Led Zeppelin IV. Five Stars.
This is where it's at. The Holy Grail of 70's rock music. Everyone's heard it, knows it, loves it. Even I'll admit it's great. So why am I going to review it, I ask...
Black Dog is a wonderful opener. It's got a lot of panache and confidence, and is complex to boot... I'm trying to avoid saying it sounds like Led Zeppelin, but why not? This record is the pure distillation of their sound.
It moves on with Rock and Roll. Hard not to like this one. It's everything you'd expect - drums, guitars, a beat that never falters, Plant wailing... Great housecleaning tune.
Things wind down for the more artistic, mandolin-driven fantasy The Ballad of Evermore. Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention guest stars. She helps give this song a completely unique flavor in the band's canon, and her voice meshes with Plant's extraordinarily well. Excellent from start to finish.
But it's Stairway to Heaven everyone knows is the centerpiece. It's a casualty of Classic Rock Radio, but if you're very lucky and haven't heard it to death, then you can fully enjoy the breathtaking beauty of it. When I first heard it, I never wanted the song to end, it was that good. Nowadays I'm more cynical. It's Misty Mountain Hop I'm here for.
Misty Mountain Hop is an amusing piece of work. The beat is what everybody will remember, but I just like the poor, confused narrator's encounter with hippies in a park. It's really a fun track, just like Rock and Roll .
Four Sticks is a good song. I like the chorus and John Bonham's percussion. It's oddly forgettable, which left it as my least favorite for years, but now I'm starting to really appreciate the track. Plant's voice is quite eerie toward the end.
Okay, I vote for Going to Calafornia as the real weak link. It's a nice interlude, but somehow quite wishy-washy. A bit overwrought. It picks up as it plays, but really isn't great.
And it's eclipsed by When the Levee Breaks. A positively apocalyptic, unholy blues epic. The whole thing rocks with splendid grandeur. It finishes the record on a very strong note.
It's hard to fault this record. So why isn't it my favorite? Why doesn't it make it onto my top 20? Perhaps it's because there are other albums with more personality quirks, or because I like to root for the underdogs. It certainly isn't because this doesn't measure to its reputation.
I really LOVE these reviews!!! I want you to review absolutely every CD in the collection! Mine included of course :)
ReplyDeleteThere are important volumes missing from quite a few... Tull is fairly complete to about 1978... the artists who only did a couple records is easy but I'd say there's no real reason to pursue complete catalogue reviews because none of these catalogues is entirely complete and without being fanatical there's no point in buying the lesser works and in some cases it's actually daunting to set about getting a complete collection.
ReplyDeleteSo I'd recommend reviewing whatever you're listening to. Whatever strikes you fancy.
Obviously it's harder to write about artists you've not spent much time with or genres you not well versed in. Do a little background research and go for it or just stick to the stuff you're more familure with. More writing will facilitate greater ease.