Led Zeppelin Studio Albums | Ranked

Sarca Sim and I have one final tandem Led Zeppelin post for you!  After all of those album reviews, we thought it would be fun to sunset the series by ranking all of them in order from worst to first.  So be sure to check out how Sarca Sim ranked Led Zeppelin’s studio albums right here!

Before you dive into my list, I just want to be clear that I don’t believe any of these albums are “bad”.  Even the ones I enjoy least have their merits.  Their ranking here is only in comparison to the rest of Zep’s catalog.  And with only 9 albums, all of them are in my top ten!

So, on with the countdown…

9. Presence

Despite it sporting one of my favourite Led Zeppelin tunes, Nobody’s Fault But Mine, there is not much else that can keep me invested.  John Paul Jones, the band’s underdog and therefore my favourite member, played as if he had checked out.  The album’s 9 plus minute closer, Tea for One might be their weakest track, IMHO.
Best tune: Nobody’s Fault But Mine
Full review

8. Coda

Zep’s leftovers are better than most band’s main course, but when they are sandwiched together like this, they can be awkward to listen to.  But, the majority of it does work well.  I’m on the hunt for an extended edition that contains the tracks that originally should have been included.
Best tune: Darlene
Full review

7. Led Zeppelin III

Folky Zep is good stuff, just not my favourite kind of Zep.  Although it blasts off with The  Immigrant Song, one of their heaviest tunes, the rest of the album is a mellow out session that bores me a bit. 
Best Tune:  Since I’ve Been Loving You
Full review

6. In Through The Out Door

John Paul Jones took the lead for the song writing on this one, and his chops are most impressive.  This is Zep’s most unconventional album and an interesting listen.  Carouselambra is precursor to the sound Phil Collins would get from Genesis after Peter Gabriel left.
Best Tune: Carouselambra
Full review

5. Physical Graffiti

A Physical Graffiti trimmed down to a single disc would most likely have earned my top spot, but in its current from, I find it to be a bit bloated with filler like Boogie with Stu.  But the good stuff, like the brilliant In My Time of Dying is some of their best work ever.  
Best tune: In My Time of Dying
Full review

4. Led Zeppelin IV

Zep took a perfect blend of blues and folk influences and made one of the most successful rock albums of all time.   Music that could work in a club, a huge arena, a chill out session.  This had it all.  Album tracks like When the Levee Breaks are an absolute thrill to listen to even 45-50ish years later.
Best Tune: When The Levee Breaks
Full review

3. Led Zeppelin

Zep’s debut is a giant blues fest.  Covering some classics from some blues greats is fairly common but doing it with your own unique sound isn’t.  Oh, and the originals on here are quite good as well.  A great album to launch out of the gate with.
Best Tune: How Many More Times
Full review

2. Led Zeppelin II

Taking what they did on their first album to the next level.  Blues jams, big riffs, and some deep dives into psychedelia.   One drum and guitar solo that is too long aside, the rest is perfection.  “Big brown” is one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time.
Best Tune: The Lemon Song
Full review

1. Houses Of The Holy

The funky influence of James Brown for “The orange one” will always be my favourite.  Led Zeppelin came into their own on the pervious album, Led Zeppelin IV, but this is were Zep refined their a sound that would influence generations of rock to come.  
Best Tune: Over The Hills and Far Away
Full review

And that is a wrap on Led Zeppelin!  Sarah and I are spit balling ideas for a band to cover next.  We’ll be taking some time off from tandem posts for now and plan on following up this series sometime in January.  So stay tuned!