re: Best Led Zeppelin album?

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Black Dog, Rock and Roll, Stairway, MMH, When The Levee Breaks......................the 4th is the GOAT.

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I've always thought Physical Graffiti was the best because it's a double album but you make a strong argument here.

The Led Zepplin Boxed Set from 1990.

I can't possibly pick an actual album. They are just too fricking good.

II

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The Crunge

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Eliminates HotH for my vote.

The problem with Zeppelin (if you're a fan, of course) is that it is an embarrassment of riches. They didn't have an album that was even mediocre until Presence and didn't have another true studio album in that category unless you count Coda.

The 50 gazillion box sets/remasters/remastered packages, and other money grabs by Plant/Page haven't changed the core quality of the original "thing" that was Led Zeppelin from the band that called itself "The New Yardbirds" through the death of John Bonham.

For me personally, it's IV. From an objective standpoint, their best album is almost certainly II, with everything else prior to Presence clustered together, really too close to call.

A fantastic catalogue when you lay it out on the timeline from 1969 to 1980.

I can understand the argument for II. It was the first album where Page/Plant established themselves as viable songwriters on the scene(however dubious that claim may be) and bolster the origninality of their work.

Isn't The Crunge just a takeoff on James Brown?

It's pretty good when you recognize if for what it is--a pastiche.

The Crunge gets way too much hate. It just isn't that bad. Hats Off To Roy Harper, OTOH, is like all the earwig eggs hatching and the larva starting to eat their way out of your brain.

My ranking in order of preference. Your results will almost surely vary:

1. Physical Graffiti
2. III
3. II
4. In Through The Out Door
5. IV
6. Presence
7. Houses Of The Holy
8. Coda
9. Self titled