No doubt they are the GOAT rock band. They were the biggest band of the 70's and that's saying something when you're facing competition like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd, etc. and they out sold all of them except for the Beatles despite almost never releasing singles or having anywhere near the marketing and mainstream press that those other bands got. The Beatles sold more but Zeppelin blew the fab four away when it came to musicianship and their live shows, they also broke the Beatles' attendance record in 1973. They ruled the most fiercely competitive era for rock and was also one of the most influential bands of all time, other bands (especially the glam metal bands) copied their look and sound throughout the late 70's and 80's but could never achieve the same success as Zeppelin. They kept themselves surrounded in mystery almost never granting interviews and almost never appearing on television which helped them keep a sort of 'underground' appeal with their fans. There were also rumors of black magik and satanism around the band. Their fame grew from word-of-mouth as their live shows were becoming legendary sparking huge demand for bootleg recordings of their concerts.
They have everything you want in a rock band. Top-notch musicianship featuring the one of the greatest rock singers ever, one of the greatest guitar players ever, THE greatest drummer of all time, and one of the greatest bassists walking the planet all led by the GOAT manager Peter Grant oh, and by the way Jimmy Page was not only an all-time great guitarist he was also an all-time great producer who's recording techniques have been copied by nearly every hard rock and metal band that came after them. This is like a basketball team with a mount rushmore starting five and the GOAT coach. They have records sales, (over 300 million worldwide) musicianship, longevity, impact, influence, and a legendary reputation for partying and debauchery. (the mud shark incident, lol) When you put it all together there was no band that could top them.
All the hail the mighty Led Zeppelin!
No drummer can touch John Bonham. Moby dikk: The GOAT drum solo.
