. Id rate it about 5 out of the 9 lps.
Wanted to thank Kramzer for noting Bonzo's work on 'Out On The Tiles' as well as the juxtaposition of craft and chaos that John Henry Bonham lent to 'Stairway To Heaven'. Beyond description. You lads were SPOT ON regarding Physical Graffiti dispelling the myth that all double albums are spoilt by filler. Well said. Zeppelin, simply put, was a force of nature that took no prisoners. My life (and lifetime) was enriched by the albums you three just discussed. Freakin' great video. Cheers!
1. Zep II
2. Houses of the Holy
3. Zep I
4. Zep III
5. Physical Graffiti
6. Zep IV
7. In Through the Out Door
8. Presence
my list
I
II
III
IV
In Through The Out Door
Physical Graffiti
Houses Of The Holy
Presence
That is a unique ranking. - Jos
Kramzer with Led Zeppelin III 🥶🙏💯 goated opinion
9. Coda
8. In through the Out Door
7. Houses of the Holy
6. III
5. Presence
4. Physical Graffiti
3. I
2. II
1. Zoso
I've never connected strongly with Zeppelin outside of one album and one song I love beyond reason. That album is Physical Graffiti which I gave a 10/10 rating in 1975. It was the first Zeppelin album I owned and it may be that it just set my expectations too high.
The song I love is Black Dog.
Beyond this, I find I'm rating the main albums at the 7 or 8 level. I find the other albums inconsistent with some real highlights but others are patchy.
1) Zeppelin IV
2) Zeppelin II
3) Zeppelin I
4) Physical Graffiti
5) Houses of the Holy
6) Presence
7) In Through the Out Door
8) Zeppelin III
9) Coda
I prefer later era stuff. But I have no complaints. - Joe
Another contrast to The Who was rather than dissipating before his untimely death like Moon, Bonzo's playing on his swan song (I could not resist) was among his very best, very exuberant, evidently having lots of fun. Also props for how great their recordings *sounded,* with none of the sofa cushion drums or mushy guitars that plagued 70s production. And I share the love for Physical Graffiti, too.
I’m with Kramzer on this one. I always want a band to stretch themselves and on 3 they really did. Suddenly they’re not just a great heavy rock band. It’s an album of it’s time but also one that takes chances.
sorry but as someone who grew up with Zeppelin and heard the albums in chronological order, i totally disagree. i spent my pocket money on 3 expecting to hear even greater heavy rock and all i got was Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, an amusing little ditty but hardly head-banging music! for me, and all the people i knew at the time, LZ3 was a huge disappointment. if Stairway, which secures their place as rock legends, had been on 3, i wouldn't have felt so cheated
@@alanfleming4823 I get it. When I first heard it I wondered what I was hearing but now I see it as their crowning glory. I just applaud a band that pushes themselves.
@@robertdean7169 i agree. and i love LZ3 - now. but then i wanted more whole lotta of love - without the middle bit!
1- LZ 2- IV 3- graffiti 4-LZ II 5-LZ III 6- houses 7- presence 8 -coda 9-out door
Just finished listening to all 8 Led Zeppelin albums. My favourite song from each album is:
LZ I: Your Time is Gonna Come.
LZ II: Thank You.
LZ III: That's the Way.
LZ IV: Stairway to Heaven.
Houses of the Holy: D'yer Mak'er.
Physical Graffiti: Black Country Woman.
Presence: Nobody's fault but mine.
In Through the out Door: Hot Dog.
LOVED the variation in the lists!!!
MY RANKING :
(Not including *Coda* because it's not a true LZ studio album)
(Also, LZ never released a bad album)
8. *IN THROUGH THE OUTDOOR* (Incredibly Underrated)
7. *PRESENCE*
6. *HOUSES OF THE HOLY*
5. *LED ZEPPELIN III*
4. *LED ZEPPELIN I*
3. *LED ZEPPELIN II*
2. *LED ZEPPELIN IV*
1. *PHYSICAL GRAFFITI (One of the greatest double albums of all time. Insane Production. The musicianship is unreal. They touch so much musical ground, and every track on the album hits so well. I mean c'mon. *Kashmir* is on this record. F*****' *Kashmir*)
This is gonna be so good cant wait to watch it
I was 18 y.o. when ZEP 1 came out,you cannot believe how freakin" AWESOME it sounded...2 was less impressive yet still great,3 was a necessary change in direction and is my personal favourite 4 and Houses of Holy continue the greatness......Graffiti has their best ever song KASHMIR.......saw them live in Sydney in 71/72....2SM CONCERT....look it up on youtube....I was down the front....At their absolute peak for sheer power at this gig....love yr channel
1. Physical Graffiti
2. Led Zeppelin II
3. Led Zeppelin IV
4. Houses of The Holy
5. Led Zeppelin III
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Presence
8. In Through The Out Door
9. Coda
1. I
2. Psyssical Graffity
3. III
4..Houses of The Holy
5. IV
6. Pressense
7. In Through The Outdoor
8. II
9. Coda
09.Coda
08.Led Zeppelin II-Only "ramble on" really stands up for me.
07.In Through the Out Door-Heroic work by JPJ,and to a lesser extent Robert Plant for saving this. Page and Bonham were really struggling with substance abuse at this time. Outside the great lead in "In the Evening",Page is mostly forgotten. Plant's singing is very good however on this.
06.Led Zeppelin-Outside of the Willie Dixon covers,which I felt were done better by the Jeff Beck Group,this is pretty great. "good times,bad times"is one of the great album openers,"communication breakdown"led to another band's career(The Ramones)
05.Presence-No fooling around here,all electric ,no keyboards,the Funk dabbled with on HOTH and PG is perfected here. This a really fun album to drive to.
04.Houses of the Holy-Their biggest outlier. No real blues presence here, some great tunes unique to their catalog(Song remains the same,rain song,no quarter). The only detour I don't care for is the faux reggae of D'Yer Mak'er.
03.Led Zeppelin IV-Hurt by radio overplay,but everything on this is pretty great.
02.Physical Graffiti-This has everything you would want. Side 1 has riff monsters like Custard Pie and The Rover,Side 3 is ballady and Side 2 is perfect. Side 4 is super interesting ,with underated gems like Night Flight ,Wanton Song and the Mott the Hoople like Sick Again
01.Led Zeppelin III- Side 1 of this album is one of my favorite album sides of all time,there is not one second of music I dislike on it and Side 2 has some of their most beautiful songs(Tangerine,That's the Way,Bon Y aur Stomp). I even like Hats Off(to Roy Harper),one of the most authentic country blues covers by an English Rock band(Bukka White's "shake em on down") since the Stones did Prodigal Son on Beggars.
9. Coda
8. Presence
7. In Through the Out Door
6. I
5. II
4. III
3. Physical Grafitti (Has my favorite songs, but just not quite consistet enough to be higher)
2. IV
1. Houses of the Holy
First time watching the channel, enjoying the discussion so far. I won't be making any negative comments, it's just people's opinions. Have stopped the video at 7.58 to say it's good to see someone else share my view that LZ2 is one of their lesser albums. It's still amazing, but I've never felt it was as good as the others. Here in the UK it was considered their great album (along maybe with LZ4). I really can't choose a favourite.......it's between LZ3, HOTH and PG. Now I'll continue watching to see what you all think......
Thanks. Welcome to the channel.
Great discussion and ranking of LZ albums but there is one important point about Physical Graffiti that no-one mentioned. They had written too many songs to fit on one vinyl album, so they included seven songs that were recorded at an earlier time but not released: The Rover, Houses Of The Holy, Bron-Yr-Aur, Down By The Seaside, Night Flight, Boogie With Stu and Black Country Woman. And my ranking:
9. Coda
8. Prescence
7. Led Zeppin 2
6. Led Zeppelin 1
5. In Through The Out Door
4. Led Zeppelin 3
3. Houses Of The Holy
2. Physical Graffiti
1. Led Zeppelin 4. I only started to listen to LZ in 1979 when I was 20 years old. I've listened to this album for 44 years and I have never stopped loving this album. PG is a very close 2nd.
Thanks for this unexpected treat, guys. Like many others, though, I think you have all been unfairly harsh on LZ II. My order of preference is:
1. Led Zeppelin IV
2. Physical Graffiti
3. Led Zeppelin III
4. Houses Of The Holy
5. Led Zeppelin II
6. Led Zeppelin I
7. Presence
8. In Through The Out Door
9. Coda
They were undoubtedly one of the greatest and most influential bands of all time, and their first 6 albums are all indispensable to any rock music fan. Trying to pick their 10 best songs is going to be an incredibly difficult choice.
My list:’
IV
III
II
Houses of the Holy
Physical Graffiti (that side four.....)
I
In through the out Door
Coda
Presence
@Kramzer thank you for giving props to In Through The Outdoor. I own 26 copies of it :) One of the most original sounding record in their catalogue setting the basis and color scheme for 80s Rock. There's no Van Halen's Jump without Carouselambra :)
My rating would be.
9.Coda: contractual obligation
8.Led Zeppelin I: too many covers
7.Presence: candy store rock...why?
6.Physicial Graffiti: too many outtakes
5.Led Zeppelin II: like zep 1 but better
4.Houses of The Holy: zepp goes prog
3.In Through The Outdoor: fresh sound
2.Led Zeppelin IV: like 3 with Stairway :)
1.Led Zeppelin III: blueprint for IV
@ Kramzer - the production quality of 1969 albums is no coincidence. Jimmy Page produced and he had clear visions of what he wanted, he had THE top engineers of the time at his side Eddie Kramer and Glyn Johns. The band did not come out of nowhere, Page had almost a decade as studio musician behind him already, he lived in the studio so to say, studio sound meant everything to him. In this respect he was like Hendrix to capture the sound he had in mind. His appearance in the Yardbirds was only logic given his pedigree and reputation.
Suggested alt opening - 12:21
9. Coda
8. I
7. In through the Outdoor
6. Presence
5. II
4. Houses of the Holy
3. III
2. Physical Graffiti
1. IV
Each album is a treasure. Who cares how they are ranked. On some days Led Zep 3 is my album, on other days it’s PG, others it’s Led Zep 1 (grossly underrated), etc etc
Definitely one of my top five bands
Really liked listening to your different views
Here's my list
1. Physical Graffiti (probably my fav album of all time)
2. I
3. IV
4. III
5. Presence
6. In through the out door
7. Houses of the holy
8. II
9. Coda
5.
Houses of the Holy is WAY above 1,2,3, and In Through. C'mon man.
@@LannieLord Houses has some great moments, The Ocean, Over the hills etc but the Crunge and dyer maker are just not any good I'm afraid. I love Zeppelin and would still rate Houses as 4 star album but just pulled back by these tracks, in my opinion
II at eight and I at two? You disturb me.
I have always had a bit of a downer on 2 because I don't like the Lemon song and am no fan of drum solos, so Moby Dick does nothing for me. Still a really good album though and probably on reassessment, would put 2 and HOH slightly ahead of ITTOD.
Be interesting to hear about Robert Plant's and Jimmy Pages's solo outings
All in due time.
Got to agree with Joe on Zep 3 though I do enjoy many songs on it. Here's my rankings :
1 - Physical Graffiti
2 - Houses Of The Holy
3 - Led Zeppelin IV
4 - Led Zeppelin I
5 - Led Zeppelin II
6 - Presence
7 - Led Zeppelin III
8 - In Through The Out Door
9 - Coda
Almost exactly what my list is.
@@peterkau Awesome, Physical Graffiti is one of my top albums ever.
As a disclaimer I have only listened to all of the albums once or twice aside from LZIV but...
9: Presence
8: Led Zeppelin II
7: In Through the Out Door
6: Physical Graffiti
5: CODA
4: Houses of the Holy
3: Led Zeppelin
2: Led Zeppelin III
1: Led Zeppelin IV
Really only 8 and 9 aren't great but the rest are good to amazing
Coda ahead of Physical Graffiti huh. Going to have to STRONGLY disagree. - Joe
I'm 58 grew up with them, worked at a classic rock station and am just completely tired of them but loving your channel.
1. Led Zeppelin 4
2. House of the Holy
3. Led Zeppelin 2
4. Led Zeppelin 3
5. Physical Graffiti
6. Led Zeppelin 1
7. In Through the Out Door
8. Presence
9. Coda
Not really a bad album save for Coda (which I don’t really listen to). I consider the top 6 on this list to be some of the most influential rock and music work of all time. I think Houses of the Holy might be my favourite if you took off the Crunge and made No Quarter the last song on the album. Great lists again guys!
Brand new subscriber here. Love your channel guys!
1. Physical graffiti
2. Led Zeppelin 4
3. In through the outdoor
4. Led Zeppelin 3
5. Houses of the holy
6. Presence
7. Led Zeppelin 2
8. Led Zeppelin
9. Coda
Thanks!
i've never been into Led Zeppelin much,
i listened to I and III, it wasn't my cup of tea, i didn't like their way of singing, i'll give another listen after watching your videos, you're great guys!
My Ranking:
1. IV
2. Physical Graffiti
3. Houses Of The Holy
4. III
5. Presence
6. Led Zeppelin
7. II
8. In Through The Out Door
9. Coda
Greetings from Canary Islands
This is a HARD ONE. Let's see if anyone is on board with me: My TOP 2 : Physical Graffiti & Houses of the Holy . Bottom 2 ; In Through the Out Door ; Presence . Everything else is in the middle w/ the debut album being LOWER middle and LZ 2 being UPPER middle (makes zero sense , I know!) . CODA does not count.
Led Zeppelin 2 is my Favorite!
Growing up in the 70s it was sacrilegious to not be a zep fan but I simply wasn’t. I liked whole lotta love and later babe I’m gonna leave you but that’s about it. Same with Pink Floyd and Tull. I wasn’t a druggie so by my senior year in high school blondie Tom petty the cars Elvis Costello joe jackson etc hit the airwaves and I found my music… new wave at 17. The next 5 years were glorious for me.
1) III
2) I
3) IV
4) Presence
5) II
6) Physical Grafitti
7) Houses of the Holy
8) In Through the Out Door.
Much better ranking style than all other Led Zep ranking vids - props guys!
This was good. Nice job.
My worst-best led zeppelin albums of all time.
8. Presence
7. In through the out door
6. Led zeppelin lll
5. Houses of the holy
4. Led zeppelin l
3. Physical graffiti
2. Led zeppelin ll
1. Led zeppelin lV
Great review and analysis
Always good to hear D'yer Mak'er pronounced correctly!
8. 1 "Led Zeppelin's debut didn't give them the biggest jump for the band, but Dazed and Confused is awesome."
7. Presence "I don't have to say much about this, nut it's ok."
least favorites
-----------------------------
favorites
6. Physical Graffiti "Not a bad album, There are a lot of great tracks on this album, honestly wished the song "Houses of the holy" was on it's album."
5. 3 " The first part of the album is all heavy rock tracks, the second side is all acoustic, which is awesome, "Tangerine" and "Since I've been lovin' you" are the best tracks."
4. In through the out door "This album might have 2 weird songs, but it's still great, "Fool in the rain" is awesome, "All my love" is not my favorite."
3. 2 " The band had a bigger jump on this album, "Bring it on home" and "The Lemon Song" are the best tracks."
2. Zoso aka 4 "A great album, The battle of Evermore is an underrated gem on this album."
1. Houses of the Holy "Every song on this album is truly amazing, "Over the hills and far away" is my favorite Zeppelin Song."
I will not count CODA.
Paraphrasing: "I don't think your opinion of the late '60s and mid-'70s could be more incorrect..." (Thanks for that.) What was called "hard rock" pretty much peaked between about 1969 to 1971: Hendrix, the Who, MC5, Cream, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Zeppelin... that was their heaviest period. This came up in a discussion I was having elsewhere recently. Most of these young white British bands formed in order to play the music they loved: African-American blues, rock 'n' roll and R&B. The Stones never intended to write their own songs, but their manager pressured them because publishing was where the real money was. Zeppelin knew that from the start, so they started slapping their names on their arrangements of old blues songs they didn't actually write. (I still can't believe the Erteguns at Atlantic let them get away with that.) The lads evidently thought that, in the blues tradition, these songs were public domain. But not by the '60s -- the age of big recording contracts, gigantic record company profits, and lucrative copyrights!
I mean Bob Dylan did the same thing. As did most everybody else back in those days. - Joe
A lot of those songs were credited as "Traditional, arranged by..." -- but Dylan was accused of quite a bit of pilfering on "Modern Times" (2006). Chuck Berry sued the Beatles over four words (one of them arguably compound): "Here come old flat-top." They settled that with Lennon promising to cover Berry material on his "Rock 'n' Roll" project.
Zeppelin lifted the acoustic guitar intro to "Stairway to Heaven" from Spirit -- the equivalent of a wholesale extended sample -- but that's still just a small part of song's arrangement... Where it gets really weird is when Marvin Gaye's estate sued over "Blurred Lines" -- even though it had no real musical, structural or rhythmic relationship to Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" -- just a "feel." You can't copyright feel. Or chord progressions, else the bulk of mainstream jazz would be guilty of stealing from "I Got Rhythm" and other standards.
1. 2
2. 3
3. 4
4. 1
5. Houses of the holy
6. Physical graffiti
7. In through the out door
8. Presence
9. Coda
My personal ranking
#1: Self titled debut album
#2: Physical Graffiti
#3: Led Zeppelin IV
#4: Houses of the Holy
#5: Led Zeppelin II
#6: Presence
#7: Led Zeppelin III
#8: In Through the Out Door
Some factoids on the recording of these albums: LZ II was recorded in a rush at various studios while on their first major tour. It sounds similar to LZI because it was recorded so quickly and so soon after the debut. Presence was the album that may have never been. Robert Plant broke his leg (maybe ankle) forcing the cancellation of a tour. The band decided to record a new album instead. Plant did all the vocals while sitting in a wheelchair. In Through the Out Door: Jimmy and Bonzo were struggling with severe drug addictions. Plant and Jones took the reigns because the other 2 were either incapable, unavailable or not interested. Plant said the lyrics to Caroselambra are a plea to Jimmy and Bonzo to get their acts together, although they are deliberately vague and obtuse. When you see them printed out, it makes a lot of sense.
“Tea for one” is quite underrated imo
Coda
Presence
In Through The Outdoor
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin IV
Houses of the Holy
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
That's mine. LZ I was my first Zep album and holds a special place in my heart. IV and II are low because I don't often go back. Too much exposure. I might consider moving ITTO above them, but I really dislike Carouselambra. I'd rather listen to (Hats Off To) Roy Harper.
Impeccable catalog otherwise.
Great analysis and agree generally with your group’s trends, except… I really like the debut. It is so raw and groundbreaking. Just imagine being there in early ‘69 and have this punch you in the face! No disrespect the outstanding follow-up catalogue, but LZ1 was perhaps The Game Changer of hard rock.
Have loved this band since high school, in their way they were just as brilliant and influential as the Beatles. My list doesn't include Coda because I don't consider it a proper album, but if I did it would be number nine (notice the clever way I managed to cheat right there).
Eight, In Through the Out Door. Heavily underrated but still not great. In the Evening is cool but compared to other hard rocking album openers it doesn't measure up, in part due to a pedestrian chorus. From Hot Dog on, though, it's really quite good, and I'm Gonna Crawl is one of my favorite Zeppelin tunes (probably won't make my top ten though).
Seven, Presence. Just a tad better than ITTOD. Royal Orleans and Candy Store Rock keep it from being a classic, but For Your Life and Nobody's Fault But Mine are quite excellent, same with Achilles' Last Stand even though it does overstay its welcome somewhat.
Six, the debut. Maybe the band's darkest and most menacing record. The tortured sexuality of songs like Dazed and Confused and How Many More Times would carry over into the next album.
Five, ZOSO, or IV. Stairway to Heaven is the elephant in the room here. If you love the song, this is probably your favorite Zeppelin album, but if, like me, you consider it something of an albatross, then it drags the rating down a bit, even though When the Levee Breaks is my favorite song by this band. My problem with Stairway, in addition to how overplayed it is, is that it doesn't really fit on the album, on any album probably, it's practically an album in miniature on its own, and perhaps should have been released as a single and not included on any of the band's LPs. That being said, it's a very good song, skillfully performed, in many respects a tour de force, and the rest of the album is mostly stunning.
Four, III. At its strongest it doesn't reach the heights of !V, but I just find it more cohesive, also more adventurous and spontaneous, the band doing what they want to without any pressure. And it doesn't have Stairway to Heaven bogging it down. Sorry, couldn't resist. What it does have is Since I've Been Loving You, That's the Way, Tangerine, Bron Y'Aur Stomp, Gallows Pole. What, I didn't mention Immigrant Song? Wherever are my manners?
Three, II. The Lemon Song, Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker, Living Loving Maid, Bring It On Home...I could go on, but what's the point? You know what it is, otherwise you wouldn't be here...in short a heavy rock prototype that was never bettered by any band other than Zeppelin themselves.
Two, Houses of the Holy. Five of Zeppelin's very best songs are on this one album. And Over the Hills and Far Away accomplishes in four minutes what it takes Stairway to Heaven twice that long to put across, basically a compendium of the band's entire output and what they stand for musically in one song. And it's not even the best on the album. No Quarter anyone? Probably the creepiest song they ever recorded, definitely the jazziest.
One, Physical Graffiti. Duh. Not only the greatest hard rock record, not only the greatest double album, simply the best album ever made. Excuse the hyperbole, but I've loved this album since high school, and no amount of maturation has lessened its impact for me. I might have flirted with other albums to replace it as number one over the years, Fear of Music, the Pretenders' debut, maybe Armed Forces, but I always come back to Fizz Graph, as we used to call it. It's mighty, larger than life, it's Led Zeppelin at its most powerful. I'm not mentioning any individual songs because I'm expecting this album to dominate my top ten.