LED ZEPPELIN IV

"Led Zeppelin IV" is the fourth studio album of Led Zeppelin and was released in 1971. Like the other three previous studio albums, no title is printed on the album too. It's usually referred to as "Led Zeppelin IV", following the name standard used by the band's first three studio albums. However, the album has alternatively been referred to as "The Fourth Album" or "Four Symbols", due to the four Runes used by each member of the band on the cover of the album.

Upon its release, "Led Zeppelin IV" was a big commercial and critical successful album. It's one of the best selling albums worldwide and became as one of the best albums released until now. It's also considered as one of the most important Rock'n'Roll albums. This is an album that demonstrates their subtlety and restraint as much as their stadium-filling grandstanding and it confirmed their superstar rock status and put Led Zeppelin into homes around the world.

"Led Zeppelin IV" has eight tracks. The first track "Black Dog" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones is a song also released as a single in the United States and Australia with "Misty Mountain Hop" on the B side. It's a fantastic and very powerful song with a blues/rock riff and where Plant has one of his best vocal performances. Soon it became considered as one of the greatest songs of all time and one of the most recognizable Led Zeppelin's tracks. The second track "Rock And Roll" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham was another song chosen to be released as a single, this time with "Four Sticks" as the B side. We are in presence of a fantastic straight typical Rock'n'Roll number with great drum and guitar work. This is another great track and it's, for sure, one of the accountable tracks that made of Led Zeppelin as one of the best Rock'n'Roll bands ever. The third track "The Battle Of Evermore" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is another incredible song, this time influenced by the folk rock. The song is very well known because the vocal duet between Robert Plant and Sandy Denny and also because the beautiful musical performance of the acoustic guitar and mandolin. This is, in my opinion, one of the most innovative and progressive songs of the band. The absolutely fantastic vocal performance of the duet and the entire musical atmosphere all over the song, made of this song truly a masterpiece and one of my favourite songs of them. The fourth track "Stairway To Heaven" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is a song that doesn't need any kind of presentation and is often referred as one of greatest rock songs of all time and it's also one of their most progressive songs too. The song is composed of several sections, which increase in tempo and volume as the song progresses. The song begins as a slow acoustic folk song and the final section is a high-tempo hard rock section with an intricate and fantastic guitar solo by Page. This is the focal point of this album. The fifth track "Misty Mountain Hop" written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones is, as I said before, the B side of the single "Black Dog". With this song, the album reduces its highest quality level, while maintaining also a very good level. It's a great song that represents a very good rock moment but that unfortunately hasn't the energy of "Black Dog" and "Rock And Roll", or the creativity of "The Battle Of Evermore" and "Stairway To Heaven". The sixth track "Four Sticks" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is in the same line of the previous song. It's the B side of "Rock And Roll" and like "Misty Mountain Hop" it's also an excellent song but isn't at the same quality level of the four first songs of the album. The seventh track "Going To California" written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is another song like "The Battle Of Evermore" composed in a folk style type, returning with acoustic guitar and mandolin. With this song, the album returns to its highest quality level. The song represents a tribute to Joni Mitchell by Plant and Page. The eighth and last track "When The Levee Breaks" written by Memphis, Minnie, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham is a version of a blues song originally written and first recorded by Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929. The lyrics in Led Zeppelin's version were partially based on the original recording. This is another incredible song that closes the album beautifully.

Conclusion: "Led Zeppelin IV" is in general considered the great masterpiece of Led Zeppelin and is also considered as one of the best albums ever released, until now. "Led Zeppelin IV" is almost a perfect album. The first four songs, the A side of the LP, are absolutely perfect and can be considered four truly masterpieces. The B side of the LP isn't as perfect as the A side, but it can be considered also excellent. "Going To California" and especially "When The Levee Breaks" are also two fantastic and incredible songs. Concluding, "Led Zeppelin IV" and "Houses Of The Holy" are probably my two favourite studio albums from Led Zeppelin. However, "Led Zeppelin IV" is better than "Houses Of The Holly" is, because is more balanced and hasn't weak songs, too. So, "Led Zeppelin IV" can be considered as one of the best Rock'n'Roll albums of all time and it was made, probably, by one of the best Rock'n'Roll bands that ever existed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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