Over/Under: Led Zeppelin

[KillerGremlin]

I've decided to focus on artists instead of albums, since it seems like the general discussion drifts in that direction anyway.

So.....dun dun dun! The moment you have all been waiting for.

Today's over or under is a band that the whole world knows. Just in the Chicagoland area alone, 3 or 4 radio stations have programming dedicated to Led Zeppelin. Chicago's The Loop has "get your Led out." Other stations do a Zeppelin song at the top of every hour. Zeppelin (along with The Beatles and Nirvana) is maybe the only band you can hear on 3 or 4 radio stations: at the same time.

Zeppelin has an interesting career with the controversially unoriginal, self-titled, Led Zeppelin (I). Then there is Led Zeppelin IV, or Zoso, which is the band's most played album featuring songs we have all heard a bajillion times:

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And MY personal favorite song off IV, and IMO one of Zeppelin's top 5 songs by a loooooooooong shot...actually this is one of metal's best songs:

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After Zeppelin IV we have the somewhat underrated Led Zeppelin II, and the unfortunately underrated Led Zeppelin III which I grew to like more and more after I wore IV out. Also notable are Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, and to a lesser extent Presence. Finally, the band wrapped up with In Through the Out Door and Coda.


Zeppelin's popularity has been cemented, for sure. They still get frequent radio play. Their legacy in rock and roll is solid. Taking into consideration the band's overall originality, their influence in music, and annoying hipster college kids who still wear Zeppelin T-shirts, does every think Zeppelin is Over/Under?

[BreakABone]

I'm gonna say over, I know music is all about personal choice.

And I've tried to listen to their discography so often, but I just can't like their music. :(

[magus113]

No Quarter and Bron-Y-Aur Stomp are my favorite Zep tunes. I find a lot of their songs to be over-rated but not so much the band themselves.

There are a lot of under-appreciated tunes of theirs.

[Swan]

I actually think that Zep is perfectly rated in society. A great band that influenced so much music. Sure they have songs that are played too much and have lots of hidden gems but fuck....its Zeppelin

[Typhoid]

I agree.
I think Zeppelin is perfectly rated.
That being said I absolutely love Led Zeppelin. A lot.

[Professor S]

To this day they are the only band who I feel never recorded a bad song. When I have my Droid on shuffle, I never find myself skipping one of their songs.

OVER.

[BreakABone]

To this day they are the only band who I feel never recorded a bad song. When I have my Droid on shuffle, I never find myself skipping one of their songs.

OVER.

That... doesn't make sense, they are over-rated because you think they never recorded a bad song? :confused:

[The Germanator]

Yeah, that's extremely confusing, I think you got your words mixed up there.

As for me, I don't have much of an opinion. Never really had or cared to have a Led Zeppelin faze of my life. I'm fairly indifferent to them, though I acknowledge they have a lot of influence.

[Typhoid]

I took the "over" as "Conversation over" instead of "over rated". :ohreilly:

[Professor S]

UNDER

[Angrist]

For me definately underrated. I think I only know 2 of their songs.
I should listen to more. :)

[KillerGremlin]

To clarify:

We are reflecting on the bands from today's point of view. This can include comparing the band's work to today's music, looking at current fans of the band, or revisiting the music and deciding if you now have a different opinion of it than you did when you first heard it.

Over = the band is overrated by today's standards, for whatever reason you want to argue/defend.

Under = the band is underrated by today's standard, for whatever reason you want to argue/defend.

For me, I think Zeppelin's iconic stuff is perfectly rated. Zeppelin IV, overplayed as it is, occupies that perfect niche in rock'n'roll.

I do think Zeppelin is UNDER when it comes to Zeppelin III, Physical Graffiti and even Houses of the Holy, three awesome awesome albums.

Zeppelin is a band that college kids cover poorly on their guitar: namely Stairway to Heaven. What guitar-wielding douche bag in college HASN'T played a horrible cover of Stairway to heaven.


My verdict: UNDER with a little bit of JUST RIGHT thrown in for good measure.

[Angrist]

I can't say anything about "today's standards", because I don't know how Led Zeppelin is regarded. All I know is that I don't know them that good enough.

[Typhoid]

I can't say anything about "today's standards", because I don't know how Led Zeppelin is regarded. All I know is that I don't know them that good enough.

They're regarded as basically one of, if not the best band of all time with ridiculous staying power.

[Swan]

And they were one of the first bands to rock the fuck out with a mudshark

[Angrist]

They're regarded as basically one of, if not the best band of all time with ridiculous staying power.Maybe in America, but not in Europe.

[Fox 6]

Great band or a bunch of thieves?

Not taking sides here, but there is evidence there.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18500_the-5-most-famous-musicians-who-are-thieving-bastards.html

[Typhoid]

Maybe in America, but not in Europe.

Well, just some numbers for you (just sayin' :p )

Led Zeppelin 1 (1969):
-2X Platinum in UK. 6th on UK charts
-1 on Spain Charts.
-10th on US, 11th in Canada

Led Zeppelin 2 (1969):
-4X Platinum in UK. 1 in UK charts.
- 1 in AUS, CAN, US, GER, SPN charts.
- 2nd in NOR.

Led Zeppelin 3 (1970):
-1 in UK, US, CAN
3rd in GER, FRA, NLD

Led Zeppelin 4 (1971):
-1 in UK, CAN
-2nd in US, FRA, JPN
-3rd in NOR

Houses of the Holy (1973):
-1 in UK, AUS, CAN, US
-3rd in FRA, JPN,
-4th in NLD, NOR

Physical Graffiti (1974)
-1 in UK, US, CAN
-2nd in AUS, AUT, SPN

Presence (1976)
-1 in UK, US

In through the Out Door (1979)
-1 in UK, CAN, NZ, US

Coda (1982)
-This album was horrible

[Angrist]

You'll notice that they mostly sold in the UK. Not so much in the other EU countries, although there are some exceptions.

But does your list mean that Led Zeppelin is in Europe regarded as "one of, if not the best band of all time with ridiculous staying power"? I hardly doubt it.

Also, if what you say is true, then why are we having this thread? How could they be underrated if they're thought of as (one of) the best band(s)? Then they'd clearly be overrated and we wouldn't need to have this discussion.

[Typhoid]

You'll notice that they mostly sold in the UK. Not so much in the other EU countries, although there are some exceptions.

Well, they're an English band.
As for why this thread exists, I actually have no idea.


But does your list mean that Led Zeppelin is in Europe regarded as "one of, if not the best band of all time with ridiculous staying power"? I hardly doubt it.

30 years after disbanding following Bonham's death in 1980, the band continues to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million certified units in the United States, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Rolling Stone magazine has described Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the '70s" and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history"

In February 2002, Led Zeppelin were ranked the third-greatest band of all time by Spin magazine.

...is one of the three acts in music history to achieve four or more Diamond albums - the other two being The Beatles and Garth Brooks.

Led Zeppelin are ranked no. 1 on Classic Rock's "50 Best Live Acts of All Time".

:p

[KillerGremlin]

Also, if what you say is true, then why are we having this thread? How could they be underrated if they're thought of as (one of) the best band(s)? Then they'd clearly be overrated and we wouldn't need to have this discussion.

Just because they are thought of as one of the best bands by critics or the masses does not exclude Led Zeppelin from an overrated/underrated discussion. I actually chose the band on merits that they are so well known.

[Angrist]

Yeah well, I just want to get the point across that they're not regarded as one of the best bands everywhere in the world... Perhaps in the English speaking countries.

So... overrated in the US and UK, underrated in the rest of the world?