LED ZEPPELIN IV

Led Zeppelin IV is my favorite album ever made. Not an original choice but there is a reason this album is so highly touted. This album covers such massive range musically, from Zep's most complex riff in Black Dog to the massive harmonica/drum groove of Levee Breaks to the classic psychedelic folk of Going to California one never thinks about the band experimenting just for the sake of experimentation, one never thinks this is progressive, though it certainly was, one simply sits backs and enjoys.

Black Dog with its circular riff, turning and tripping over itself while Plant's voice screams in ectasy, is the culmination of heavy Led Zep. Certainly there are other great riffs, but this song pulls it all together. It is Whole Lotta Love grown up, made more musically intricate and at the same time more crushing.

Rock and Roll anyone who has tried to play the intro to this song in a band successfully knows that this isn't just a straight blues rock number, though it is certainly these least proggy of the album. Great drum and guitar work.

Battle of Evermore is a song that I was recently treated to courtesy of Plant and Alison Kraus, and it was one of the most exhiliration experiences I have had a live concert. Sandy Denny's voice on the original is more haunting to be sure, and the music balances the fantasy lyrics perfectly.

Stairway to Heaven needs no comment

Misty Mountain Hop begins with another rhythmically interesting riff that alters itself slightly as Plant begins singing. Though it is definitely heavy, it evokes feelings of sitting among the hippies at least as well as the softer tunes on the record.

Four Sticks Another great off time riff, another layered brilliance. This is probably the least revered song on the album. It seems like one part of a long epic that is side 2.

Going to California is perhaps my favorite Led Zep song. The layering of acoustic instruments make the song sound more complex than it really is. Remarkably beautiful, the highlight of the concert I saw with Plant in the mid-90's

When the Levee Breaks the massive groove of the drums, the brilliant harmonica, the ache in Plant's voice. Great way to end the album.

Frankly, the biggest weakness of this album is that Stairway is on it. I have been skipping it for a long time, as I've heard it too many times and it no longer really has more to give me. It also stands alone a bit in an album the flows together so wonderfully.

5/5 is not enough to award the best album of the rock era. The only question is if it's essential for Proggies. If prog is pushing the definition of a genre, using a wide variety of music styles within a single piece, then this record qualifies for certain. Certainly in Prog Related it deserves the label of masterpiece.