Best Album for a Zeppelin Newcomer?

[BlackDog71]

Which(studio)album would you give someone new to Zeppelin to listen to? Please feel free to vote and then comment. I would love to know why people chose the album they chose.

[zdr]

For me, Mothership worked like a charm (when I started my Led Zep affair).

[Lunacy]

Voted on PG.

[Dr Death]

Which(studio)album would you give someone new to Zeppelin to listen to? Please feel free to vote and then comment. I would love to know why people chose the album they chose.

If you're trying to turn someone onto Zeppelin, then it makes no sense to start in the middle, or give them a Greatest Hits package... you start with I and let them soak that in for a month or so... then you move onto II and so on...

Zeppelin were about albums. Each album had its own vibe, its own mystique. Turn them on the way Jimmy would want it done.

[Zep 4 Life]

If you're trying to turn someone onto Zeppelin, then it makes no sense to start in the middle, or give them a Greatest Hits package... you start with I and let them soak that in for a month or so... then you move onto II and so on...

Zeppelin were about albums. Each album had its own vibe, its own mystique. Turn them on the way Jimmy would want it done.

I agree with you Dr Death. If I was going to go back I would have liked to start with 1 then move on. However I had the 4 disc compilation set which had great songs from all of the albums.

So for a total newcomer I think Physical graffiti (especially disc 1) has a great variety of tunes for someone to enjoy.

[TerrenceK]

If you're trying to turn someone onto Zeppelin, then it makes no sense to start in the middle, or give them a Greatest Hits package... you start with I and let them soak that in for a month or so... then you move onto II and so on...

Zeppelin were about albums. Each album had its own vibe, its own mystique. Turn them on the way Jimmy would want it done.

While I heard III first back when I was 5 years old, I totally agree with Dr Death's assessment - "newcomers" should start with I and move on up chronologically to see the progression the band made over the years.

[BlackDog71]

If you're trying to turn someone onto Zeppelin, then it makes no sense to start in the middle, or give them a Greatest Hits package... you start with I and let them soak that in for a month or so... then you move onto II and so on...

Zeppelin were about albums. Each album had its own vibe, its own mystique. Turn them on the way Jimmy would want it done.

I agree to a point. I got started with IV. I was hooked.

Zeppelin was about albums. You make a very good point.

[zdr]

Sorry, but I think that PG is for advanced level (for me, it was a though nut to crack -it clicked piece by piece, and Night Flight and, maybe, In The Light, still have to click.. I really disliked Sick Again - I love it now. I disliked the vocals in Black Country Woman - I love the song now. I hated the "If we could just join hands " part - I still hate it, but I consider The Rover a masterpiece, considering. I had to see In My Time Of Dying live to appreciate it. Long story short, my love for Robert's voice had to be full grown and strong in order to appreciate this album).

For newcomers you need hooks (easy, catchy songs, like Immigrant Song and Black Dog and Over The Hills And Far Away. That's why I think a compillation open the door the best. Then, if they still want to dig Zep, listen to the albums in order and integral is a "must do".

[RPOZ51]

I agree with those who said, "Start at Led Zeppelin I and work your way through."

That's what I did (although I had to wait patiently for each one to come out). It's the right way to study any artist.

The benefit of doing it now is that you can compress the time it takes to study one and move to the next piece.

I'd also suggest: (i) take the time to look into the original songs that inspired the Led Zeppelin tunes; and (ii) give each album a chance to grow on you.

What I mean is: Listening to Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon and Memphis Minnie gives you a real appreciation for what Led Zeppelin "nicked" (as they will admit), and what they added through their own creativity.

Also, I was personally very disappointed in Houses of the Holy when I first ripped the cellophane off the album jacket, but knowing that there probably wouldn't be another Led Zeppelin new album for years, I gave it a lot of chances in the rotation, and it has since become on of my favorties.

[Electrophile]

Physical Graffiti, because I feel it's their best album.

[BUCK'EYE' DOC]

I think that a good strategy would be to first get Mothership, which includes some of the band's best and well known songs in chronological order of appearance on the albums, just to get a taste for the music. Then next, get each album in order of its release, beginning with Led Zeppelin I, and listen to each for a while before going on to the next. That way you can get a good feel for how the band developed its musical style and how the music evolved over time. That will also give you a historic perspective on some of the best music of the seventies. Then you can make up your own mind as to which is your favorite album. Everyone has different tastes. Personally, I am not a big fan of Physical Graffiti, an album that most here say is their favorite. I like Led Zeppelin IV best, which is the obvious choice because it has Stairway To Heaven on it, a song that most hard-core fans don't like as much anymore because it has been overplayed and is the only song that non-Zeppelin fans know from the band. But the other songs on the album are masterpieces, too, in my opinion. So make up your own mind after digesting each album over a period of time. There is no right or wrong answer here as to which is the best album. It varies from person to person.

[Virginia]

My #1 favorite Zeppelin album has always been III; 2 of my favorite Zeppelin songs came from III (SIBLY and TTW). The cover of III is so much fun to play with too.

Yet I also kind of agree with listening in chronological order too; as you really can't go wrong with I either. I would definitely start with I, II or III though (ok I"m being an indecisive Libra now )

Although I have Mothership and Early/Latter years, there's something to be said for listening to the original albums and hearing the songs in order (and anticipating the next song; and that lovely vinyl cracking and popping and all that...)

[Ady]

Definitely the first album.

There are exceptions to the rule, but usually I think the best way to discover and explore a band is to start at the very beginning and hear them mature and experiment, album by album.

[blackhillswoman]

I think the best overall is PG, but someone said start at one and work your way through. That would probably be the best.

My first was PG , still the best but I think III is a close tie!

[Led_Zeppelin_Chick]

I personally listen to Led zeppelin I first and I would point a newcomer to LZ I also

[The Rover]

I would never start a "Newcomer" with a double CD/LP.

I would instead give a Zep Newcomer LZ IV.

If a newcomer can't get into IV, then there's no point in going any deeper.

For a newcomer, IV is the perfect starting point.

IV is more accessible than I, and is a more perfect album than II.

[The Rover]

If you're trying to turn someone onto Zeppelin, then it makes no sense to start in the middle, or give them a Greatest Hits package... you start with I and let them soak that in for a month or so... then you move onto II and so on...

Zeppelin were about albums. Each album had its own vibe, its own mystique. Turn them on the way Jimmy would want it done.

You could just as easily make the argument that Jimmy would want Zeppelin newcomers to start with the First Boxed set. So there really is no hard and fast rule. Personally, I would stay away from the Boxed sets and the Greatest Hits packages. I is harder to get into than IV, so while both albums are very rewarding, start in the middle, with IV, then let the newcomer find his or her own way around the Zeppelin Universe !

[Led_Zeppelin_Chick]

You could just as easily make the argument that Jimmy would want Zeppelin newcomers to start with the First Boxed set. So there really is no hard and fast rule. Personally, I would stay away from the Boxed sets and the Greatest Hits packages. I is harder to get into than IV, so while both albums are very rewarding, start in the middle, with IV, then let the newcomer find his or her own way around the Zeppelin Universe !

I really do agree with this. Led zeppelin IV is easier to get into and more verstile for a newcomer.

[ally]

I really do agree with this. Led zeppelin IV is easier to get into and more verstile for a newcomer.

I don't think it really matters which one you start with ! My suggestion would be to just pick one and if there's an interest , then the journey will begin.

[Electrophile]

The reason I wouldn't suggest starting with IV is it's played out -- you can hear damn near every song on that album on the radio. So the chances are good that this newcomer is already familiar with that material, so it would make more sense to give them stuff they haven't heard yet, to complement what they have heard. So your best bet would be to choose an album that is NOT radio-friendly. Don't give them the same stuff they can hear if they turn on their local classic rock radio station. You're trying to get them into the band, not turn them off.

For example, if someone here said they wanted to get into Pink Floyd and wanted to know what album they should start with, I would NOT recommend DSOTM, WYWH or The Wall. I'd say Meddle, Obscured By Clouds or Relics. The reason being, they already know about those albums and have heard most of that material already. You want to show them another side to the band, you want to give them a different sound. You're not going to do that by handing them what they've heard a trillion times already. Which is why I've said it a million times; Stairway To Heaven will not make a casual Zep listener turn into a hardcore fan. That song is so overplayed it's practically begging for mercy. Give someone Zep I or In Through The Out Door or Presence.....something that isn't beaten to death on a daily basis.

[frankzeppelin]

I would say Mothership since it includes all of their best work from all years, or the Best of Latter Days and Early Days, which were the first two albums that I listened to. But they were not a choice, so I'll go with Houses of the Holy, since "No Quarter" is the first song that I remember listening to.

[Yupter]

I choose III

[ZepHead89]

Led Zeppelin II because it has a great mix of everything and I think it has some of their most classic tracks.

[dazedcat]

I would agree with starting them out on Led IV, to me that's the best LP they ever did, maybe one of the best albums ever recorded by anybody really.

I can see starting out at the beginning though, hey that's what I did when the albums were first released lol.

[Spike™]

well, i started from Led Zeppelin I thru to Coda,

every spare day i'd have i'd listen to them in the order intended.....

but when i need my quick Zeppelin fix i always stick on Led Zeppelin II

so i'd defo recommend Led Zeppelin I thru to Coda,