Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO)
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Free Music Notes for Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO)
Free Music Review: TRANSCENDENT AND LEGENDARY
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is how musicians become legends and music transcends time and classification. I was a 13 year old listening to pop music when I came across my parents vinyl version of Zeppelin IV. I had recalled, from somewhere, hearing something about "Stairway to Heaven" being the greatest song ever made. Now I was born in 1975, so it was 1988, and I had a turntable (thank God) ... From the time I put that needle down my life, at least musically, was changed forever. "When the Levee Breaks" is a blues assault like none other, possibly my favorite song of all time. "The Battle of Evermore" is at once, both etheral, and mournful. "Four Sticks" and "Misty Mountain Hop" just flat out rock. "Blackdog", "Rock N' Roll" and "Stairway to Heaven" are iconic rock masterpieces that defined the genre. And finally "Going to California" proved that a slow song can be introspective and not be whiny. I will never forget hearing the climax of "Stairway to Heaven", coming from that vinyl record, louder from the needle than through the speakers ... What else can you say? Free Music Review: Time to Get the Led Out, by Clark Gerber
Hit: 5 Stars
Though it is widely known for the epic "Stairway to Heaven", Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album (usually referred to simply as IV) has amazing depth in the set list, offering quality stuff from "Black Dog", which opens the A-side, to "When the Levee Breaks", which closes out the B-side. IV is perhaps the defining album of one of the most influential rock bands of this or any generation: Led Zeppelin. Each track excels in its own, unique way while still maintaining cohesiveness with the rest of the album. Led Zeppelin amazed me with their ability to maintain quality in what I consider to be three major components in a rock band's music: melody/rhythm, lyrics, and overall group chemistry. IV displays rock legends Led Zeppelin at their collective peak and should certainly be considered in any discussion concerning the best rock albums of all time.
The A-side of the record, as mentioned above, opens with "Black Dog," the most successful pop single on IV. The song's recognizable first line echoes as Robert Plant's voice pierces through the silence, tellingly saying it's "gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove." As Jimmy Page revs up the guitar for his opening riff, the listener knows that it's time to rock. However, the instrumentals back off to make room for another of Plant's acapella solos. The call (by Plant) and response (by Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham) that ensues really sets the song apart from the rest of Zeppelin's album, as well as sets the group apart from modern rock in general. This call-response technique appropriately comes from the blues, a genre that greatly influenced Led Zeppelin throughout their career. It fits perfectly with Plant's soulful, "I-got-the-blues" type lyrics. As a group, Page's guitar, Jones' bass, and Bonham's drums fit together to provide the strong, steady riff that drives the song. Plant's vocals build off the band (or the other way around) as the song progresses and exhibits exceptional communication with Page and his guitar especially.
"Rock and Roll," another recognizable song that charted as a pop single, has its own style that, naturally, reflects the song title. Unlike the guitar driven "Black Dog", "Rock and Roll" is driven almost exclusively by drummer John Bonham. Bonham crashes (emphasis on the crash) in with the song's identifiable mini drum solo. Bonham's bass pedal-foot and his crash cymbal drive the guitar/bass riff through pretty much the entire song (drive being the operative word here because the rhythm and tempo make this a perfect song for driving on the open road). While the song's lyrics might not be poetic (Plant basically just rambles on that "It's been a long time since I rock and roll[ed]") they do fit with the tone of the song, as well as the title. Other than "Stairway" this kind of song is what people think about when they think Led Zeppelin. Though any hardcore fan will tell you that's not what Zeppelin's about, "Rock and Roll" is a simple, fun rock song as Zeppelin shows that they can rock out as well as anybody.
"The Battle of Evermore" offers a complete change of pace from the previous two tracks. Rather than the power of the bass and electric guitar, Jimmy Page switches to his true specialty in acoustic guitar and Jones shows some of his amazing versatility as he plays mandolin. In fact, the casual listener might have a hard time believing that this song is by Led Zeppelin, at least until Robert Plant starts singing. The overall tone of the song is quite hushed and fantastical. In fact, the song's lyrics are based on the fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings. "The Battle of Evermore" is the first ballad on the album, and manifests another one of the band's main influences in folk music. This is also the only Led Zeppelin song that features a guest vocalist. Sandy Denny, an acquaintance of the band, adds to Plant's already high pitch and gives the track a little more of an eerie vibe to it. The song might take some getting used to for newer listeners, but one can definitely appreciate the beauty in Plant's poetry as well as the versatility of the band as this is the third song that has been completely different from anything previous on the album.
By far the most famous track on the album, and one of the most widely known rock songs of all-time, Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" rounds out the A-side of the record. Perhaps, the most demonstration of this song's greatness is the fact that it wasn't even released as a single and yet it still managed to achieve status as one of the greatest rock songs ever. Zeppelin, again, puts it all together on this track. Page plays one of the most recognizable guitar riffs ever to open the song, then shreds at the end, displaying his superiority as a guitarist. John Paul Jones displays even more versatility as he plays three instruments on the track (recorder, piano, and bass guitar). Plant's lyrics are sweet and poetic and help the song build to its climax, where Bonham does his best to steal the show. This song could best be described as epic, evidenced not only by its length (8:02), but by the way it changes and grows during that time. What starts as a soothing and wistful folk ballad, turns into a monster of a hard rock song and is sure to leave listeners in awe.
The B-side to IV very much reflects the A-side in terms of song styles. However, each track on the B-side still manages to bring something unique to the table, perhaps this album's best quality. B-side opens with "Misty Mountain Hop", another pounding hard rock tune. Like "Black Dog," the opener on the A-side, "Misty Mountain Hop" is a bit more on the experimental side. In this case, the only real melody is the riff provided by the guitar and the vocals incorporate some very contemporary harmonies. This might scare the more melody-driven listener, but "Misty Mountain Hop" provides a strong rhythm that is sure to impress. The songs experimental nature is reflected in the lyrics, which tells the nonsense story of a day in the park... with hippies. However, the instrumental riff and the authority of the drums throughout the song make the song impressive in its own right as the rhythm section (Bonham and Jones) shows they know how to dominate.
"Four Sticks" is another experimental, rhythm section driven song. The track alternates between 5/4 and 6/8 time, and is played with two pairs of drumsticks (hence the name "Four Sticks") giving it a very unconventional sound. Jimmy Page's riff gives the song a good base while Bonham and Jones go crazy to keep up with the rhythmic changes. The ability to pull off a song like this shows Page, Jones, and Bonham's chemistry as an instrumental section. Meanwhile, Plant belts out more nonsense lyrics, this time in a more wild nature, which works well with the erratic rhythms of the song.
Like the A-side of the album, the third song on the B-side of IV provides a dramatic change of pace in the song "Going to California." Much like "The Battle of Evermore," Page picks up the acoustic guitar and John Paul Jones plays mandolin. Though it is another folk-style ballad, it does not have the eerie quality that "Evermore" has. The tone is again very mellow and wistful and the melody is simple and sweet as Plant croons (though Plant is not usually much of a crooner) his wonderfully poetic, beautifully written tribute to singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell. Page and Jones also combine for a very pretty mandolin/guitar duet toward the end of the song. Probably the only real "slow song" on the album, "Going to California" shows one extreme of Zeppelin's repertoire while also demonstrating that can do it effectively.
"When the Levee Breaks," another blues piece, is the last song on IV. Page changes up his guitar for this epic piece to provide a more sloppy style to the driving riff. Bonham lays down a steady and really heavy drum beat that continues to thunder on throughout the song. While Plant isn't singing, he wails on his harmonica, showing a bit of his own versatility. The instruments used are very symbolic as they go along pretty well with the lyrics (originally written by blues musician Memphis Minnie). The wailing of the harmonica, the steady and strong beat of the drums, and even the sloppiness of the guitar are all supposed to represent the storm that will potentially break the levee. This is another good example of how Zeppelin is able to adapt with each other to make a song work and this song turns out to be a strong, and epic, ending to IV.
Through their skillful crafting of these eight tracks, Led Zeppelin has created a masterpiece in their fourth album, IV. Their to put together a variety of impressive backing tracks (either through catchy riffs on the guitar, a powerful performance by the rhythm section, or both) with appropriate lyrics shows their amazing chemistry as a band. Their ability to grow with each other and feed off of each others' ideas is what made Led Zeppelin such a great rock band and they were never better than when they recorded IV. If you are a true fan of Led Zeppelin, or even just rock music in general, I strongly recommend you "get the led out" and buy this album.
Free Music Review: Arguably Led Zeppelin's greatest hour almost 35 years on
Hit: 5 Stars
Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album nicknamed Led Zeppelin IV was released in November of 1971.
After the critical hammering and somewhat disappointing commercial sales of 1970's heavily acoustic sounding Led Zeppelin III, English hard rock legends Led Zeppelin (which was lead singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bass player John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham) went back to Headley Grange and recorded their classic contribution to rock and roll history (as I found out in July of 1985 when my older sister got the album on cassette and eventually I acquired copies through the years).
We kick the album off with the Top 20 charting classic rocker "Black Dog" which is a great opener with Plant's vocals rocking out. Plus, Page's electric guitar work, Jonesy's locomotive chugging sounding bass and Bonzo's almost savage sounding drumming just dominating on the track. The 50s sounding rocking "Rock and Roll" follows and is a superb track (the Cadillac car company has used the song for years as their ad song and the song still rocks regardless). We then take an acoustic detour with "The Battle of Evermore" and is a great folk song with Robert and the late Sandy Denny singing lead vocals with superb mandolin by Page and acoustic playing by Jones. The album's first half ends with arguably the greatest rock song ever recorded, the classic "Stairway to Heaven". I can see why the track is always voted greatest rock song ever. At eight minutes, it goes from soft to moderate sound then the big soloing climax before ending like it began. This song has held up well over 35 years on.
The album's second half kicks off with the heavy rocker "Misty Mountain Hop" follows and is dominated by a killer Jonesy electric piano riff which Page mirrors with his guitar. Next is another superb rocker entitled "Four Sticks" and was so-named that Bonzo used not one but two drumsticks per hand whilst recording this track, hence the song's title. We then have one more acoustic detour with "Going to California" and is another great song talking about the band's desire to go back to California and the road. The album closes with the bluesy rocker "When the Levee Breaks" which is a kiiller rocker with superb harmonica work and relaxing and phased sounding vocals from Plant and impressive slide work from Page and Jonesy's bass work just rocks and Bonzo's drumming just burns.
This album has sold over 23 million in the US alone to date because of the material within and not because of the name of the band (the band initially released the album without the band's name on the sleeve nor the spine of the album). Led Zeppelin IV may have peaked at #2 in 1971 but is consistently voted greatest hard rock album ever and Zeppelin proved that the band was about SUBSTANCE and not style (unlike other acts that permiate music today).
Highly recommended!
Free Music Review: great classic but wears down fast.
Hit: 4 Stars
So as everyone who loves rockandroll knows this is a great album. Hands down . Except that I think there is one problem, that is just get really old really fast. Becareful and dont listen to it too much too fast. Free Music Review: Zeppelin At Their Best, AT THEIR PEAK
Hit: 5 Stars
this is the best led zeppelin album ever they rock hard,
1. Black Dog, a great rockin song this is a timeless song bassicly all the songs on here our anyways a great beat to it, 5/5 stars
2. Rock N Roll, a great great song john bohamn really rocks out on this song i love this led zeppelin song you need this stuff if you listen to rock music long live led zeppelin, 5/5 stars
3. The Battle Of Evermore, all in all a pretty good song its not as hard as the other songs its soft but it still is good and mannages, 4/5 stars
4. Stairway To Heaven, a great classic song zeppelin really goes out on this song it may be not as hard but it really is a classic rock song i love it, 5/5 stars
5. Misty Mountain Hop, now were back to good ol' hard rock led zeppelin rocks out on this one the beat is really cool just another great song, 5/5 stars
6. Four Sticks, another great song but its like Sweet Pain on destroyer by KISS, led zeppelin never played this one in concert anyways its a great song, 5/5 stars
7. Going To California, a great song its accoustic guitar but it still rocks out loud, 5/5 stars
8. When The Levee Breaks, a nice blues beat to it the drums stand out its a great blues rock song, 5/5 stars
all in all this is a essential album to have you need to have some kind of acces to it
LONG LIVE LED ZEPPELIN
LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL