Please put the following into your preferred order, with any reasons, thoughts, etc.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin 2
Led Zeppelin 3
"four symbols or whatever you like to call it"
Houses Of The Holy
Physical Graffiti
Presence
In Through the Out Door
Another ranking thread
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Another ranking thread
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Re: Another ranking thread
Presence - Perhaps not every song is a bonafide classic, but even the bottom tier of numbers here share that certain raw power that defines this record. Probably as hard hitting as they were ever going to get.*
Houses Of The Holy - Possibly not as great as I've always made it out to be, but the best bits (TSRTS, Rain Song, No Quarter, Dancing Days, The Ocean) capture a very colorful optimism and expansiveness.
III - Again, colorful and expansive - carries a greater depth and dimension than many records. Percy's voice, the layered instruments, that particular acoustic guitar sound...
Physical Graffiti - Maybe something of a curate's egg (minus magnificent older outtakes like "Night Flight" and "Down By The Seaside", it might seem a bit overly brittle and metallic in full), but the likes of "In the Light" and "Dying" are top tier for me.
II - You wish other brown albums were this great. The "beached whale" sound of the guitars/percussion (thanks, Quaco) is a wonder. A young, confident band.
Led Zeppelin - He rarely sang better. Gets bogged down in spots ("You Shook Me", "Your Time.."), but...Plant's vocals really make this record.
IV - Surely more wonderful to me than its ranking would suggest ("Four Sticks"!!!).
Coda - A write in candidate from me. "Groove", "Tom" and this version of "Quit You" are a treat.
In Through the Out Door - I'm under no obligation to love everything they ever did.
*The gentle, mellow, unfinished outtake from this ("10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod") is lovely, but...it really would have been quite anomalous.
Houses Of The Holy - Possibly not as great as I've always made it out to be, but the best bits (TSRTS, Rain Song, No Quarter, Dancing Days, The Ocean) capture a very colorful optimism and expansiveness.
III - Again, colorful and expansive - carries a greater depth and dimension than many records. Percy's voice, the layered instruments, that particular acoustic guitar sound...
Physical Graffiti - Maybe something of a curate's egg (minus magnificent older outtakes like "Night Flight" and "Down By The Seaside", it might seem a bit overly brittle and metallic in full), but the likes of "In the Light" and "Dying" are top tier for me.
II - You wish other brown albums were this great. The "beached whale" sound of the guitars/percussion (thanks, Quaco) is a wonder. A young, confident band.
Led Zeppelin - He rarely sang better. Gets bogged down in spots ("You Shook Me", "Your Time.."), but...Plant's vocals really make this record.
IV - Surely more wonderful to me than its ranking would suggest ("Four Sticks"!!!).
Coda - A write in candidate from me. "Groove", "Tom" and this version of "Quit You" are a treat.
In Through the Out Door - I'm under no obligation to love everything they ever did.
*The gentle, mellow, unfinished outtake from this ("10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod") is lovely, but...it really would have been quite anomalous.
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Re: Another ranking thread
IV - It still tops the rank for me after all these years. Sure I don't play it that often anymore but when I do it, I still see it as the perfect blend of everything that I love from Zep. Today the tracks that I didn't love so much at the beginning (Battle, California, Four Sticks) are the ones I enjoy the best, But Misty Mountain, Levee, Black Dog, all of them keep on pushin' the right buttons. And though I wouldn't listen voluntarily to Stairway to Heaven anymore, I still think it is a fuckin' great song.
III - Immigrant Song is probably the best album opener they ever did, and the whole A side is a monster ride. But it is the B side what brings the album close to the top these days. And it was a brave move to give so much space to this soft side of the band after the first two albums.
S/T - An astonishing debut, the highlights (Communication Breakdown, Dazed and Confused, How Many More Times) compensate for the embarrassing call and response thing in You Shook Me, the only mayor flaw in the album.
II - The brilliant one-two that opened side B (Heartbreaker - Living Loving Maid) has always been a fave of mine, and still is. I tend to see it slightly below the debut, but I can't explain why, maybe it's just because of the drum solo. Oh, and I still prefer the edited single version of Whole Lotta Love that I grew up with.
Houses Of The Holy - Love its variety and I think it shows a very strong songwriting all over it, I don't even mind Dyer Maker that much today. But ... is it only me, or Plant seems to be singing out of tune often in this record?
Presence - It has grown in my esteem over the years, not only because of Achilles Last Stand, but the rest of the album sounds focused and solid and without a trace of self complacency.
Physical Graffitti - A proverbial example of the double that should have been single, its highs are very high (Custard Pie, Houses of the Holy, Kashmir) but as a whole it feels dull and overlong.
I have heard just a couple of times the last two, too little to give an opinion, but I doubt they would get up from the bottom of the list.
III - Immigrant Song is probably the best album opener they ever did, and the whole A side is a monster ride. But it is the B side what brings the album close to the top these days. And it was a brave move to give so much space to this soft side of the band after the first two albums.
S/T - An astonishing debut, the highlights (Communication Breakdown, Dazed and Confused, How Many More Times) compensate for the embarrassing call and response thing in You Shook Me, the only mayor flaw in the album.
II - The brilliant one-two that opened side B (Heartbreaker - Living Loving Maid) has always been a fave of mine, and still is. I tend to see it slightly below the debut, but I can't explain why, maybe it's just because of the drum solo. Oh, and I still prefer the edited single version of Whole Lotta Love that I grew up with.
Houses Of The Holy - Love its variety and I think it shows a very strong songwriting all over it, I don't even mind Dyer Maker that much today. But ... is it only me, or Plant seems to be singing out of tune often in this record?
Presence - It has grown in my esteem over the years, not only because of Achilles Last Stand, but the rest of the album sounds focused and solid and without a trace of self complacency.
Physical Graffitti - A proverbial example of the double that should have been single, its highs are very high (Custard Pie, Houses of the Holy, Kashmir) but as a whole it feels dull and overlong.
I have heard just a couple of times the last two, too little to give an opinion, but I doubt they would get up from the bottom of the list.
Last edited by Osgood on 11 Dec 2017, 14:26, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Another ranking thread
Oh, I agree with all of that!
‘cept it’s a one-two-three at the start of side two of II
‘cept it’s a one-two-three at the start of side two of II
Matt 'interesting' Wilson wrote:So I went from looking at the "I'm a Man" riff, to showing how the rave up was popular for awhile.
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Re: Another ranking thread
All equally unlistenable, and indeed unheard.
There. I bet you're all pleased I contributed.
There. I bet you're all pleased I contributed.
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Re: Another ranking thread
I suppose I should list mine.
Led Zeppelin 3 - seems to balance the hard and the soft so nicely, and has more of f my favourite songs.
Led Zeppelin 2 - beautiful record. A gigantic step up from the debut I think.
The Old Man Collecting Sticks - if I'd had an older brother instead of a sister, I might have heard Led Zeppelin sooner, but this was the obvious entry point in 1982/3, just as DSOTM was for the Floyd. Much as I love it, the big songs from this record make it one of the less-played nowadays.
Houses Of The Holy - I listened to this in the car today (and LZ3 yesterday), and was struck by how good it was. Even Dyer Maker didn't seem quite as dreadful as I remembered it.
Physical Graffiti - probably their best if you trust Page and Plant. I could frankly live without In My Time of Dying but - again - the best songs here are undeniable.
Led Zeppelin - perhaps unfairly overshadowed by what came after, but what a debut.
Presence - last time I listened to this I thought it sounded a bit cocainey in the mix (a slight absence of lower frequencies). Will give it another listen tomorrow.
In Through The Out Door - not a record I like very much at all. Will have to listen to it again soon.
Led Zeppelin 3 - seems to balance the hard and the soft so nicely, and has more of f my favourite songs.
Led Zeppelin 2 - beautiful record. A gigantic step up from the debut I think.
The Old Man Collecting Sticks - if I'd had an older brother instead of a sister, I might have heard Led Zeppelin sooner, but this was the obvious entry point in 1982/3, just as DSOTM was for the Floyd. Much as I love it, the big songs from this record make it one of the less-played nowadays.
Houses Of The Holy - I listened to this in the car today (and LZ3 yesterday), and was struck by how good it was. Even Dyer Maker didn't seem quite as dreadful as I remembered it.
Physical Graffiti - probably their best if you trust Page and Plant. I could frankly live without In My Time of Dying but - again - the best songs here are undeniable.
Led Zeppelin - perhaps unfairly overshadowed by what came after, but what a debut.
Presence - last time I listened to this I thought it sounded a bit cocainey in the mix (a slight absence of lower frequencies). Will give it another listen tomorrow.
In Through The Out Door - not a record I like very much at all. Will have to listen to it again soon.
Last edited by Moleskin on 11 Dec 2017, 20:09, edited 1 time in total.
@hewsim
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Jug Band Music
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Re: Another ranking thread
Up until even a year ago, it would have been Physical Graffiti tops... but...
1) Led Zeppelin IV - It's as close to perfection as they got I think. No filler and a really magnificent mixture of styles. And it sounds utterly divine - so clean yet textured. And, in "When The Levee Breaks" they have their finest moment... the perfect gel of their collective talents with everyone at the absolute peak of performance. And Bonzo is fucking immense.
2) Physical Graffiti - At its best, its God-like but it does suffer from a dip with some stuff (particularly a couple on side four) and the mix is very muddy in places, which doesn't age so well. But tracks such as "Kashmir" and "Ten Years Gone" are majestic, and many come very close to that level.
3) Led Zeppelin III - a beautifully crisp and dramatic departure from the second album... and without a doubt their bravest....which whilst now accepted as a classic received some serious criticism at the time. It gave them the right to continue exploring new fields and sounds, whereas a continuation of II would have pigeonholed them forever. I saw Planty do "That's The Way" last Friday and it still sounding fresh.
4) Led Zeppelin I - A virtual replication of their live set of the time, recorded incredibly quickly, this just leaps out and grabs you. It's so powerful and primal. And "How Many More Times" contains maybe Robert's greatest ever vocal - the one and only take, ad libbed on the spot... a 20 year old reaching for the stars.
5) Houses Of The Holy - The inclusion of "D'Yer Maker" is to its serious detriment but the one two of "TSRTS" and "The Rain Song" are utterly sublime. "Over The Hills" isn't far away either.
6) Led Zeppelin II -I know it's great but for some reason it's probably the least played these days for me. I understand how important it was at the time, and Jimmy particularly is glorious, but it does sound exactly what it was in many ways - a hotch potch, recorded in different studios in hurried moments, and suffers from the disjointed overall sound as a result. Still, it can crush you at the right time.
7) In Through The Out Door - It has some very poor moments (Hot Dog and South Bound Suarez) but with "Fool In The Rain" "Carouselambra" and "I'm Gonna Crawl" it has brilliance too. It does however sound very much like it was - the sound of a disfunctional unit who were suffering from major drug issues.
8) Presence - As much as I adore "Achilles..." "For Your Life" and "Tea For One" the rest just falls way below that level and material like "Royal Orleans" is horrible filler.
1) Led Zeppelin IV - It's as close to perfection as they got I think. No filler and a really magnificent mixture of styles. And it sounds utterly divine - so clean yet textured. And, in "When The Levee Breaks" they have their finest moment... the perfect gel of their collective talents with everyone at the absolute peak of performance. And Bonzo is fucking immense.
2) Physical Graffiti - At its best, its God-like but it does suffer from a dip with some stuff (particularly a couple on side four) and the mix is very muddy in places, which doesn't age so well. But tracks such as "Kashmir" and "Ten Years Gone" are majestic, and many come very close to that level.
3) Led Zeppelin III - a beautifully crisp and dramatic departure from the second album... and without a doubt their bravest....which whilst now accepted as a classic received some serious criticism at the time. It gave them the right to continue exploring new fields and sounds, whereas a continuation of II would have pigeonholed them forever. I saw Planty do "That's The Way" last Friday and it still sounding fresh.
4) Led Zeppelin I - A virtual replication of their live set of the time, recorded incredibly quickly, this just leaps out and grabs you. It's so powerful and primal. And "How Many More Times" contains maybe Robert's greatest ever vocal - the one and only take, ad libbed on the spot... a 20 year old reaching for the stars.
5) Houses Of The Holy - The inclusion of "D'Yer Maker" is to its serious detriment but the one two of "TSRTS" and "The Rain Song" are utterly sublime. "Over The Hills" isn't far away either.
6) Led Zeppelin II -I know it's great but for some reason it's probably the least played these days for me. I understand how important it was at the time, and Jimmy particularly is glorious, but it does sound exactly what it was in many ways - a hotch potch, recorded in different studios in hurried moments, and suffers from the disjointed overall sound as a result. Still, it can crush you at the right time.
7) In Through The Out Door - It has some very poor moments (Hot Dog and South Bound Suarez) but with "Fool In The Rain" "Carouselambra" and "I'm Gonna Crawl" it has brilliance too. It does however sound very much like it was - the sound of a disfunctional unit who were suffering from major drug issues.
8) Presence - As much as I adore "Achilles..." "For Your Life" and "Tea For One" the rest just falls way below that level and material like "Royal Orleans" is horrible filler.
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Re: Another ranking thread
They were almost always really weedily recorded, weren't they?
Things like Immigrant Song just sound shit - even with remasters
Page sounds like a wasp in a tin can
As a young lad I loved the theme to Top of the Pops and when I was told it was Led Zeppelin I obtained a copy of II and eagerly put it on the deck - and that shitty, weak, underpowered, limp version of Whole Lotta Love dribbled out of the speakers. I was mortified.
The CCS version is huge and beefy and how it SHOULD sound.
I can only think of one time where Zep get that power on WLL and that is from the BBC session where Peel introduces them ("I was knocked out so many people came to see me tonight")
Page is a shit shit shit record producer - at least up till about half way through Physical Graffiti
Anyhow - House of the Holy would be my number one if it wasn't produced by an absolute fucking spazz.
But it was so.
1) Physgraff - yeah, there's loads of toss on it - including the last song which they seemed to love and I think is fucking rubbish. But - there's three sides worth of magic there - so at least 50% more than any of their other studio records.
2) III - oddly, I think this one (after we have got Immigrant Song out of the way) is their nicest sounding and toughest record. Out on the Tiles almost nails it
3) IV - Overplayed and murky sounding. But its undeniably consistent - probably their best collection of songs
4) HotH - should have been a live record. 6 of the 8 songs are top quality.
5) Presence - It has grown on me but I still don't like tea for one much. Not enough light and shade or it might be higher
6) II - again, murky and underpowered. The recent remaster helped a lot but I have kind of fallen out of love with it. It is only this high for nostalgic reasons.
7) In Through the Out Door - you don't like it - I do. Horrible sounding record again, though. The mix is dreadful. the remixed tracks on the remaster sound fabulous.
8) I - never really cared for it - I find uninspiring blues a chore. Not enough songs
9) Coda - meh
Things like Immigrant Song just sound shit - even with remasters
Page sounds like a wasp in a tin can
As a young lad I loved the theme to Top of the Pops and when I was told it was Led Zeppelin I obtained a copy of II and eagerly put it on the deck - and that shitty, weak, underpowered, limp version of Whole Lotta Love dribbled out of the speakers. I was mortified.
The CCS version is huge and beefy and how it SHOULD sound.
I can only think of one time where Zep get that power on WLL and that is from the BBC session where Peel introduces them ("I was knocked out so many people came to see me tonight")
Page is a shit shit shit record producer - at least up till about half way through Physical Graffiti
Anyhow - House of the Holy would be my number one if it wasn't produced by an absolute fucking spazz.
But it was so.
1) Physgraff - yeah, there's loads of toss on it - including the last song which they seemed to love and I think is fucking rubbish. But - there's three sides worth of magic there - so at least 50% more than any of their other studio records.
2) III - oddly, I think this one (after we have got Immigrant Song out of the way) is their nicest sounding and toughest record. Out on the Tiles almost nails it
3) IV - Overplayed and murky sounding. But its undeniably consistent - probably their best collection of songs
4) HotH - should have been a live record. 6 of the 8 songs are top quality.
5) Presence - It has grown on me but I still don't like tea for one much. Not enough light and shade or it might be higher
6) II - again, murky and underpowered. The recent remaster helped a lot but I have kind of fallen out of love with it. It is only this high for nostalgic reasons.
7) In Through the Out Door - you don't like it - I do. Horrible sounding record again, though. The mix is dreadful. the remixed tracks on the remaster sound fabulous.
8) I - never really cared for it - I find uninspiring blues a chore. Not enough songs
9) Coda - meh
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Re: Another ranking thread
III
Runes
Physical Graffiti
I
Houses of the Holy
Presence
II
In thru Out Door
Runes
Physical Graffiti
I
Houses of the Holy
Presence
II
In thru Out Door
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