Classic Of The Week: Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin – IV

This album isn’t great because of a significant change it created socially or musically. It is a great album because of the amazing music Led Zeppelin IV produced and the wide range of different genre’s Zeppelin incorporated to make this album.

Led Zeppelin IV contains a fine mixture of different elements that can be heard in Led Zeppelin II and III. A combination of the bluesy hard rock of Led Zeppelin II and the more folky acoustic sound of Led Zeppelin III. Led Zeppelin IV explores a wide range of theme’s and they weren’t scared to create over five minute songs.

The album starts of with two blues structured hard rock songs, “Black Dog” and “Rock and Roll” that has a driving energy to it and it will make a weak hearted man shiver in his shoes. “The Battle of Evermore” is an epic folk song that takes you to a mythical world, you can hear strong Tolkien influence in the lyrics (“the ring wraiths ride in black”). Stairway To Heaven” is a classic and it doesn’t need an introduction. “Going to California” is beautiful, calm folk song. The album ends of with the epic blues song “When The Levee Breaks”, this song is my favorite song of the album and it is capturing in the intensity the song is delivered to the listener.

This album is great and it is a shame that critics at that time didn’t see this album as noteworthy. ▲

- Jacques Fourie