Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV

An album that needs no grand introductions as it is fundamental both for the career of the "fantastic 4" Plant-Page-Jones-Bonham who made up the legendary Led Zeppelin and for the entire history of world Rock from the '70s to today is undoubtedly the well-known Led Zeppelin IV, released by the powerful Atlantic record label between the end of 1971 and the beginning of 1972.

However, the genesis of this album requires a much broader discussion, starting from the period in which it was recorded: the initial phases begin in the second half of 1970, when the quartet, humiliated by the heavy criticism received mainly from the overseas press regarding their Led Zeppelin III of that year, judged too “light” and far removed from the fury of the famous “brown bomber” (the equally well-known Led Zeppelin II), decided to get back to work for a quick redemption, recording the first tracks firstly in the serene rural location of Bron-Y-Aur in Wales (where, incidentally, III was recorded), then moving the production to the countryside of Headby Grange in Hampshire and finally to Los Angeles, considered in every sense their “second home” (for reasons mainly related to the great popularity they had achieved there from the start as opposed to in their home country).

But the album in question came to prominence due to the great controversies that arose between the group and the record company concerning its realization: on one hand, the group pushed for a simple cover (essentially a picture depicting an old man carrying a bundle of sticks on his back), which initially provoked indignant reactions from the label that, on the other, saw this operation as a potential harm, according to the then-common practice, to potential sales.

In any case, this legal dispute was won by the Zeppelin, who thus obtained authorization from Atlantic to also insert another evocative image inside the album (featuring the old hermit from the tarot cards, probably owned by the celebrated English occultist Aleister Crowley, of whom Page was a fervent supporter) and a leaflet reproducing, on one side, the titles of the songs and the famous “five symbols” identifying the group: ZoSo for Page, a circle with a goose feather inside for Plant, a lotus flower with a circle in the background for Jones, and three concentric circles intersecting one another for Bonham. On the other side, however, we have the printed lyrics of their signature song, as well as an absolute masterpiece of both their production and '70s Rock: the aforementioned Stairway To Heaven.

So here we move on to the discussion in the strict sense of the album, which opens with the “open fire” of the compelling Black Dog which features a Page already pretty charged up with powerful riffs and a final solo, and Plant dealing with the usual warblings on the verge of hysteria. It is followed by the equally splendid Rock 'N' Roll, inspired by a drum improvisation by Bonham of the famous Good Golly Miss Molly by Little Richard from which Plant spontaneously penned the lyrics and Ian Stewart (a famous keyboards collaborator at the time for the Rolling Stones) crafted a nice boogie on the electric piano.

The first side continues with the enchanting folk/rock of The Battle Of Evermore, inspired by the fantasy stories of Tolkien, featuring as a guest the soprano voice of the Fairyport Convention’s Sandy Danny, who magnificently duets with Plant in a blend of voices undoubtedly fascinating.

The main course is served with the already mentioned Stairway To Heaven, depicting the story of a woman in continuous search of the so-called “stairway to paradise”, symbolizing substantial inner purity that she herself aspires to, but in fact, this song is composed of two parts: the first is marked by Page’s magical acoustic guitar and a masterful John Paul Jones on the Hammond organ with Plant who punctuates these unforgettable initial verses: “There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold / and she's buying a Stairway To Heaven / and when she gets there she knows / if the stores are closed / with a word she can get what she came for”; in the second, however, we witness an incredible crescendo, led as usual by Bonham’s compelling drumming and a magnificent electric guitar solo (not his usual Gibson LesPaul, but rather a '62 Fender Telecaster, even gifted to him by the celebrated Jeff Beck during his stint in The Yardbirds, in place of the legendary Eric Clapton who then moved to the Cream), considered one of the best (if not the best) guitar solos in Rock history.

The second side opens with the enveloping Misty Mountain Hop, characterized by Jones' electric piano and Bonham’s always powerful rolls, followed by Four Sticks with a decidedly funk impact and the folk track Going To California, clearly dedicated to the mythical Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell and with a theme inspired, as evident also from the title itself, by the Zeppelin's experiences in California since the beginning.

The album concludes with the powerful When The Levee Breaks, derived by Page from a recording of a classic blues from 1928 and genetically transformed with the insertion of distorted guitars and a reversed echo harmonica solo, almost symbolizing the visceral attachment of the Zeppelin to that “blues sentiment” that from the outset represented for them the cornerstone on which to base their brilliant career.

In essence, we are thus dealing with an album of historic proportions, which could already suffice in itself to best describe the wonders of this legendary “Hammer of the Gods,” especially in the period of their maximum splendor, which in fact began with this album and continued with the subsequent Houses Of The Holy in 1973 and the double album Physical Graffiti in 1975.