How to Build a Led Zeppelin Album Collection

During the 1970s, Led Zeppelin were the biggest rock and roll band in the world, and their legend has only increased with time. Every day, new fans are introduced to Led Zeppelin's songs. This guide will show you the best way to build a Led Zeppelin album collection.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Beginning a Led Zeppelin Collection

1. The foundation of any Led Zeppelin album collection should be their first, second and fourth albums, titled only "Led Zeppelin I," "Led Zeppelin II" and "Led Zeppelin IV." These three albums contain most of the band's major hits, and are an ideal introduction to their style. Begin your collection with any one of the three.

2. 
   "Led Zeppelin I" Album Cover

   "Led Zeppelin I," the band's debut album, was released in January, 1969. Critically unpopular, it was commercially successful, and later critics have acknowledged it as one of the most impressive debut albums of the rock era. Although the blues were always a major aspect of the band's sound, this record features more traditional blues songs than any other Zeppelin recording. Highlights include the feisty "Communication Breakdown," slow jams on blues standards "I Can't Leave You Baby" and "You Shook Me," plus the epic "Dazed and Confused."

3. 
   "Led Zeppelin II" Album Cover

   "Led Zeppelin II" established the band as a major success. Their second album also features blues structures, but with a more aggressive, raw electric rock and roll sound. The album contains a number of radio hits, including "Whole Lotta Love," "Heartbreaker" and "Living Loving Maid." No less impressive are the John Bonham feature "Moby Dick," and the dynamic "What Is and What Should Never Be."

4. 
   "Led Zeppelin IV" Album Cover

   "Led Zeppelin IV," released in 1971, was the band's greatest commercial success and the third-best selling album of all time. Nearly every track from this record received FM radio play. The album's most famous songs are the riff-based "Black Dog," the hard-driving "Rock & Roll" and, of course, "Stairway to Heaven," perhaps the most well-known rock ballad of all time.

Continuing the Collection

5. So you've listened to the above three albums, but you still can't get enough Zep? Fear not, there's plenty more great rock and roll from Britain's best. 1970's "Led Zeppelin III" threw a curveball to fans. Although the album contains a number of hard-rocking songs, "III" featured more gentle, acoustic, folk-inspired songs than either of it's predecessors. Highlights include the blistering "Immigrant Song," and the gorgeous acoustic tunes "Tangerine" and "That's the Way."

6. 
   "Houses of the Holy" Album Cover

   "Houses of the Holy," from 1973, was another stylistic departure for the band. No longer content to focus on hard-rocking blues numbers, this album features a variety of disparate styles: funk, orchestral ballads, even a brief foray into reggae. Overall, "Houses of the Holy" is Zeppelin's "happiest" album. Check out "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Ocean."

7. 
   "Physical Graffiti" Album Cover

   1975's "Physical Graffiti" was more of a collection than a unified album. A double-album, "Physical Graffiti" combined new material with unreleased songs intended for previous albums. That being said, the album was hugely commercially successful and featured a number of hits, including the magnificent "Kashmir" and the funky "Trampled Underfoot."

Live Recordings

8. For as good as their studio recordings are, Led Zeppelin's true genius showed on stage. Unfortunately, only three official live recordings have ever been released on LP or CD. Fortunately, two of them are excellent.

9. 
   "BBC Sessions" Album Cover

   "BBC Sessions" is a collection of live radio broadcasts the band performed on British radio in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Die-hard Zeppelin fans will love the raw takes of early material, plus the first-ever live performance of "Stairway to Heaven."

10. 
    "How the West Was Won" Album Cover

    "How the West Was Won," released in 2003, is a triple-disc live album featuring two 1972 concerts from Los Angeles. The album features extended versions of a number of hits and shows the band at the height of their live powers.

For Serious Collectors Only

11. 
    "Presence" Album Cover

    For as good as Led Zeppelin were, they occasionally faltered. These recordings were generally less successful, critically and commercially. Although they still contain a number of impressive songs, they are not the best display of the band's talent. 1976's "Presence" was released at a difficult time for the band: singer Robert Plant had recently lost a son to illness and himself been injured in an automobile accident. Drugs had begun to affect the creative process. Perhaps as a result, the album features no acoustic or mellow tunes and is almost incessantly aggressive. Unfortunately, the songwriting suffered as well. The highlight is the epic "Achilles Last Stand."

12. 
    "In Through the Out Door" Album Cover

    "In Through the Out Door," released in 1979, was the band's last studio album, due to the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980. By this time both Bonham and guitarist Jimmy Page were in the throes of serious heroin addictions, so most of the songwriting was left to Plant and bassist John Paul Jones. As a result, the album is driven by keyboards and poppy vocals. "Fool In the Rain" and "All of My Love" were successful, but the album suffers from the lack of guitar.

13. 
    "Coda" Album Cover

    1982's "Coda" was a collection of previously unreleased material which the band decided to publish after Bonham's death. The songs are good and it's an interesting piece, but ultimately, there's a reason why this material didn't make it onto their studio albums. For serious fans only.

14. 
    "The Song Remains the Same" Album Cover

    Finally, the band's only other live recording is 1976's "The Song Remains the Same." A good set list is degraded due to subpar sound quality and recording techniques. Check out "How the West was Won" first.