Tuesday, January 14, 2014

#266: Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (1971)


Zack: I also listened to this album while grading, because grading exams is a slow, terrible process and any current students should buy their TAs chocolate or something before they take their next one because you are about to make that nice person’s life hell with your attempts to decode boundless information in narrow time spans and your damn cursive. Seriously, stop with the cursive. It’s borderline illegible to everyone but you and makes you seem like you attended elementary school in the 1940s, spending nights carving serial numbers in bullets to help the war effort. Serial numbers that you, somehow, found a way to carve in cursive. But I digress. Led Zeppelin IV contains Stairway to Heaven. Stairway to Heaven may not be as beloved in the Wayne’s World universe, but it’s adored here, so that’s fantastic. Honestly, if this album was just Stairway to Heaven on repeat, I’d be content. But it’s got so much more! Like 7-more-songs-worth! There’s Black Dog, Going to California, and Rock and Roll. If I haven’t sold you on this album yet, then we’ve got beef. And we’ve also got The Battle of Evermore, which doubles as my favorite episode of Game of Thrones, and Four Sticks, which doubles as a joke I’m not going to finish because I’m an adult. In summation, Led Zeppelin IV is jam-packed with classic songs, and stands out even among Zeppelin’s jewel-encrusted catalogue. It’s all the hard-rocking, mystical, loud goodness history has told us we should expect from THE band of the 70s, and you can’t hate on that.
Favorite Tracks: Stairway to Heaven; Going to California; Black Dog

Emily: I re-read my post about Physical Graffiti before I listened to this album since it has been so long since we tackled a Led Zeppelin album. Turns out I wasn't much of a fan. Led Zeppelin IV, however, is the band's best-known and one of their most highly acclaimed albums - I mean, it has Stairway to Heaven on it - so I kept an open mind and figured that millions of fans and dozens of critics couldn't be wrong. And I'm glad I did. Led Zeppelin IV has many of the band's classic hard-rock songs, but the album also contains a more mystical, ethereal quality that rises above the sound and fury to add depth and intrigue. Maybe I'll give Physical Graffiti a relisten too - three years time and a bit of context just may change my mind.
Favorite Tracks: Rock & Roll; Stairway to Heaven; Going to California

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