Led Zeppelin IV
Studio album by Led Zeppelin
Released	November 8, 1971
Recorded	December 1970 – March 1971 at Headley Grange, Hampshire, with The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio; Island Studios, London; Sunset Sound, Los Angeles. A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist Led Zeppelin were Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Headley Grange is a former Poorhouse in Headley, East Hampshire, England, UK. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio is a mobile Recording studio owned by the musical group the Rolling Stones. Sarm West Studios, also known as SARM Studios, originally known as Basing Street Studios, is a Recording studio located in Notting Hill, London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Sunset Sound Recorders is a recording studio in Hollywood California, located at 6650 Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Mixed at Island Studios, London; Olympic Studios, London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Olympic Studios is a commercial Recording studio located at 117 Church Road in the south-western suburb of Barnes in London, England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock, folk rock
Length	42:33
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Jimmy Page
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (A) link NME (9/10) [October 2, 1992 p. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Blues-rock is a hybrid musical genre combining Bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended Boogie jams with Rock Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of Folk music and rock music. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Robert Christgau (born April 18 1942) is an American Essayist, Music journalist, and the self-declared "Dean of American The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music Magazine in the United Kingdom which has been 29] Q [July 1994] Rolling Stone (Favorable) December 11, 1971 p. 63
Led Zeppelin chronology
Led Zeppelin III (1970) Led Zeppelin IV (1971) Houses of the Holy (1973)

Led Zeppelin IV is the common, but unofficial name of the untitled fourth album of English rock band Led Zeppelin. Q is a Music Magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 130179 as of June 2007 Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published Led Zeppelin were Led Zeppelin III is the third album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. Houses of the Holy is the fifth album by English rock band Led Zeppelin released by Atlantic Records on 28 March England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Led Zeppelin were It was released on November 8, 1971. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. It has no official title printed anywhere on the album, but is called Led Zeppelin IV after the band's previous three albums. Atlantic Records catalogs have used the names Four Symbols ( ) and The Fourth Album; it has also been referred to as Zoso, which the first symbol appears to spell. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page frequently refers to the album in interviews as Led Zeppelin IV, while singer Robert Plant thinks of it as "the fourth album, that's it". James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948 West Bromwich, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter famous for his membership in the It is one of the best-selling albums in history, with over 23 million units sold in the United States, third most by any artist of all-time. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[1]

Overview

The album was initially recorded at Island Records's newly opened Basing Street Studios, London at the same time as Jethro Tull's Aqualung,^[2] before further recordings took place at Headley Grange, a remote Victorian house in East Hampshire, England, as well as Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, CA. Island Records is a Record label that was founded by British record producers in Jamaica. Sarm West Studios, also known as SARM Studios, originally known as Basing Street Studios, is a Recording studio located in Notting Hill, London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967-1968 Their music is marked by the distinctive vocal style and lead Flute work of front man Aqualung is the fourth studio album by the rock band Jethro Tull, released in 1971. Headley Grange is a former Poorhouse in Headley, East Hampshire, England, UK. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities Settlements and Parishes Settlements in East Hampshire include Alton Beech, Bentley, Bentworth Sunset Sound Recorders is a recording studio in Hollywood California, located at 6650 Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

After the lukewarm, if not confused and sometimes dismissive, critical reaction Led Zeppelin III had received in the autumn of 1970, Jimmy Page decided that the next Led Zeppelin album would not have a title, but would instead feature four hand-drawn symbols on the inner sleeve and record label, each one chosen by the band member it represents. Led Zeppelin III is the third album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. "We decided that on the fourth album, we would deliberately play down the group name, and there wouldn't be any information whatsoever on the outer jacket", Page explained. "Names, titles and things like that do not mean a thing. "^[3]

Owing to the lack of an official title, Atlantic Records initially distributed graphics of the symbols in many sizes to the press for inclusion in charts and articles. The album was one of the first to be produced without conventional identification, and this communicated an anti-commercial stance that was controversial at the time (especially among certain executives at Atlantic Records).

Led Zeppelin IV remains a perennial favorite on classic rock radio and features "Stairway to Heaven", one of the most famous and popular rock songs ever recorded. Classic rock was originally conceived as a Radio station programming format which evolved from the Album oriented rock (AOR format in the early-1980s " Stairway to Heaven " is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin.

Reception and influence

In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Led Zeppelin IV the 26th greatest album of all time; in 2000 "Q" placed it at #26 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. Q is a Music Magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 130179 as of June 2007 In 2003, the album was ranked number 66 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published It is #7 on Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of the 1970s. Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a Chicago -based daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary A 2005 listener poll conducted by Toronto, Ontario classic rock station Q107 named Led Zeppelin IV the #2 best classic rock album of all time. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec CILQ-FM is a radio station broadcasting at 1071 FM in Toronto, Ontario. In 2006, the album was rated #1 on Classic Rock magazine's 100 Greatest British Albums poll; that same year it was voted #1 in Guitar World 100 Greatest Albums readers' poll and was ranked #7 in ABC media's top ten albums. Guitar World is a monthly Music Magazine devoted to Guitarists It contains original interviews album and gear

The symbols

Each member of the band chose a personal emblem for the cover. Left to right, their members and meanings:

• Jimmy Page's symbol is generally referred to as "ZoSo," though its symbols have nonalphabetic connotations Page's symbol was not meant to spell ZoSo but to generate curiosity and mystery. James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Though it is thought to represent fire. It was designed by Page himself. ^[3]
  

  The four symbols on the label and inside sleeve of Led Zeppelin IV, representing Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and Robert Plant (from left to right) respectively, they are also thought to represent fire, earth, water and air. Although the symbols are sometimes referred to as "Runes", they are sigils. Diabolical signatureA sigil ( or /ˈsɪgəl/ pl sigilia or sigils is a symbol created for a specific magical purpose
• John Paul Jones' symbol is a single circle intersecting 3 vesica pisces (a triquetra). John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946) is an English Musician, Composer, arranger, Record Circles are simple Shapes of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane which are at a constant Distance, called the The vesica piscis is a Shape which is the intersection of two Circles with the same radius intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference Triquetra (tɹaɪ'kw&epsilontɹə is a word derived from the Latin tri- ("three" and quetrus ("cornered" Taken from The Book of Signs by Rudolf Koch, it symbolises a person with confidence and competence, it also represents water which is one of the base elements. ^[4]
• John Bonham's symbol, the three interlocking rings, represents the trinity of mother, father and child. John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham (May 31 1948 – September 25 1980 was an English Drummer and member of the band Led Zeppelin. It could also depict an aerial view of a drum kit. It does in fact represent the idea of trilogies and trios, and, more commonly, is a Christian symbol for the Trinity. In the 1990 Bonham tribute radio special, "It's Been A Long Time", son Jason Bonham stated that the symbol was chosen as a representation of man, woman, and child. Jason Bonham (born July 15, 1966) is an English Drummer and son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Jones's and Bonham's symbols fitting together — one to the other inside out, inverse images — is no accident. In any band, the bassist and drummer form interlocking parts of a rhythm section. A rhythm section is the Musicians in a Popular music band or ensemble who establish the Rhythmic pulse of a Song or musical The symbol also happens to be the logo for Ballantine beer, and it also represents earth which is a base element. ^[3] Former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has Bonham's symbol tattooed on his right wrist. In sramanic philosophy Nirvana (निर्वाण| Nirvāṇa; निब्बान Nibbāna; Prakrit: णिव्वाण Foo Fighters is an American Alternative rock and Post-grunge band formed by singer/guitarist Dave Grohl in 1995 David Eric Grohl (born January 14 1969 is an American rock musician Singer and Songwriter.
• The symbol for Robert Plant is the feather of the Egyptian goddess Ma'at, representing truth, justice, fairness and writing, encapsulated by an unbroken circle representing life. Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948 West Bromwich, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter famous for his membership in the Maat or Mayet, thought to have been pronounced as *Muʔʕat (Muh-aht was the Ancient Egyptian concept of Truth, balance order— Law According to Egyptian mythology, Osiris, the god of judgment and death, would take the heart of those who died and put it on a balance with the feather of Ma'at. Osiris ( Greek language, also Usiris; the Egyptian language name is variously transliterated Asar, Aser, Ausar, Ausir If the heart outweighed the feather, the person's soul would go to hell, but on the other hand, if the heart was lighter than the feather, the soul would go to heaven,^[3] it also represents wand or air, also elements. Wand is from certain colts.

There is also a fifth, smaller symbol chosen by guest vocalist Sandy Denny representing her contribution to "The Battle of Evermore"; it appears in the credits list on the inner sleeve of the LP, serving as an asterisk and is shaped like three triangles touching at their points. Sandy Denny, born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny ( 6 January 1947 &ndash 21 April 1978) was an English Singer " The Battle of Evermore " is an acoustic guitar and Mandolin song by the English Rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on their An asterisk ( *) (Latin asteriscum "little star" from Greek ἀστερίσκος) is a Typographical symbol or Glyph

During Led Zeppelin's tour of the United Kingdom in Winter 1971, which took place shortly following the release of the album, the band visually projected the four symbols on their stage equipment. Led Zeppelin 's Winter 1971 United Kingdom Tour was a Concert tour of the United Kingdom by the English rock band. Jimmy Page's "Zoso" symbol was put onto one of his Marshall amplifiers, John Bonham's three interlinked circles adorned the outer face of his bass drum, John Paul Jones had his symbol stenciled onto material which was draped across his Fender Rhodes keyboard and Robert Plant's feather symbol was painted onto a side speaker PA cabinet. James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Marshall Amplification is a British company which designs and manufactures music amplifiers. John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham (May 31 1948 – September 25 1980 was an English Drummer and member of the band Led Zeppelin. A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946) is an English Musician, Composer, arranger, Record A Rhodes piano is an electromechanical Musical instrument, a brand of Electric piano. A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a Musical instrument, particularly the piano Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948 West Bromwich, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter famous for his membership in the Only Page's and Bonham's symbols were retained for subsequent Led Zeppelin concert tours. From September 1968 through the summer of 1980, English Rock group Led Zeppelin performed hundreds of Concerts around the world being ^[5]

Album cover and inside sleeve

The painting on the front of the album, showing an old man carrying a bundle of sticks, was allegedly purchased from a junk shop in Reading, Berkshire by a Led Zeppelin roadie (Jimmy Page has stated it was bought by Robert Plant)^[6] and affixed to the internal, papered wall of the partly demolished house for the photograph to be taken. A junk shop is a Retail store that sells Secondhand goods cheaply Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between

Led Zeppelin IV outer gatefold album cover

The typeface for the lyrics to "Stairway to Heaven", printed on the inside sleeve of the album, was Page's contribution. He found it in an old arts and crafts magazine called Studio Magazine which started in the late 1800s. Studio Magazine was an early 20th century illustrated magazine published in Britain. He thought the lettering interesting and arranged for someone to work up a whole alphabet. ^[6]

Track listing

Side one

1. "Black Dog" (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones) – 4:57
2. "Rock and Roll" (Page, Plant, Jones, John Bonham) – 3:40
3. "The Battle of Evermore" (Page, Plant) – 5:52
4. "Stairway to Heaven" (Page, Plant) – 8:00

Side two

1. "Misty Mountain Hop" (Page, Plant, Jones) – 4:38
2. "Four Sticks" (Page, Plant) – 4:46
3. "Going to California" (Page, Plant) – 3:31
4. "When the Levee Breaks" (Page, Plant, Jones, Bonham, Memphis Minnie) – 7:07

Personnel

• Jimmy Page – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, producer, remastering, digital remastering
• Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica
• John Paul Jones – synthesizer, bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin, recorders
• John Bonham – drums
• Ian Stewart – piano (on "Rock and Roll", uncredited)
• Sandy Denny – vocals (on track 3)
• Peter Grant – executive producer
• George Chkiantz – mixing
• Andy Johns – engineer, mixing
• Graphreaks – design coordinator
• Barrington Colby Mom – inside illustration (The Hermit)

CD Mastering engineers

• Joe Sidore - original CD (mid-1980s)
• George Marino - remastered CD (1990)

Chart positions

Album

Singles

Certifications

In popular culture

In the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High; Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) tells Mark Ratner (Brian Backer): "When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side 1 of Led Zeppelin IV. The Canadian Recording Industry Association is a Non-profit trade organization that was founded in 1964 to represent the interests of Canadian companies Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen - Comedy film written by Cameron Crowe (adapted Robert Romanus (b July 17, 1956) also billed as Bob Romanus, is an American Actor who has starred in film and television Brian Backer (born December 5, 1956, Brooklyn New York) is an American Actor who has starred in film and on television " This line was voted in Entertainment Weekly as one of "50 Great Movie Quotes of the Last Half Century". Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc ^[7] Led Zeppelin IV has only two sides, and in the next scene, Ratner is on the date with Physical Graffiti's "Kashmir" playing in the car. Physical Graffiti is the sixth album by the English Hard rock band Led Zeppelin. " Kashmir " is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. According to the DVD commentary track, the error was not intentional, and the director speculated that the mistake could be used to show Damone's lack of knowledge. In actuality, Universal Pictures couldn't get the rights to any of the songs on Led Zeppelin IV, despite screenwriter Cameron Crowe's prior relationship to the band, so they opted to use "Kashmir" instead. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an Academy Award -winning American Writer and Film director. Cadillac also used the song "Rock and Roll" in an ad campaign, debuted during the 2002 Superbowl, for a number of years.

See also

• The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
• Symbols (album), a similarly graphically titled album by KMFDM

References

External links

• Led Zeppelin IV at MusicBrainz