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Best Led Zeppelin Album – Readers’ Poll


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Best Led Zeppelin Album – Matthew Wilkening 5 hours ago

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Robert Knight Archive, Getty Images

Led Zeppelin guitarist, songwriter and producer Jimmy Page turns 68 years old today (Jan. 9), making this the perfect time to engage in one of the most enduring debates in all of classic rock: Which is the best Zeppelin album?

Of course, the real correct answer is “whichever one is one right now,” but suppose you’re the one deciding which of their nine studio efforts to play. Do you go with their self-titled 1969 debut, which found them arriving fully-formed, ready to take over the world (which they did), or its almost immediate follow-up ‘II,’ which kicks off with the immortal ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and doesn’t ever let go of your brain after that?

Maybe you’re more into the acoustic touches of 1970′s ‘III,’ the dreamier, extended songs on ‘Houses of the Holy’ or the double-album treasure trove that is ‘Physical Graffiti.’ The stripped-down ‘Presence’ has a special place in many Zep fan’s hearts, as does the John Paul Jones-dominated ‘In Through the Out Door’ and the career-spanning (and alternate future-pointing) ‘Coda.’

Of course, we skipped one, the almighty untitled fourth album, which is both amazingly concise and far-ranging, with ‘Black Dog,’ ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and many other highlights. Vegas insiders have this one listed as the prohibitive favorite, but as the Pittsburgh Steelers can attest this morning, that’s why we play the games, right? Happy birthday Jimmy Page and happy voting to all everyone else!

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I may be quoting a member here in a roundabout way or an article I read somewhere - but there is a saying..."picking a favorite Zeppelin album is like picking your favorite child, I just can't do it". That's how I feel about that-and why I have no favorite. They are all great in some form or fashion, just depends on the mood.

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I may be quoting a member here in a roundabout way or an article I read somewhere - but there is a saying..."picking a favorite Zeppelin album is like picking your favorite child, I just can't do it". That's how I feel about that-and why I have no favorite. They are all great in some form or fashion, just depends on the mood.

I have one child. As such, I vote for PG.

(And you're totally right about the mood)

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On most days Presence is also my favorite.

As for creating a poll to "prove" which one is their worst, isn't there already one for "least favorite"? It's pretty much the same thing, just worded differently. Not to mention, no poll conducted here (or elsewhere) would ever be "conclusive". For one, the members of this board only represent a small percentage of Zeppelin fans worldwide. Plus, it all still boils down to a matter of opinion, not fact. Your vendetta against In Through the Out Door really is quite something. At this point you've overstated your stance on it ad nauseum. I think we all know that you don't care for it. If you want to keep hitting everyone over the head with it, have at it. It'll be like taking beating a dead horse to an entirely new level.

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I don't think ITTOD is a dead horse btw. More of a lame duck.

I'm not referring to anything having to do with it being a "lame duck" (which I personally don't think of it as), I'm referring to your continuous efforts to beat everyone over the head with your opinion of it. Just how many polls do you feel like you have to create in order for us to understand your opinion of it? We get it already, several thousands times over at this point. That's the "dead horse" I was referring to.

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I do not know how old this poll is? Or this thread? Ill go look again. But I am surprised only by one thing. That PG is number one and IV is second at 21 %. Then II. I cant find the sample size or number of voters? I would think IV would win every time in a larger polling. PG is a double album. To me side one of Led Zeppelin IV is the greatest one side of any album EVER made. By ANY group in ANY type of music. Then I might pick side one of LZ II and then Who's Next and Dark Side of the Moon. But to me there is very little doubt that Led Zeppelin IV is just so special. Black Dog, Rock n Roll , The Battle of EVermore and then Stairway. And then the other side with When the Levee breaks and Going to California, I mean, WOW. Kashmir puts PG on the map and its versatilty with even disco and country included make it very special. But its a tossup with II for second best IMO because Whole Lotta Love and Heartbreaker and Ramble On were just so damn incredible. Its clearly a 3 horse race and I would say I and Houses of the Holy would be a tie for forth best. As I have always said, Coda does not count.

If you go into a music store I have always seen Led Zeppelin IV available. Cant say that of any other. IV, like it or not, defines Led Zeppelin in so many ways. Whole Lotta Love does too, but Stairway to Heaven puts IV over the top every time.

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The poll is two weeks old according to the website. Page's birthday was January 9th so the poll was started because of that.

PG is the holy grail of Zeppelin fans, not only here but everywhere. I don't disagree that IV is "the" Zeppelin album, but that's just me.

Opinions always vary.

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I voted for PG because it's twice as much Led Zeppelin as their previous efforts. The only thing that could have made it better would have been Jimmy's finishing "Swan Song" and including it on one of its LPs... I guess we'll never hear that finished, will we? :-(

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