Reviews (page 11 of 14)
I really like when they interpret the American music they are heavily influenced by. It's when it's just straight up copying it, that's when it gets a bit hokey. Most of this album is the second one. But man. Stairway rules.
Great classic style rock album
Difficulty here is 4 or 5 stars. It's a fantastic album at the start, the middle bit of Tolkein wood rock is better than the bands who specialised in that stuff and the cover at the end is magnificent. But can an album with two dud tracks really be 5 stars?
One of the greatest albums of all time and for a reason. Certified banger. 4.5/5.
honestly rather cool, starts out slow but grew on me. favs: the battle of evermore, misty mountain hop, going to california, when the levee breaks
What a good ass album. Except for the better of evermore that song is boring as shit.
Absolutely.
A great album, one I wore out on my 8-track player. Great but not their Best (Led Zeppelin 1, Houses of the Holy are better) A lot of great stuff - Levee, Misty, Black Dog are top...Stairway is one of the most overplayed songs out there.
I can see why people like Led Zeppelin but i feel like I've heard all these songs 2000 times haha
Ein Klassiker. "stairway to Haeven" ist ungeschlagen der Song schlechthin. Aber insgesamt überzeugt nicht alles.
fan detta är bra. soundet på det är helt otroligt. framförallt trummorna på sista låten låter ju helt magiskt bra.
Classic Rock radio jaded me into giving this a 5 but this has almost all their bigger hits from said radio.
Very fun album, pretty polished in comparison to the previous one on this list. I liked it a little better, but already had my mind made up about that in advance I think.
Not my favourite of theirs by any stretch. Going to California drags it up to 4 starts simply because it’s possibly the best song ever. Very varied musicianship on this album which I like a lot but there’s not much great lyricism. It’s pretty classic LZ but not my fave.
Pretty dang good. Starts right away with some good bangers, with some forgettable songs here and there. 'Black Dog's an absolute headbanger.
It's a classic, full of good songs. I'm not as big a Zepp fan as I probably "should" be, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
This one does keep gripping. Stairway is a song I do not need to hear every day anymore on account of studying every note of it for learning the guitar. But the other tracks are great and varied. Only thing keeping this from being higher is a unifying theme or story. Songs I will definitely revisit at some point.
Good ol' rock and roll. "When the Levee Breaks" has to be up there as one of this band's best songs.
Great tunes but I have to dock IV a star for the production. It probably sounded great on an AM radio but there are many other recordings from the era that sound so much better.
Perennial classic Led Zeppelin. Moved away from the heavy blues-influenced songs and went for more classic rock with blues-inspired riffs. Contains the masterpiece, "Stairway to Heaven", but the real bangers on this album are 4 Sticks, Going to California, and Misty Mountain Hop. Not a bad song on this album.
Jaja det er jo rimelig legendarisk rock
Stairway to Heaven is great. I also really like Going to California. And Black Dog. I feel like Dean Winchester.
End was better
Stairway to heaven ger +1
I like! For sticks! It's cool hearing all the different instruments to be honest.
For all that Stairway to Heaven has become, it is a darn good song. The big songs on this album are big for a reason. I see the appeal of Black Dog, although it isn't my favorite. Rock and Roll is simple and good. Going to California is my second favorite Led Zeppelin song. Had never heard When the Levee Breaks and it was an insta save. The rest are all kinda forgettable. Light 4 for me
Obviously it's great and all that, but it is not as good as the debut or Physical Graffiti. I absolutely love When the Levee Breaks tho, and they do pull off a great mix of folk and rock here.
Cool album. Contains the famous "Stairway to Heaven"
The more derivative blues songs are the best here, the longer more original ones are less enjoyable and an approach they perfected on physical graffiti
THis is Led Zeppelin at their most polished, and this album has some of their most beloved songs like Stairway to Heaven and Black Dog. While it has these bangers, it doesn't feel cohesive as a full project, with songs like The Battle of Evermore and Four Sticks sticking out. Best Songs: Stairway to Heaver, Going to California, When the Levee Breaks, Worst Songs: The Battle of Evermore, Four Sticks
Of course I knew stairway to heaven already but I was not aware of the other tracks on the album. For me personally it really is a burst of energy to hear those other tracks as well. Rock And Roll sure was a fun listen.
this is a classic but almost too classic in that you know you have heard the tunes so many times they almost become cliches of themselves. Still a great rock, blues album
One thing I am discovering doing this project is I like Led Zeppelin a lot more than I realised Never really listened to them that much before but this is their 2nd 5 ⭐️ album from me Edit - I’ve ended up putting both those 5⭐️ albums back to 4 as I just don’t ever go out of my way to listen to Led Zeppelin despite enjoying them when I do
Great album, but I'm pretty close to led zep zeppelin saturation at this point in my life
Fav: When The Levee Breaks Least Fav: Misty Mountain Hop First time properly listening to Led Zeppelin and what a way to start, it was fantastic. I was only familiar with Stairway To Heaven but the rest of the album was fantastic too, with a couple of issues with songs but nothing to rank any individual song below a 4/5.
Liked it. Preferred it to LED zep 2 Love when the levy breaks and the California
Great album but hard to work with this one on
There is this big elephant in the room with the problem of uncredited covers and plagiarism, but if Zeppelin deserved five stars in an album, it is this one. Since I've already received Zeppelin I on the site and gave it 5 (it's a fantastic album), I'll keep this with 4.
On first listen- not my cup of tea, but that's not surprising as I'm not much of a rock listener and can understand this could be an acquired taste. Still, it's obviously a very well written and produced album that sounds both fresh and classic.
So many LZ hits. Great album.
I really like it, but it just doesn't totally grab me.
The good songs are so good that it deserves a 5.
Good
I feel like I need to explain myself for giving this album anything less than 5*. The big hits alone should bring it to one of the top albums ever, right? And I'm sure that they do - having Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, Rock and Roll AND When The Levee Breaks makes this thing one of the top musical things ever. And the impact it had on pop culture and music history make it an objective 5/5. However, speaking on pure personal perspective - I'm not loving it as much as I thought I would. It may make some people angry, but I feel like Led Zeppelin is a "greatest hits" kind of a band - their albums are terribly uneven and contain a lot of songs that are not that enjoyable (to say the least). But when you pick out the best tunes out of each album and put them on a compilation (like the most recent one, "Mothership") - they sound like the best band ever. 4.5/5
I’m so glad we’re doing this project because I keep hearing familiar songs and teaching me the title and artist. For example, I totally knew Black Dog but never would have known that’s what the song was called or who performed it. I’m also glad we’re doing this after Joe has been taking guitar lessons for a while and explaining some things to me along the way, because it’s giving me even more appreciation for how talented these artists are. I liked this album a lot more than I expected to and they are SO good at what they do. Not getting a 5 from me because I can’t see this being an album I add to my regular rotation. But a very solid 4!
You can hear the blues influences, and knowing that lots of this was inspired by other artists it’s still a great album.
Good but not my taste
Stairway to heaven is a rock masterpiece who alone deserves 4 stars. The rest of the album is in its shadows while not being bad
Would never have listened, nice !
I really dig this one. 4.5/5
Stairway to heaven FTW
Enjoyed it more & more after each listen. Very nice.
Classic, um, classic rock.
Going to California, slaps
neat. Don't enjoy Black Dog and Rock and Roll to be honest, but rest of album is solid. The Battle of Evermore Stairway to Heaven (albeit overplayed) Going to California When the Levee Breaks are classics. Going to California is one of my favourite Led Zeppelin songs. 1971!
All time classic
A real classic.
this rocks
Classic :)
20240821 - LED ZEPPELING – IV 4/5 I already did a review on this album the last time I started the project (it was my first review), and I'm a bit busy right now, so I just going to copy what I wrote last time. (It did not grow on me a bit) "Probably a great album, but not of my style. With some more time the songs could have grown on me a little bit more. The punctuation comes from the importance of the album in the band context, and because it has one of my favourites songs (and possibly one of the best songs of all time, in my opinion), Stairway to Heaven. The voice of Robert Plant is one of the things I dislike the most about Led Zeppelin, and the reason I don't like songs like Four Sticks more. Black Dog --> 4/5 Great guitar riff, and a very good guitar solo Rock and Roll --> 4/5 very catchy, very good rhythm The Battle of Evermore --> 2/5 Voice harmonies are very dissonant sometimes, and don't sound good in my opinion. Stairway to Heaven --> 5/5 Masterpiece. One of my favourites songs in all time, and a great example of how to work with a relatively long song and a simple intensity change Misty Mountain Top --> 1.5/5 Not a fan of the rhythm or the guitars, and the voice of Plant at its worst in the album Four Sticks --> 2.5/5 Cool drums and feeling, but that's all Going to California --> 4/5 Beautiful and simple folky ballad, with a more contained and better voice performance from Plant When the Levee Breaks --> 3/5 Very good musically and instrumentally, nothing out of the ordinary in my opinion"
One of these bands you know but never listened to closely. Really nice album, really nice sound. Had a good time with it.
I was always pretty sure that one day this album would come up on here and today was that day. I mean, this is one of the best albums of all time. I am just in love with how the instruments are layered, especially in Misty Mountain Hop where the drums come in over the guitar. I also have to mention the iconic vocals throughout that cement them as one of, if not THE best rock band of their time. Black Dog is always a dream to listen to, making me extremely jealous of the sheer talent on display.
Black Dog 4.4 Rock and Roll 4.2 The Battle of Evermore 4.1 Stairway to Heaven 3.8 Misty Mountain Hop 4 Four Sticks 3.7 Going to California 4 When the Levee Breaks 4.1 Score: 4.0375
Led Zeppelin is far too talented to have a song as flat as Black Dog open an album. Two stinkers upfront stood between LZ4 and a coveted 5 star review
classic
Damn, okay shawty, here come the big guns we've been missing. This is the last in the Zepp quadrilogy for us. Some regard this as their best, but to me you just can't top I and II, those are so incredible. Then again, they certainly tried, because there's some heat on here: "Stairway to Heaven," the bona fide classic heard the world over being played by amateurs at Guitar Center, "Black Dog" is arguably one of their most iconic riffs, and "When the Levee Breaks" is always a cool one to me, sounds way ahead of its time. Also like "Going to California" as a nod to Joni Mitchell, it feels like the vibe of that song is the inspiration at the core of Greta Van Fleet. Anyway, this is an excellent album, just shy of the five star mark for me. I just don't love it as much as the first two, and honestly I'm not sure overall if I'd prefer this or III. But is there a better four album run in existence? I'm not sure. Favorite tracks: Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, When the Levee Breaks, Rock and Roll, Misty Mountain Hop, Going to California. Album art: Iconic, drop dead classic. Little painting of a man carrying a big bundle of sticks on his back. Something mysterious about this one, but it fits the music so perfectly. 4.5/5
Yeah, it’s a classic. It took me well into adulthood to even come close to appreciating the band and I still don’t go out of my way to listen, but I get it.
Led Zeppelin is an interesting band for me because some of their tracks are would be my top songs ever, yet others I don't enjoy at all. I think this album is particularly strong, though, and although Stairway is one of my all-time favourites, I did consider When The Levee Breaks as a contender for fave track (although it is a cover). Listens: 2 Fave Track: Stairway To Heaven Rating: 4
Stairway to Heaven is such a timeless track.
I can see why this is considered one of the greatest albums ever. It was really good. My favorite from this will always be When the Levee Breaks.
This is the best Zeppelin album.
I quite liked this album. Led Zeppelin's most famous track is here. "Stairway to Heaven" is really awesome as well as a few other songs. The second half was average. This is basically "Stairway to Heaven: The Album". 4 stars for "Untitled".
Multiple listens did this justice. Favourite tracks: Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, When the Levee Breaks.
Great album. I enjoyed liked most of the tracks, apart from a few that weren’t quite as good as the others, and I found the second half of the record to be quite boring, except from the last track. I think it may be a little overrated, as I don’t find it to be as good as people say, but it is still a great album.
'Tis a good album.
++: Black Dog, The Battle of Evermore, Stairway to Heaven, Four Sticks, When the Levee Breaks +: Rock and Roll, Misty Mountain Hop, Going to California 9,1/10
Riffs, tone, overrrated
Not my favorite, but it definitely holds up. The Tolkien references are cool. My favorite track is “The Battle of Evermore” with Sandy Denny guest vocals.
One of the greatest song in the World (or just a tribute) is located on this album. Alternate name for the record - Compilation of Greatest Riffs by Led Zeppelin. It's an amazing work and craft by Jimmy Page. Otherwise, I am getting a bit tired by this album, Plant is a bit too much in the long run, some of the songs a bit too repetitive. But in general, Led Zeppelin at its greatest.
Do I mark this for how great the songs are and the legendary status of this album or how I feel about it now that I've heard it a million times through me choosing to listen but by just how ubiquitous it is and that I'm kinda bored by it. It's a 5 star record I'm a bit done with.
che bomba.
Classic blues rock album. Its great what can I say.
Got some good songs
https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronpaulsen4/video/7252130451702254890
There’s a song on this album you shouldn’t play at Guitar Center.
I think I prefer Zeppelin I but this is still a huge standout
Another lifelong friend. A very composed and mature version of the band, it's much more even and well recorded than the previous ones though does lack the gritty rawness somewhat. Loads of light and shade, and what would hip-hop have done without those drum samples? Only getting a four since it's not as revolutionary or exciting as the first 3, and 'Stairway' is a bit of an albatross. This Led the way to "Houses of the Holy" and "Physical Grafitti" which just build on this nicely.
A really good album. Loved Black Dog, Rock and Roll and Stairway to Heaven.
A great album with multiple hits. I enjoyed listening end to end and realized how long it’s been since I’ve heard some of the songs. Reminder to add it to my Spotify!
Excellent
8/10
One of the most influential albums of all time. If it wasn’t for Four sticks this could have been a perfect album. Thunderous drums, ripping guitars, howling vocals and beautiful bass lines, this album had it all.
2
Wow!
Classic.
Classic album
Old but good
4/5⭐ black dog 5 rock and roll 4 the battle of evermore 3.5 stairway to heaven 5 misty mountain hop 4 four sticks 3 going to california 4.5 when the levee breaks 5
It was a great album, loved the start, got a little boring down the middle, but the overall songs were enjoyable... Can't rate it rn, as i haven't listened to enough rock, maybe after this chalenge is over🫡
Ok denn losi halt mol led zeppelin Baby mario ("oh yeah") reference in Black Dog? Es paar Lieder gfallet mir, bi andere paarne simmer d vocals irgendwenn verleidet, aber qualität hets durs Album. Und Stairway to Heaven findi halt scho mega schön.
Good rock with some classics
Great album!
This is Zep's best selling album for a reason, it's stacked with so many classics and is a damn near masterpiece. It has both variety and cohesion, is polished but also raw, stacked with absolute bangers but also delicate acoustics. Individually they are all masters but together, this album touches on virtuosity. It's glorious.
De chibole pensaba que Stairway to Heaven era la mejor canción jamás hecha. Hoy creo que es de las mejores si
One of the biggest rock songs of all time and plenty of other great songs.
Eindigt op een banger!! Is een klassieker voor een reden. Vind de schreeuwende kopstem van hoofdzanger niet altijd even aangenaam. Wel herkenbaar stemgeluid.
Excellent!!!
Black Dog! Stairway!
It's a classic for a reason, and I really enjoyed every song on this album, even ones I hadn't heard of before. That being said, I've never understood the hype behind Stairway to Heaven.
Good. Better than their first few records which stole from blues a little too much. I just can't can't into it.
4 stars 4 LZ IV
What a way to start a Friday! Fantastic album, never listened to it all the way through but knew a few of the songs.
I get Cage the Elephant inspiration vibes
black dog - bros down bad (me too) rock and roll - first two tracks r rad bro ALSO the drums at the end the battle of evermore - 10/10 makes me want to be a stairway to heaven - nah guitar solo carried tbh id give it a 6.5 also to be a rock and not to roll is such a bar idgaf misty mountain hop - drugs bad = song good 10/10 four sticks - backstory insane lowk made me sleep going to California - the way he pronounces california made m laugh ngl also lyricism when the levee breaks - HOLY GUACAMOLE THE GUITARRR hELL NAHH THE HARMONICA SOLO THEY SAVED THE EBST TRACK IN THE LAST BRO 10/10
Obviously, there are some popular songs on this album. But the whole album is fantastic. Strange and fun to listen to, I enjoyed it.
Sadly there was too much whining 🙃 4 ⭐️
Never been a massive Led Zeppelin fan or anything, but I grew up hearing some of their biggest hits and definitely appreciated them for what they were. Shocker, a few of those hits are on THIS album, including THE hit. There aren't many rock songs that can be dissected and analyzed into three separate parts like the revered "Stairway to Heaven". (Side note: today I learned that "Stairway to Heaven" was never commercially released as a single) But I was more interested in the "other" songs in the album, which is ultimately what *I'm* looking forward to most as I progress through this expansive list of albums. What else does X album have outside of that big hit or two? How does X album come together as a result? To that point, the second side of the album didn't really grab me as much as the first. Tough task with two of the group's biggest hits on the first side of course, but I guess I was just expecting "more" or something in the 2nd half. It seems that I prefer the harder rock songs from Led Zeppelin a little bit more than the folk ones, although I did enjoy the cover of the old country blues song "When the Levee Breaks" as the closer. It almost feels sacrilegious to give this Led Zeppelin album anything less than a 5, but (in my eyes) a 5 would imply that every song is a banger and/or unskippable and I just didn't find that to be the case here. It sounds like I'm denouncing this album entirely, which is far from the truth. This is a great and influential album in the scope of rock music. Maybe more of a personal Top 50/100 favorite, as opposed to a Top 10 favorite of mine (which is totally fine).
Several tiers above what most of the blues-adjacent rock bands were producing during this time. However, I do not get the obsession with "Stairway..." as it isn't even the second-best song on IV, much less the best Zeppelin song.
Cracking!
A good listen all the way through
A good, whole album!
I love the strange time signatures and the folky feel, it's a real foot-stomper and isn't too long. I love it, 4/5.
I liked this album
I went through a heavy Led Zepplin rotation as a teenager so this was a fun album to return to. I had forgotten how many of my favorite Zepplin songs were all on this release. Excellent pacing between high energy and low energy songs and the album flows so well together.
4/5
A great album. The Best of the led Zeppelin albums. 4.5
For a long time in my teens, this was THE album. Like, it's the best thing ever by default. It's not anymore, I've grown up and my tastes have changed, but it's still a foundational album in both the 70s hard rock expansion and in my personal listening history. Easily some of the best written boomer rock ever, the only negative I can think of is Four Sticks, which is clearly a few steps below the quality of other tracks.
Legendary album. Maybe not as solid from song to song as some of their other albums. Hard not to overstate just how great Stairway is though. Some of the other really big singles on this record have kinda grown stale with me. Black Dog and Rock and Roll have been overplayed in my lifetime in my opinion, whereas Stairway has probably gotten similar playtime (from radios and such) and yet it hasn't grown old. When it ramps up half way through, is just the heaviest most rocknroll shit ever. Hard not to give this album a 5 based on this song alone. But alas, some of the other tracks don't even come close to the magic on Stairway so for now this sits at a 4 with me.
This makes me think of summer nights on the porch and of my dad. Its like when you read Hamlet and realize how often its referenced in pop culture.
classic
Strong opener. Noodly guitar work. I didn't realize how many classics are on this album. Why did middle school use stairway to heaven as a slow dance song?
stuffed full of bangers. long songs but still manages to feel tight. robert plant's voice is unreal
I think this is my fav LZ album by them. 4.0
4.5 yeah this rocks
Other than the first two songs, this album is an awesome listen. I prefer the slower songs off the album like Going To California and Stairway to Heaven. Robert Plant has a very versatile voice that keeps the album from being boring and repetitive, because I do not think I could handle a full album of his higher pitched voice😂
All the led zeppelin albums we've had so far have been great, this is no different. For me, i still think Led Zeppelin III is the best one we've had. This is very good though Can't say I've ever really been a big fan of stairway to heaven, just always felt too big somehow, like it was more than just a song someone wrote??? Hard to deny it's quality though. Easy 4 again
Love the inclusion of the mandolins on this album. Also great guitar work.
Fun album
Quality old skool rock with a couple of classics good pipes and good strings.
Deservedly iconic
Oh, yeah! Gotta love zeppelin.
No Stairway? Denied! What an iconic album. Led Zeppelin is a little silly - but this album just rocks. Plain and simple. Set aside some of the more D&D-esque tracks like “The Battle of Evermore” or even “Stairway to Heaven,” this is real rock and roll.
LZ is very hit or miss, but luckily LZ IV is very hit. Crazy baller move, in hindsight of course, to put Stairway in the MIDDLE of your album. But I guess it’s a stairway after all, not the very top (or bottom, depending on your perspective).
Yeah! The drums, huge! Love this sounds and the songs.
Clearly I listened to this for something else. Thought it was good, but didn’t really love anything other than Stairway and Going to California.
Good classical rock but dated
Siiick
Black Dog is the best song on this album. Hot take.
i liked this a lot more than 2. led zeppelin are better singing about hobbits and the shire than robert plant getting his lemon squeezed. also, can't go wrong with stairway. 3.5/5
What could I add?
What an opening. Enjoyed more than other Zeppelin
A bit screamy
A true rock and roll classic. From Black Dog to Stairway to Heaven and Whan the Levee Breaks.
Quality classic rock.
Love that each side of the record starts off with a bang but ends with a song that is softer but equally as powerful
Led Zeppelin 4/5
could i write poetry to this? y
Well, obviously... There isn't a moment on this album that hasn't been examined forwards and (literally) backwards to always reach the same conclusion. It's great. That said, it's still not even in my Top 3 Favorite Zep albums.
Even as a lapsed Zeppelin fan, this album's greatness is undeniable.
Huge Led Zep phase when I was around 12-14 years old. Got the greatest hits box set (cassettes) one Christmas… probably 1990? ‘91 latest. This was my favorite album of theirs for a while.
Some fabulous music, of course, as in When the Levee Breaks in particular - difficult to dis Led Zeppelin but wasn’t exactly keen on Misty Mountain Hop and Four Sticks.
Good stuff.
Good songs! One song is more questionable. Overall good album.
Zep a bit more refined, a bit more in control than their earlier works. More mysticism, less raw power. Whether better or worse boils down to personal preference, but the amount of hits from this album speak for themselves when it comes to mass appeal. I find IV to have a lower ceiling but a much higher floor than I-III. Favorite tracks: Stairway to Heaven, When the Levee Breaks
Great album! Loved Black Dog
Mit einem der größten Hits der Rockgeschichte.
A really great album. Just a couple of songs aren't quite a 5 for me.
Yeah
This was pretty good! Lots of well-known songs on here, and I thought the songwriting was great.
I vibed.
It was pretty good, I had heard the song before on other albums though.
It took me a long time to become a Zeppelin fan. Between the allegations of outright theft of early bluesmans’ songs to the creation of the English 70s heavy metal full of themselves prototype, they were tough to like. And after all these years IV still remains the same, a greatest hits album.
Good album this.
Iconic album from an iconic band. Nothing else to say here
Excellent record! Had it on CD years ago. Need to add the vinyl.
Could relisten over and over. And stairway to heaven being one of the greatest songs all time... 4.7
Could it be anything other than a 4?
Até que gostei bem mais do que eu esperava. Das 8 músicas, não devo ter gostado muito de umas 3/4, as outras tem bem mais a oferecer, irei ouvi-las novamente!
Powerful instruments. Melodic singing. Lyrics are somewhat simple.
# 163 : Great album, easily their best album. Some great songs on here and some major misses too, that unfortunately pull the albums rating down. Otherwise a well rounded piece. I have this in my collection. Fav Track : Stairway to Heaven... of course :-)
There are better Zeppelin albums, but, this one is still pretty great.
One of the better ones. Definite return to form from 3.
sound great
Epic and iconic. You cannot escape the myriad of contexts this album has been inserted in within culture. And YET. It's tedious, overwrought/overdramatic, loud-folksy with blues giving it the backbone.
Блин, я понимаю, что это крутой альбом с кучей въедающихся мотивов, но я не испытал от него кайфа. Stairway to heaven и When the levee breaks хороши. Но, говорю, мне не заходит сочетание этих старинных инструментов и этого крикливого голоса.
Previously I got Physical Grafitti from Led Zeppelin which outside of the one great song I found seriously lacking. This on the other hand is full of almost all bangers. With the exception of “The Battle of Evermore” all of these songs are good to masterpieces. But that one song prevents it from getting a perfect score. 4.5/5
A lot of great song on this album. 8/10
“Stairway to Heaven” & “Going to California” are masterpieces. The rest are more classic rock styled and I don’t feel have the same impact. Still great songs. Still doesn’t compare to Zep II. Still would rather listen to Zep over most classic hard rock bands. 8/10
3.5 - Probably the highest score a Led Zeppelin album is gonna get out of me. Three of the songs on here are very good, and since that's almost half of the album, I'm gonna give it the 3.5.
As much as the zoomed in me wants to make fun of this, it's just too much of a classic. Yeah it's quintessential dad rock, but it goes crazy.
Probably my 2nd favorite to LZ1, but bangers all around. “When the Levee Breaks” is one of my favorite Led songs, so I gotta give it a (4.5).
Probably their best album but I can only listen to them for a little while before I need something different
BL: Listened many times before, one of the quintessential rock albums of my childhood, and of course I learned Stairway to Heaven on the guitar when I was 14 or so as what else was there to do to prove I was cool. AL: A rock staple, how can anyone argue with it. Whilst I've always been more partial to Zeppelin II, this is also a very solid listen, although I do feel like Zeppelin did rest on their laurels a little bit for this record at points. Though it's still arguably an amazing album and there are some of the best rock tracks of all time on this album. FT: "Black Dog", "Stairway to Heaven", "Going to California", "When the Levee Breaks" 4/5
8.5/10 - 4/5 Really like the album. I knew more songs than I thought I would. Four Sticks being in 5/4(?) is amazing. I love When The Levee Breaks. I didn't expect Led Zeppelin to get so swampy and heavy sounding.
the highs on this album are very high but i can't bring myself to rate it a 5 because some of the songs (the battle of evermore, misty mountain hop) are an absolute drag to sit through
A lot of blues rock and the greatest song ever put on vinyl by a rock band.
It’s hardly surprising to see so many Led Zeppelin albums considered as essential listens. I do enjoy what I’ve heard, but I don’t think I’ve ever really been blown away by them. They seem like one of those bands where you had to be around at their peak to appreciate them at their fullest. Although once upon a time I said that about The Beatles, and I love them now. Songs I already knew: Black Dog, Rock & Roll, Stairway To Heaven Favourites: Rock & Roll Stairway has been ruined a little by memes and digs about it being banned in guitar shops. Taking it in isolation, it’s a really nice song. Every song here is good, but Stairway is quite lovely. Rock & Roll feels timeless. IT could have been written 50 years ago or last week, and it fits the rock genre perfectly. Overall, this was a really good album. It didn’t blow me away, but it was still really good.
YES! Almost their best!
Misty Mountain Hop kinda hurt my ears at the start, but goes into a good melody afterwards. Still kinda jarring rythmitically, but gets a little better. Other songs on here are classics, and album in general is worth the praise it gets. 8/10
cool
It's classic. As a Gen X punk lover, I want to hate it, but I just can't. Except for "The Battle for Evermore." That deserves a Gen X eye roll.
It's cool how many different genres are blended together.
I'd already known a lot of these songs very well from classic rock radio but the full album is very solid too
Listening to this album today, I spent a bit of time thinking about something I'd read on Wikipedia that Steven Hyden had written about this album. He put forth back in 2018 that there's, quoth, a "reflexive bias against it from both fans and critics," exemplified in two unwritten rules. First, you hafta claim a song from the second side as your favorite—'cuz that's the side has, quoth again, the "deep cuts with credibility"; and second, you can't ever claim that this is your favorite Led Zeppelin album. Now, I bring this up because when I sat down to write this review a few hours before the website would allow me that I decided would discuss where I fall on these two rules. Y'know, it's a way—a way, certainly—to get my thoughts down and out there. Better than just rambling off the top of my head and expecting gold to fly out, I figure. Though, what's funny is that the short answer to "where I fall on these rules" is that I actually follow both. That's particularly funny in the case of the first rule, because side two isn't even my favorite side. Sure, my favorite song on the record is there, "When The Levee Breaks", but otherwise it just doesn't do much for me. I much prefer the first side, since that's where the big hits are, and, well, at heart I'm a sucker for the hits. "Rock And Roll" and the ol' standby "Stairway To Heaven"... That's the good stuff! And the other two are fine as well. I mean, "Black Dog" is a really good opener, with that awesome riff, although I'm sure a lot of my affection for it comes from the fact that Weird Al was allowed to record a chunk of it for one of his parodies. And "The Battle Of Evermore" has guitar parts that I like, though I've never really cared to learn or dive into its high fantasy lyrics; it's kind of the weakest part of side one for me. When it comes to the second rule, my favorite Zeppelin album varies between II and III, and sometimes HOUSES. On those, I truly love and have affection for every song there. Yes, even "The Crunge"; I love how stupid it is. IV, meanwhile, has songs I really like—I just stated them in the last paragraphs—but more that... Are just fine to me? "Misty Mountain Hop" is good all around; "Four Sticks", even if I don't think it's bad, is the one I always pick whenever I hafta choose a "bad song" to make fun of; and "Going To California" is pretty, though it mostly glides by me until those "AAAHHH"s during the fade-out. It's just not a strong all-the-way-through package for me. Still a four star album for me, though. Even if my tastes skew slightly off enough that I can't join the endless streak of five-star ratings I've seen... Bah, there's nothing bad or even weak enough to justify me goin' down any further. I still enjoy thing every time I put it. Ol' wedding song does a lot for me, I tell you what. And speaking of "Stairway", if you ain't heard Frank Zappa's live cover of it, do y'self a favor. The horn section plays Jimmy Page's guitar solo note-for-note, which even got a shout out in the booklet for the MOTHERSHIP compilation. It's neat stuff.
Whats not to love about this one? Blues, rock n roll, some of the best songs they wrote like Black Dog, When the Levee breaks, Stairway...
This was really good. I think I'd have to listen more though because while I love the deeper vocals, the falsetto is really unpleasant.
What he on
Another nostalgic classic
Aldrig gillat Robert Plants röst. Inge najs när han skriksjunger. Därför aldrig riktigt tagit till mig Led Zepp. Black dog. Repetitiv och oengagerad - 2 Rock and roll. Beach boyig låt. Lite speedad och gäll röst - 2 The Battle of evermore. bra - 3 Stairway to heaven - mycket bra. Bäst mot slutet - 4 Misty mountain hop - inge vidare. TA TA TA TA - 2 Four sticks - skön slinga. Men kommer inte igång - 3 Going to California - skivans överlägset bästa låt, ny för mig - 5 (helvete vad den påminner om Pearl Jams given to fly, eller tvärtom då förstås) Levee bästa rocklåten på skivan, snorbra - 5
Stairway är ju ett mästerverk och utöver den har den här skivan flera riktigt bra låtar. Dras ned lite av Rock and roll och Misty mountain hop, annars hade det blivit en femma.
Did more research on these lyrics than I did for all of my masters in education classes.
Probably have heard Stairway to Heaven enough by now. But, love this album.
Legendary. Side A is so stupid strong, side B has Four Sticks and Levee Breaks. Anyone who likes acoustic Zep is ludicrous though.
A rich album full of instrumentals. You need the mindset for a commitment on each song, since they are long, but worth it.
I'm a big Led Zeppelin skeptic, but unfortunately I must concede that this album rips. What holds me back from totally loving this record, and maybe Zep in general, is Robert Plant's voice. He'll turn in a performance I really like, or am even impressed by: "Battle of Evermore" and "Rock and Roll" stand out. But on other songs his howl sounds so shrill and overwrought. My hottest take is that "Stairway to Heaven" is overrated. But "When the Levee Breaks" gives me goosebumps across my whole body, "Going to California" transports me to someplace warm and fragrant, and "Black Dog" makes me go apeshit. So it balances out.
Lots of hits, not terribly surprised at its influence. When the Levee Breaks is far and away the best song, Stairway can go get fucked. Also, very odd for Stairway to be the midpoint of the song. I might learn When the Levee Breaks on guitar at some point - intro riff too strong.
Epic, even though it's short. 4.5.
Led Zeppelin is not my music usually - but Stairway to Heaven is simply legendary.
Classic.
So good, jimmy page shining
Childhood.
Enjoyed listening to this as a whole album. It's the definition of a classic: guitar sound, drum sound, fantastic vocals. Favourites were Misty Mountain Hop and When the Levee Breaks.
Alvöru rokkplata og trekk í trekk valin ein mikilvægasta plata rokksins. Hafði gífurleg áhrif á hard rock og metal senuna. Lifir ennþá góðu lífi.
CLassic
1. 3.5/5 2. 4/5 3. 3.5 4. 5/5 5. 3/5 6. 3/5 7. 3.5/5 8. 4/5 = 3.68
Black Dog - oh god this fucking song. (3/5 shout out to "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" by Weird Al) Rock n' Roll - i miss going on the Aerosmith roller coaster :( this is very classic 70s rock. rock n metal with the early metal guitar shredding thrown in (3/5 i'm trying to stay neutral but this era tends to get redundant) The Battle of Evermore - i do appreciate the amount of creativity that goes into songs like this. is this the shit that people said caused the Satanic Panic? (4/5 this is a good change of pace) Oh god this is Stairway to Heaven. its 8 fucking minutes. everyone knows this song. alright fine it goes hard 5/5 Misty Mountain Hop - what the fuck 4/5 (this inspired "Don't Tell Me How to Feed my Pigs") Four Sticks - this a song. it's not good or bad (2/5 kind of a let down compared to the last song) Going to California - okay a song that feels like a love lost rather than a sad love song (3/5 still a love song to me) When the Levee Breaks - he got pegged 3/5 weak ass moan overall, not a bad album. i enjoyed this a lot more than i thought i would. so 4/5
Clasic
I was a Led Zeppelin kid in junior high school, and this is the one we listened to a lot. Nowadays, I prefer Led Zeppelin III (hippie folk rock) or their first (a "hit you in the head" debut). But IV is holding up pretty well as a blend of those approaches, even if I never need to hear the overplayed "Stairway To Heaven" again.
From a 50-years-later perspective, IV is perhaps Led Zeppelin's weakest album. Maybe due to overplay and its heavy influence on all subsequent rock, it's become cliche. I can't help but think of Spinal Tap now when listening to Stairway to Heaven. This album really does go down like a lead balloon. But harsh criticism aside, Jimmy Page is still a guitar god and John Bonham one of the greatest drummers ever. It does end strong though. Going to California and When the Levee Breaks would be the only songs on this album that would make it on my own personal best-of Led Zeppelin album. -JG
Led Zeppelin really know how to craft an album, each song felt perfectly in place, however almost feels like a slow burn. You just know that you will be able to really rock the hell out of these tracks live though! This is not what you would typically think of as a metal album these days but it really is the origins of everything that feels and sounds metallic in the music world. Best: Stairway To Heaven Worst: N/A 4.5 Stars
This is like THE metal band. I've never actively sought them out, but I am surprised by the amount of songs on this album that I know or am at least familiar with. I know for a fact that 2 of the songs on this album besides Stairway to Heaven are in Guitar Hero/Rock band. Seems there is a reason this band is so revered. I kind of get it. Don't LOVE, love it, but it's pretty good. Felling a light to solid 4/5
КАК ЖЕ Я ЛЮБЛЮ РОК ДА РОК ТЕЧЕТ В МОИХ ЖИЛАХ ЭТО ПРОСТО ОХУИТИТЕЛЬНО НЕВЬЕБЕННО БЛЯТЬ РОБЕРТ ПЛАНТ ВЫЕБИ МЕНЯ 8/10
Epic rock record in the history of music.
🤘🏼
I liked it! Stairway to heaven is a classic and the songs were more varied than I expected them to be.
When I was a little kid, the song Stairway to Heaven sparked my imagination. I didn’t know what bustles and hedgerows were but I was transported to an Alice in Wonderland/Robin Hood dreamscape while listening to that song.
I would actually rate 3.75 stars but can’t so rounding up - not my usual cup of tea but can appreciate the musicality
Haven't listened to Led Zep for ages, YEARS... I imagine the lads are a bit disappointed that 'Four Sticks' only has 17.6 million streams. Good album, not a dud song in there. (and 'When The Levee Breaks' is the best song on the album) 4 / 5 stars.
i never really got into led zep and always found them to be a tad overrated but I'll freely admit that this is a good album. it has its ups and downs but the singles are solid and there are some bonafide classics here. also misty mountain hop sounded like suffragette city + 20th century boy, so if you're into those then you might like this track. favorites: black dog, stairway to heaven, misty mountain hop, when the levee breaks
第二首就是Rock and Roll呀, 85年aid live车祸的那首哈哈哈哈哈哈哈，但是我没听过，第一次慕名看车祸也没察觉有什么不对
Good music, an album I've heard before too.
A classic classic rock album with fan favorites Black Dog and Stairway to Heaven. Album came out in 1971 and likely paved the way for what Rock music today is. Fantastic album from a legacy standpoint, but not perfect 4/5.
4/5
Much more standout songs than previous releases from the band.
Really? Another Zeppelin already? 1001 albums and we're already repeating bands? This is the most well known Zeppelin. Grew up listening to it. It still rips. Next.
I've never been a fan of Led Zep so I've actually never sat down to listen to this album in its entirety. It mostly has to do with Plant's very high pitched screechy vocals I reckon. It turns out that I'm familiar with all the songs given that this band was so heavily played on the radio during my formative years. I still think that Stairway is overplayed so it's hard to listen to it with fresh ears, but like say Beethoven's 5th, its overplayed for a reason, it's a stone cold classic and I daresay it was monumental when it was first released in the early 70s. It's interesting how so many of these Brit bands stole from Black American blues artists and sold way more records than the OGs. So although I'm still not a fan, I do acknowledge the influence of this record on rock music history.
Good rock album, although it's the slower and more melodic moments such as "stairway to heaven" and "going to california" that make this album great.
When I first saw it come on reaction: oh come on easy 5 star. On listen few filler songs do the highs justify the mids? Not in my eyes. Still a great album would I say perfect? No 8.5/10
Album filled with some of the most recognizable songs of all time. Only mark against it, feel like I’ve heard the album 1000 times without ever actually listening to the album all the way through more than once. Can only imagine how unbelievable this album would be hearing when it first came out.
Noice
Very good. Did have a few mood changes that caught me off guard, but it felt really raw overall.
this absolutely whipped it got a lil 'video game background music' in the second half but those first few tracks whew.
The ultimate rock album? Perhaps. Led Zeppelin certainly tuned in and made their best work with this. Strong side A, equally strong side B.
Great start to this journey: this album brings some of the greatest Led Zeppelin hits. The track list is top tier and it even includes one of the best songs written by humankind in the twentieth century, Stairway to Heaven. I personally do not resonate with a couple songs. The first half is iconic but "The Battle of Evermore" does not feel like it belongs there. This impression of lack of unity separates my rating from a perfect one.
Black Dog - guay però una mica repetitiva. Rock and Roll - és la polla i no em cansarà mai. The Battle of Evermore - m'agrada molt la mandolina(?) aquesta rara que sona aguda. Stairway to Heaven - no cal comentar res. Misty Mountains Hop - rara però m'agrada Four Sticks - Meh Going to California - A surprise to be sure but a welcome one When the Levee Breaks - No sé, és llarga però la guitarra m'agrada molt
This album is an absolute classic and I so much want to give it a 5 star rating but I just don't think it's a masterpiece album. Black Dog and Rock and Roll have kind of played out for me over there years (never Stairway though). Battle of Evermore and Sticks are ok enough songs but have never really done much for me. However, When the Levee Breaks is probably a top 10 song from Led Zeppelin. I'll be giving it 4 stars but its a very high 4.
This albums provides one of my favorite musical controversies: The infamous drums on when the levee breaks. you have bonham's drum groove, with all the power and authority he is famous for, carrying the song, but crank it up and you'll hear the echoes off all of those big hits - turning this song into a ravenous monster. so they recorded this at headley grange, and old english cottage, which had a big lobby kind of entryway with a spiral staircase going upward to the higher floors. they set up a drum kit there, and according to guitarist jimmy page, who produced the album, he was struck with the genius idea of setting mics at different distances up the stairwell as well as one way down the hallway, the result of which is this full bodied drum groove with all the reverb and delay built in. genius work by a great producer, right? unless you believe one of the other engineers who worked on the album who says page is full of it; they just used echo mics and added delay in mastering. as with many things i can't prove, i'm going with the better story.
It was good. Not my style but good.
Iconic. Love it! Pity i had to listen to a remaster version because Spotify decides.
- I resisted Led Zeppelin for a long time; they were the definitive "that's my DAD'S music" band for me. But eventually I gave them some serious attention and realized that, yeah, they're pretty great. IV has never been my favourite of theirs, though, so let's see how this listen goes. - The drums on this album sound amazing. I know "When the Levee Breaks" gets all the attention on that score, but the bounciness of "Rock and Roll" is so, so good. - "Battle of Evermore" is far better than I remember. The vocal interplay between Plant and Sandy Denny is beautiful. - It's difficult, I find, to just LISTEN to "Stairway to Heaven" as a song; it's such an ingrained part of culture at this point. But isolated from it's significance it really is a beautifully composed piece of work. - Yeah this album is great.
Low 4
good shit bud today I went: school->roys house to lift->golfing at del mar->football game->daves still feel lonely
Fint album
4/5 Best: Stairway to Heaven Worst: Going to California
Stairway to heaven was heavenly especially that riff in the end.. chef's kiss. The other songs were okay. But this rating is heavily influenced by stairway to heaven
Great timeless rock album!
The forbidden riff. 5/8 good songs (even if 1 is ruined by overplay), 1 amazing song (When the Levee Breaks), and 2/8 forgettable fillers (Evermore, Four Sticks). IV sees LZ's transition from proto-metal hard blues rock towards proto-prog, developing more complex song structures, more elaborate instrumentation and production, and goblin-type lyrical content. But don't worry, fans of white dudes screeching "mama", you will not be disappointed. The delicate mandolin/acoustic guitar duet on Going to California is an unexpected highlight. The huge drums on Levee are undeniable. And corny as it is, the solo on Stairway rips.
Mixed bag of bangers, boring acoustics and annoying parts. One of the most overrated albums ever.
Not quite the perfection of ‘II’ despite the highs of the massive hits on this album. Knocked a star off as I always find myself skipping ‘The Battle of Evermore’ and ‘Misty Mountain Hop’. Having released 4 classic albums in 2 years whilst they were riding the wave, it’s not surprising that a couple of tracks miss the mark for me!
Not listened to it before, apart from the famous track. Really enjoyed it, I could hear their influence on a couple of the bands I listen to. When the Levee Breaks is the second best track, only beaten by H to S - a low 4.
About as classic of a Zeppelin album as there is. This is a rare album where the list of songs that didn't get radio play is shorter than those that did. Never really understood the name of the song "Black Dog," but its a jam through and through. Fairly unorthodox in its composition, making heavy use of call-and-response throughout. Rock and Roll is another hit that has more recently been associated with its use in car commercials. Pretty standard RnR; not one of my favorite from their repository, but it is fine. The Battle of Evermore is one of the few that didn't make it to radio. This is Zeppelin tapping into their fantasy lore with LOTR influenced lyrics arranged as a folksy duet. Feels like a hard pump of the brakes after the gas that was Black Dog and Rock and Roll. What to say of Stairway to Heaven that hasn't already been said. Its a jam that I grew up conditioned to dislike (thanks mom). Speaks to the relative attention span of the general public between 1970s and today that this 8 minute tempo shifting monster could become a smash radio hit. First half of the song opens with some folksy guitar plucking and Plant's soulful vocals. Bonham shows up at the 4 minute mark and the song drops into a head nodding rock song that starts teasing with letting loose into the instrumental wonderland that closes out the last third of the song. At near 6 minutes, the song takes on a completely different form; Page finds his amplifier and starts setting fire to the fretboard while Bonham rips alongside. Timeless jam. Misty Mountain Hop is actually one of my favorites from Zeppelin. I enjoy the chant-link, incidental-laden vocals that make up the bulk of the vocal section counterpointing the guitar riff. I think I enjoy it because it feels freer and more experimental than a lot of their other stuff. The back three songs are all good... Four Sticks is another driving jam; Going to California pumps the breaks hard with the mellowest and most heartfelt of the album (really pretty song). When the Levee Breaks changes tone completely into a southern-infused (harmonica) drawl that stomps confidently forward through its 7 minute play time. Great song. While I like a lot of songs on this album I'm not completely in 5 territory. I enjoy the range that the band shows here, but the record to me feels a bit disjointed. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it, but I didn't find myself wanting to go back for another listen. I'm a 4.4 / 5 here rounding down because I know that Zeppelin II exists.
Low 4, clearly some bangers but also a bit long for me at points
17.08.23 it’s kind of still the same day as the first album but that was at 1am, so here I am at 7pm that evening with number 2. Led Zep 4, dope. I will listen to this while missing LP (but I see her in Melbourne tomorrow!), and writing this Milldale board paper. Done, forgot it had Stairway on there, and Going to California. Good shit.
Each song is a Classic! Still think Stairway is a beautiful mess of a song, and listening to the album all in one go is a bit much, but a good album to get the Led out to!
Finally listened to this classic album - lots of good tunes here! Great to hear the big songs and some of the non singles too.
The album was good. Several songs well known songs. I enjoyed it. It is classic rock and delivers. Stairway to Heaven is a little long but overall still good. I would listen to this album again.
Talking about an opening song, Black Dog! Always like it to play this really loud :) Furthermore of course some great songs, however also some that irritate me, hence no full score.
Excellent music though apart from Stairway I miss the wow feeling.
Great rock n roll album. Favorite song: Stairway to Heaven. Great album with tons of good songs
Awesome
Black Dog // The Battle of Evermore // Stairway To Heaven // Going to California // When The Levee Breaks 3.5-4/5
Great record! Favorite track is going to California
I don’t mind letting the Led out.
Kansi vihjaa keskiaikamenosta ja se lunastetaan, mikä tässä vain ilahdutti. Mierin poistuuko yksi tähti siitä syystä, että nukahdin useasti levyä kuunnellessa, mutta useampi kuuntelukerta paransi biisejä. Eli vaatii hitusen syventymistä mutta kuulostaa jo ekalla kerralla vaivattomasti sellaiselta, mitä moni yrittää mutta ei onnistu. Eheä.
Really amazing guitar work. Vocals get a bit grating.
7/13/23 - First Album for the 1001 Album challenge Overall: 9/10 Favorite Song: Stairway to Heaven
4 for IV. Only fair.
"Eyes that shine, burnin' red, dreams of you all through my head." "Oh seems so long since we walked in the moonlight, making vows that just can't work right." "There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold and she's buying a stairway to Heaven." "And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul." "So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains. Where the spirits go now, over the hills where the spirits fly." "Oh, the sea was red and the sky was grey, I wonder how tomorrow could ever follow today." --- Favourite tracks: Stairway To Heaven Summary: I knew very little of Led Zeppelin outside of the obvious big singles (Immigrant Song/Kashmir/Whole Lotta Love) but I had a rough idea of what to expect. What I did not expect was the amount of LOTR allusions which I enjoyed very much. I'm not musically talented, but can definitely appreciate and understand the complexities of the sound. I was aware of Stairway To Heaven, but I think today is the first day I listened to it in full - and now I understand.
Funky, guitar-driven album which seems to age like fine wine.
"And five. Now this is the most important, Rat. When it comes to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV." Yea, I know. They played Kashmir off Physical Graffiti, but classic line from a classic movie. Something about having Zeppelin and the Beatles shoved down my throat during my high school days has really turned me off most music from both these bands. The difference, Zeppelin does have some quality stuff. This entire album included. Not a bad song from beginning to end. There are a few that classic radio overplayed, but only Stairway to Heaven still drives me crazy. Quite the range too. From a few headbangers, to a few medieval tunes and to end with one of my favorite songs, the bluesy, When the Levee Breaks. I wonder how many casual fans know this song is a remake of an old blues song from the late 1920's? Well, it is, check out Memphis Minnie's version! I'll never claim to be the biggest Zeppelin guy, but I can admit this a great album that every rock n roller should listen to at least once in their lifetime. Solid all the way through and enjoyed going back in time. Favorites - When the Levee Breaks, Four Sticks and Going to California. Listened to for this review and will not listen to ever again - Stairway to Heaven. God I always hated this song. A very solid 4 from me 4
4.5 I struggled a bit with my rating on this one. For a good chunk of my life, Led Zeppelin was IT. As a young rock and roller, I got into them a little later than most, but when I did (thanks Will), I was convinced these guys were truly gods among men. However, even then, and more so now, Led Zeppelin IV was never the favorite of mine. That crown always went to (and probably still goes to) Led Zeppelin II - though recent ventures back into the group might honestly have me putting Houses of the Holy up there as well. I don’t say that to disparage this album by any means though - there’s a good reason it’s iconic as, and as far as Zeppelin’s style of bluesy hard rock goes, this could very well be its peak. Starting off, I have to get this off my chest - Led Heads, please forgive me, but I’ve always considered Black Dog to be one of the most overrated songs by the group. Robert Plant’s vocal sections in particular have always been kind of annoying to me and almost overly Plant-y. Like, “Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move/Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove” to me feels something that could have come from a Led Zeppelin parody group. Musically, it’s fine, but far from the best of Jimmy Page’s guitar shreds. Fortunately, the album gets a lot better starting with Rock and Roll, a really fun, explosive blast of said genre, before going into the true hidden gem (if anything on an album like Led Zeppelin IV can even be called that), The Battle of Evermore. Anything annoying Plant did on Black Dog is immediately forgiven here, and his duet with Sandy Denny (of Fairport Convention!) is nothing short of enchanting. Gorgeous tune with an absolutely perfect name that is somehow able to create a sense of world-building so well. Then, we have Stairway. Look, we all know Stairway. There’s nothing I can say here that hasn’t already been said a million times over, but I’ll echo those voices and maintain that it truly is one of the greatest rock anthems ever written. Even as someone who is kind of sick of the tune after all these years, I’d be lying if I said I don’t still see the charm whenever I do decide to listen again. Great lyrics, great buildup, great solo, great closing - the song is nothing short of epic, and the only valid criticism that someone can lob at the song in my opinion is that they’ve heard it too much. Unfortunately, Misty Mountain Hop is a pretty hefty step down from there. While I wouldn’t call anything on this album a skip by any means, Misty Mountain Hop and Black Dog are definitely in a lower tier. Four Sticks is an enjoyable return to form, and then we enter a territory where any and all valid criticisms end with the one-two punch of Going to California and When the Levee Breaks. Going to California is probably one of the greatest acoustic tracks ever written and was carefully selected to play the second my plane landed in Los Angeles for the very first time - I still think about that moment whenever I give a listen now. When the Levee Breaks… come on, this song is awesome. Great blues tune that feels nowhere near as long as the 7-minute runtime would suggest. I have no idea what these guys saw in Kansas Joe and Memphis Minnie’s original in order to create this, but in many ways I think it speaks to the sheer talent of the group. I was really surprised when I saw the Spotify play count for the track, as I would have guessed this was one of the band’s most popular (not that 116 million plays is anything to sneeze at). Clearly more people need this song in their lives. It also was sampled in another great tune, Rhymin and Stealin by the Beastie Boys, one of my dad’s favorites as well. So weird he didn’t mention that in his review… Despite some shots fired earlier on a couple of the songs, I can’t argue the album’s objective greatness, and I wouldn’t fight you if you tried to say it was the best of all-time. Part of me wants to pull the trigger on the 5, but if I’m being true to myself, this just isn’t one of my all-time favorites or even my favorite Zeppelin record for that matter. It’s for sure a monument of musical history though and probably the best entry point for a new Zeppelin fan - if you feel it’s deserving of a 5, I’d co-sign it.
A classic
At the time this came out it had to have been pretty revolutionary. I've listened to this album a decent amount in the past, though I probably prefer II, and hadn't listened to it in a long time, so I gave it a listen. Over time I have definitely listened to heavier music, and also stuff that is more revolutionary... I'd say the big negative with Zep is that they definitely repackaged blues into rock, and made it safe for 1970s white America. That said, there's good musicianship, and obviously many solid original tunes.
Solid
This is one of those albums that’s hard to rate because the songs are so popular and have always been so since before I was born. They’ve always been such a presence in popular culture that I have no way of critiquing them. Are they great, overplayed, correctly judged, the best rep of the genre, average, what? I can’t answer that. They just “are,” and are overwhelmingly present. What I do know: When the Levee Breaks is fucking awesome. Also, this was “classic rock” when I was a kid, a genre I like but don’t love. I recently had 2 Clapton albums generated for me and hearing Zeppelin made me more confident in my assessment that for straightforward 60s/70s guitar rock, Clapton is boring. I think I like other Zeppelin albums better, and I honestly don’t like Stairway, but the album just keeps driving forward as you listen. Four stars.
Surprised to realise going to California was on this album. A classic as always, possibly their best album? At least it is considered that way to the masses.
Clever guitar work and clear masters of their trade, their influence over rock is understandable. Not my favourite record as feel it lacks that emotional/cinematic sound I like, but still enjoyable either way. Highlight was Black Dog.
Great album, mostly good tracks
Pretty sweet sick as riffs
Classic! Favorite Tracks: Stairway To Heaven, When The Levee Breaks 4.5/5