Released in 1969, Led Zeppelin's self-titled debut paved the way for one of the most successful and influential rock bands in music history. What's interesting, however, is the total disconnect between how critics and fans initially responded to the album. Despite a slew of less than stellar reviews, the album was a massive commercial success. The most famous negative review the album received came from John Mendelsohn of Rolling Stone magazine, who claimed that the band offered little that its twin, the Jeff Beck Group, didn't say as well or better three months ago. Mendelsohn also compared lead vocalist Robert Plant to Rod Stewart, claiming he was just as foppish but nowhere near so exciting. The review irked guitarist Jimmy Page so much that he held a grudge with the magazine for several years, declining to speak with anyone who worked for it despite the band's worldwide success. More recently, of course, the album has received a massive critical reassessment, with Rolling Stone themselves listing the album as number twenty-nine on their list of the five-hundred greatest albums of all time.