Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin IV [conventional title] by Led Zeppelin (1971) In 1982, eleven years after this album’s release, a 17-year-old ‘big man on campus’ named Benny walked into his private-school math class singing: “Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove”. His stern, no-nonsense Intermediate Algebra teacher (me) turned from writing the day’s assignment on the blackboard to shoot Benny a disapproving glare. Benny sheepishly clammed up. But as I turned back to the blackboard to finish, I sang softly: “Ah, ah, child, way you shake that thing Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting” As I put down the chalk and turned again toward the class, smile met smile as Benny and I shared a trans-generational moment of awareness of the power of Led Zeppelin IV. Benny ended the semester with a surprisingly good ‘A-‘ in math. It would have been a ‘B+’, but his anachronistic love for Led Zeppelin tilted the scales in a positive direction, and I don’t regret it one bit. There was a time when I considered Led Zeppelin IV to be the greatest album ever, and I’m not sure that that time is past. Young people today should do themselves a favor and develop such a strong a familiarity with this record that they will be able to recognize each track from its opening strains, like Beethoven’s Symphony #5 or Bach’s Toccata and Fugue. It’s that good. Few albums have ever had both the variety and cohesiveness of Led Zeppelin IV. Each listen is an immersive experience, striding through an aural gallery of head-banging rock, moan-inducing blues, culture-resonating folk, and a time-transcending mysticism that carries perennial fascination. And tying all these disparate features together is a musical synthesis of sounds of today (the ‘now’) and images of the misty past (the ‘then’—see below). As musicians, each of the six performers (including Sandy Denny, ethereal backing vocal on “The Battle of Evermore” and Ian Stewart, piano on “Rock and Roll”) executes at peak virtuosity. The four members of Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page [guitar], Robert Plant [lead vocals], John Bonham [drums], and John Paul Jones [bass & keyboards]) are each individually on lists of the ‘greatest of all time’ in their respective categories of performance. Yet no rock group (other than The Beatles) ever played better together. From the electro-windup intro on the opening track “Black Dog”, the listener knows he/she is in for a thrill and a treat, in that order. Robert Plant’s inimitably powerful yet soulful a cappella lead vocal storms onto the scene, grabbing the ears. Then, struggling to discern the meter, the listener immediately discovers the groove, even though it seems that John Bonham’s ingenious rhythmic composition is performing a different song altogether, ignoring the standard gum-chewing backbeat of early rock. But everything is in miraculous sync, as Page and Jones muscle on, all pausing to let Plant do his thing before kicking back in with pure power rock. We teenagers listening to this in 1971 had never heard anything like this before, because there never was anything like this before. Then, without letting up, we hear the smashing rock & roll of “Rock & Roll”, where Bonham reminds us that the backbeat still lives, and Page cooks like never before with wild guitar solo work. Page later said the track was written and recorded in fifteen minutes. I would have paid serious money to sit in a room with Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry to watch them hear this track for the first time. And by the way, the most convincing cover of this song was done by Heart (the closing track of Greatest Hits/Live [1980]). And just when we think the album is going to mash out hard rock from beginning to end, we are jolted into a little fantasy medievalism with the next two tracks, “The Battle of Evermore” (check out the Tolkien, Lord of the Rings references) and “Stairway to Heaven”, where Page’s first-time (!) experience with mandolin and iconic solo electric guitar passages wrap around Plant’s mystical lyrics (Plant was only 22 years old at the time). “Stairway to Heaven” is in the rock ballad canon because of its dramatically drawn out development and increased intensity over a steady chord structure. It’s one of the greatest songs ever, not because of profound lyrics, but because of its incomparable instrumentation and vocal performance. Yes, it has been overplayed and over analyzed, but it still moves. The amazing guitar solo (at 5:55) and the wailing lead vocal on the closing bridge (at 6:45) still bring shivers after a thousand listens. Side two begins with “Misty Mountain Hop” providing an explanation of the contrast on side one between the ‘now’ of the first two tracks and the ‘then’ of tracks three and four. After a tale of a druggie’s awkward encounter with a cop in the mundane ‘now’, the artist concludes with a flight to ‘then’: “So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains Where the spirits go now Over the hills where the spirits fly, ooh” And the listener, clutching a copy of Tolkien, The Hobbit, is glad to go along for the ride. The ‘now/then’ duality is beautifully pictured in the cover art, where the front side shows the weathered ruins of an interior wall adorned with an old painting of a seemingly even older man, contrasting with a modern but dull and overcast cityscape where buildings battle with trees on the back side. And between concern for “when the river runs dry” (in “Four Sticks”, featuring Bonham’s superlative drumming with four drumsticks in 5/8 alternating with 6/8) to the droning blues dread of what will happen “When the Levee Breaks” we hear of a search for the perfect woman as the acoustic guitar (Page) and mandolin (Jones) accompany the softly melodic tune “Going to California”: “To find a queen without a king They say she plays guitar and cries and sings... La la la la Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn Tryin' to find a woman who's never, never, never been born.” When in fact she has been born, and her name is Joni Mitchell, and Robert Plant knows it. But he can dream, and so can we. I will listen to this album till the day I die. 5/5

Hard to argue this should be anything but a 5. I won't waste my time justifying. Go live your life

Oh we heard you like classic rock, lord of the rings, and poetry. Here is an album you might enjoy. Mastapiece

Unimpeachable. Nearly every song on this album is a classic.

Black Dog, Stairway, AND Levee?! You gotta be kidding me

I seem to be mostly alone with this opinion, but here goes: I find Led Zeppelin overrated. That said, this is still a really good album. I like it much better than the other two LZ albums we've had. And Stairway To Heaven and When The Levee Breaks are great songs. But I really can't see this as a masterpiece and tracks 5-7 were pretty weak.

I don't even know what to say about this one. This album is part of the fabric of my life. I remember being ten years old, listening to it as loud as possible with my friends' parents. Songs on this album underscored crushes on boys in Zeppelin t-shirts. I've listened to it on many car rides to cottages in the summer, from my first time having the car for a weekend in high school through to the last summer pre-pandemic. It's impossible to be objective, it's one of the greatest albums of my life.

1001 Albums To Never Hear Again Before You Die Chapter 1 - Led Zeppelin IV (Zoso, if you’re nasty) Dear Reader, In this first installment, I’ll ask you some baseline questions in order to gauge your eligibility for opting out of this album permanently: 1. Do you often find yourself in relationships (romantic or otherwise) with people you know are no good for you? If you answered no, do you enjoy feeding stray dogs? (Black Dog) 2. Are you partial to American made luxury cars?(Rock and Roll) 3. Do you like songs about hobbits and get amped up by J.R.R Tolkien and/or weed references? (Battle of Evermore, Misty Mountain Hop) 4. Would you like to reminisce about the time you got a chubby while slow dancing with your crush at your 8th grade dinner dance? (Stairway to Heaven) 5. Do you have a predilection for drum circles and a high tolerance for the phrase “oh, baby”? (Four Sticks) 6. Have you ever wondered what a Joni Mitchell song about wanting to sleep with Joni Mitchell would sound like? (Going to California - Give Zep some credit here, they were doing meta in 1971…truly innovative.) 7. Have you ever taken Quaaludes and tried to write a blues song? (When The Levee Breaks) Now, you’re probably asking yourself “how are these questions going to determine if I never have to listen to Led Zeppelin IV ever again?” The short answer is…they’re not. The truth is, you probably don’t ever need to hear this album again. You’ve probably already heard more than half of it on the radio/commercials/films/tv shows, or you’ve heard it in full hanging out at your weed guy’s apartment, or from an older relative who thinks it’s the pinnacle of mankind’s achievements in recorded music. But, if you find yourself enthralled by the prospect finding out the answers to the questions posed earlier, by all means, revisit this record. It’s actually pretty good.

Wait, this is supposed to be one of the greatest Rock albums of the early 70s? THIS?!? Granted, Stairway to Heaven is a powerful and classic (albeit severely overplayed) track, but outside of that, I hear a lot of generic white-men-playing-the-blues rambling and songs without too much variation or ideas. The Battle of Evermore is pointlessley meandering without going anywhere. The same could be said about Four sticks. Going to California is a welcome change of pace, but is too generic to be really good and sounds the same throughout. When the Levee Breaks left me shrugging. Led Zeppelin are supposed to be one of the best bands of the 60s/70s, but I've been suspecting for some time now that they are simply overrated. This is another case in point. 2/5

One of the GOAT rock albums and a truely influential album. Zeppelin is like an all-star cast of musicians for this genre. When The Levee Breaks still has one of the most amazing intros of all time. A masterclass. Favourite Tracks: All of them, but special shout out to Misty Mountain Hop, Battle of Evermore, and When The Levee Breaks

This album is a fuckin' masterpiece. IMO stairway is the best song ever written (that I've heard) and totally deserves all the praise it gets. Black dog is surprisingly hard to play on guitar. Really jazzy feel but it's a rock song. Rock n Roll is such a simple tune but Plant's singing just sends it into the stratosphere. Even the more, uh, "adventurous" tunes are still interesting and hypnotic. The Battle of Evermore is basically a vocal solo. Interesting drumming, Jimmy fuckin' Page's leads... there's more or less nothing I can criticise about this album. It even goes for the perfect ~40min. And they were in their early 20s when they wrote it. It defies belief. 6/5 if I could.

This truly is one of the best albums ever released. 8 tracks, 6 huge hits. It's kinda unbelievable, even for Led Zeppelin.

I have already written at length about the pros (great musicians, powerful production, swaggering performances, Bonzo's drums) and cons (weak songwriting, ridiculous lyrics, plagiarism, culpable business behaviour, sexual assault, Bonzo's behaviour) of Led Zeppelin, so I will avoid repeating myself. This album contains all the best and worst of Led Zep. How can an album bookended with Black Dog and When the Levee Breaks go too far wrong? I am going to suggest that Stairway To Heaven is, in fact, the weakest song on the record. It is cobbled together out of disjointed sweepings with the world's naffest lyrics. Robert Plant is right to be be embarrassed by this song. It does have an iconically great guitar solo (and typically great playing from Bonzo and JPJ), BUT THIS IS NO EXCUSE. Just because it was played on FM rock radio a hundred billion times does not make it good, just familiar. Ubiquity is not the same as quality (see also: Hotel California). That said, this album also has Sandy Denny and a couple of tunes with mandolin (hi Dave, those tracks are your favourites, aren't they?) and that monster drum beat on Levee. For all their myriad faults, Led Zep are still a band you have to hear. I'm not convinced it is actually their best record, but it's still pretty damn great. It's really hard to make a case that this isn't a five star classic.

I feel as if this album should be prescribed--at least every 10 years put on headphones, lie down, and listen to this album a little more loudly than you might typically (to 11, duh). Feel your brain be cleansed as incredibly tight, expertly played pure rock swaggers through your skull. Enjoy the vocals for the sound and whatever you do, don't think too much about the lyrics.

"When you get down to making out, whenever possible, put on the first side of Led Zeppelin IV" - Mike Damone

Compelling range, and several great songs - Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, When the Levee Breaks. They avoid the trap that they seem to fall into on other albums, of just rocking out in a way that sounds cool but doesn't go very deep. Their best album?

I'm supposed to love this but I just don't

Led Zep are abysmal. Not even listening.

Really dont like led zeppelin

Arguably the best album -by possibly the best rock band to ever grace the planet.

There are days when you are disappointed with the albums, others when you're surprised or pleased. Today is a very special day. It is akin to Charlie finding the golden ticket. Such a brilliant album from the first second to the last. It really makes my Monday feel a bit closer to a Friday.

The fiviest of five stars. Theory: though Robert Plant was necessary, as every hard rock band had to have a wailer, this is all about the other three. Case in point: Bonham's drumming on When The Levee Breaks. Case two: Stairway to Heaven is the best example of can hardly hear it/quiet/soft/nice/loud/very loud dynamics ever recorded. Who cares about the lady who knows? Not me Clive.

A bona fide goddamn rock 'n' roll masterpiece! It's way nerdier than you'd think, but it's fucking glorious. Imagine buying this album in 1971? You get it home, you put it on thinking "sweet, new Zep" and then they relentlessly assault you with so much motherfucking badassery for 42 minutes and 35 seconds you don't even think your brain can process one more shit hot guitar lick? What a time to be alive. Wish that's how I heard it for the first time.

You already KNOW this is getting 5 stars! What an incredible showing, from groovin rock songs to intimate, delicate acoustic arrangements, IV may be the peak of Zeppelin's performance. It's more polished than 1, but more raw than later work. Seriously dig it.

When they say "they don't make them like they used to", this is what they have in mind. In my humble opinion, Led Zeppelin IV is the second best album of all time. Apart of containing groundbreaking music (which, later, provided some "rejects" to Physical Graffiti) , with songs like Stairway to Heaven, there are plenty of spectacular individual performances here: John Paul Jones on mandolin in Going to California, John Bonham's solo at the start of Rock and Roll, and (of course) his so creatively recorded performance in When the Levee Breaks. Created by four individuals at the top of their craft, this is a masterpiece from start to finish.

I know this is usually the LZ album that appears on 'greatest albums' lists, but I didn't realise just how many classics they crammed on here. It's also a good touchpoint for a lot of their different styles: rocky, folky, bluesy, Stairway to Heaven-y. It's not perfect but it's still worth 5 stars.

Probably my favorite album of theirs, has quite a bit of range and they are quite far along with their style that this is a great vertical slice of Zeppelin. Unfortunately it's almost become too ubiquitous that I have a hard time separating it from a lot of people that taints the impression. However, it's not my favorite style of rock and I don't always wanna listen to Zeppelin in general. I actually prefer the slower songs like The Battle of Evermore and Stairway to Heaven (as much as it was overplayed). I quite enjoyed Four Sticks with the addition of synths and the percussion is a lot of fun. Culturally and of the genre a 5 but in terms of listening pleasure it's a 4.

Man, the hits here are absolute bangers. But the tracks that aren't hits are major misses. Miles off the mark. It's insane to me that the same album that contains "Black Dog," "When the Levee Breaks," and "Stairway to Heaven" also contains "The Battle of Evermore" and "Four Sticks" which are ... well, there's a reason you probably haven't heard them. They're not bad enough to tank the album but they do pull the rating down a star.

girl this sucks

Obviously.

Almost totally non-experimental, with the narrow exception of some parts of Four Sticks. Still an immaculate straight rock album: Inescapable, cohesive, with many corners which have been partially duplicated since. Even Battle, the low point of the tracklist, manages to make moving upper notes on a guitar sound moving, plaintive, not done-a-million times. The followup fails the latter criterion through no fault of its own.

I'm back and forth a lot over which Led Zeppelin album I think is their best. But honestly, I think, song for song, IV really delivers everything that Zeppelin is about as a band. If you listen to classic rock at all, you probably know most if not all of these songs. They are stone cold classics, all of them. I cannot stress enough how rare that is in an album. Yeah, a few have been overplayed somewhat in the past 50(!) years. But this is an album that holds up ridiculously well to repeat listening. From the mega energy “Rock and Roll,” to the grandiose, epic “Stairway to Heaven,” to the delicate acoustic “Going to California,” to the slow burning blues of “When the Levee Breaks,” every flavor of Zeppelin is present here. “Black Dog,” my word. That is possibly the best intro to any album that I have heard. It's perfection. Fave Songs (All songs, in order from most to least favorite, adding that I love them all): When the Levee Breaks, Going to California, Rock and Roll, Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, The Battle of Evermore

Led Zeppelin provides crucial evidence in the age old debate about what would happen if the greatest cock rock band of all time was made up of a bunch of Tolkien nerds. Turns out it's pretty cool. This album is excellent the whole way through, and it finishes even stronger than it starts. Stairway to Heaven gets a lot of the attention for this album, but When the Levee Breaks is my nomination for the best Zeppelin song of all time. 5/5

ashamed this is the first time i'm listening to led zeppelin... liked this album to listen to again. misty mountain hop is dooooope i love the discordance and atonality!!

That's a guy with sticks on his back

There is a lot of plagiarism on this album, it’s so brazen, like one of those hiding in plain sight situations (Jimmy Saville). I get that stairway is a boomer anthem but it made me feel nothing. It’s a decent album overall but it’s like they colonised black music and copywrited it.

Probably their best I've heard so far, which isn't really saying much. Stairway to Heaven is cool (if over played), the rest is pretty bland and typical. I'll be nice and give a 3 I guess. I don't hate it, but I definitely don't love it either.

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... i'm bored LMAO

This. In a sea of amazing albums from Led Zeppelin, this one, Led Zeppelin IV, is their magnum opus. "Stairway to Heaven" is not my favorite Led Zeppelin song, but I'd be remiss not to mention this song. It's a masterwork of a song that tips the scales on this already stacked album. This song builds and progresses expertly from a musical, lyrical, and vocal standpoint. It creates mystery and intrigue, it tells a story, it climbs upward, and it unleashes. It does all of this while dabbling across multiple genres, refusing to be pinned into any one box. It really is a stellar song. The important thing is that the rest of the album really lives up to "Stairway", though. Each song is epic, creative, and unique in its own right. While they may not be 8 minute long epics, these other tracks really do stand out, as well. This album doesn't just rest on its laurels, though it could. Every listen, across every year, across the passing decades, is a reminder of why this album really is a no-skip masterpiece. It's just one of the greatest albums that has and ever will exist, and that's saying something when your basis of comparison starts at "every other outstanding Led Zeppelin album".

Dear Gabriella, I'm sorry I blasted Misty Mountain Hop and Four Sticks in the car on prom night instead of asking if you were excited for the evening but John Bonham's drumming seemed more interesting than the way you had done your hair.

A classic for a reason. Great music, great memories.

Feels a little silly writing a review of this, so all I'll say is that in case you weren't aware, "When the Levee Breaks" is one of the most sampled beats of all time, for example on fellow 1001 album lister Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill (Rhymin' and Stealin'). It's one of the hugest, heaviest grooves you'll ever hear, mainly because John Bonham is has a devastating sense of time that makes him one of the funkiest drummers ever and people will continue to borrow his beats for many years to come. Go listen to it again right now if you can, focusing on the drums. Magnificent. Listen to Black Dog, for example. The guitar and bass are playing these ridiculously complicated riffs and Bonham cuts through it all like Alexander The Great slicing through the Gordian knot, with an incredibly simple beat that takes great maturity and musical instinct to conceive, and immaculate sense of time to execute so effectively, and provides a powerful contrast to the busy strings. People tend to get distracted with the fiery guitar and Lord of the Rings references and blues thievery but for me at least, Bonham is the most interesting and probably most influential musician in this band and this album is a tremendous showcase for his talents.

That was so good 😊

Well, come on now…. Could there be a more influential rock album? Rock song? There’s an argument to be made, but probably a waste of breath. It’s not my all-time, but deserves the accolades of a top ten. So 5, despite the plagiarism.

Another classic, even if Stairway is the most overplayed song in history.

Starts well, ends well, goes on a bit in the middle. Honestly, like, Zeppelin are good, they're just not as good as their fans or, more important, they themselves think they are.

A classic of course - can't really review it neutrally as I have the vinyl and have listened to it repeatedly, though not for a while. Not sure my 52 year old self likes it quite as much as my 17 year old self did, but it is still pretty good.

Yes! Finally an album that I'm quite familiar with. Immersed my self in all the 60's classic bands when I was just a young pup coming of age to the realization of what music means. What an album. Hell, what a band! Full blown classic Zep' immediately on display in Led Zeppelin IV from the opening riff of Black Dog to the unmistakable hard drumming of Bonham in When the Levee Breaks. Been a long time since America simply rock and rolled and no one did it better than LZ. The fantasy interlude of The Battle of Evermore slows down the album and not one of my favorites but an enjoyable tune non the less. Admittedly, I switch the station if Stairway to Heaven comes on but still fully appreciate the impact and value of Stairway and the lyrics. And if I do listen to it, can still bring on the goose bumps...does anybody remember laughter (added in one of their live versions). Right back into the head banging, body thumpin' with Misty Mountain hop. Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see and Baby, Baby, Baby do you like it? Always thought the lyrics were drowned out in Four Sticks. Going to California is one of my favorites, not of just Led Zeppelin's. Could listen to it over and over. Meet you up there where the path runs straight and high...Tellin' myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems...it's hard (it's hard included in a live version). And one last full blown hard rock song with Plant's unique singing exhibited: Don't it make you feel bad When you're tryin' to find your way home You don't know which way to go? If you're goin' down south They got no work to do If you're going down to Chicago. A-ah, a-ah, a-ah...

Not much care here. III for me. But yeah, should be on this here list.

Misty Mountain Hop and Going to California are forever favorites. It's really hard not to love this album and really hard not to skip Stairway to Heaven.

The fourth rock album from Led Zeppelin was a critical and commercial success, as well as the band's best selling album. The album is certified 24x platinum which makes it diamond certified too. The band's most popular song "Stairway to Heaven" also comes from this album. This album is regarded as a cornerstone of the 1970's hard rock music, because it had a great diversity of songs and was so popular. I thoroughly liked this album and will listen to more Led Zeppelin songs I haven't heard yet.

Messieurs Boombastic (Not quite telephontastic) The good here is very very good. The not so good is just that.

it’s like a country album but with rock. i don’t like it, i only like one song. 4/10

My friend Twelve Pint Simon loves this record. He used to travel to Belgium every weekend and play it LOUD so all Belgians could hear and kiss him on his mouth. I said "Nobody likes phlegmish kisses" and he said "did you just say phlegmish or flemish?" Then I pointed out that they are homonyns and I was making a pun. Simon laughed, went outside and ate crisps in the carpark.

what is there even to say about this idk we should let more mordor fairies have instruments

Wild when the first song is the worst song on the record. Battle of Evermore immediately transports me to the woods. Four Sticks immediately takes me to a dorm room. When the Levee Breaks brings me to a levee.

This album is pretty much all bangers. Doesn't matter that I've heard all of them hundreds of times, I still love them all. 4.75/5

Must have, awesome record

8/13/25. Near perfect rock album, each track is outstanding. Of course for me, the classics of Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, and When The Levee Breaks are amazing songs.

Classic

Banger

Another amazing pick. Nothin gets better than Stairway to Heaven and the entire album could play as the soundtrack to the Lord of the Rings. The guitar playing of Page, and the singing of Plant at both their primes. What can beat that? Nothing!

Very close to the top of the list!

Love this one and know it well. This is cool as hell and rocks, decades after it was released. From Black Dog to Stairway to Heaven, I love it!

Rockin man

Excelente álbum. Ya había tenido la oportunidad de escucharlo anteriormente, pero había algunos tracks que no recordaba muy bien. Lo que me gusta es que, además de los clásicos temas de rock también se dan espacio para baladas y temas tranquilos, lo cual le da mucho aire y variedad al álbum. Los riffs son icónicos, la voz de Robert Plant suena tremenda y la batería de Bonzo tiene muchísima fuerza. Es interesante como toman elementos del blues pero lo llevan a otro nivel de desarrollo. Y los temas lentos tienen un carácter folk inglés que por momentos me recuerda a Jethro Tull. No es en lo personal una banda que me represente mucho ya que yo prefiero estilos más vinculados al funk, pero aún así aprecio mucho el trabajo en este álbum.

A perfect album. Nothing more to say.

I’m not the biggest Led Zeppelin fan but less than 5 stars would be criminal for this - killer track after killer track and not a bad one amongst them

Probably the greatest rock album ever. Black dog is the perfect opener, when the levee breaks is possibly my favourite led zep song and then you’ve got Stiarway to heaven in the middle. Just because it’s overplayed doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the best songs ever written. Battle of Evernore is a real grower with 1001 albums favourite folk singer Sandy Denny providing vocals and some nice LOTR references. The flow of the whole album is just amazing, even the ever so slightly weaker songs fit in perfectly. As close to a perfect rock album as there is

It's 5 stars, the production is solid, the songs are almost all amazing and this is peak Led Zeppelin. Don't love Four Sticks, but otherwise a masterpiece.

Almost everything could be a single

Still amazing.

Kun ei voi antaa 6 tähteä....

Hieno levy! Ansaitsee ehdottomasti täydet pojot!

So, I guess the conclusion I am beginning to draw is, seemingly, whatever Led Zeppelin album I am listening to at the time, is my favorite. These guys were so damn good, there was no weak element to this band whatsoever. The first album will always hold a special place in my heart, as that was the publics introduction to this band, but the band's evolution from album album is a true wonderment.

theres a reason this album is in the top 5 highest rated on here. its an absolute banger

What can I say about this album. For a fan of rock and roll, records don't come much better. Black Dog - unreal riff, the drum beat slow and steady while Jimmy Page messes with the timing, making things feel just slightly off before they are very much bang on. Just because they can. Love it. Then the song Rock and Roll itself. Does what it says on the tin and then some. Twelve bar blues doesnt get much better. Then the epic The Battle of Evermore. Love the vocals on this one, the interchanging, back and forth with Sandy Denny is brilliant. Then Stairway to Heaven. Unashamed to say its possibly the greatest rock song of all time. It has everything. Slow, fast, soft, heavy, deep, meaningful, great lyrics, percect drums, ripping solos, chills. Forget banning it, it should be mandatory to play it in guitar shops. Misty Mountain Hop up next. Decent track but nothing more in my view. Same with Four Sticks. These two tracks are the main reason why the album misses out on the legendary 10 out of 10 status. Good songs but not special. Last two tracks are back to elite level stuff. Going to California is beautiful and When the Levee Breaks is epic. Even after hearing 1000 times I still listen right through every time it makes an appearance on my playlists. Overall one of the greatest albums of all time. But not quite a 10. Probably a 9.5/10. Favourite track - Stairway to Heaven easilyyyyy. Not really fair on the other tracks. 2nd favourite is Going to California.

I hear war is descending down in the valley below.

Fucking masterpiece

icon

Favorite songs: Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Rock and Roll, When the Levee Breaks, Misty Mountain Hop, Going to California Least favorite songs: Four Sticks 5/5

Génial !

6/5

Oh to be able to hear this album with fresh ears! It must have been insane when it was released. Familiarity has dulled it over time for me and it’s. It the first zeppelin album I reach for but I can still recognize how powerful it is and how amazing the song writing is.

Led Zeppelin is awesome. I recently watched Becoming Led Zeppelin and you realize how fortuitous it was that four super talented musicians found each other to make this band. Almost any other band would kill to have as many great songs in a career as Zeppelin has on this one album. Every song but Four Sticks gets airplay on Classic Rock stations. I hate that I came of age in the era of singles radio rather than album radio, music is worse for the change. The big hit, maybe their biggest hit, Stairway to Heaven might be my least favorite song on the album. This is literally better than almost any other act's greatest hits album. Are there 20 bands that have a better greatest hits album than this? Four Sticks is the least famous song and it's amazing! When the Levee Breaks is possibly the greatest cover of all time.

I might be tempted to revise my opinion that while this may not be my favorite Led Zeppelin album, this may be in fact their masterpiece. 8 songs, no filler, impeccably sequenced and put together, and an incredible mix of the band’s sound, including anthemic hooks, straight up rock, folkier excursions, psychedelia, and some incredible blues. Not to mention the production, where everything is perfectly mixed from the thunder of John Bonham’s drums to the beautiful rasp of Robert Plant’s vocals. This one’s a true masterwork, front to back.

heat

Not a single bad song on here

Undeniable.

Hard rock that everyone in my generation cut our teeth on. Amazing drums and vocals. LZ was such a "cultural appropriator" that I hope no one ever uses this phrase in relation to the arts. Blues plus hard rock is amazing synergy and it lead me back to the blues greats that inspired it.

Solid 5.

Excellent

If I thought Led Zeppelin II was good (it is) then I was not surprised that this was just as good. With iconic songs like Black Dog and Stairway to Heaven (yes, it is not denied when listening to this album), this one is a sure fire classic. A 5 if ever there was one.

Absolutely iconic album that was a part of my personal musical discovery road in high school. Unfortunately we now know some unsavory things about the band, but I don’t think you can undersell this album’s influence on rock and roll

I mean, I already knew this one was great, but it's been a while since I actually listened to it!

One of the greats! As a lover of rock and fantasy this especially goes crazy.

1 of 4 zeppelin 5s is number 4

Could be their best album.

Minus Robert Plants voice it’s nuts

Banger after banger after banger man