LED ZEPPELIN IV

Starting off with a grimy hard rock tune is tolerable when it is so good. Oh, yeah, this is a pretty popular album, too! Go figure.

And indeed, keeping with the tradition, Black Dog storms the gates, and kicks serious portions of ass. That riff is superb, and the whole song is a classic. Oh, if only Led Zeppelin could write lyrics! This is like Immigrant song, or Good Times, Bad Times, or Whole Lotta Love, only better. The solo is great, and the vocals are bombastic. This is good!

With a name Like Rock and Roll, I don't expect much. Well, it is a solid song, if a bit mundane, compared to the powerful open. Filler? Probably, but the singing is so fun. Fairly memorable, and is a pretty furious rocker. A little too "deep" if you know what I mean, but not offensive. And the solo is epic. This is still good!

This is something completely different. I don't much care for it, but it is somewhat pretty. Those vocals are cheesy and pompous, and that is ok, but this song feels plain and bare, and not in the good folk way. At least the melodies are ok. Too bad they rip off Tolkien. This is alright.

And you have an anomaly. What is this? The soft and sweet acoustic open. The angelic vocals. The slow, yet sure build of tension and pace. The most cohesive and structured song Led Zeppelin ever made, and the lyrics, while perhaps meaningless, are at least poetic in delivery. The song everyone knows. Stairway to Heaven. You've all heard it, and most of you love it to death. I like it a lot, and it is a very good song. The pace is majestic. What I feel is the peak of the entire Led Zeppelin career, and their opus. That solo is glorious, too. So fantastic. No, Led Zeppelin would never top this song, not even on the same album would anything come close. Get this album for this song, alone. This album is getting four stars. And this is the only reason.

Of course Misty Mountain Hop drops the ball, how can you NOT drop the ball after the last song? Oh, it is a nice enough song, with a nice enough feel, but who cares? Well, I like the song, and it is solid. Most certainly doesn't scream filler now, does it? Four Sticks feels like a worse version of the last song. Seems the album keeps getting worse and worse. This is what I'd consider a throwaway song. This song is so monotonous. And not in a decent way. Not impressive. Not a failure, but we have already heard them do better. Going to California is a dandy song, and is the prettiest song on here, barring the obvious. The lyrics are stupid, just stupid, though. And Plant's delivery is cringe inducing.

When the Levee Breaks blasts in. The guitar wailing hard and crying the sirens knell. A fine hard rock song. A bit overlong, but not bad. And it feels very motivated. Who am I kidding, I want Stairway! Well, it ends on a high note. Very metal sounding guitars...

This is possibly the height of Led Zeppelin's career. If only everything didn't feel so bland upon closer inspection. Even their magnum opus song isn't an absolute perfection.

Best Song - Come on...

Worst Song - Four Sticks/Battle of Evermore (Both are pretty mediocre)

**** Get it if only for that one tune.