Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin

It was 1971 and I had just started courting with the lovely young lady who would 3 summers later become my wife. I was always a big Led Zeppelin fan, she was more into Elton John. When the band played the Hard Rock theatre in Stretford that year I had to go, 2 tickets were a must. I think it only cost us about £3, have I ever spend money better than that I wonder. The Hard Rock (no connection with the chain of that name today) was actually a former supermarket and had the ambience to match. Still this was Led Zeppelin at their peak and their fourth album and in many peoples opinion the best Led Zeppelin album had just been released. The concert started with a ...  Read the complete review

This album has gained 'classic' status mainly on the back of THAT SONG, 'Stairway to Heaven'. This I feel is very sad as there is much more to this album than at first meets the eye. First and foremost, remember this album was released in 1971, when rock music was into the 3rd Black Sabbath album and Deep Purple in Rock was looming, Emerson Lake & Palmer were getting all classical, Yes had hardly been noticed and Queen's first album was a couple of years away. Therefore, many bands were either pushing out fairly basic rock stuff, experimenting with new ideas or not yet even known! For a major league rock band to take on board a folk singer ...  Read the complete review

Track listing: 1) Black Dog 2) Rock And Roll 3) The Battle Of Evermore 4) Stairway To Heaven 5) Misty Mountain Hop 6) Four Sticks 7) Going To California 8) When The Levee Breaks As the name suggests, this was the 4th Zeppelin album and the one that really illustrates the versatility of the band, encompassing elements of folk and blues as well as their trademark hippy rock. I have never quite worked out what Black Dog is all about - apart from lauding the merits of a skinny woman and warning that big-legged women ain't got no soul. It's a quirky tune with quirky lyrics but somehow it works ...  Read the complete review

Led Zeppelin's 4th album (so entitled, lest we forget), is a curious mix of folk, rock and excellent blues instrumentals. With an element of Mick Jagger to them, Robert Plant's vocals on tracks such as Stairway To Heaven really take the top spot on this short album, although the whole presentation is brilliant. The Battle Of Evermore is a foot-tapping ye olde age track, with plenty of instrumentals to it that take you back centuries, while tracks such as When The Levee Breaks really delve strongly into the bluesy nature of Zep. The album really does show a highly versatile side to the group, and with only 8 tracks to do this in, it really does show ...  Read the complete review

"Befitting a band whose confidence -- and arrogance -- were already unparalleled in the industry, Led Zeppelin's fourth album didn't even carry the group's name on its sleeve. Atlantic Records balked at the decision, but Zep and their imposing Svengali/manager, Peter Grant, held firm. The untitled set thunders from steam-driven blues and metal to delicate folk-rock, delivering both the ballad "Stairway to Heaven" and the souped-up rockabilly of "Rock and Roll" in the space of one side of vinyl. Endlessly eclectic, yet full of drive and determination" That is Blender's review, and not merely a cheap attempt to get to 150 words but ...  Read the complete review