The Least Popular Led Zeppelin Album Might Surprise You
Led Zeppelin fans often cite the British hard rockers as one of the greatest bands of all time, and rightfully so – the group is notable for being as influential and timeless as they are inimitable and singular. Decades after Led Zeppelin called it a day following the death of drummer Jon Bonham in 1980 — apart from a handful of reunions — the band remains an iconic symbol of guitar music perfection, and their discography a rite of passage for anyone with a taste for mind-meltingly heavy rock.
Zeppelin’s studio albums are some of the most beloved in the genre, especially the first six. From their self-titled debut released in 1969, the self-titled sequel “Led Zeppelin II” released just months later, 1970’s “Led Zeppelin III,” and the untitled fourth album — affectionately known as “Led Zeppelin IV” following its release in 1971 — through to “Houses of the Holy” and the critically-acclaimed “Physical Graffiti,” released in 1973 and 1975, respectively.
But which album doesn’t hold up as well as the rest in the 21st century? We went to you, the Grunge readership, and asked which of the Brit rockers’ classics doesn’t quite butter your crumpet. Here are the results.
Fans can't quit Led Zeppelin's debut
Led Zeppelin’s debut album was critically mauled upon its release, with reviewers deriding the group’s sound and songwriting and painting them as poor imitations of their rock contemporaries, The Jeff Beck Group (per Rolling Stone).
Critical assessment shifted over the years, especially once Zeppelin showed that there were in it for the long haul — and the growing love for the album is still reflected today. In our straw poll, “Led Zeppelin I” came out on top, with just about 9% of the Grunge readership claiming that this is the album in the band’s early discography that they could most easily do without.
“Led Zeppelin II” comes in second place, with nearly 12% of readers happy to live in a world without hits like “Ramble On” and “Whole Lotta Love” (yes, OK, it’s a little overplayed). But from here on out, popularity and chronology diverge, with the hard and heavy untitled album beating the folk-infused “Led Zeppelin III” for third place, with 14.7% and 15.6% of the vote respectively.
Physical Graffiti doesn't get a whole lotta love
After the ropey reception that Led Zeppelin received, the band’s reputation grew and grew throughout the early seventies until by 1975, they were bona fide rock gods. While their commercial breakthrough was certainly achieved with the release of “Led Zeppelin II,” the group’s later records continued to sell massively: “Led Zeppelin IV,” “Houses of the Holy,” and “Physical Graffiti” all followed “Led Zeppelin II” in going Diamond with sales of more than 10 million records, according to the RIAA (their debut finally went 10x platinum in 2001).
But despite being among their bestselling work, the two un-self-titled albums aren’t as popular nowadays. “Houses of the Holy” is the least favorite of the six records listed for about 22% of respondents, while “Physical Graffiti” — which at the time was an enormous critical smash and has sold 16 million copies to date — is the least popular album on the list, pulling in nearly 27% of the vote.
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