Posted on 11/12/2011 8:23:42 AM PST by FatherofFive
Forty years ago an incredible classic rock band hit their creative peak when they released Led Zeppelin lV. I remember at age fourteen being handed this record for the first time, and being awe struck by stunning song-craftsmanship and lyrical prowess. The album itself which was released November 8th 1971 was a major success and sold 23 million copies alone in the United States, but only peaked at number 2 on the charts.
Many Zeppelin Fans know this album as the one that contains Stairway to Heaven, but among rock critics and fanatics of Zeppelin the whole album is a masterpiece. Led Zeppelin was never known for creating phenomenal singles, but created a name for themselves as a record band. They saw that every song recorded for the album should be done masterfully, and should compliment other tracks on the album. It’s not easy to convince the novice Zeppelin fan that Stairway to Heaven is not the best song on Led Zeppelin lV, but give them a few years and they will be hailing Zeppelin IV for songs such as “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” and “When The Levee breaks.” This album is a must for an classic rock enthusiast, and should be apart of any album collection.
aw crap....I remember exactly how old I was when thatalbum came out...at least a couple of years older than when I’d go to sleep every night with Whole Lotta Love blaring away in the Koss phones.
No posting no Stairway.... denied! :)
Was hoping the guys would get back together (with Jason Bonham) after the O2 concert, best rock n roll band ever.
I always liked that album.
The late Sandy Denny contributed a great deal to it.
The Viking Kitty song is the best...
http://users.wolfcrews.com/toys/vikings/
To: Atom Smasher
The original Viking Kitten video seems to be no longer available because of a lawsuit by the copyright owner of the Led Zeppelin song.
But I found it here, at least for the moment:
http://noolmusic.com/myspace_videos/viking_kittens.php
10 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 7:14:44 PM by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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Generally speaking, the really good Led Zeppelin is what you don't hear on the radio. Many of the "radio" hits seem tired to me but I ever get tired of hearing the album cuts.
Led Zeppelin was one of the first rock bands I was to see in concert. It was the mid-70s and they were at the height of their fame. However, the mayor of the city of Boston "banned" Led Zeppelin from the city for 5 years and the concert I was to go to was cancelled. Never did see them in concert which is a shame because so little concert footage of this band exists today.
Though panned by most fans, my favorite album was their last proper one - "In Through The Out Door". A few years after the band broke up, Robert Plant released a single called "Big Log" which is one of my favorite songs of all time and gives a clue as to where the band was heading musically at the time of Bonham's death.
Generally speaking, the really good Led Zeppelin is what you don't hear on the radio. Many of the "radio" hits seem tired to me but I ever get tired of hearing the album cuts.
Led Zeppelin was one of the first rock bands I was to see in concert. It was the mid-70s and they were at the height of their fame. However, the mayor of the city of Boston "banned" Led Zeppelin from the city for 5 years and the concert I was to go to was cancelled. Never did see them in concert which is a shame because so little concert footage of this band exists today.
Though panned by most fans, my favorite album was their last proper one - "In Through The Out Door". A few years after the band broke up, Robert Plant released a single called "Big Log" which is one of my favorite songs of all time and gives a clue as to where the band was heading musically at the time of Bonham's death.
One reason is that anyone with a guitar at the time could play the opening. Very easy to learn. "You too could be the next Jimmy Page"
Man, I could have wrote this. Exactly my time!
Man, I could have wrote this. Exactly my time!
It’s on my list of top 1000 songs along with
Black Dog, Dyer Maker, Gallows Pole, Immigrant Song, Kashmir, Ramble on, Rock N Roll,
and a couple of others...
Roger, THAT!
I graduated in '79 and we didn't use Stairway to Heaven, but the inside cover of our yearbook used that drawing of (I think it was) Gandalf from Lord of the Rings looking down from the mountain that appears on the back of the album cover.
Bingo
Barry has a heck of a voice. But I'm a (normal) guy so can't really like him!
Don't forget "Going to California."
I've heard covers of that song performed by classical/Spanish guitarists.
Beautiful stuff.
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