In 1969 Rolling Stone wrote of Zeppelin's debut: "Unfortunately, [Jimmy Page] is also a very limited producer and a writer of weak, unimaginative songs, and the Zeppelin album suffers from his having both produced it and written most of it (alone or in combination with his accomplices in the group)... In their willingness to waste their considerable talent on unworthy material the Zeppelin has produced an album which is sadly reminiscent of Truth. " He goes on to say that if they are to help fill the void created by the demise of Cream, they will need better music and a better producer. Good thing Zep [didn't] take that advise!

Nobody is perfect and reviews are the definition of subjective and a critic can make the wrong call but sadly this review really set the tone of the mag's coverage of Led Zeppelin in the years that followed. But here we are forty years later and they have this to say (which may or may not be taken as another slagging where they praise everyone else even though those perky readers picked Led Zeppelin): "Last week, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock and a landmark year in rock history, we asked for readers' favorite LPs from 1969. We had our money on the Beatles' Abbey Road, but in the end Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II nabbed the most votes, finishing atop a masterpiece-filled list that includes legendary albums by the Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan and Captain Beefheart. "

- Check out the full list of the reader-selected best albums from 1969

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