Review #58: Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin
#58: Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin
My dad and I were both incensed that Led Zeppelin hadn’t even made the Top 50. After having listened to this album twice (but really for probably the fiftieth time), I still think this is probably the best rock album of all time, ever, point-blank. There’s just so much good stuff! It sounds like it was written by Vikings on top of a really tall mountain while they waged war on killer whales.
Is it the plagiarism, Rolling Stone? Is that why you have Led Zeppelin so punishingly low? Because Andrew Lloyd Webber was also a nasty rampant plagiarist and nobody’s knocking him off of Top Ten lists.
God. FIVE Beatles albums, THREE Bob Dylan albums, TWO Michael Jackson albums before we get to Led Zeppelin. What justice is there in this world?
This album rules and I loved it.
FAVORITE SONGS:
“Black Dog” — This one has the sweetest guitar riff ever. Another song you need to dance to.
“Rock and Roll” — This is the best song about rock and roll ever, no question.
“The Battle of Evermore” — This song REALLY makes me wish I owned a mandolin. One of the coolest references to Lord of the Rings ever. This ethereal backup singer is Sandy Denny, and she had a whole solo career and stuff but, yeah, this is probably the thing she’s known best for. She died eight years after this album came out at 31, so, unfortunately, she didn’t get much of a chance. :( Heart also does a stirring cover of this.
“Misty Mountain Hop” — Why does Robert Plant’s voice on this one crack me up?
“Four Sticks” — But oh man, his voice is SO cool here. Man, why aren’t I as good at the guitar as Jimmy Page?
“Going to California” — Very beautiful fingerpicking; it sounds like a waterfall.
“When the Levee Breaks” — Amazing, I wish this album was three times as long.
LEAST FAVORITE SONGS:
“Stairway to Heaven” — Well, I’m not going to pretend that I don’t love this song, but some guitar stores ban people from playing this song, which cracks me up, so “Stairway” belongs here at the bottom of the pile.
IS RS FULL OF IT?
I know that they plagiarized a lot of songs, but come on. Don’t act like this isn’t one of the best rock albums ever. I’m not saying this needs to be a Top 10 album, but don’t you think it should at least be Top 25?
RS is FULL OF IT, and has been since the beginning of time.
