LED ZEPPELIN IV

The first four Led Zeppelin albums were ubiquitous to my childhood and musical education--whether I wanted them to be or not. They were played at school, at dances, on the radio (FM), and from my brother's bedroom stereo for my entire middle school years. As a matter of fact, every single day in seventh grade art class we were "treated"--without choice--to at least one side of one Led Zep albums along with one side of Carole King's Tapestry. Every day! Did I like the bluesy "heavy metal" (for that's what we called it at the time) of LZ? Yes and no. While I never bought a Zep album of my own until Houses of the Holy (still the only physical vinyl LP I own of theirs), I enjoy listening to all four of their first releases. And, while I never disliked the played-to-death "Stairway of Heaven," I've never contested it's place as the nearly-universally-annointed "greatest rock song of all-time" (especially after seeing Heart & Company perform it live at the Kennedy Center ceremony from 2012). The rest of the "Runes" album is of exceptionally high quality with there really only being perhaps one "throw away" song and the rest masterpieces. I mean, who doesn't love "When the Levee Breaks"? or "The Battle of Evermore"? or "Black Dog"? or "Misty Mountain Hop"? or "Going to California"? or "Rock and Roll," for stairway to heaven's sake?