So I've been collecting albums for about a year now, and I've built up a pretty decent collection (122 CDs, I believe; I'd have more, but I don't make a lot of money right now). I do my best to rank them, but sometimes that gets pretty difficult, so I adopted a pretty straightforward system: Rate each song on each album on a scale from 1 to 5 (I have more specific criteria, but I won't list them here) and then rank the albums based on their average song rating. I realize that this disregards an album's flow and consistency/variety, and thus isn't TOTALLY fair, but it's good enough for me and helps keep me sane.
Now, a while ago I decided to include only one album per band to guarantee a lot more variety on my chart (more specifically to prevent it from being overrun by Queen albums). This has never really been an issue. When I was going through my Queen phase it was always hard to choose my favorite, but now that I'm past that phase I don't really question that A Night at the Opera is my favorite. Pink Floyd? As great as Wish You Were Here may be, Dark Side of the Moon is utterly flawless. Nirvana? Sure, In Utero's great, but it just takes so much more effort to enjoy for me, if that makes sense. Queens of the Stone Age? Once again, Rated R IS a great album, but Songs for the Deaf is just so much more ambitious. The Beatles? Well, Abbey Road was the only album of theirs I ever REALLY loved.
And then there's Led Zeppelin.
Their first album? Maybe pretty basic compared to their others, but classics such as Dazed and Confused and Black Mountain Side make this album a top contender.
Their second? Not a single bad song. Unfortunately I wouldn't say there's a single great song on it, either (maybe with the exception of Ramble On), but the fact remains that this album is insanely consistent.
Their third? Very unique. Immigrant Song is obviously amazing, Friends is extremely haunting, Since I've Been Loving You has an incredible intensity, and even the filler tracks towards the end (Tangerine, That's the Way, etc.) are pretty gorgeous.
Their fourth? There are probably some people who would crucify me for saying this, but Rock and Roll was kind of a piece of shit, and, to be totally honest, I was never all too crazy about Black Dog. However, Battle of Evermore, Stairway to Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, and When the Levee Breaks are all pretty much flawless in my book (Going to California ain't too bad, either).
Houses of the Holy? Like LZII, not a single bad song, but not really too many great songs, either. Song Remains the Same, Rain Song, and The Ocean are all incredible, but everything else, while pretty damn good, isn't quite perfect.
Physical Graffiti? Easily could've been their best by a long shot had it not been for the filler. Nevertheless, the filler on this album honestly isn't too bad. Boogie with Stu and Black Country Woman are both pretty disappointing, but every other song on the album's got SOMETHING going for it, at least.
I currently have Houses of the Holy chosen as my favorite, but I think LZIV could usurp it soon. But anyway, the point I'm trying to make with this: Is anyone else a little shocked by just how consistent Led Zeppelin was? For any other band my favorite album is pretty cut-and-dry, but for these guys there are a whoppin' six (yes, count 'em: SIX) albums that are viable contenders. Anybody else feel this way?
you'll easily find people who think the same of Beatles and Radiohead, among others, on here. Personally I think the only artist who released up to six great albums is Miles Davis, because his style is wildly inconsistent from album to album.
I think it is normal to have such feelings for the albums There are artists with 7-8 albums I like but not one will be on my chart because not one of them feels right up there. Also if I feel over 5 albums are sutible for one artist, they can all go up there!
@purple - what is 'wildly inconsistent' about Miles Davis? Is there anything less well known by him that you can suggest. I'm asking for less well known because I have listened to all the albums by him in the top 1000 already.
@purple - what is 'wildly inconsistent' about Miles Davis? Is there anything less well known by him that you can suggest. I'm asking for less well known because I have listened to all the albums by him in the top 1000 already.
admittedly, I've largely just paid attention to his Columbia years, but here's some greats. Each has a totally different sound than the others. Also, sorry for GARYing here, but it's Miles
I hear what you mean purple. Out of the ones I listened to my favorite was the Tribute to Jack Johnson one. The one I listened to from 'In a Slient Way' also made me want to try it again. Something calming about the sounds from that
I agree that it's extremely difficult to pick Zeppelin's best, or simply my favorite by them. I have IV ranked the highest, but on any given day I might think II, III, Houses Of The Holy, or Physical Graffiti are just as good. Zep I has two or three songs I'm really not that into so for me it's just a bit below the others I've listed. And while I really like Presence, it's not up to the level of what came before it. And In Through The Out Door is average at best.
One thing I disagree with that you said however is that II doesn't really have any great songs. I think it has quite a few. Ramble On and Bring It On Home are probably both top 5 zep songs for me. Overall it's by far the greatest album of killer riffs I've ever heard.
But again your overall point is spot on. Pretty amazing at how consistent they were for that many albums. This consistency along with a sound that has aged very little compared to Zep's contemporaries is the reason I think they are the greatest band of all time.
Tough choice. Of course I could say dump all their studio albums and go with How The West Was Won, but out of their studio albums.........either I or Physical Graffiti I think.
Post subject: Re: My Dilemma (Led Zeppelin-related)
swedenman wrote:
For any other band my favorite album is pretty cut-and-dry, but for these guys there are a whoppin' six (yes, count 'em: SIX) albums that are viable contenders. Anybody else feel this way?
I feel the same way about Zeppelin. I could make a case for any of their first 6 albums being the best one.
I would add Black Sabbath also because I could make a good case for at least 6, maybe even 8, of their albums as being the best one.
Rush would fit in this quandry quite nicely also. _________________ She is not Polythene Pam
oh yeah, sorry for my earlier transgression. Led Zeppelin is an incredibly consistent band and a favorite of mine. However, III easily stands above the rest for me.
Post subject: Re: My Dilemma (Led Zeppelin-related)
Hermes_requite wrote:
Rush would fit in this quandry quite nicely also.
I agree. I don't have any Rush albums on my chart because I don't consider any of their albums to be true "masterpieces", per se, but nevertheless I rather enjoy their entire catalog and would say it's about as consistent as an 18-album (soon to be 19-album) catalog spanning 33 years could be.
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There are artists with 7-8 albums I like but not one will be on my chart because not one of them feels right up there. Also if I feel over 5 albums are sutible for one artist, they can all go up there!
