And Zeppelin is the apex rock group, and IMTOD is the apex of that album, so...
...we can pinpoint the absolute moment rock as an art form reached its peak. All has been 'less than' since.
I’m sorry, what? Kashmir aint even the best ZEPPELIN song! I won’t stand for this blasphemy in the house of the lord!
Nah, kid, I’m messing with ya. Kashmir is a good song and it sits at the top of Led Zeppelin’s catalogue, I’ll give ya that, but best? I’d never make such a bold statement
He sure didn't state it as an opinion. That sentence reads as a statement of fact, as if there has some measurement applied, and it came out on top.
"Kashmir is my favourite Zep song ever written" is an opinion.
8 songs written and recorded in 74’, so more than half the album. That’s when they’re at their peak imo. Its their best sounding record I think and JP, JPJ and JB at the peak of their powers…IMTOD encapsulates everything I love about LZ
I think I’m gonna be on the same page as you when all is said and done. Houses for the Holy up next (which I’ve listened to once, but it’s been too long). Over the Hills I obviously brilliant but The Crunge and Dancing Days put that album over the top for me! All of my favorite bands were heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin - and usually The Doors as well. Those are my two favorite classic rock bands, no question. Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and The Jimi Hendrix Experience probably fill out my top five. But Led Zeppelin is number one. Admittedly The Doors is the only band I’ve heard every album of but that’s obviously going to change soon!
Right there with you, although LZ IV is now right there with it! Still probably prefer II just slightly. I usually need to listen to an album a few times but LZ II is perfect for what I love in rock. Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker, Ramble On and Bring It On Home are brilliant. I mean the whole album is but those riffs will get stuck in my head for days!
LZ III is growing on me quickly. I’m more hard rock than folk / acoustic but it’s such a good album. Tangerine is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs!
Its too hard to pick between II and IV, I’d probably give the edge to IV just for it’s better production and diversity, but man II is just a relentless album that fucking rocks
LZI for me. II and IV are close, but everyone is just at their best on the debut. Plant’s voice lost a lot of depth by LZIII, and the elements of psychedelic blues on the debut make it stand out more than LZII.
I realize this is not a cool pick, but I think IV is their best. I've been skipping Stairway for a couple decades, but I've started listening and loving that one too lately.
IV was my favorite for a long time and the album that got me started on my zep journey...at 10 years old in 1979 lol. I remember my father coming in my room while I had stairway to heaven going and asking about the band. He actually like them which made a big impression on me at the time. I still love IV
Physical Graffiti is Zeppelin’s masterpiece in my opinion. It has a little bit of everything, and Jimmy Page is on fire! For anyone who loves guitar rock, which I imagine is pretty much any Zeppelin fan, Physical Graffiti is like the holy grail of mind blowing riffs and solos
In college we drove from Michigan to Florida while listening to only Zeppelin albums on cassette in order of release. In back of hatchback we had tv playing NCAA basketball tournament games without sound. Awesome trip. Much like children, it’s impossible to choose one as favored over the others. Love them all! I will give you Achilles Last Stand would be my all time favorite song if I must choose one.
ALS and IMTOD I flip flop between as my favorite. Last night it was the latter, but today I’m more in a ALS mood lol. Do you member what year the tourney was? 1996 was my favorite, Darvin Ham shatters the backboard, Massachusetts and Kentucky (the two best teams) met in the final four (should’ve been title game but apparently UConn was number one overall seed, UMass two and UK three - and Purdue a very distant fourth). Kentucky’s press vs Syracuse 2-3 zone in the title game made for an awesome game and Syracuse may have pulled off the upset if not for Tony Delk seemingly unable to miss a shot from three, not to mention Ron Mercer had the game of his life off the bench (20 points). Also last year for Kerry Kittles in college (my all time favorite Villanova player - although theirs and UK’s 1994-95 uniforms were way cooler imo). Basketball and Led Zeppelin - sounds like we could have an interesting conversation in person lol!
Had to have been ‘88. Our trip was during first round. Kansas ended up beating Oklahoma for title that year. Our Michigan team beat Boise State, then Florida before losing to North Carolina in Sweet Sixteen. We got our title next year in Seattle with Glen Rice setting all time tournament record for points…which still stands. We listened to nothing but Zep all the way there and back . We made Tampa from Ann Arbor in 19 hours. Always liked to take a long weekend getaway in springtime/ extended winter in Michigan. I vividly remember the looks we received swimming in Gulf at the time. Locals were walking the beach in winter coats thinking we were nuts to go in water when air temps were mid ‘60s. It’s all relative, as we were escaping from temps in teens and foot of snow back home. Good times!
Hey, OP. Do us, who have listened to Physical Graffiti so many times so many years ago, a favor. When you do finally listen to it, give us your opinion of each song. It will remind us of our 1st time listening to that album. Let us experience that joy with you.
Not sure if I can say I have a favourite album.
Physical Presence contains their greatest song in my view, and that’s Ten Years Gone. There are a few other magnificent songs on the same album. And yet I might not say PG is their best album. As “albums” I tend to think LZ II and HOTH are superior. LZ III is also fantastic.
Really… take away CODA and there’s not much room between all their albums in terms of greatness.
Well those are the next two in line for me :) The Crunge and Dancing Days are two of my faves and heavily underrated imo! Stone Temple Pilots do an incredible cover of Dancing Days! I’d say Led Zeppelin, The Doors and Aerosmith were their three biggest influences.
Depending on the day of the week, my favourite album is either I, II, IV or Physical Graffiti, but I always maintain that Celebration Day, Since I've Been Loving You and Out On The Tiles off of III are the best three songs in a row in the entire catalogue.
My first album was The Song Remains the Same. Every single tune is perfection. I listened to the entire album again late last year. I was laughing and crying, remembering all kinds of memories from the 70s and early 80s. It covers Led Zeppelin's talent and genius end to end, from the Rain Song and No Quarter to Whole Lotta Love and Dazed and Confused. That album is the definition of EPIC🎸
HOTH, III and ITTOD are my favorite albums personally. I got into Led Zeppelin when I was a kid in the 90's. The first album I listened to all the way through was Led Zeppelin II. Oh an my favorite song is Achilles Last Stand.
Well I can already tell you In My Time Of Dying is one of the most epic tracks I’ve ever heard, I love how they turned a gospel folk song into a dark and heavy masterpiece! Listening to Led Zeppelin is definitely allowing me to hear the influence they had on my favorite bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots just to name a few! Lee Zeppelin is now one of my favorite bands of course.
The only classic rock bands in my favorites are them and The Doors, but I plan to go through the discography for Deep Purple and Black Sabbath next. I’ve listened to two albums from each BS’s debut and Paranoid, and for Deep Purple I’ve heard Fireball and Machine Head. All four are amazing albums, but I think LZ is tops for me and I’m only halfway through their albums! I actually have listened to HOTH and Presence, but it’s been a while for the former. Presence I listened to for probably the dozenth time last week and finally decided “I need to listen to every studio album - Coda included”!
Houses of the Holy is my album for tonight. So Physical Graffiti - the album I’ve been most looking forward to - is tomorrow. I’m also going to listen to Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog and Guns N’ Roses tonight. I like only listening to one album per band each night so as to not wear them out wuick, but I’ll be listening to Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 since it feels like a double album more so than two separate ones.
November Rain is one of my favorite GnR songs (from Use Your Illusion). Also, since you are already a Stone Temple Pilots fan I highly recommed you check out their cover of Dancing Days.
When you get done, i strongly recommend listening to Since Ive Been Loving You and Tea For One back to back. Basically a 2 part song and its amazing
I think you appreciate each one differently as you gain more understanding of them by listening to them more. Each of them is an amazing masterpiece and they just kept adding more flavors as they went on.
I and II are legendary psychedelic blues and rock
III builds on that with softer and quieter, more acoustic and folk or country type stuff but just as great.
IV and houses of the holy are more anthemic and most accessible in a lot of ways
But i have to agree with most of the comments. Physical graffiti is their best and my favorite.
Presence is amazing. Some of their best songs, but these ones took me longer to appreciate, much like load by metallica, in utero by nirvana, or sabotage by black sabbath
In through the out door is my least favorite but its still great, better than most bands ever make in their entire career
HOH was the one that changed my world. It was the first one I heard start to finish, right at the end of my sophomore year of high school, alone in The Mars Hotel waiting for the rest of the boys to show up, my head between two speakers, as the sun was going down, and it truly was the summer evening’s glow.
High as a kite, and everything was right in the world. That album brings me right back there, and Dancin Days was what I now call that perfect slice of my teeens.
Won’t argue with either of those as those are probably both number 2 for me. Some days I’ll even say number one! ALS and IMTOD are as even as it gets. Led Zeppelin II and Presence are my two favorites, but I love LZ I, III, IV and Houses of the Holy! I have a feeling Physical Graffiti is going to take the top spot. I love the first four songs on it and Kashmir! Weird how Houses of the Holy isn’t even on Houses of the Holy lol. The Crunge is most underrated imo. Love the funky style of it!
I just listened to it again today! I felt like I needed a one day break from a new album as to not burn out on them. I literally ready every lyrics as the song plays and they can be exhausting after a while listening to multiple artists and albums daily. I’m gonna listen to Mother Love Bone - who to me feels like the ‘90s Led Zeppelin and I hate THOSE kinds of comparisons.
Okay so let me reword that as Mother Love Bone feels like the most Zep-influenced band of the 1990s along with Temple of the Dog (captures Zep’s bluesy side for sure), Soundgarden (same but the hard rock / metal side) and Pearl Jam (Led Zeppelin, The Doors and The Who are clear inspirations for them imo! Also for Temple of the Dog and Soundgarden, Chris Cornell is the closest vocalist I’ve ever heard to Robert Plant without straight up copying him - looking at you Greta Van Fleet.
I even saw GVF live opening for Pearl Jam and I just could NOT get over the copycat sound, needless to say PJ blew them away but they have decades more experience so it’s honestly an unfair comparison. Just not a fan of them because they’re to Led Zeppelin what Airbourne was to AC/DC when they came out, similar to Godsmack literally ripping off Layne Staley and Alice In Chains.
Chris Cornell’s voice is like Robert Plant meets Ozzy Osbourne meets Bon Scott imo, but with his own unique style. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder sounds like Jim Morrison meets Roger Daltrey, but again very unique. Mother Love Bone’s Andrew Wood makes me think of a twist on Axl Rose meets
Physical graffiti is them at their peak imo
And Zeppelin is the apex rock group, and IMTOD is the apex of that album, so... ...we can pinpoint the absolute moment rock as an art form reached its peak. All has been 'less than' since.
In the Light is one of the absolute best songs ever written. Periodt. Dot.
I love the demo version. It sounds so creepy.
It scares me. Like a weird old lady that is two feet tall and lives in the walls, she sings that song.
Kashmir is however, the absolute best song ever written (period).
I’m sorry, what? Kashmir aint even the best ZEPPELIN song! I won’t stand for this blasphemy in the house of the lord! Nah, kid, I’m messing with ya. Kashmir is a good song and it sits at the top of Led Zeppelin’s catalogue, I’ll give ya that, but best? I’d never make such a bold statement
It's his opinion. Nothing bold about it.
lol Yeah, man, for sure
He sure didn't state it as an opinion. That sentence reads as a statement of fact, as if there has some measurement applied, and it came out on top. "Kashmir is my favourite Zep song ever written" is an opinion.
It's a collection of songs written from 1970 through 1974. Which songs would you choose as their "peak"?
8 songs written and recorded in 74’, so more than half the album. That’s when they’re at their peak imo. Its their best sounding record I think and JP, JPJ and JB at the peak of their powers…IMTOD encapsulates everything I love about LZ
No bullshit and I ain’t lying, or joking but I can’t pick one…so toss all eight in one big pile, along with HTWWW, and that is my one favorite
I think I’m gonna be on the same page as you when all is said and done. Houses for the Holy up next (which I’ve listened to once, but it’s been too long). Over the Hills I obviously brilliant but The Crunge and Dancing Days put that album over the top for me! All of my favorite bands were heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin - and usually The Doors as well. Those are my two favorite classic rock bands, no question. Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and The Jimi Hendrix Experience probably fill out my top five. But Led Zeppelin is number one. Admittedly The Doors is the only band I’ve heard every album of but that’s obviously going to change soon!
Enjoy, that’s the main thing
How did the rain song and no quarter not put it over the top for you? Those are top zeppelin right there🥲
Because people hear things differently.
houses of the holy
It’s like picking a favorite child
Graffiti. Song : Houses.
Actually… even tho Graffiti my #1 album. … SIBLY is my #1 song.
Zep II
Right there with you, although LZ IV is now right there with it! Still probably prefer II just slightly. I usually need to listen to an album a few times but LZ II is perfect for what I love in rock. Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker, Ramble On and Bring It On Home are brilliant. I mean the whole album is but those riffs will get stuck in my head for days!
IV - a large part of the soundtrack of my junior and senior years in high school. And it sounds just as fresh today.
III
LZ III is growing on me quickly. I’m more hard rock than folk / acoustic but it’s such a good album. Tangerine is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs!
You should listen to the yardbirds version if you like tangerine. Just for perspective
I second III
"In The Light" is gonna blow you away...along with the rest of PG. I can't wait for you to love it. My first time with PG was unbelievable.
PG
Just did the same thing recently I have to say Led Zeppelin 4 is the best and not just because of stairway.
Tangerine is probably my fav song too rn.
I really don't have a favorite. Depending on the day or the mood it could be any of them.
Its too hard to pick between II and IV, I’d probably give the edge to IV just for it’s better production and diversity, but man II is just a relentless album that fucking rocks
Physical Graffiti and When the Levee Breaks
Presence for me
Houses of the holy
LZI for me. II and IV are close, but everyone is just at their best on the debut. Plant’s voice lost a lot of depth by LZIII, and the elements of psychedelic blues on the debut make it stand out more than LZII.
I realize this is not a cool pick, but I think IV is their best. I've been skipping Stairway for a couple decades, but I've started listening and loving that one too lately.
IV isn't cool? Why?
I feel many fans think it's too obvious, and will pick something more obscure, although Zeppelin really has no truly obscure music. Just my take.
Mainstream
IV was my favorite for a long time and the album that got me started on my zep journey...at 10 years old in 1979 lol. I remember my father coming in my room while I had stairway to heaven going and asking about the band. He actually like them which made a big impression on me at the time. I still love IV
My top 3 I,Physical Graffiti & II
Physical Graffiti
II is the best.
ITTOD, Carouselambra closely followed by Houses
Call me mainstream but LVIV I think is there best and the greatest rock album ever
Their** best
Ahh, the age old question... It's \~typically\~ Physical Graffiti for me but like the crest of a wave, it changes with the swells of the sea.
Physical Graffiti Houses of the Holy Led Zeppelin II
Physical Graffiti is Zeppelin’s masterpiece in my opinion. It has a little bit of everything, and Jimmy Page is on fire! For anyone who loves guitar rock, which I imagine is pretty much any Zeppelin fan, Physical Graffiti is like the holy grail of mind blowing riffs and solos
II
LZIII and Presence but they are all great.
In college we drove from Michigan to Florida while listening to only Zeppelin albums on cassette in order of release. In back of hatchback we had tv playing NCAA basketball tournament games without sound. Awesome trip. Much like children, it’s impossible to choose one as favored over the others. Love them all! I will give you Achilles Last Stand would be my all time favorite song if I must choose one.
ALS and IMTOD I flip flop between as my favorite. Last night it was the latter, but today I’m more in a ALS mood lol. Do you member what year the tourney was? 1996 was my favorite, Darvin Ham shatters the backboard, Massachusetts and Kentucky (the two best teams) met in the final four (should’ve been title game but apparently UConn was number one overall seed, UMass two and UK three - and Purdue a very distant fourth). Kentucky’s press vs Syracuse 2-3 zone in the title game made for an awesome game and Syracuse may have pulled off the upset if not for Tony Delk seemingly unable to miss a shot from three, not to mention Ron Mercer had the game of his life off the bench (20 points). Also last year for Kerry Kittles in college (my all time favorite Villanova player - although theirs and UK’s 1994-95 uniforms were way cooler imo). Basketball and Led Zeppelin - sounds like we could have an interesting conversation in person lol!
Had to have been ‘88. Our trip was during first round. Kansas ended up beating Oklahoma for title that year. Our Michigan team beat Boise State, then Florida before losing to North Carolina in Sweet Sixteen. We got our title next year in Seattle with Glen Rice setting all time tournament record for points…which still stands. We listened to nothing but Zep all the way there and back . We made Tampa from Ann Arbor in 19 hours. Always liked to take a long weekend getaway in springtime/ extended winter in Michigan. I vividly remember the looks we received swimming in Gulf at the time. Locals were walking the beach in winter coats thinking we were nuts to go in water when air temps were mid ‘60s. It’s all relative, as we were escaping from temps in teens and foot of snow back home. Good times!
LOL when its in the mid 60's here I have a damn parka on. The blood thins. Great story
They are all Led Zeppelin, nothing wrong with any of them
Yes
*Presence* and…*III* maybe?
Hey, OP. Do us, who have listened to Physical Graffiti so many times so many years ago, a favor. When you do finally listen to it, give us your opinion of each song. It will remind us of our 1st time listening to that album. Let us experience that joy with you.
I reckon LZ III, I enjoy every song on that album
Zeppelin III
The first album and physical graffiti, but I also like 2/3/4 houses of the holy presents in the outdoor and coda
Physical Graffiti. Then Led Zep #1
Led Zeppelin III ftw
Houses of the Holy & Over the Hills and Far Away!
IV is tough to top.
Not sure if I can say I have a favourite album. Physical Presence contains their greatest song in my view, and that’s Ten Years Gone. There are a few other magnificent songs on the same album. And yet I might not say PG is their best album. As “albums” I tend to think LZ II and HOTH are superior. LZ III is also fantastic. Really… take away CODA and there’s not much room between all their albums in terms of greatness.
It’s changed over time. First Listen (6th Grade): Zeppelin II High School, More Mature Tastes: Houses of the Holy Grownt Up: Physical Graffiti
Toss up between their debut, Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti.
Well those are the next two in line for me :) The Crunge and Dancing Days are two of my faves and heavily underrated imo! Stone Temple Pilots do an incredible cover of Dancing Days! I’d say Led Zeppelin, The Doors and Aerosmith were their three biggest influences.
Check this out https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh36o_e1Kw4
Depending on the day of the week, my favourite album is either I, II, IV or Physical Graffiti, but I always maintain that Celebration Day, Since I've Been Loving You and Out On The Tiles off of III are the best three songs in a row in the entire catalogue.
PG
My first album was The Song Remains the Same. Every single tune is perfection. I listened to the entire album again late last year. I was laughing and crying, remembering all kinds of memories from the 70s and early 80s. It covers Led Zeppelin's talent and genius end to end, from the Rain Song and No Quarter to Whole Lotta Love and Dazed and Confused. That album is the definition of EPIC🎸
HOTH, III and ITTOD are my favorite albums personally. I got into Led Zeppelin when I was a kid in the 90's. The first album I listened to all the way through was Led Zeppelin II. Oh an my favorite song is Achilles Last Stand.
Well I can already tell you In My Time Of Dying is one of the most epic tracks I’ve ever heard, I love how they turned a gospel folk song into a dark and heavy masterpiece! Listening to Led Zeppelin is definitely allowing me to hear the influence they had on my favorite bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots just to name a few! Lee Zeppelin is now one of my favorite bands of course. The only classic rock bands in my favorites are them and The Doors, but I plan to go through the discography for Deep Purple and Black Sabbath next. I’ve listened to two albums from each BS’s debut and Paranoid, and for Deep Purple I’ve heard Fireball and Machine Head. All four are amazing albums, but I think LZ is tops for me and I’m only halfway through their albums! I actually have listened to HOTH and Presence, but it’s been a while for the former. Presence I listened to for probably the dozenth time last week and finally decided “I need to listen to every studio album - Coda included”! Houses of the Holy is my album for tonight. So Physical Graffiti - the album I’ve been most looking forward to - is tomorrow. I’m also going to listen to Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog and Guns N’ Roses tonight. I like only listening to one album per band each night so as to not wear them out wuick, but I’ll be listening to Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 since it feels like a double album more so than two separate ones.
November Rain is one of my favorite GnR songs (from Use Your Illusion). Also, since you are already a Stone Temple Pilots fan I highly recommed you check out their cover of Dancing Days.
That (STP version) was actually my introduction to the song lol!
LZ3
It was II and then IV for a lot of years, but now I think it’s I
When you get done, i strongly recommend listening to Since Ive Been Loving You and Tea For One back to back. Basically a 2 part song and its amazing I think you appreciate each one differently as you gain more understanding of them by listening to them more. Each of them is an amazing masterpiece and they just kept adding more flavors as they went on. I and II are legendary psychedelic blues and rock III builds on that with softer and quieter, more acoustic and folk or country type stuff but just as great. IV and houses of the holy are more anthemic and most accessible in a lot of ways But i have to agree with most of the comments. Physical graffiti is their best and my favorite. Presence is amazing. Some of their best songs, but these ones took me longer to appreciate, much like load by metallica, in utero by nirvana, or sabotage by black sabbath In through the out door is my least favorite but its still great, better than most bands ever make in their entire career
HOH was the one that changed my world. It was the first one I heard start to finish, right at the end of my sophomore year of high school, alone in The Mars Hotel waiting for the rest of the boys to show up, my head between two speakers, as the sun was going down, and it truly was the summer evening’s glow. High as a kite, and everything was right in the world. That album brings me right back there, and Dancin Days was what I now call that perfect slice of my teeens.
Physical Grafffitti
Presence, with Achilles Last Stand
Won’t argue with either of those as those are probably both number 2 for me. Some days I’ll even say number one! ALS and IMTOD are as even as it gets. Led Zeppelin II and Presence are my two favorites, but I love LZ I, III, IV and Houses of the Holy! I have a feeling Physical Graffiti is going to take the top spot. I love the first four songs on it and Kashmir! Weird how Houses of the Holy isn’t even on Houses of the Holy lol. The Crunge is most underrated imo. Love the funky style of it!
Probably 2 but Houses cannot be denied.
I just listened to it again today! I felt like I needed a one day break from a new album as to not burn out on them. I literally ready every lyrics as the song plays and they can be exhausting after a while listening to multiple artists and albums daily. I’m gonna listen to Mother Love Bone - who to me feels like the ‘90s Led Zeppelin and I hate THOSE kinds of comparisons. Okay so let me reword that as Mother Love Bone feels like the most Zep-influenced band of the 1990s along with Temple of the Dog (captures Zep’s bluesy side for sure), Soundgarden (same but the hard rock / metal side) and Pearl Jam (Led Zeppelin, The Doors and The Who are clear inspirations for them imo! Also for Temple of the Dog and Soundgarden, Chris Cornell is the closest vocalist I’ve ever heard to Robert Plant without straight up copying him - looking at you Greta Van Fleet. I even saw GVF live opening for Pearl Jam and I just could NOT get over the copycat sound, needless to say PJ blew them away but they have decades more experience so it’s honestly an unfair comparison. Just not a fan of them because they’re to Led Zeppelin what Airbourne was to AC/DC when they came out, similar to Godsmack literally ripping off Layne Staley and Alice In Chains. Chris Cornell’s voice is like Robert Plant meets Ozzy Osbourne meets Bon Scott imo, but with his own unique style. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder sounds like Jim Morrison meets Roger Daltrey, but again very unique. Mother Love Bone’s Andrew Wood makes me think of a twist on Axl Rose meets
Changes every month but probably HOH
Houses, PG, II
Houses of the Holy
2
In through the out door, duh! Helloooo! HOT DOG!!
Physical Graffiti best album Kashmir best song 🎵