Honestly, I could have chosen any one of Led Zeppelin’s albums. They are that good. I selected III because it contains some some great straightforward hard rock tunes (Immigrant Song) that Zeppelin is well known for as well as more acoustic folk-type songs (Bron-Y-Aur Stomp and Tangerine). I think this albums shows how versatile they could be.
I was an infant/young child during most of the time Led Zeppelin was making music. In fact, this album was released a few months before I was born. As a result I was not aware of the band until I developed an interest in hard rock/heavy metal music as a teenager. From my many hours reading Metal Edge and Hit Parader I gathered that pretty much every band was influenced by Led Zeppelin to some extent.
By the time I bought my first Led Zeppelin album, which I’m pretty sure was IV (you know, the one with Stairway to Heaven on it), I had heard many of their songs in the art room.In short order I had all of their albums on cassette tape and listening to them just as frequently as I did any other favorite band of mine. I loved their references to Tolkien and I didn’t think there was a soul alive that could deny that Jimmy Page was a true guitar god. John Bonham and John Paul Jones pounded out a solid, heavy beat.
For me at least, I feel that Led Zeppelin just might have been the greatest rock band to have ever graced this planet. Their music has been around for half a century and it’s yet to sound tired or dated.
Yesterday's Tomorrow Today 