John M Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 I thought it would be interesting to see what other rock albums were released the same time as each LZ album, to get a sense of the music scene and the "competition" at the time. I wanted to go back and see which album had the best company around its release. So let's look I January 1969 Beatles White album (Nov 1968), Goodbye (Cream) Feb 1969 II October 1969 Abbey Road (Sept 1969), In the Court of the Crimson King (Oct 1969), Pink Floyd Umma Gumma (Nov 1969), Rolling Stones Let it Bleed (Dec 1969) III October 1970 Santana Abraxas (Sept 1970), Pink Floyd -Atom Heart Mother (Oct 1970), Layla - Derek and the Dominoes (Nov 1970) IV November 1971 Pink Floyd - Meddle , Yes - Fragile (both Nov 1971) - that is one amazing month in rock history right there! And also Madman Across the Water by Elton Houses March 1973 Dark Side of the Moon (yikes- the same month at Houses - think about that !!), Aerosmith first album (January 1973) Graffiti February 1975 Rush - Fly by Night, Kansas- Song for America (both Feb 1975), Yes -Relayer (Nov 1974), Toys in the Attic - Aerosmith (April 1975) Presence March 1976 Heart- Dreamboat Annie (Feb 1976), Rush 2112 (April 1976), Aerosmith - Rocks , Jeff Beck - Wired, and Agents of Fortune - BOC) - all May 1976 (not a bad month on its own) TSRTS September 1976 Kansas - Leftoverture (Oct 1976) Out Door August 1979 Talking Heads - Fear of Music (Aug 1979), The Eagles - The Long Run (Sept 1979), Pink Floyd - The Wall (Nov 1979) My take is that LZ IV (Fragile, Meddle) and Houses (Dark Side of the Moon) had the strongest company around their release. What do you think? What other major albums by other bands am I missing from these months? LZ I had the White Album and the last Cream album to contend with. and LZ II had Abbey Road among others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
California Evermore Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Led Zeppelin released music in the golden age of rock, and they are a huge reason why it was golden. Very impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 The most obvious point I think is just how early LZ1 actually came out. Its easy to just read 69 and think it wasn't really that far ahead of say Sabbaths debut or Deep Purple In Rock but actually its well over a year before either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingzoso Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 (edited) 7 hours ago, greenman said: The most obvious point I think is just how early LZ1 actually came out. Its easy to just read 69 and think it wasn't really that far ahead of say Sabbaths debut or Deep Purple In Rock but actually its well over a year before either. I have read a lot of times that the members of Black Sabbath listened to and loved Led Zeppelin's first album. When it came time to finish Black Sabbath's second album, Paranoid, they needed one more song to finish the album so they wrote and recorded the song "Paranoid" and fashioned it on Led Zeppelin's song, "Communication Breakdown". If you listen to both songs truly, there is a very uncanny resemblance to "Paranoid" sounding very similar to "Communication Breakdown" as both songs are similar in structure and riffs, only the lyrics ate different. To me, that means that Led Zeppelin were very tangible and definitely an influence on Black Sabbath. I would guess to say that Tony Iommi would proudly say that Jimmy Page was a big influence of his even though they are roughly the same age. I Love Tony Iommi, but I LOVE JIMMY PAGE WAY MORE THAN ANY OTHER HUMAN BEING ON THIS PLANET EARTH!!! Edited September 24, 2016 by kingzoso Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithril46 Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 This thread does indeed really hit home how many rock masterpieces were made from Zep 1 onwards. There is still some great rock around but bands coming thru with 3, 4 GREAT albums in a row, no way, that's gone. And rock being combined with practically every other style of music, successfully, with bands like Zep, YES, Floyd, etc playing multiple nights, gone. Of course there are really good diverse bands out there, but not like the 70's. I could see Tony Iommi really being into Page's playing, but the influence sounds more indirect than direct, like maybe Iommi had Sabbath experiment with different styles and approaches instead of just playing heavy all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 I thought I would take a look at the Top albums on the US Billboard charts before and after each Zeppelin album peaked. Led Zeppelin - peaked at Number 10 - not sure when. Around the time of its release: Before: The Beatles ("White album") After: The Beatles Later that spring the number one albums were Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell, and Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Then most of that summer the number one album was Hair. Led Zeppelin II Before: Abbey Road After: Abbey Road Led Zeppelin III Before: Santana Abraxas After: Santana Abraxas Untitled - peaked at Number 2 Before: Santana 3 After: Santana 3 Houses of the Holy Before: Elvis Aloha from Hawaii After: The Beatles: 1967-70 collection Physical Graffiti Before: Olivia Newton-John Have You Never Been Mellow After: Chicago 8 Presence Before: Wings at the Speed of Sound After: Black and Blue The Song Remains the Same - peaked at Number 2 Before: Songs in the Key of Life After: Songs in the Key of Life In Through the Out Door Before: Get the Knack After: The Long Run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniemouse Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 (edited) I am only going off the internet so I am not 100% sure of the accuracy but the UK chart looks like this. Led Zeppelin - Peaked at Number 6 Before : The Moody Blues - On the Threshold of a Dream. After : Bob Dylan Nashville Skyline Led Zeppelin 2 - (1 week at number 1) Before : The Beatles - Abbey Road. After : Various Artists - Motown Chartbusters Volume 3 Led Zeppelin 3 - (3 weeks at number 1) Before : Various Artist - Motown Chartbusters Volume 4 After : Bob Dylan - New Morning (Returned for an extra week at number 1) Before and After Andy Williams (Andy Williams Greatest Hits.) Led Zeppelin 4 (2 weeks at number 1) Before : Top of the Pops Vol 20 After : T . Rex - Electric Warrior Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (2 weeks at number 1) Before - Various Artists - 20 Flashback Greats of the 60's After - Faces - Ooh La La Physical Graffiti - ( 1 week at numer 1 ) Before : Status Quo - On the Level After : Tom Jones - 20 Greatest Hits Led Zeppelin - Presence (1 week at number 1) Before : Rock Follies - Rock Follies After - Rock Follies - Rock Follies Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same (1 week at number 1) Before : Various Artists - Soul Motion After : Bert Weeden - 22 Golden Guitar Greats Led Zeppelin - In through the Out Door (2 weeks at number 1) Before : Various Artists - The Best Disco Album in the World After : Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle Coda - (highest chart posistion number 4) Before : The Kids From Fame After : ABBA - The Singles : The First Ten Years. Edited June 17, 2020 by anniemouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, anniemouse said: but the UK chart looks like this Thanks for posting the UK chart information. I am surprised to see so many compilations in the UK charts. So very different than the US charts for all those entries. Edited June 18, 2020 by John M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rm2551 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 10 hours ago, anniemouse said: Before : Various Artists - The Best Disco Album in the World Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniemouse Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 I cannot give you the exact date but during the 80's "Various Artist" LP's were removed from the official top 40 LP chart and given their own chart. I was surprised at how few weeks their LP's were at number 1. I also wonder if they had just done a lead in single (just the one per LP) would the extra airplay have helped them (I cannot recall them getting much daytime airplay until 15 years ago). Also not doing performances for Whistle Test was probably a right thing to do at the time but has affected them in both sales at the time and the ability to show people now what a truly genious band they were at their peak. Just my opinion though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 Number of weeks topping the US album chart: LZ II 7 weeks total. One week, then off the top, then one week, back off the top, then a run of 5 weeks at the top LZ III 4 weeks in a row Houses 2 weeks I find it interesting that this was at the time of a huge US tour and some real publicity, but only 2 weeks at the top compared to LZ III. PG 6 week run Presence 2 weeks Out Door 7 weeks in a row. This reminds me of the impact this album made at the time. It was everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniemouse Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Cannot find a list of how many weeks each LP spent in the UK LP top 40. Does anyone have this information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hummingbird69 Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) On 6/18/2020 at 7:59 AM, John M said: Out Door 7 weeks in a row. This reminds me of the impact this album made at the time. It was everywhere. This speaks volumes to the whole ITTOD was bunk theory. Houses is talked about with total positivity and yet only 2 weeks on top. ITTOD is spoken about like the redheaded stepchild no one wants and it spent 7 weeks on top. Edited June 19, 2020 by hummingbird69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zep Hed Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) I'll just add that when HOTH was released the band still wasn't getting the peak publicity they deserved. That wouldn't come until the Spring/Summer Tour which is when the album hit its chart peak. Had the publicity machine been in place earlier, or had the album been released closer to the N.A. Tour, it probably would have had a longer run at the top. Edited June 19, 2020 by Zep Hed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) Billboard has a website where you can look up the top 200 US albums for every week for every year. Here is the week PG hit number one, March 22, 1975. Quite a diverse list. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1975-03-22 And here is the week Houses hit number one, May 12, 1973. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1973-05-12 Houses had been number two the week before when the US Tour started. Presence, May 1, 1976. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1976-05-01 Edited June 20, 2020 by John M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Out Door September 15, 1979. The BilIboard top 200 US albums. It had entered the charts the week before at number 10. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1979-09-15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 December 18, 1971. The fourth album peaks at number 2 on the US Billboard album chart. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1971-12-18 I can see now that my post above about this album was wrong. I had been looking at when the fourth album was released, not when it peaked on the chart. During the first weeks of its release, Santana 3 was in fact at number one, but when Zep hit number 2, the first spot belonged to Sly and the Family Stone. By January 1, Zep was still at number 2 but Carole King was at number 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 October 24, 1970 LZ III enters the chart at number 3, with Santana and Creedence Clearwater in the first two spots. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1970-10-24 Oct 31, one week later, LZ hits number one. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1970-10-31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Dec 27, 1969. LZ II overtakes Abbey Road for number one album in the US. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1969-12-27 Creedence had two albums in the top ten that week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniemouse Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 Interesting to read the charts. Elton John and the Moody Blues have massive LP's for many years Genesis and Bowie seem to less traction in the charts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef free Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Interesting topic! They start out as pretty contemporary, White Album and Cream are both pretty heavy, but then they quickly outstrip the competition... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Phone Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 On 6/18/2020 at 7:59 AM, John M said: Number of weeks topping the US album chart: LZ II 7 weeks total. One week, then off the top, then one week, back off the top, then a run of 5 weeks at the top LZ III 4 weeks in a row Houses 2 weeks I find it interesting that this was at the time of a huge US tour and some real publicity, but only 2 weeks at the top compared to LZ III. PG 6 week run Presence 2 weeks Out Door 7 weeks in a row. This reminds me of the impact this album made at the time. It was everywhere. Speaking of impact, US retailers at the time were crediting the business generated by ITTOD with saving the moribund music retail industry. People were coming back into record stores just to buy that, and of course some of those customers would also grab another LP or two while they were there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 Feb 15, 1969. Led Zeppelin entered the Billboard 200 at number 99. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1969-02-15 There are listings that say it peaked at number 10 but the highest I can find it on the weekly chart is at number 12, the week of March 15, 1969. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 On 6/21/2020 at 9:27 PM, White Phone said: Speaking of impact, US retailers at the time were crediting the business generated by ITTOD with saving the moribund music retail industry. People were coming back into record stores just to buy that, and of course some of those customers would also grab another LP or two while they were there. On this album's release, Led Zeppelin's entire catalogue made the Billboard 200 between the weeks of 23 October and 3 November 1979, an unprecedented feat, topping their own record in 1975, when all their albums up to Physical Graffiti were on the chart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 US Billboard Top 200 Albums October 1979. Wow. Even TSRTS made the charts along with all the studio albums. That is remarkable. Oct 20, 1979 Oct 27, 1979 1 ITTOD 1 ITTOD 91 Houses 91 Houses 93 LZ IV 101 LZ IV 130 PG 130 PG 144 LZ II 150 LZ II 150 TSRTS 164 TSRTS 160 LZ 174 LZ 169 Presence 183 Presence 189 LZ III Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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