This page asks readers to vote in two polls to find:
- the best live album by Led Zeppelin
- the best studio album by Led Zeppelin
What Are The Best Live Albums By Led Zeppelin?
What do you think is the best live album released by Led Zeppelin?
Now that Celebration Day has been released there are four Led Zeppelin live albums to choose but will it come top of the poll or will people revert to BBC Sessions, How The West Was Won or The Song Remains The Same?
I’d like to think that there are more archive recordings of Led Zeppelin concerts on the way. I was reading that Jimmy Page has been working on creating special edition packages of the studio albums. Other artists sometimes include a live album as a bonus.
I’d love to hear a Led Zeppelin live album from the Physical Graffiti tour with Kashmir, Trampled Underfoot and Houses Of The Holy. I’d also like to hear what they did with songs from Presence and especially Achilles Last Stand live.
What is The Best Live Album By Led Zeppelin?
Loading ...As well as voting, why not leave a comment explaining your choice of the best Led Zeppelin live album. What makes the album you’ve chosen stand out?
My Thoughts On The Poll Results
At #1 is How The West Was Won from 1972 and it is the clear winner over the second placed The Song Remains The Same from 1973. Both contain songs upto and including Houses Of The Holy.
Both are big, overblown albums that show the excess of the band on the never- ending Dazed & Confused and the drum solo of Moby Dick. Even when The Song Remains The Same was released , it was felt that the album didn’t catch them at the very best although it has been improved when it was reissued with extra tracks.
In third place is BBC Sessions.
Somewhat hidden on this album is a live concert from 1971, recorded just before Four Symbols was released so the crowd gets to hear Stairway To Heaven for the first time. This is my go-to Zeppelin live album althoughI will admit that I don’t play the first CD of live in the studio sessions very often. While the performances are spirited, there’s too much repetition.
At #4 is the one-off reunion album from 2007 Celebration Day.
It’s unrealistic to expect a one-off reunion concert to rival and beat a well recorded album from the band in its prime. The album has the advantage that it includes tracks from their later albums but the band sound under-rehearsed and I find the video very off putting. Led Zeppelin should not be old men!
I’ve been very disappointed during the reissue of their studio albums that we’ve only been given more live tracks with Led Zeppelin 1. I hope the means that Jimmy Page intends to release more archive live recordings, especially from 1975.
What Is The Best Led Zeppelin Studio Album?
To complete the look at the albums recorded by Led Zeppelin, I thought I’d have another poll looking at their studio albums.
I’ve always liked Physical Graffiti the most and I’m frustrated that we don’t get to hear a legal live recording of tracks like Kashmir, Houses Of The Holy and Custard Pie from their prime period.
Led Zeppelin IV is the best selling Led Zeppelin album but is it the best? I can imagine both the debut self-titled album and Led Zeppelin II also getting plenty of support.
Loading ...My Thoughts On The Results
The fight for the best studio album is tight between Led Zeppelin 2, Led Zeppelin 4 and Physical Graffiti, with Physical Graffiti just edging it at the moment.
This to me underlines the importance of having archive live recordings for the led Zeppelin 2 and Physical Graffiti tours. We need to hear Kashmir live in 1975.
What Are The Best Live Albums Of All Time?
Led Zeppelin are classed in both the hard rock / heavy metal and blues rock categories in this blog.
It will be great if you decide to help me find out the following:
Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Live Albums
Loading ... Loading ...As a Led Zeppelin fan, you may also want to vote for the best live albums by some of these groups – best live AC/DC albums – Aerosmith – best live Black Sabbath albums – best live Blue Oyster Cult albums – best live Eric Clapton albums – best live Deep Purple albums –best live Rory Gallagher albums – best live Jimi Hendrix albums – best live Kiss albums – best live Ted Nugent albums – best live Rolling Stones albums – best live Thin Lizzy albums – best live albums by The Who – best live Wishbone Ash albums
You don’t need to vote to see what albums are at the top of the best live albums readers polls.
Led Zeppelin are the best band in history and How The West Was Won is the best live album ever released. How can you criticize Dazed & Confused is beyond me and Bonzo was the greatest drummer EVER.
Thanks for your comment and I respect your views. Both main Led Zeppelin albums are doing well in the heavy metal and blues rock polls. Some people vote for them both but for others, these two albums from a similar period split the vote.