Led Zeppelin Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
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Published 2020-12-22
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Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal, although their style drew from a variety of influences, including blues and folk music. The band have been credited with significantly impacting the nature of the music industry, particularly in the development of album-orientated rock (AOR) and stadium rock. Many critics consider Led Zeppelin one of the most successful, innovative and influential rock groups in history.
After changing their name from the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that afforded them considerable artistic freedom. Although the group were initially unpopular with critics, they achieved significant commercial success with eight studio albums released over ten years, from Led Zeppelin (1969) to In Through the Out Door (1979). Their untitled fourth studio album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV (1971), became one of the best-selling albums in history. It featured the song "Stairway to Heaven", which has come to be among the most popular and influential works in rock music, and helped to secure the group's popularity.
Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin's music, particularly early in their career, while Plant generally supplied the lyrics. Jones's keyboard-based compositions later became central to the group's catalogue, which featured increasing experimentation. The latter half of their career saw a series of record-breaking tours that earned the group a reputation for excess and debauchery. Although they remained commercially and critically successful, their output and touring schedule were limited during the late 1970s, and the group disbanded following Bonham's death from alcohol-related asphyxia in 1980. In the decades that followed, the former members sporadically collaborated and participated in one-off Led Zeppelin reunions. The most successful of these was the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London, with Bonham's son Jason Bonham on drums.
Led Zeppelin are one of the best-selling music artists of all time; various sources estimate the group's record sales at 200 to 300 million units worldwide. With RIAA-certified sales of 111.5 million units, they are the third-best-selling band and fifth-best-selling act in the US. They achieved eight consecutive UK number-one albums, and each of their nine studio albums placed in the top 10 of the Billboard album chart and six reached the number-one spot. Rolling Stone magazine described them as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the Seventies", and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history". They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum's biography of the band states that they were "as influential" during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.
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All Comments (21)
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My youngest brother lives and dies by Zeppelin. One of my proudest moments as a “big brother” was when I asked him fairly recently how he got turned onto LZ. He told me after I joined the Army a year out of high school (‘83’), he started listening to my record collection (he’d have been around 12 at the time). He noticed I had a lot of LPs by this same band, so figured they must be good, if I had 9 of their records, so he started with them. He felt everything else in my collection paled by comparison. I’ve always felt kind of bad, because I left home before he even hit his teens, and only saw him infrequently over the next 20 or so years. It kind of made me feel a little better to know even though I wasn’t around, I had an influence on who he became as a person.
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Man ya'll were breaking my heart with that ranking of Led Zeppelin 2 lol.
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I think Presence is sorely underrated. It's not full of their "hits" but it kinda has a progressive rock vibe to it that their other albums don't have. And Achilles Last Stand is my favorite Zeppelin track. It's really an incredible composition.
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Went to the record store the day PG was released in '75. We signed out of journalism class on the pretense of covering a story off campus. 5th hour we talked the teacher into canceling the lecture and grabbing a record player from the library. It was the only time he canceled lecture. First time hearing this album was in history class with the other students. Well, I guess that's a piece of history.
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In Through the Out Door is incredibly underrated.
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LZ II number 7, 8?! Wow. My top 3 are: LZII LZI Houses of the Holy. Hey, to each his own.......but you guys are NUTS!! But that why I love this channel. Keep rockin fellas, and happy holidays!
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9. Coda 8. Presence 7. In Through the Out Door 6. III 5. Physical Graffiti 4. Houses of the Holy 3. I 2. II 1. IV
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George Harrison was the Beatle who made the melody statement.......that's why the start of The Rain Song sounds kinda Something-ish
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Great reviews as always... definitely was shocked by how high In Through The Out Door was, but that's why you guys are a great combo, always a bit surprising, and making me want to revisit stuff I wrote off for years.
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1. IV (5/5) 2. Physical Graffiti (5/5) 3. III (5/5) 4. Houses of the Holy (5/5) 5. II (5/5) 6. I (4.5/5) 7. In Through the Out Door (3.5/5) 8. Presence (3/5) 9. Coda (2.5/5) Top 5 band, for me.
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Gotta be a generational thing,these guys not having 2 in their top 3.Im 53 and all the Zep fans I know hold that one in high esteem.
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Very interesting putting In through the out door at #5... But hey... I 100% respect that 💪💪. You guys amazing! Thanks for all y'all do
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Forgot to mention this before, but in addition to great albums, they have some of the best album covers.
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These reviews and discussions are really fun! (I always like leaving in memories, it helps me when looking at these list from other commenters lol!). Thanks guys. I got into Robert Plant's solo album from the late 80's from a borrowed cd collection from one of my fraternity brothers. That album always stayed in my music collection, and I grew to really enjoy Now and Zen over the years. It somehow stayed in my random cd folder along with LL COOL J's greatest hits haha. I had no clue that he was the lead singer for Led Zeppelin. I will have to check this out for discography. I love watching his live performances. Keep up the good work.
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You should do the Byrds albums ranked from worst to best.
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I was honestly hoping to hear more love for Fool In The Rain. While In Through The Out Door isn't in my top 5 of theirs, Fool In The Rain is definitely a top 10 Zeppelin song for me.
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I had a stroke when he put LZ2 at number 8
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really like the format of your videos i.e. x3
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Your recognition of the greatness of Physical Graffiti sent me back to rewatch the 1975 list. Interesting how artist lists match up to year lists.
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Love the mighty zep. Saw them in 77 in Los Angeles
