
Feature Photo: Bruce Alan Bennett / Shutterstock.com
It’s probably not going to get any more subjective than this. As our favorite rock band of all time, picking our favorite song from each album was a grueling process that had us frequently changing our minds. If there’s one band whose albums have been worn out on our turntables over the past 50 years, it’s Led Zeppelin. Yes, we’ve bought the CDs, but they just don’t sound as good as the vinyl LPs. Jimmy Page’s most recent remasters are the best yet, but there’s something about listening to Led Zeppelin on vinyl that just can’t be replicated on a CD. And please don’t get us started on the streaming format—that’s terrible. Nonetheless, back to the original point: picking one song from each Led Zeppelin album just may be the biggest challenge we have ever faced. Nonetheless, here goes.
Led Zeppelin – “Communication Breakdown“
We open up our Led Zeppelin’s Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums list with what may be a surprise pick. The odds-on favorite for the first LP had to be “Good Times Bad Times,” “Dazed and Confused,” or maybe even “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.” Nonetheless, we went with the faster, more rocking song on the album in our opinion—the killer track “Communication Breakdown.” The songwriting credit for this one was credited to all four members of the band: Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and Robert Plant. As great as the studio recording is, make sure to check out the live version on the official BBC Recordings release. Those are really killer.
Led Zeppelin II – “Ramble On”
“Now I Smell the Rain.” When Robert Plant sings that lyric, he just sends chills through every rock and roll vein in our body. That’s what I’m talking about, baby. Yes, of course, Led Zeppelin II is one of their greatest albums ever made. It’s filled with so many iconic songs. From the legendary “Whole Lotta Love,” the kinetic “Heartbreaker” and “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)” combo, to the beautiful “Thank You”—there are just so many to choose from on this album. Nonetheless, we think the song that ties it all together perfectly is the one about meeting a girl so fair—”Ramble On.” Oh yes, I guess I’ll keep on rambling.
Led Zeppelin III – “Since I’ve Been Loving You”
Led Zeppelin III never gets enough love, in our opinion. It’s sandwiched between two of the band’s biggest albums: Led Zeppelin II and their untitled fourth album, which turned the world upside down. However, some of the band’s most interesting and beautiful work is on this record. Everyone knows “Immigrant Song,” but songs like “Friends,” “Tangerine,” “That’s the Way,” and “Gallows Pole” are such standout tracks. The pick for this album goes to a track in which Robert Plant may have delivered the studio vocal performance of his career on the sizzling blues song “Since I’ve Been Loving You.”
Led Zeppelin IV – “When the Levee Breaks”
Yes, we know it’s not actually called Led Zeppelin IV. It’s the untitled album. But come on, give us a break, everyone calls it Led Zeppelin IV. In the meantime, getting back to picking the best song on each Led Zeppelin album, we are now presented with the band’s biggest-selling album of their career and perhaps the most famous rock album of all time, next to Dark Side Of The Moon and Sgt. Pepper’s. Remember how “Stairway to Heaven” first blew our minds the first time we heard it? It’s sad it became one of the most overplayed songs of all time. That put it out of contention right away.
Of course, songs like “Black Dog” and “Rock And Roll” were heavy favorites, but they also have been so played out over the years. That leads us to our pick, and it’s all because of the magic of John Bonham. His playing in this one created one of the most powerful statements a rock and roll drummer has ever laid out on vinyl. It wasn’t just about killer drums or dazzling technique, it was about a sound. A sound and feel never matched by any other. This was his shining moment, and it’s our pick.
Houses of the Holy – “The Ocean”
Houses of the Holy is our second favorite Led Zeppelin album, though it may not have had the huge hits that Led Zeppelin IV did, there is something really special about this album that earns a lot of plays on our turntable. There’s something about the songs from this record that you never get tired of. This is also probably the easiest one to pick from because “The Ocean” is one of our favorite Led Zeppelin songs of all time. A big reason for that is John Bonham’s beat and that iconic Jimmy Page guitar riff. The way John Paul Jones seamlessly plays along with Page’s lick and Bonham’s driving beat is just mesmerizing. Robert Plant delivers a killer vocal as always, but this one had a little more sizzle in it.
Physical Graffiti – “Ten Years Gone”
We love every Led Zeppelin album, that is, of course, every Led Zeppelin studio album that was officially released. But when it comes to studio releases, Physical Graffiti has always been our favorite by far. Now, of course, part of that is based on where we were, how young we were, and what our lives were like when we first bought this album. That’s what rock and roll music is all about.
Physical Graffiti was filled with so many songs that it became the soundtrack to our lives. It’s really hard to pick just one from this album. However, because that’s what this article is all about, some would probably go with “Kashmir” because it became the most legendary piece from the record, but we have always thought the true masterpiece on this album was “Ten Years Gone.” It’s not a song that hits you right away; it’s one that grows on you as you listen to it. It’s so intricate, with so many different parts to it, and every part is just incredible. This was one of their most complex and phenomenally written songs ever composed and recorded by the band. Take a listen to it again and tune everything else out because this one deserves 100% of your attention.
Presence – “Nobody’s Fault but Mine”
In Through the Out Door – “Fool In The Rain”
We have always had mixed feelings about this album. It’s no surprise to say that some Led Zeppelin fans weren’t happy with it when it first came out. Of course, this was before Bonham died, and no one had any idea that this was going to be the last Led Zeppelin record. At times throughout the years, we’ve gone back to it and fallen more in love with it than we had ever been before, and then at other times, it feels just okay.
It’s interesting when going through the entire catalog again to create this article how this album seemed to define itself to us. It’s really nowhere near the level of anything else they had ever done before. There’s some good stuff on it, but there’s just something—should I say the magic is not on this record? There’s a hint of it, but you can just feel that they weren’t into it. We could be completely wrong—who knows, we weren’t there; what do we know? All we know is what we hear and we are just comparing it to all the other albums and what we heard on them.
In the end, if we had to pick one from this record, the choice goes to “Fool in the Rain.” That probably had more of the Led Zeppelin magic than any other song on the record.
Led Zeppelin is one of our most covered bands; make sure to check out some of the other cool Led Zeppelin articles on the site………
Top 10 Led Zeppelin Songs
Top 10 Led Zeppelin Deep Tracks List
Led Zeppelin Albums Ranked
Best Led Zeppelin Box Sets
Top 10 Led Zeppelin Album Covers
Best Led Zeppelin Outtakes
Complete Led Zeppelin Discography, CDs, Vinyl, Compilations & Songs
Led Zeppelin I Album Review
Led Zeppelin II Album Review
Led Zeppelin III Album Review
Led Zeppelin Houses Of The Holy Album Review
Led Zeppelin In Through The Out Door Album Review
What It Was Like To Experience A 1970’s Led Zeppelin Concert
The Story Behind Led Zeppelin’s “Travelling Riverside Blues”
Why Led Zeppelin’s Blueberry Hill Show Was One Of Their Best
Read Why Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin Book Is So Worth Owning
50 Years Later, Led Zeppelin Is Still The Best Ever
9 Classic Rock Bands That Did Great Led Zeppelin Covers
How Led Zeppelin’s “Hey Hey What Can I Do,” Surprised Everyone
Don’t Miss Led Zeppelin’s Brilliant Performance of Kashmir in 2007
Best Cover Versions of Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog
Best Cover Versions Of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.”
Sitting On Stage With Led Zeppelin 1969
Why Led Zeppelin Won the Trial
A Bonham Blast on Led Zeppelin’s Sick Again at Kneborth 1979
Led Zeppelin’s Reimagining Of The Blues Began With Whole Lotta Love
Why Black Dog Was Led Zeppelin’s Greatest Song
Top 10 Led Zeppelin Love Songs
Complete Meanings Behind The Lyrics To Stairway To Heaven
10 Cool Cover Versions Of Led Zeppelin’s Misty Mountain Hop