Welcome to the 4th installment of my Led Zeppelin studio album reviews! These are tandem reviews with my amazing wife, Sarah who is posting her own reviews over at Caught Me Gaming. So be sure to check out her write up on Led Zeppelin IV right here!
As for me, I can sum up Led Zeppelin IV like this:
When The Levee Breaks.
As a Led Zeppelin Album: 4.5/5
Compared to the Rest: 5/5
Will this gag ever get old? It probably already has.
Speaking of gags, Led Zeppelin had one lined up for this album. Believe it or not, I’m not the only one who had lukewarm feelings to Led Zeppelin III. In 1971, the critical response for it was less than glowing and the sales were a bit sluggish compared to the band’s first two.
And they used it as bulletin board material.
Not to go the safe route and make a rehash of their bluesy first two albums. Or, fall into line with whatever was popular at the time to get a hit to chart for radio play.
But they went Full Zep instead.
There isn’t a song on here that you can potentially point to being radio-friendly prior to 1971. But Stairway To Heaven, an 8-minute and 2-second epic, went on to have the most radio airplay of all time. Zep went on to become, if not the most popular rock band of all time, one that is always mentioned in the top 5. The rest is history.
I had heard most of the tunes on Zep IV before I got to the album, but I appreciate them better within its context. Black Dog and Rock And Roll is a great 1 -2 punch to start. The Battle of Evermore is not one of my favorites on its own, but it makes for a nice breather before getting into Stairway here.
As great as side one is, I think I like side two even more. Zep big rockin’ riffs are usually one string affairs, but Misty Mountain Hop is a solid chord rocker. Four Sticks is a lower point for me on the album as it goes a just a bit too long for me, but it’s alright.
The last two songs are really where it is at for me. I’m not usually one for their folky ballads and Plant’s vocals can be a little cheesy, but Going To California is a drop-dead gorgeous tune. And When the Levee Breaks. Perfection. The drums, the guitar, the tone, the lyrics. Everything. Home Run.
I think this is why rock ‘n roll will always belong to the young and overconfident. They are the only ones who have the balls to pull off something like Led Zeppelin IV. Think of the temptation they must have to switch things up. How many bands do we know that did just that? Instead, Zep doubled down on what the did best and wrote (or let’s be kind and say, at least arranged) some stellar tunes.
Great write-up! I love this album, but you knew that already!
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I actually didn’t. Who is this?
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Agreed I like Side 2 better as well. A great album but I’m a little tired of those tunes on Side 1. Still though Bombastic comes to mind when I think of this album.
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That really the only negative you can say about it. It has just been played too often.
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I 100 percent agree with you. Led Zep IV to me is summed up by “When The Levee Breaks”. That groove and that beat, which would become perfection in Kashmir.
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At least they start ripping themselves off instead of other people!
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I love this series with the two of you. Great stuff. I’m not voicing an opinion on the album because it might win my You Pick It vote for October and if it does, you’ll get more than you wanted to know probably.
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There is a lot I don’t know, so going over the limit will be quite the task!
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Great post. I’m not a big follower so I didn’t realize Stairway and some of the others were on the 4th album. A big release for sure!
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For me, “Rock and Roll” was the real banger versus “Stairway to Heaven”!
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Stairway is a bit of a slow burn. Rock and Roll gets right to the point. So I can see that, for sure!
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FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT!!! “Stairway to Heaven” is just too dang long, and I’m all about the straight up rock n roll, that’s why I rarely enjoy experimental stuff!
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Good take mars. When I put the needle down it’s all about the music. never fails for me.
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They were on their A-game for this one.
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Even after repeated spins of all these songs i still get into them.
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I like the idea of them going Full Zep! I think this is definitely where they came into their own. A wee bit tired of hearing it but it’s still a cool album.
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I always loved the folksy side. Me and my highschool buddies, none of whom drank or did drugs, thought it was funny when Robert sang “Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine”. And the Tolkien references of course always made us chuckle.
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Yeah, they can get silly but no Zep lyrics make me chuckle more than Immigrant Song. They sound like Jake Black taking the piss.
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