best LED ZEPPELIN album side

don't even start with coda or the song remains the same

i tried to link to the track listings but the site wouldn't have it, so figure it out for yourself

Basic as fuck answer, I guess, but IV side two. if HOTH had The Crunge or D'yer Maker on the same side, it could have been whatever side was opposite of that, since the rest of those songs are just fucking classics.

LED ZEPPELIN III side two

good poll. sorely tempted to vote for the first side of the first album. also considering both sides of houses of the holy

My head says Side B of PG; my heart says Side A of IV (first I ever heard them).

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Saturday, May 4, 2024 6:59 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

But yeah, Side B of IV is a monster and both sides of HOTH are contenders.

LED ZEPPELIN III side two

― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, May 5, 2024 8:39 AM (thirty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

physical graffiti C

Voted for Led Zeppelin III side one.

Please, when you come for me, know I am but a simple man

(whereas the whole of Led Zeppelin III isn't even in my top 4)

Largely because Immigrant Song is legend, "Since I've Been Loving You" is my fav Zep track, and I love "Friends"

PG side A
or IV side A

Woulda definitely been Side 1 of my cassette copy of Physical Graffiti.

don't even start with coda or the song remains the same

No such album called LED ZEPPELIN IV :-P

ZOSOOOOOO

I was going to say “untitled” or something but was trying not to be pretentious

Tough choice, but Presence side 1 over Presence side 2.

went with IV B, yes I am basic but all those tracks slay

"Four Sticks" took a while to uh stick.

it's so heavy, and that beat!

agreed!

As a coherent mood and set of songs, side 2 of III, easily. They were mostly sequencing in that pop mode of the time that favored contrast and variety. That’s part of why Sabbath comes down to us as feeling more metal- more willing to go dark and stay there.

IV - Side A

Surprised that a lot of people prefer Side B. To me Side A is perfect. Maybe the Sandy Denny duet puts some people off, but I love Sandy Denny, so..

More like people are still tired of Stairway

(raises hand)

I think I'm tired of it, but when I play the side, it always sounds perfect.

Cohesiveness of IV side A is helped by all the songs being in A

will never get tired of stairway but I wasn’t around in the 70s

i love side A of II and side A of III (and yeah side A of III is markedly superior to the whole), but look it's gotta be the fourth album. i went with Side A - three of their all-time best known songs and a fucking amazing hobbit folk duet with sandy denny - but side b is a creditable choice as well for anyone who's fucking sick of "the hits".

sorely tempted to vote for the first side of the first album. also considering both sides of houses of the holy

Feeling this. They went on to make stronger, more original records like Houses… that weren’t all ripped off from old blues dudes, but as a statement of purpose debut side 1 slays.

both sides of 1 slay extremely hard, on many days it’s my fav zep lp

i think IIa is unimpeachable (unless you loathe bluesy sex tropes)

but i feel like it's down to the first two sides of PG for me right now

apologies for not putting IV in parentheses; i am suitably shamed

if debut side 1 had “communication breakdown” on it, it would be the easy winner

it’s wedged weirdly in side 2, should’ve followed “good times” for a knockout 1-2 punch. they learned that lesson on untitled with the black dog-rock n roll opening

sub-poll!

TS: Babe I'm Gonna Leave You vs. Since I've Been Loving You

first side of first album easy

the punch of good times bad times is enhanced by fact that it's the first track on their first album. talk about a statement

Surprised that a lot of people prefer Side B. To me Side A is perfect. Maybe the Sandy Denny duet puts some people off, but I love Sandy Denny, so..

― o. nate, Sunday, May 5, 2024 12:06 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

yeah, that's a wild LZ take if i've ever heard one.

Side B of IV. I never quiet experienced Stairway as ubiquitous overplayed behemoth, and never really developed strong feelings about it. I just kinda like it okay when it's on. Otherwise the opening twofer on Side A would be pretty hard to top. With the later albums I just struggle to match the titles up with songs I can remember.

LED ZEPPELIN III side two

― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, May 5, 2024 8:39 AM (thirty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

― ivy., Sunday, 5 May 2024 13:16 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Surprised that a lot of people prefer Side B. To me Side A is perfect. Maybe the Sandy Denny duet puts some people off, but I love Sandy Denny, so..

― o. nate, Sunday, May 5, 2024 12:06 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Love Battle of Evermore and Stairway. Black Dog has just never been one of my favorites.

The Presence contrarians seems oddly quiet on this thread.

I'm on the record upthread. Presence rules, 2nd album shits the bed, everything else is in the middle.

This is actually harder than I thought it would be. I'm leaning to Side A of II.

"The Song Remains the Same" - "The Rain Song" - "No Quarter" - "The Ocean" would be the greatest album side by any band ever.

LED ZEPPELIN III side two

― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, May 5, 2024 8:39 AM (thirty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

― ivy., Sunday, 5 May 2024 13:16 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

― Bernard Quidbins (NickB), Monday, May 6, 2024 6:28 AM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

More like people are still tired of Stairway

I've been listening to this song since 1976 and I'm still not sick of it. I got a new pair of headphones for Xmas, it was the first song I put on to test them out.

As I've said here before, the final 12 minutes of their final album are pretty much my favourite thing they ever did. And they flatshare with the awesome Carouselambra so my choice is inevitable.

Houses of the Holy side one is a strong second place tho

LED ZEPPELIN III side two

― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, May 5, 2024 8:39 AM (thirty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

― ivy., Sunday, 5 May 2024 13:16 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

― Bernard Quidbins (NickB), Monday, May 6, 2024 6:28 AM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

― budo jeru, Monday, May 6, 2024 5:52 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

That Kashmir demo always sounds like Shellac to me.

kinda reminds me of the XYZ demos tbh

That Kashmir demo always sounds like Shellac to me.

I saw this a few minutes before the news about Albini dropped, and was thinking about how his Page/Plant album is underrated

for me, side A of Presence is a runner-up. i couldn't choose a side of II if i had to, i just kind of need to take the whole journey with that one, warts and all, for reasons that are deeply baked into me

in honor of steven a (RIP!) can't help but wonder what's better

WALKING INTO CLARKSDALE side one
WALKING INTO CLARKSDALE side two

Since nobody's mentioned it, I'll rep for side 2 of ITTOD: their last great epic, a (relatively) tight ballad, and inventing Lana Del Ray.

I think someone did above, and I agree! Carouselambra, All Of My Love and I'm Gonna Crawl is all solid to me

I think we need a live zep poll since this one is prejudiced

I think someone did above, and I agree! Carouselambra, All Of My Love and I'm Gonna Crawl is all solid to me

― Big Bong Theory (stevie), Thursday, May 9, 2024 12:36 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Ack! You're right, sorry I missed it.

I think we need a live zep poll since this one is prejudiced

Maybe my favourite Zep moment is the start of disc 2 of the BBC sessions where the host kind of haltingly introduces the band and they immediately just tear into Immigrant Song.

I’ve been a/bing that one and the how the west was won version

"In the Evening" is the greatest Zep song imo -- it incarnates what I love about how they sound.

Easy answer for me: PG side 2

I'm not even the biggest "Kashmir" fan but it's the only side of a LZ album where not a single second is wasted

LZ II side 1 is a close second!

well I don't fuck with voting in ILM polls, but the LZ side I love the most is side 2 of Coda. "Ozone Baby," "Darlene" and "Wearing and tearing," three absolutely invigorating rock and roll songs, each of which would have given ITtOD a bit of a kick in the drawers, which as I'm sure you guys know was by design, to take up the challenge put forth by the class of 77… as well as a drum solo recording that shows tremendous spark and wit and thus dances all over "Moby Dick"…while I love "hot Dog" but don't really like "I'm Gonna Crawl," I think those three non drum solo recordings would have been better to include, but I love love love Coda Side 2 as it is. I love ""we're Gonna Groove" "Poor Tom" and "Walter's Walk" (this and "Caroselambra" are my fave LZ of all), but that "I can't Quit you," while better than the LZ I, kills the momentum of Coda side 1.

I was was listening to II yesterday evening and at the end of Side 1 my wife says, "this record makes me want to drink a lot of beer very fast."

the best song i've ever seen the feelies perform is "how many more times"

while I love "hot Dog" but don't really like "I'm Gonna Crawl,"
what

vive le difference

Hot dog? Really?

Write in: Coda side a

Flashback - 1990, you just got the 4xCD crop circle box and the 2nd half of CD3 becomes your obsession and doesn't leave its position in your 5 disc changer for weeks, maybe months:

When the Levee Breaks
Achilles Last Stand
The Song Remains the Same
Ten Years Gone
In My Time of Dying

Wish I could trade "Going to California" for "Black Dog," but as is, side two of IV.

xpost that box set was basically my world for months

the sequencing on the box is really cool, I love how that 3rd CD is focused on the epics

Easy answer for me: PG side 2

I'm not even the biggest "Kashmir" fan but it's the only side of a LZ album where not a single second is wasted

― your dog is fed and no one cares (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, May 9, 2024 3:00 PM (five days ago) bookmarkflaglink

My thoughts exactly

i had the crop circle box on cassette lol

Never had the crop circle box but a friend borrowed Remasters from the public library and duped cassettes of it for us CD-bereft povvos, and months and months later I discovered my dad's gf had all the albums thru Song Remains The Same on beaten-up but still vivid vinyl, so I'd spend the sunday afternoons we were at her house taping myself copies, and discovering non-Remasters jams like In My Time Of Dying and Levee was like discovering forgotten relics.

i had the crop circle box on cassette lol

― Kate (rushomancy), Tuesday, May 14, 2024 2:43 PM (fifty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

the trillest version for sure

I was too old for that crop circle box but reading the Discogs reviews it sounds like the mastering is killer

I had LZII on cassette, which flipped Heartbreaker and Thank You. The way Thank You trails off quietly then explodes into Living Loving Maid is one of my favorite LZ sequencing moments.

https://www.discogs.com/release/4404429-Led-Zeppelin-Led-Zeppelin-II

You just blew my mind, PBKR.

I too had the cassette version of II, but I got mine at a Hastings probably in 1988, '89. And according to discogs, yeah, that version did the same thing too!

So now I'm sitting here, wondering, Did I really listen to Thank You going into LLM all those years and not a thing of it? I mean, I wouldn't have known any better.

Had the cropduster set too that I compiled a cassette version for the car. But since I already had II-HotH on tape, it was sequenced with "In the Evening" starting things off before going into "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You". Ended with "Bonzo's Montreaux" into "All My Love".

My recollection is they are spliced really tight together, too, so it almost ends up like a Yes transition.

especially amazing because Heartbreak>Living Loving Maid ime has typically been treated as a suite and played together on classic rock radio. Just imagining LLM bursting out of Thank You has already shifted my perspective on it in a positive way, bet it really crackles!

Someone else can tell me whether Tangerine --> Celebration Day works or not.

I think you mean Friends? And yes

fuck it i'm just gonna pirate the box set now

No, Friends --> Celebration Day is what we have now. I'm talking about some more cassette re-arranging.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

#ALBINI4PGS3

trying to verify this internet trend

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

LED ZEPPELIN II side two 7

wut

So:

LZ IV = 26
PG = 10

Yet, the results of the albums portion of LZ artist poll was:

PG = 266pts
IV = 237pts

ILM GONNA CRAWL — Led Zeppelin poll RESULTS THREAD

Some people be frontin'.

I could see where that might be a by-product of this poll's idea--voting for sides--combined with the difference between a single and a double. With the Rolling Stones, I could see individual sides of Beggars Banquet or Let It Bleed winning this kind of poll, but Exile winning a ballot-type poll. Maybe doubles are experienced more...holisitically? I don't know.

You guys really like four sticks huh

didn't vote for that side, but four sticks is the second-best song on it

I love Four Sticks because even Led Zeppelin didn't really know how to play it. They took stabs at it when they rarely played it live, Bonham had a frustrating time getting it down, but on the record, it sounds perfect.

Also, the song is officially known as untitled sticks.

“four sticks” is cool, does it even have more than one chord?

I don’t really like plants vocals during the “punch on the nose” part of California

Four Sticks is the heart of the album

"Four Sticks"/"Misty Mountain Hop" had more to do with my vote than even "When the Levee Breaks."

https://www.icegif.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icegif-11.gif