that damned fly wrote:zeppelin had a more solid output from beginning to end. sabbath got more than a little shakey even in the middle of their career. plus zep stopped. stopping is nice. trotting out 50+ yr olds to play hits they wrote at 20...not so hot. .

Sabbath was fucking fantastic last time I saw em, a few years ago. Just tore it the fuck apart.
Last 20 bands I have seen with 20 year olds in them? 99% did not come anywhere near tearing anything apart, aside from me and my love of music.
I saw the Page/Plant show and it was as limp as the typical EA forum poster's wrist.
Sabbath. Yes.

Marsupialized wrote:Sabbath was fucking fantastic last time I saw em, a few years ago. Just tore it the fuck apart.

Really? Even with a fat, bloated zombie mumbling half-remembered lyrics to the songs, they tore it apart?
Sabbath is great, and I can understand people hating Robert Plant, but for me he doesn't get in the way.
Even if he did, this isn't even a contest. Zeppelin without question.

The Kid wrote:

Marsupialized wrote:Sabbath was fucking fantastic last time I saw em, a few years ago. Just tore it the fuck apart.

Really? Even with a fat, bloated zombie mumbling half-remembered lyrics to the songs, they tore it apart?

Yuh. I saw Black Sabbath last summer on a metal festival. Helmet, Mastodon, all that stuff.

Sabbath tore them all apart, take my word for it.

Led Zeppelin... everytime... not even close.

Zeppelin vs Sabbath and Metallica vs Slayer seem like twin "either / or" contests to me, in that for the last few years it's almost sure that the latter option will always win, and that I'd always vote for the former. Singing about satan seems to cater well to a lot of kids these days, but the bands who may have actually sold their souls made the better music IMO.

Led Zeppelin for me.

Sabbath are definately gods of the rock, Iommi being king of many a beautious riff and guitar tone, Geezer Butler a master crafstman of the bass fill, and Bill Ward a crusher. However, nothing nothing of Sabbath's I've ever heard comes close to Led Zeppelin's BBC Sessions. If this were a battle of studio albums, surely Sabbath would win, for Iommi is a wizard of studioguitaroverdubs. But the BBC sessions kill and destroy and then burn.

My vote is for Led Zeppelin, although it could have much to do with my mood.

Fuck's sake.

Led Zep!

Zeppelin had some really good Blues in there. Listen to some of that guitar! That's soul. No power chord crap. Plus Zeppelin wrote weird songs about olden times and women. Sabbath had lyrics which would make a 14 year old language pupil cringe. War Pigs?.....

Ok, maybe I took that too far.

[Spinal Tap promoter's voice] Kick my ass.....

SABBATH!!!!!

Rodabod wrote:Plus Zeppelin wrote weird songs about olden times and women.

So did Yes.
That's why I voted for Sabbath.

I don't know how this could even be a debate.

I enjoy Sabbath, but most of the time they are a novelty to me. I fine novelty, but more or less a one trick pony.

Zeppelin, as Rodabod stated, had soul. They had command of a musical volcabulary that Sabbath could only have dreamed of. They explored such a diverse range of style and texture that alone makes them a superior group. Every one of their albums is a unique extension of their musical range and abilites.

Zeppelin, without a doubt. Though "Fairies Wear Boots" is pretty kick ass too.