#3 - Led Zeppelin
Albums Included in Rating:
II (1969), III (1970), IV (1971), and Houses of the Holy (1973)
How much do I like my favorite track on the album? 13.8 points
Ramble On (II)
Led Zeppelin is the true father of jam bands. Ramble On is the foundation for that. John Bonham and John Paul Jones are here in simplicity and it is perfection.
Immigrant Song (III)
Iconic vocals from Plant. Driving beats. Lyrics perfectly matched to the background. AHYAHHHHH AH. I used to imagine this was really a song about a Yeti somewhere in the Himalayas.
Going to California (IV)
There's an unplugged simplicity. Vocals from Plant are masterful, lyrics are meaningful and matched perfectly with the delicate guitar play from Page. Paired with the other songs on this it is truly absolute perfection. Couldn't ask for a more complete journey musically speaking. There's no chorus and it doesn't matter.
D'yer Mak'er (Houses of the Holy)
I am still going to maintain that Led Zeppelin is the true birth of jam bands. I said it. One of the more playful songs in their repertoire, and ironically one of the “weaker” vocals from Plant. And the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. Strictly vibes only here.
How did/does this album influence my own taste in music overall? 15.2 points
I can't exactly recall how old I was when I first heard Led Zeppelin, but it was young. Definitely elementary school. And I was hooked.
Does this album hold up since its release? 14 points
Most everything from Led Zeppelin’s catalog has stood the test of time. Pretty fascinating given how much their sound changed over the years as well.
What percentage of the album do I listen to? 7.6 points
The are some skippers depending on my mood. Not many though.
What did/do the critics think of this album? 9.775 points
Critics love them. They actually have 2 perfect critic ratings in this list (IV and Houses of the Holy). Which is solid considering exactly how rare that is.
What is the sentimental value to me of the album? 16 points
Sentiments run high like the tunes themselves. They have something for just about every mood.
What was the artists involvement of the production of the album - songwriting, instrumentals, vocals, uniqueness? 14.8 points
This was lower than I thought. There are ever so slight knocks for their earlier and later works, that I can't ignore. The sweet spot was in the middle though.
Overall Rating out of 100 points = average 91.2 points
(II = 87.4, III = 86.8, IV = 98.4, Houses of the Holy = 92.2)
This is where it feels a bit unfair to Led Zeppelin as a whole. Because unequivocally, Led Zeppelin IV is my highest rated album on this list. In fact, it topped the topped top 2 albums by 2 and 6 points respectively. BUT BUT BUT…I wanted to acknowledge their full body of work here. As is only fair to them. In my opinion (ok, you’ve been reading my opinions for almost a month now) they are the greatest artists to ever walk the face of this earth. And, frankly, its not close. I could write so much content just on IV it's absurd. I for the life of me cannot understand why this album at times gets the knock of being overhyped. Hey hey mama, said the way you move gonna make you sweat gonna make you groove. Black Dog sets the fierce tone for the entire album. Rock n Roll keeps the energy high for the most unexpected moment in Led Zeppelin history: mandolin on Battle of Evermore. This leads into arguably the most recognizable guitar solo of all time. Stairway to Heaven. Overplayed? And to those same people, I would ask, “Are you in the Bohemian Rhapsody crowd or the Dark Side of the Moon crowd?” Why does it always have to be a singular choice? I mean….Stairway to Heaven is about as perfect of a piece of music as there ever was, and it wasn't picked as my favorite on that album🤯. We go back to the fictional mountains on Misty Mountain Hop anddddd then soar with some of Plant’s most absurd vocal agility on Four Sticks. All before chilling it way down on Going to California and When the Levee Breaks. That's how you make an album. Their ability to bend genres is still unmatched, and they did it so confidently and unabashedly. They never stopped reinventing their music. Their live performance albums are just as incredible (Moby Dick will live forever in my mind). You know those mythical super groups “If you could assemble the greatest rock band ever, who would be your members?” There's no need to list anyone other than the members of Led Zeppelin. John Bonham on drums. John Paul Jones on bass. Jimmy Page on guitar. And Robert Plant on vocals. When together, they are damn near perfect.
