Track Listing

1. Black Dog
2. Rock and Roll
3. Battle of Evermore
4. Stairway to Heaven
5. Misty Mountain Hop
6. Four Sticks
7. Going to California
8. When the Levee Breaks

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #388 in Music
• Released on: 1994-07-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Album Description
2005 Japanese standard jewel case pressing of Led Zeppelin's 1971 album. Features the same tracks and mastering as the US edition but includes an OBI and Japanese/English insert. Warner. 2005.

Amazon.com essential recording
Also known as the "rune" album or Zoso because of the medieval symbols adorning the inner sleeve, Led Zeppelin's fourth album, released in 1971, turned them from mere superstars into giant behemoths of the rock world. On tracks like "Black Dog," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "Rock and Roll," the combination of Robert Plant's banshee wails and Jimmy Page's frenetic guitar playing forever altered the stylistic bent of hard rock music. And the foreboding "When the Levee Breaks" demonstrated that Zeppelin could indeed play the blues fairly straight if they so desired. Still, everything here ultimately took a back seat to the album's (and, ultimately, the band's) magnum opus--the expertly constructed and deftly executed classic, "Stairway to Heaven." --Billy Altman

Amazon.com
Jimmy Page was a top London studio guitarist before he got rich and famous as the musical leader of Led Zeppelin. The group's fourth--and arguably their finest--album is as much a tribute to his technique as a monument to his versatility. Page produced the album, co-wrote all eight songs, and played mandolin as well as all the guitars. Musically, this 1971 disc ranges from acoustic English folke ("Goin' to California" and "The Battle of Evermore," the latter featuring the late Fairport Convention frontwoman Sandy Denny) to bone-crushing, bluesy riff-slinging. On the album's centerpiece, "Stairway to Heaven," these light and dark strains are dramatically intertwined. The chiming "Four Sticks" aside, it's the Little Richard-inspired "Rock and Roll" and the tricky time changes--a Zeppelin trademark--of the fast-and-furious "Black Dog" that elevate this album into more than just a bustle in aspiring guitarists' hedgerows. --Don Waller

Customer Reviews

Mott Four
Within eighteen months three members of this band had gone from total obscurity to part of the best known rock band in the world. By the end of 1971 world domination was such that they could release their fourth album without any sleeve notes, no band image or song titles on the sleeve either. Therefore it has since been called by fans a variety of names from the obvious 'Led Zeppelin IV' to the less obvious 'Runes' after its many Lord of the Rings references to 'Four Symbols'. Or 'Zosa' after its inside cover motif, or plain old 'No Title'. Still, on pre-sales it went to #1 all over the world, being released on November 8th and staying at #1 into the New Year. Over the years it has probably generated enough sales to run a fairly large country. In the last thirty-two years it has won just about every accolade there is to get. Voted the best rock record ever in such illustrious magazines as 'Classic Rock Revisited', `Rolling Stone', 'Q', 'Mojo', and even the Pattaya Mail. (We just had a vote Toto, Ella Crew, Andy, and Led Zeppelin experts Lars Fieste, John Osborne, Graham Rudd, Dai Coe, and the Dog - it was unanimous.)

If you had wanted to put together a super group in 1971 all you would of had to do was put together Led Zeppelin, and there you are you had it. Out of the ashes of the `Yardbirds' founding member Jimmy Page created Led Zeppelin (well, he had to, all the others had left). The new band did one tour of Scandinavia as 'The New Yardbirds'.

Jimmy Page originally joined the `Yardbirds' as bassist, but switched to lead guitar to give the band a duel pronged guitar attack with a certain Jeff Beck on the other axe. Jimmy Page had long been a top session player, playing most famously on the Kinks' `You Really Got Me' famous guitar riff that almost invented heavy metal music. In Jimmy Page Led Zeppelin had a man with a vision as well as a guitarist that could shred the wallpaper off your walls one second and be as gentle as a snowflake the next.

Robert Plant had quickly become the template of what a singer in a rock band looked and sounded like. His unique style of whoops, whines, and yells became his trademark. With his clear vocals he could always put across the stories he wanted to tell in his song writing partnership with Jimmy Page.

Bass player John Paul Jones also had a previous successful career as a session player, but was completely unknown outside the inner music circles. His quiet nature, his bass playing skills, keyboard work, and help with the song writing were integral parts in the band and essential to its well being.

Then behind the drums was the man to set standards of rock 'n' roll to the present day, even after his tragic death more than twenty years ago, Mr. John Bonham. (I mean even his name sounds like a drummer.) This God of Thunder only got the job because he went down with Robert Plant to keep him company on his journey from Birmingham, England, to audition for the band. The rest - as they say - is history.

Is Led Zeppelin's fourth album as good as its reputation? Has it stood the test of time?

Stupid questions, of course it does. You get eight tracks all of which are classic. The opening one-two of the first couple of tracks allay any fears of fans that thought they might delve back further into their folksy roots after the rather laid back 'Led Zeppelin III' of the previous year. But the year of constant touring had honed their natural rocking instincts.

As soon as Robert Plant leads the band off with those immortal lines,

`Hey, Hey Mama, said the way you move,
Gonna make You sweat Gonna make You groove,
My, My Child when You shake that thing,
Gonna make you burn, Gonna make You sting.`...

...you know you are off into totally politically incorrect rock 'n' roll heaven. The band then comes in with `Black Dog's thunderous riff and off they all fly roaring straight the way through until you go without a second to catch your breath into the 'Rock and Roll' opening drum intro. What do you expect to get with a title like this? Page just peels off one riff after another, building them up to a shattering crescendo. John Paul Jones backs this up with some of the busiest fret work ever laid down in a studio by a mere mortal of his chosen profession. As for John (Bonzo) Bonham, he is a man at the height of his powers having the time of his life.

Other tracks include the wonderful 'Four Sticks', so called because John Bonham gets the sound he wanted for the song drummed with four sticks simultaneously. (Obvious, isn't it, when you think about it.) An acoustic ballad in 'Going to California'. A keyboard orientated rocker in 'Misty Mountain Top', which on any other album, by any other band, would be the center piece of any collection. However, on this album it sometimes gets overlooked by its surroundings, but comes across as a real delight in the context of the album. There is also a raging folksy tale told with Robert Plant giving full reign to his Tolkien whims in the wonderful 'The Battle of Evermore', with some dexterous mandolin played by Jimmy Page. Robert Plant is able to display his vocal chops in his duet with Sandy Denny (ex-Fairport Convention), who in her illustrious but tragic career had probably never sung so sweet.

The album closes with one of the darkest songs Led zeppelin ever recorded 'When the Levee Breaks', a blues as only Led Zeppelin can play, with Robert Plant's vocals and harmonica play and Jimmy Page's guitar to the fore as the others lay down a rock solid spine to the song.

This was Led Zeppelin's finest hour, and therefore rightly holds the claim to #1 album of all time.

Oh by the way it also includes 'Stairway to Heaven'. Does any body remember laughter?

Mott the Dog
Re-mastered by Ella Crew

One of the best albums of all time
You know, there are actually some people in the world who don't own this album? What a shame. It's a classic! From the manic vocals on "Black Dog" through the thundering backbeat and jagged guitar lines of "Four Sticks," to the rough Mississippi Delta blues of "When the Levee Breaks," the album is epic. And of course, the album's centerpiece is "Stairway to Heaven," a slow building folk rock masterpiece which climaxes in a volley of hard rock guitar lines with Plant's wailing vocals over the top.

That's not to say that the album is all brawn and no melody. On the contrary, "The Battle of Evermore" and "Going to California" are beautiful folk ballads which perfect the folk sound that Led Zeppelin had been experimenting with ever since their first album came out.

At any rate, if you don't own this album, then you ought to go out and buy it. Just to have one of the greatest CD's ever in your collection.

Rock & Roll Defined
THE BAND: Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitars), John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards), John Bonham (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1971) 8 songs clocking in at approximately 43 minutes. The digitally remastered version released in 1994. Included with the disc is a 10-page booklet containing song titles/credits, song lyrics to "Stairway To Heaven" (only), and all original album artwork. All songs written by members of Led Zeppelin. This is the band's 4th studio album. Recorded at Headley, Grange, Hampshire and Island Studios in London, England. Label - Swan Song / Atlantic.

COMMENTS: Zeppelin's 4th album (often referred to as "Zoso" or "Ruins") is the definitive Led Zeppelin recording. Here, the band's sound and concept, Plant's vocals, and Page's music and arranging skills finally crystallized into something completely distinct and original. 1971 was a great year for rock & roll. Black Sabbath had "Master of Reality". Deep Purple blazed with "Fireball". Rod Stewart told us "Every Picture Tells A Story". The Who had "Who's Next". T-Rex had his "Electric Warrior"... but nothing matched the magnitude of "Zoso". Every song is a classic and can still be heard on the radio today (over 3 decades later). Jimmy Page was the mastermind behind this band and the direction they were taking. He co-wrote every song and produced the album. Each song is a staple - "Black Dog", "Rock & Roll", "Battle of Evermore", "Stairway To Heaven", "Misty Mountain Hop", "Four Sticks", "Going to California", and "When The Levee Breaks". Hard to believe only two singles were released in the U.S. from this album in 1971-72: "Black Dog" reaching #15 (B-Side was "Misty Mountain Hop"), and "Rock And Roll reaching #47 (B-Side was "Four Sticks"). But don't forget Led Zeppelin's most celebrated composition "Stairway To Heaven"... which turned into their greatest rocking anthem. This album defines rock & roll. Classic disc (5 stars).