Led Zeppelin albums ranked by ex Robert Plant drummer

From 1999-2000 I was the drummer for Robert Plant in his group The Priory of Brion. A lifelong Zep fan, here I rank their albums from my least favourite to most favourite.
Andy is a drummer, producer and educator. He has toured the world with rock legend Robert Plant and played on classic prog albums by Frost and IQ.
As a drum clinician he has played with Terry Bozzio, Kenny Aronoff, Thomas Lang, Marco Minneman and Mike Portnoy.
He also teaches drums privately and at Kidderminster College

[@aGoyforJesus]

Since I've Been Loving You is the greatest blues song I've ever heard.

[@HardRockMaster7577]

The TSRTS live version certainly is.

[@drmidnight680-kz2le]

@@HardRockMaster7577 you got that right, Pagie's most Epic composition comparable to Beck's Bolero which he co-wrote with Beck.

[@alittlebitofeverything6547]

best solo

[@timorean320]

Every Led Zeppelin album was a favorite, just depends on what stage of life I was in.

[@remnantsofasoundblast]

I love Carouselambra for the same reason. The entire track is Epic. The drums, the bass, the layered keyboards, the lyrics, Page's chords...and it grooves. It's impossible for me to pick a favorite studio Zep album because they all hold special qualities. I do listen to the debut, Zep 3, Houses and Presence the most, but they are all solid albums. I think they have the most versatile catalog in the history of Rock, and they have impacted millions of people worldwide. They are The Beatles of the 70's My first Zep album was Zep 2, at age 14 in the late 80's. I played that album every day after school. Hearing Whole Lotta Love at such a young age, on vinyl when everyone else I knew was listening to 80's Hair bands, was a revelation. They literally changed my life and they're the main inspiration behind my own musical pursuit. Been playing music (multiple instruments) for 35 years, now. I discovered Zeppelin and Rush around the same time. My mind was blown

[@GeoffreyTucker42]

I'm glad you rated Zep 3 highly. It is my favourite and underrated by many. I love the dynamics with the acoustic instruments usedwidely

[@HardRockMaster7577]

I had recently turned 14 in October of 1969. Based on word-of-mouth conversations I overheard in my Freshman World History class, I felt compelled to go out and buy LZ II. I did not own any other LZ albums, or any Hard Rock albums for that matter. (I was the oldest child, with no older siblings to lead the way). When I put LZ II on that Garrard turntable, with a pair of the big over-the-ear Koss headphones on, my mind and my soul and my heart was blown away!!! By the time I listened to Heartbreaker, I was 100% sold on this band. The only other band I had loved so much, was The Beatles. But when they stopped touring, I lost interest in a band I would never get to see perform in person. This was not the case with LZ. I first saw them, touring on their second album, in August of 1970, in Ft. Worth, Texas. That was my very first rock concert, and the bar was set very very high, for all of the rock concerts I ended up seeing in the 1970's. I saw LZ 8 times during 1970-1977. The impact of first listening to LZ II, and of first seeing LZ in concert in 1970 has never been topped, nor likely ever will be topped, in my lifetime.

[@steveb2662]

I once counted. Led Zeppelin 1 came out in January 1969 and Zeppelin 4 in Nov 1971. 34 months later. I also counted they played 212 shows between. That accounts for 7 months of shows. Basically they released 4 of the greatest albums ever made and started writing, wrote and/or recorded another albums worth of work. i.e. Hey Hey what can I do, Boogie with Stu, No quarter, the Rover, Travelling riverside blues..etc . All in 27 months.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

Interesting thought. It's as though it was a perfect storm....

[@HardRockMaster7577]

Even though the band chose not to include "The Rover" on any of the their compilations (other than the 2nd box set, where it had to be included), imo, "The Rover" is one of their Top 5 hard Rock songs as recorded.

[@leditbe70]

I saw Robert in Cleveland in 2002 I believe. I know he was touring to support dreamland. So I suppose i “ saw” you as well. It was an awesome show.

[@syn707]

What an amazing band they were. Saw them live once…….just blew me away. I love the connection between Page and McLaughlin…I wonder if they are ‘mates.’

[@neilandfi]

Excellent. I think you balance heart and head in your choices very well. Obviously my choices would be different, but I don't envy you having to choose.

[@charleswells8453]

Great video, absolutely impossible to do a definitive ranking of Zeppelin albums, on any given day you could have almost any of their 8 studio albums as your favourite, that’s what makes them so great. It’s a bit like trying to rank the later Beatles albums from Rubber Soul onwards or the last 5 Pink Floyd albums of the Roger Waters era. They are all contenders for the top 20 albums of all time. Regarding Zeppelin, their debut is a classic but I’d say it is surpassed by LZII. After that it becomes impossible. Each album is just different, not necessarily better and certainly not worse. I too love Presence and In Through the Out Door is so underrated. People just weren’t expecting the new sound dominated by JP Jones. Brilliant albums from arguably one of the top 3 rock artists of all time.

[@JCM-LedZeppelin-Stories]

I say it all the time to my peers. III was the blueprint for IV. Out On The Tiles became Black Dog. Tangerine preceeds Stairway and so fourth....(pun intended). Loved the video. III was the Breakthrough. I own 24 copies of ITTOD hehe i love the album...a miracle they did it really. Thank you for recording this!!!

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

Have you got all the different versions of the cover?

[@JCM-LedZeppelin-Stories]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer yes i do! I own vinyl and cd versions of it including the deluxe edition box set (next one i need is the CODA one you have, my third fav Zepp ever is Bonzo's Montreux). Pending on my ITTOD hunt are cassette tapes which i find it hilarious they used the brown paper pag as cover for some of them. I am a guitarist/composer from costa rica. I recorded a Zepp Collab of No Quarter Live TSRTS version with drummer George Fludas from People's Front of Zeppelin recently (on my channel). I will follow yout content Alex very nice to meet you digitally!

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

@@JCM-LedZeppelin-Stories I will check that out, nice to meet you too

[@drmidnight680-kz2le]

@@JCM-LedZeppelin-Stories I would say The song Remains the Same is Pagie's most epic composition, then it's followed by the rain song one of his most emotional. I don't like tea for one or since I been loving you.

[@JettRink5131947]

I wouldn’t rank LZ 4 as my favorite, but it is the album that forced me to be aware of the enormous influence of jazz on R’n’R. My guitarist at the time, despite being younger, but better educated musically, told me he heard BeBop in Page’s solos. Discovering that, somewhat out of the blue, startled me. But that shock forced me to dig deeper, which I did. And that one event in my musical life is maybe the most important single event. If it isn’t, I can safely say that event took me in the direction I needed to go. So what other event might have had more heft, connecting R’n’R to BeBop turned out to be the zenith of my musical experience. It’s also important to know that the trio of master guitarists, all three cut their teeth with the Yardbirds. It is true that the Yardbirds never made any direct references to jazz (or BeBop), but I simply can not believe they chose their name out of thin air. I seriously doubt they were catching chickens in their yards to be cooked for dinner. Surely they knew who THE yardbird was.

[@garanceadrosehn9691]

Ranking Led Zeppelin albums in some kind of order is so hard because each one of them has something major going on. And they have different strengths, such that we're never saying "Oh, album is like album , but just more-so". So I end up agreeing with almost everything you say about each of the albums, and yet I end up with a different order. I'd rank _"Physical Graffiti"_ as their best album, but _"Presence"_ ends up as my personal favorite album. There's some irony to that, because when I first listened to that album I didn't like it. For years I'd split that album into _"Tea for One"_ and "the rest of the album". I thought _"Tea for One"_ was incredibly great, while the rest of the album didn't thrill me all that much. I did like _"Nobody’s Fault But Mine",_ but they had a lot of earlier songs which I liked more than that one Years later I read an interview where Jimmy says that he felt it was the best album the band had done, so that gave it a bit more credibility in my eyes. And then one day I needed to have some background music playing while I worked on some college assignment, so I put side 2 on my turntable on infinite repeat. I had no intention of really listening to it, I just wanted some background music so I wouldn't get distracted by music that other people in the apartment were playing. And somewhere around the fifth or sixth play I leaned back in my chair and thought, "You know, this really is an excellent album after all". So I flipped over the album and played the first side on infinite repeat. Over the years it has turned into my favorite Led Zeppelin album, although I'd admit it might not be their best one. There are so many great songs on _"Physical Graffiti",_ and those songs cover quite a variety of styles. So for me the untitled album comes in at third place. I realize that seems heretical, but the competition among Led Zeppelin albums is just too fierce, IMO.

[@Frip36]

Plant's most sensitive and vulnerable vocal moment: Thinking how it used to be Does she still remember times like these To think of us again And I do Then Page goes into that blooming fuzzed-out solo, either copping himself or Beck from an earlier Yardbirds solo.

[@susanpalmer8931]

Whst a rare perspective you have as a drummer who played with a LZ member. I like your ranking with just a few differences. LZ I is my favorite because of the huge impact it had on me when I first heard in Jan 1969! The only other difference is I'd rank HOTH before Presence. But we each receive the music differently so Thank you so much for this video.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

Thanks Susan, I deliberately put Presence higher even though it doesn't contain the classics HOTH does. I think it's a bit undervalued in the catalogue.

[@FundamentalsUK]

Agree with Presence 🤘🏻👍🏻

[@tektoniks_architects]

Been a Zep fan for 50+ years....I still flip back and forth between Physical Graffiti and the untitled 4th album as to which is their greatest album. For sure, you could almost pick any of their albums and call it their greatest, depending on your tastes....what this really shows is the high standard of greatness they achieved over a 12-year recording career. And, like a true Zep-head....much of their music became even greater, live.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

I much prefer them in the studio to live but of course, just my opinion. But I think Jimmy's real genius was in the way he recorded and layered in the studio and JPJ's arrangement skills are also staggering. I agree about IV and Graffiti but I think the real innovation was on III

[@HardRockMaster7577]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer I prefer the live versions over the studio recordings, for the most part. I think the live versions of SIBLY, TSRTS, Kashmir, and OTHAFA, for example, far outstrip their tamer studio versions.

[@835g]

I am loyal to the first album , this is where it all started for me , dazed and confused won me over, I don't care where he ranked it.

[@tonypeake467]

💯. 1 to me one of the great rock albums. Raw, consistency of tracks and Dazed And Confused as you say

[@STW-News-Headlines]

Yup.. 1 is untouchable.. plants voice is so powerful .. RAW.. and nothing comes close to it. Dazed and confused.. how many more times.. I can’t quit you. So monstrous.. the other albums don’t comes close.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

The first album is an amazing achievement. Incredible performances and for the time, one of the best produced albums. If Led Zep had never topped that album however I don't think we would be having this discussion. I don't think it's untouchable. Jeff Beck had acheived something very similar with his first two albums; incredible vocals from Rod Stewart and possibly greater guitar playing, and before Zep had made their first album. The same could be said of Cream, Hendrix and even Jethro Tull and Sabbath. Zep are an incredible band but their great innovation musically happens later on.

[@STW-News-Headlines]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer EBEN BETTER GUITAR..?? 😂😂 Jeff Becks 1st album has better Guitar than Zeppelins 1st album..!?!? 😂😂😂😂 lol.. You actually put this down on paper. Rods voice ant even close to plants.. NOT EVEN CLOSE. neither is Jack Bruce or Hendrix or Ozzi.. Zeppelin 1 is far and away so much better and UNTOUCHABLE.. your statement above is laughable... and highly ignorant.

[@frogzie]

@@STW-News-Headlines , You may have a different opinion but that doesn't justify being that rude: Andy is obviously not ignorant.

[@seabud6408]

Zepp 1 was the first album I bought as a 12 year old in 1970. Eventually it’s companions were Deep Purple in Rock, Abbey Rd by The Beatles and the Supremes greatest hits. They were all played to death in rotation and getting to know them turned me inside out .. ending up as a music junkie. I went on to have Deep Purple as my favourite band with Zepp or Mahavishnu Orch in second place. I think because of the interplay between Jon and Ritchie with Ian Paice’s fantastic drumming. Ian Gillan and Roger were a great songwriting/production team which gave the band the spark they were missing. However everyone knows that Zepp are the quintessential rock band .. they just sound so good and mesh so uniquely as a band. Physical graffiti is probably the album of theirs that I’ve played the most. Love Presence too.

[@christopherlees1134]

Very insightful! That was so interesting and well articulated.

[@daverestivo]

So interesting, the subjectivity when you're dealing with such a quality body of work. I love the acoustic stuff on III (and Since I've Been Loving You, although that one became much greater in live performances), but it always felt like an uneven effort, with some throwaway tracks and songs like Immigrant Song, which to me, exhilarating as it can be, is kind of Zep at its most meatheaded. Houses is my sentimental favourite, but I don't think anyone could argue with IV as the objective strongest and most complete album. Below that, I'd have to put II, HOTH, and Physical Graffiti in the top five in whatever order...

[@g4340]

Hi Andy! I really enjoyed the video and I instantly Liked & Subscribed! I was wondering if you had any good stories of you and Plant. I was also wondering if Robert told you why he stopped the Page/Plant project. He TOTALLY changed from his last solo tour in 1993 and from the P/P project to his then current re-birth solo career. Starting in 1999, whenever Plant played a Zepp tune or one of his solo songs in concert, he completely rearranged the songs to be MUCH softer and slower and for the most part, unrecognizable until he starts singing whichever song it was. Yes, he is the Mighty Rearranger, but... Anyway, the story why Plant changed seems to be due to a show he and Page did in 1998, in Munich I believe it was. Well, it was a show in Germany anyway. It had something to do with a fan he saw and the fan was pumping his fist in the air and, for some reason, in that moment, it left a terrible taste in Roberts mouth. Surely, he saw many fans raise their fist in the air through the years, but why was this one so life-changing? Why had this particular incident make him end the P/P project as well as make him change all songs from then on when done Live? I was wondering if he ever shared the story with you and if you could tell it to us?

[@BunyanaRed1958]

Saw you Andy with Robert in 2000 at Planet K in Manchester (Priory Of Brion). You were all late for the gig because Robert was watching Wolves v Bolton at the Reebok Stadium. Was worth the wait though. Brilliant gig, I was at the front with my then girlfriend. It was great to see Robert in a small venue. Thanks for such a memorable gig. Btw Led Zep are the best band ever for me.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

I remember that gig well...there was a tiny dressing room at the back of the stage....

[@BunyanaRed1958]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer That's Manchester for you. Thanks for replying Andy. All the best.

[@TheFierceAndTheDead]

Great stuff Andy

[@stuartraybould6433]

Nice video, can't argue with any of this. 👍

[@andrewhamer2512]

Another excellent video Andy! I can't really disagree with any of that. I might have put HOH higher but that's probably because it's proggy as you say. LZ were the seed for so much that followed. None of which came close to having the diversity their music had.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

Had the fourth album on in the car today...never gets stale, one of the greatest albums ever made. I once told Robert I thought that album was perfect. He said that when he remembers making it he recalls some guys having a lot of fun, taking the mick out of each other and jamming and recording. I guess that's how albums were made back then. Now they are worshipped as classics.

[@elbib2446]

my fave rock band of all time too,had a pint with robert in the shakespeare bar in stoke newington years ago.i went off many rock bands i listened to as a youth,but ive never got tired of zeppelin,timeless tunes.for me,studio1.physical graffiti 2.led zep 4 3.led zep 2 4.led zep 1 5.led zep 3 6.presence .7.houses of the holy 8.coda 9.outdoor,i love pages guitar tone on the song remains the same,regardless of whether theres the odd overdub,as there obviously are,as i had a few raw zep bootlegs on vinyl and cassette as a youth.agreed coda has some killer stuff on it

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

Yes, they are just classier than other heavy rock bands

[@normt6226]

I like them all...but i vote for Physical Graffiti...

[@JeffCooper10538]

You put my favourite by miles and miles at the bottom of your list. 👍

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

Anyone who thinks Hot Dog is better than Kashmir or I'm Gonna Crawl better than Stairway to Heaven needs to argue their case... :)

[@davidpaterson3443]

Bit late to the party here, but just curious if Robert ever talked about Zep 4 and if so, what did he call it by? The 'untitled' or Zep 4 or the Runes album etc..

[@MAB_Audio_Nut]

Agree with you about Presence I would even put it higher. just above Vol 1

[@christopherlees1134]

My rankings are as follows. I didn't rank based on an overall conceptualization of the album and its impact this time. Instead, I simply thought about which songs I like and how much I like them, and it turned out this way: Led Zeppelin I Led Zeppelin IV HOTH Led Zeppelin II PG ITTOD Led Zeppelin III Presence CODA

[@colinburroughs9871]

1, Houses, 4, Physical, 3, Presence, 2, ITTOD

[@aindriubradleymarshall6226]

Good ranking.

[@42yearoldboy5]

Of the eighth studio albums, every single ranking on KZbin, every single person puts in through the out door last, and it pisses me off! That has my three favourite songs on it, Fool In the Rain, all of my love, and in the evening. For that reason, alone, I would put it above presence!

[@TheFierceAndTheDead]

Houses Of The Holy is my favourite. You could probably see that coming.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

It's a great album but not quite the same as III. IV or Physical G. Those three are in another league to normal albums....

[@TheFierceAndTheDead]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Yeah, very special band

[@verginithe]

problem i have with Houses is Roberts voice is sped up on some tracks. I think they did the songs on houses better live.

[@davemis40]

Andy .. we jammed “we’re gonna groove” at Rich Bitch rehearsal studios with Simon Trewin a million years ago .. your drumming was so good it was intimidating 😂 .. personally I can’t chose between 1 to 4 as my favourite.. all offer different versions of Zeppelin .. 1 is raw talent, 2 is big and bombastic, 3 is an evolution and a promise of what’s to come with the majestic 4.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

Hi Dave...I'm afraid I can't remember doing that at all! Are you still in touch with Simon?

[@davemis40]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Haha .. I'm not surprised I'm sure you were hugely underwhelmed by the experience .. Sadly not seen Simon for many years.

[@huckelroymuckelroyjr.2399]

I love Carouselambra

[@Squirrelconga]

Yeah, man!!! "Presence". ...it can take awhile for that one to seep in....if you are listening to it, to decide (or judge) it won't take at first...

[@watchingthewheels9314]

Hello Andy. I got this video recommended, but you really were a drummer in the band? My Favorite is Zeppelin 2 by the way

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

yes....this is me: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Edwards_(musician)

[@watchingthewheels9314]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer so cool! Congrats!

[@w.geoffreyspaulding6588]

My only surprise is that I honestly didn’t know that TSRTS came out as an album, BUT I thought that HTWWW did.....so wondered why the latter was not ranked.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

I decided to only rank the albums that came out during the lifetime of the band. I could have included HTWWW but then you need to include the DVD, BBC Sessions, The DVD and then there is a ton of extra stuff on the box sets so I decided to stick to those released at the time +Coda

[@verginithe]

i think the song remains the same live album is the greatest album ever! Page is masterful! Plant, even tho has lost his high voice is so cool and charming.

[@alittlebitofeverything6547]

love it but the sound quality was strange

[@verginithe]

how so?

[@alittlebitofeverything6547]

@@verginithe the bootlegs sound quality sound better

[@verginithe]

soundboard is more lively, agree. I think what youre referring too is there are some versions of the song remains the same concert that have been over-worked. Someone thinking they are making it sound better actually ruin it.

[@alittlebitofeverything6547]

@@verginithe it sounds weak that's all i can say

[@JoyDivision88]

I know i'm most likely in the minority of 1 but I have to admit that in 1969 after hearing Vol. 1 Led Zeppelin were my band of choice. I went to see them in 1969 so excited that I was going to get to see them live. They were just about to release Vol. 2. This concert was one of only two I have ever seen where I found myself bored during a large portion of the show. Except for a great version of Blueberry Hill and a first hearing of Thank You off the soon to be released second album the rest for me was pretty forgettable. I still bought Vol. 2 which to this day I can listen to along with Vol. 1. I bought Vol. 3 and absolutely hated it and still hate it to this day. In fact I gave it away only a couple of years ago to a mate who was going back into vinyl. I have tried and tried to get into Zeppelin 4 and the subsequent albums and I cannot listen to a full album. I don't know what it is as I feel I should love them but I can't. Plant's voice starts to grate after a couple of songs, Bonham's drumming to me sounds like bashing rather than playing. Page is as good as anyone on guitar but I just cannot feel his playing like I can with some other guitarists. John Paul Jones for me is rather unsung as his bass and keyboard playing is spot on as you would expect from a more than competent session player. I will persevere no doubt and maybe I will eventually get it as that is exactly what happened with my relationship with Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. By the way the other concert I got bored at was the second time I saw Pink Floyd also in 1969 when they decided to play Sysyphus I-IV and The Narrow Way 1-3 from Ummagumma. Bloody shades what a bore fest that was.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

I think the problem is you don't like Led Zeppelin...someonen has got to I suppose....

[@KB-os6lh]

Presence.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

Only you me and RP rate that one...

[@josephulman8492]

Didn't Kieth Harwood play harmonica on Nobody's Fault? 🤔

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

He engineered Presence but I don't think he played harmonica on that song. Robert is a great blues harmonica player and he is credited on the album

[@josephulman8492]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer just curious....cause I've seen different posts....including one provided to KZbin by Atlanitic records stating that Kieth Harwood played harmonica on the album 🤷‍♂️ Thanks for all of these videos.....just great perspective! ✌

[@tedshutt56]

Another fan who completely underestimates Houses of the Holy. SMH.

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

I don't think it's as good as the first four, which are all ground breaking rock albums. It's on the same level as Presence but I really wanted to champion Presence as it's way better than some make out so that's why it's placed where it is.

[@HardRockMaster7577]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer HOTH is my least favorite LZ album. That said, many of the songs on HOTH are my favorite --LIVE-- LZ songs. I just don't like the way the sound was engineered on HOTH. I love Presence, but ALS, although good, is not in my Top 5 from ALS.

[@skooooo]

Zeppelin III was always my favorite.

[@SwampEye1]

I could never rank Zep Albums, ok In through the Outdoor as the weakest, yes, but what then ... ?

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

I know...it silly thing to do really...but ranking videos are really just an excuse to talk about the music...but please don't tell anyone...

[@geoffccrow2333]

Their worst songs are as good as most bands best

[@peterbadham3080]

Certainly geniuses at nicking other people's material and calling it their own

[@AndyEdwardsDrummer]

But it's the way they stole other peoples material. And where did the guys they stole it from get it from?

[@peterbadham3080]

@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Hi Andy I think it's the blatant way they did it. Plenty of bands particularly cream and the stones went out of their way to credit the writers. It took poor old jake holmes 40 years to get money out of them for dazed and confused. Love the channel..keep them coming

[@geoffccrow2333]

Robert who?

[@lamecasuelas2]

Hot Take, i really don't like Black Dog. Aldo you forgot How the west was won, which unlike song remains the same Is a proper Zep live album. I rate that one really high

[@AlmightyBruce]

8: In Through the Out Door 7: Led Zeppelin II 6: Presence 5: Led Zeppelin I 4: Led Zeppelin IV 3: Led Zeppelin III 2: Physical Graffiti 1: Houses of the Holy

[@austake]

Did I tell you I was Robert Plant's drummer?🙄

[@alittlebitofeverything6547]

they had the best musicians of all time and plant was an exceptional powerhouse but Jimmy Page was simply the best all around guitarist of all time - because of his innovation and his pure passion. da Goat!

[@alittlebitofeverything6547]

i don't understand why the live album sound quality was bad (srts)