| Date | Label | Catalog # | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | LP |
The first tune, "Black Dog", seems at the beginning a simple rock tune, but the beat is varied and this piece has some fun twist. It can sometime still be heard at student’s parties.
"Rock and Roll" is the fun prototype of heavy rock & roll danceable music. For me, those two songs are very different from the rest of the album. I was always puzzled by the choice of pieces for this project; there seems to be a universe of differences between the commercial beginning of the album and the progressive nature of most of the tunes that followed. I must add that the progressive pieces are musically far more interesting.
So when the next track begins, the first note seems to emerge from a whole new project than the previous songs. With "The Battle of Evermore" and its vocals, the decisive progressive step is made. It is different from the rock/blues standards the group has offered until then. It prefigures the direction taken on Houses of The Holy. The only thing missing is the strong presence of the keyboards and bass of John Paul Jones as will be evident on No Quarter. To be fair, I can point to a few previous songs on their first three albums that could be qualified as progressive rock (so hints of progressive rock could be found on Black Mountain Side and How Many More Times of Led Zeppelin I, "The Lemon Song", "Thank You" and "Ramble On" of Led Zeppelin II, "Friends", "Gallows Pole", and "That's The Way" of Led Zeppelin III).
"Stairway to Heaven" is a classic that needs no presentation (I liked the version that Frank Zappa made on The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life Disc 2). It confirms the progressive turn of the group that will be even more evident in the b-side of the album.
"Misty Mountain Hop" offers an interesting construction that may be seen as a transition between standard heavy rock and progressive rock. The vocal of Plant (don't care really don't care) is for me the most interesting element. It spiralled wonderfully with the beat.
"Four Sticks" is my personal all time favorite of Led Zeppelin IV. When I choose music for the road, it is always there. This is a great progressive rock song. The beat transcends ordinary rock and the chorus open a door to that new musical universe. The drumming of John Bonham is simply superb. As always Robert Plant vocal contribute aptly and guide us on that dreamlike path. Even today, it is for me one of the best progressive songs of the past. Like great vintage Bordeaux, it has aged gracefully.
"Going to California" begins as a quite ordinary ballad, but watch out, accent of something else permeate it. And it is a transition song to a glorious finish.
"When The Levee Breaks" is my second favorite moment of the album and it is definitely a progressive rock classic. The drum beat may be mostly steady, but the guitar of Jimmy Page opens up some new vistas. Wow! The flood of a new sound is arriving.
