Agreed, especially about that cover. The LZ cut IS a 6-star performance on a 5-star scale.
Oh, and Going to California and Battle of Evermore are essential to the album, flow and all.
Coda sounded exactly like what it was: a bunch of songs that weren’t good enough to go on the albums they were recorded with. There was a reason they were left off. A good reason.
However, if they had put “Hey Hey What Can I Do” on it, it would have sold millions.
I think Kashmir sounds like the audio equivalent of riding a camel across the interminable desert with no water an no hope of relief. I think it takes just as long, too. Or at least, it seems to.
I think IV is brought down by the weak songs. No more lame LotR references, please! I went with the live album. Only the first side is skippable for me. I love the looooooong versions. 28 minutes of Dazed is not enough. More bowing!
Everybody knows that when it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.
What do you consider the weak songs? As much as I don’t really care for “Stairway,” I don’t think it’s necessarily a weak song. The only thing that comes close for me is “Four Sticks,” but that’s still pretty good. “Going to California” is one of my favorites. “Evermore” is fantasticly hypnotic. “Misty Mounty Hop” is a fun romp. “Levee” is perhaps my favorite. I just can’t really find a truly weak song on there.
Is that from a movie? It sounds like a quote from a movie, but I can’t quite place it. Fast Times?
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Damone says it to Ratner, who then plqys Kashmir (ostensibly because Ratner is a screwup, but actually because Cameron Crowe couldn’t get the song rights to LZIV).
Hehe, and it’s one of my favorites off of IV. It totally gets by on its odd time signature and riff, but ohhhh, they’re both so good.
My opinion only!
Black Dog
Four Sticks
Battle of Evermore
Misty Mountain Hop is a bit like Fool in The Rain. It’s not a bad song, it just got overplayed, and a bit too cloying.
And I remembered, the really annoying LotR references are in Ramble On. Every album has some weak ones. Thank goodness for mix tapes (and now, iTunes)
JPJ’s bass playing on that trumps any LOTR references. (I didn’t know those were LOTR references anyway until I was well in my 20s, as I’ve never read the books. I should say in my 20s I read the first third of LOTR and then just lost interest.)
But, yeah, “Black Dog” is up there with my favorites. (Along with “Ramble On” just mentioned. “Ramble On” is maybe top 3 Zep for me.)
It’s hard to say. Every album had several bangers, every album had some sleepers, there wasn’t much fluff in any of them.
LZ 1 is as good or better as any, but I give it extra weight because it’s an amazing debut. A brand new band put out an entire album of absolute bangers (yes they’re cribbed from old blues standards, but I don’t care, it’s about the novel performance and arrangement).
LZ 3 is not widely considered to be an album of hits, but I don’t think there are any weak songs on it. This is the only one I feel like stands as a coherent and distinct album in itself (as opposed to being a collection of hits that stand alone). And it’s nice that they showcase their full authentic creative range, taking some breaks from shredding, wailing, and ripping off blue standards. I have a similar feeling to “Houses of the Holy”, but by that point they’re a much bigger band and sound, and to me that kind of overpowers the boutique feel of some of the deeper cuts.
speaking of Fast Times at Ridgemont High
I remember that my 1st crush [ended up being the guy that I gave my virginity to] used to say that he had to “ramble” when he was going to leave, he tried to make it a thing, failed
Lol
He got away with it though he still had enough charisma - he spent all of senior year with an arm in a cast from punching a wall; he kept his leather jacket slung over it continually…
Lol
That’s really awesome. I am so tempted to try it out.
I don’t think Zep IV winning is a surprise. It won with over a third the votes and an easy lead over 2nd.
I chose Physical Graffitti which is cheating a bit since it is a double album. But even if you limited it to sides one and two of PG, which have The Rover, Trampled Under Foot, and Kashmir, it would still win. But LZ IV would be a close second.