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Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO) | 
| Artist: Led Zeppelin
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $13.99
You Save: $4.99 (26%)
Rating:  990 reviews
Sales Rank: 326
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 82638
UPC: 075678263828
EAN: 0075678263828
ASIN: B000002J09
Release Date: July 19, 1994
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Promotion: Data not available Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Black Dog | | • | Rock And Roll | | • | The Battle Of Evermore | | • | Stairway To Heaven | | • | Misty Mountain Hop | | • | Four Sticks | | • | Going To California | | • | When The Levee Breaks |
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| Editorial Reviews:
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
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.
Album Details
Limited edition cardboard packaging; original vinyl album replica.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 985 more reviews...
 Hey, when I'm wrong, I'm wrong... August 2, 2008
finulanu (In my own little world)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
It took me forever, but I'm just finally learning to appreciate Zeppelin's most famous album right now. I won't say it's my favorite - I, II and III are just as good, and Houses of the Holy is better. But I now like it. In fact, I think I liked it all the while, but I refused to admit it. See, this marks the point where "Led Zeppelin the band" and "Led Zeppelin the cultural phenomenon" become the same thing. And while I'm definitely a fan of Led Zep the band, I'm kinda shaky on Led Zeppelin the cultural phenomenon. And, I mean, this is the BIG one. The pride and joy of fans, critics, and DJ's everywhere. That and it's got "Stairway to Heaven," a cultural phenomenon within a cultural phenomenon within a cultural phenomenon. Sort of a Russian nesting doll deal there.
Methinks the problem I had with this for so long is because I listened to it expecting it to be the great masterpiece so many people say it is, and I never really heard it that way. But recently, I did the smart thing: I let my defenses down, and listened to the album for what it was. And I found that it was quite good.
Let me be up-front about why I'm only giving this four stars. First off, I don't really like "Four Sticks." Parts of it are nice, and parts of it aren't. Secondly, there's the issue of Robert Plant. I've never been his biggest fan, but here he's too much for me, almost ruining a couple of his songs with his "vocal acrobatics." He nearly kills the stop-start, riff-filled "Black Dog" entirely for me with his moans, groans, and grunts behind the guitar solo. Yeah, so it fits with the song's lyrics. But it still sounds bad. And "Battle of Evermore," despite being genuinely gorgeous, also showcases Plant right up in the front. He makes his voice turn somersaults, backflips, and cartwheels, and it just annoys me. Every phrase he gets, he oversings somehow. And then he pulls that crap with an echo effect near the end. It really annoys me. 'Tis a shame they didn't just let ex-Fairport Convention member Sandy Denny sing lead on the whole track, because she's got a beautiful voice. Not only that, but she's also got an authentic English folk voice, and "Evermore" is an English folk song. With a fantastic mandolin part.
Okay, now I can get to the really good parts. First off, I almost hate to admit it because I'm sick of everyone saying it's the best song ever (gimme a break, it isn't even Zeppelin's best!), but I really, really like "Stairway to Heaven." I won't dwell too much on it, because everyone is probably familiar with it at this point, but it's earned its reputation as one of the greatest guitar tracks in history, and it's definitely a great rock epic. The Hendrix maniac in me thinks "All Along the Watchtower" is the best, the Beatlemaniac in me puts "Hey Jude" in second, and the Who freak in me would rank "Won't Get Fooled Again" as third. But number four (or maybe number five or six, because I can never allow myself to forget "You Can't Always Get What You Want" or "Jungleland") is certainly nothing to sneeze at, especially considering how many genuinely wretched "rock epics" there are out there. Great song, even though I'd take "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," and "Ramble On" over it in the Zeppelin catalog. That's just me, though. No "serious" person likes "Misty Mountain Hop," but I think it's fun. Yeah, the lyrics are dumb, but in the harmless, "'70s pothead who says words like 'dude' and 'cosmic' a lot, laughs at absolutely nothing, and eats ten bags of Cheetos a day" sense, not in the "offensively stupid or ignorant" sense. In other words, harmless, and kinda funny. Actually, all the lyrics in Led Zeppelin's entire history that aren't about sex are like that. Plus it's so bouncy! It's the only Zeppelin song you can dance to! How about that? It's a guilty pleasure for me, but I still enjoy it immensely. "Rock and Roll" does just what it promises, and it's my favorite of Zeppelin's short, punchy rockers. Bonzo's rhythm is unbeatable, and there's a multi-tracked guitar solo. Despite my seeming lack of manliness (yeah, I'm a guy), I do have some testosterone, and it really gets what little of it there is pounding. By the opposite token, "Going to California" is one of the prettiest, most quaint, folksy, and downright cute things in Zeppelin's catalog. Despite me not being much of a Robert Plant fan, I still love the way he sings, "La-la-la-la-la" after one of the verses. It's just so damn adorable! And I know that every Zeppelin fan who wasn't theoretically stabbing my hypothetical picture already is doing so now, but hey. Adorable is good. And you want a searing musical interpretation of a hurricane? Check out "When the Levee Breaks," a very successful mood piece and arguably the best song on the record. Bonzo's drums thunder - his intro is justly one of the most famous of all time - Page's guitars sting, burn, and all kinds of other stuff, and Plant's harmonica wails away. John Paul Jones doesn't do much, which is a shame, because he's my favorite member of the band. But hey, you can't have it all.
If you were to cut out "Four Sticks," and give Robert Plant a bit less time at the mike, this would be a better album. But it's fine the way it is. I still refuse to admit it or anything else Zeppelin ever made is a masterpiece. If that's the way you roll, more power to you. But it's not the way I roll. So no power for me. Oh well. Still, this is probably my second, third, fourth, fifth, or whatever Zeppelin album. It's tough to decide between those first four. They're all very worthy four-star records, and I actually think they're of the exact same quality, more or less. Whatever. Zep's first five all are great.
 Best Album from Led Zeppelin. July 23, 2008
Andrew (Somewhere)
This album ROCKS, with a capital R. John Bonham's drumming is the best. Every song on here is awesome, especially Rock and Roll, and Stairway To Heaven. Another Great song is When The Levee Breaks. It is no wonder that so many rock fans, and magazines consider it to be one of the greatest rock albums ever made.
Rock without the c*ck July 9, 2008
hermitcooper (United Kingdom)
Way rockier than Triumph Unseen by Nick Worrall but no less brilliant. Hailed by most who hear it as a classic it very probably is. Buy it and find out.
Led Zeppelin, "Led Zeppelin IV aka ZOSO), 1971 July 8, 2008
pinkfloyd (annoymus countries)
By the far the best Led Zeppelin album you can buy and one of the greatest rock albums you can buy. This is Led Zeppelins best period of time and when they sounded the best and were the best. All eight songs on here are great and this album should be bought by any fan of rock music.
1. Black Dog, a nice start too this album and has good blues singing(Robert Plant), and plus the beat on here is very cool and that guitar sound is very nice. Great song 5/5 stars
2. Rock N Roll, this song has one of the coolest drum intros of all time and its riff and beat cant be sold. A classic song that so many people today still download. Nothing else too say except its a great song and if you havent heard it than download it now. 5/5 stars
3. The Battle Of Evermore, pretty good song but its too soft and gets a little boring 4/5 stars
4. Stairway Too Heaven, great song and great guitar on this song. I love this song great zeppelin song 5/5 stars
5. Misty Mountain Hop, now this is where things start getting heavier. This Led Zeppelin back too the beggining. A nice cool rock beat and a cool drum beat also great song, 5/5 stars
6. Four Sticks, another good song and has a cool drum intro to this and has a nice riff. great all around song,
5/5 stars
7. Going Too California, a great song also not much more too say, 5/5 stars
8. When The Levee Breaks, a nice way too end this album and has a cool heavy blues rock beat too it. Great song 5/5 stars
buy this album now if you dont have it...
"Over the hills where the spirits fly...." July 3, 2008
take403
This Led Zeppelin album is one of those albums that's a little hard to classify since virtually every style they've been known for is represented. It's also the beginning of unconventional artsy album covers as there are no pictures of the band, nor does the name Led Zeppelin appear. In the days of LP records, only the lyrics of "Starway to Heaven" could be found in the inner sleeve and the 4 individal symbols for each band member. Technically, there's no official name for the album, though fans have called it "Led Zeppelin IV" or "Zoso" or "Runes" or even "Stairway to Heaven."
The hard rockin' "Black Dog" starts out this album. Guitarist Jimmy Page hits the E chord several times and then Robert Plant sings "Hey, hey, mama, say the way you move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove." Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham answer furiously. All of the members shine on here.
"Rock and Roll" follows, a 1950's Chuck Berry style rocker. Bonham (aka Bonzo) hits the snare drum for the intro and Page lets loose with a killer riff. Jonesy adds some Jerry Lee Lewis style piano. I'll bet you won't be able to just stand still and listen to this song!
The English folk piece "The Battle of Evermore" helps mellow the mood. Page plays an acoustic guitar here, Jonesy plays mandolin and Plant shares lead with Sandy Denny. The lyrics speak of Tolkien influence.
"Stairway to Heaven" needs no introduction. What could I tell you that you haven't read on this page already? If you've ever had the dial on FM somewhere, you're quite familiar with this close-to-8 minute epic. In fact, I'll bet even some of your parents listened in bewilderment even in 1971. Folk and hard rock are combined in this song. The song's lyrics have been interpreted on many levels.
"Misty Mountain Hop" sounds enigmatic in the verses, both melodically and lyrically. Jonesy starts it off with an electric piano riff (A, G, E) with Page answering the riff on guitar, with Bonzo adding in a fill on drums. Plant multitracks his voice.
"Four Sticks" is an Eastern sounding rocker, heavier than "Friends" and perhaps a precursor to "Kashmir."
The 1960's style folk ditty "Going to California" mellows the mood again, with an acoustic guitar from Page and Plant singing in an uncharacteristic baritone. The lyrics seem to speak of hoping to find happiness out in California.
"When the Levee Breaks" is the only blues song on the album. It is also the only song where Plant plays harmonica. The song is based off an old Memphis Minnie blues standard and for 7 minutes Led Zeppelin plays raunchy blues, ending with an unusual coda, which sounds almost like an abrupt earthquake (I don't know for sure but it sounds like Page is playing a banjo through an amplifier).
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