Mine is the OG. When Heart sang it at the Kennedy center I believe honoring Led Zeppelin. Jon Bonhams son playing drums. Jack Black had the best intro. You can watch it on RUclips
I’m glad they finally found the identity of the man in the photo. His name is Lot Long he is from a small town in England and the photo it’s self was taken in 1892
An album with no name, no singles, and still found the way to be part of rock history. I have to admit that even though it is the most cliche song, I absolutely love stairway to heaven.
What do you mean, "no singles"? Its single "Black Dog" was Top 40 in nine countries. Its "Rock and Roll" single charted in four countries. I think "Stairway To Heaven" is great, too. Have a nice day. :-)
@@bobdavis4848 sorry about that, I think the ideas just crossed my mind, I was thinking about Stairway to heaven was not a single and ended up writing no singles hehe
@@rodrilefou2091 I understand; that's OK, thanks for explaining. :-) I was hoping the "what do you mean" didn't sound rude. There was just a promotional only single of "Stairway To Heaven" but sent to DJs, not in a store's single section, so it doesn't really count.
1971 was an epic year for classic LPs. Sticky Fingers. Imagine, Hunky Dory, Who's Next, this masterpiece, among others. It doesn't get any better. You have great taste!
“That Song” got over-played for a reason. I submit that, even though we might see it as chichéd, if it comes on the radio it’s one of those songs that gets left on till it’s finished…
As is with so many middle boomers, Led Zeppelin was and still is, to those who never grew up, so very very meaningful. It was perfect music to escape to far off places in our heads with, no hallucinogens or stimulants needed. They never let me down.
Led Zeppelin literally changed the course of music ! I was 15 when i bought Zep 1 in 68 and when i first heard Battle of Evermore it was so beautiful i instantly became a Sandy Denny devotee !
Did they roll it out early in some places? In most places Zeppelin 1 came out in '69, if you've got an early one that might be worth a pile of money these days!
@@SonofSethoitae Some of the U.S. radio stations and record stores had it by December '68, one of the reasons why the Boston Tea Party gig that month was packed out. Ironically, the U.K. was one of the last places to get a release. If you've got a copy with "Led Zeppelin" in blue on the sleeve instead of orange, that's worth something like $300. It took some time to come out because it was recorded before they'd signed a deal, the recording was paid for by Page himself. This was one of the things that gave them the confidence to release the fourth album without their name on it or even a title.
The first time I heard "the song", (yes, I'm that old) is when I bought the album and brought it home. FM radio was just coming of age when IV was released. 'Rock and Roll' was probably the only track most of us heard on the radio, until the mid to late 70's, when AOR became the thing. Yea, after that, "the song" got played to death.
I’m 53, I didn’t care if I heard certain bands ever again having played them to death. Led Zeppelin being one. After your analysis I’m breaking them out again. Great review.
First, thank you for this video. Great review! Second, I love Led Zeppelin. LZIV is fantastic! There is no weak song on it. STH is, IMHO, a masterpiece. When that album came out, no one could get enough of the entire album in general and of STH in particular. I remember the first time I ever heard the album. My friend played it on his very-high-quality stereo while a whole roomful of us sat and listened in awe. (His parents were rich; his system cost just over $4,000.00---a month before LZIV came out. That would be about $30,000.00 today. I, OTOH, was lucky to afford food, clothing, and shelter.) When I sit and listen to LZIV, I am transported back to the days of my youth. I am nineteen again, and LZ is rocking the whole world. Oh, to live just one more day in the early Seventies!
i love stories like these. for a long time you just didn’t get together with friends to all listen to an album together (but album release parties are coming back!)
'The Battle Of Evermore'. I have this sailboat that I built from aircraft lumber. I saved the wood, and materialsI in my apartment in Downtown Houston; ( that took 3 1/2 years). Then I lived on it for 9 1/2 years, in Key West. The name of the boat is: "Easting". Lyrics from that song. It's still central to my life. Pretty much one of the few things that I care about.
The big song for me on this one is When The Levee Breaks, mainly cause of Bonham's drums. I like Four Sticks a lot too, it helps it's not overplayed and Battle of Evermore cause of the great guest vocal from Sandy Denny.
Jimmy Page was meticulous in strategically placing the microphones for John Bonham in the stairway at the (allegedly haunted Grange) for ‘Levee’ … the result speaks for itself.
1. Love your college borne communications skills. Grammer, enunciation and presentation is top notch. 2. Your musings are based in an understanding of music i've not seen in a child your age. 3. You, with a personality of maturity, mixed with a curiousity that can only be attributed to small humans. Innocent yet honest. 4. Overall, as a album reviewer, (i've seen tons), you're a ten out of ten. Not to mention a natural beauty that leads me to listen and watch that much closer. 5. Sadly im old enough to be your grandpa lol, which allows me to step back and warmly; fondly and respectfully tell you, good job kiddo. Keep it up.
19:15 This was not only one of the best Led IV reviews, but was one of the best When the Levee Breaks review i've heard Levee is my favorite song of all time, and i never get sick of either listening to the song or watching people talking about it And your review was freaking amazing Amazing channel and work
Enjoyed the analysis. I always find the cover art so enigmatic: the portrait of the reclusive hermit gathering sticks in the countryside; the decaying, derelict house walls; the overgrown suburb beyond, and the streamlined monolithic high-rise on the back. Seems to be a lament that all things are slowly passing into history? I'm still not sure. Cheers from London!
That line directly references the ceremonial burning of hedgerows to celebrate Vernal equinox ( Beltane). It's just a spring clean for the May Queen unveiled the meaning behind Stairway to Heaven. Which is about a girl chosen to be the bride of Belenus ( the Solar God) , but to wed the God means that she was sacrificed to transcend mortality. Thus buying the Stairway to Heaven.
This unassailable classic is Led Zeppelin's masterpiece. All their other albums contain fine, memorable music, but the untitled LP endures as their single most iconic outing. This album enshrines what may be my single favorite Zeppelin song, "Going to California", and even the overexposed "Stairway to Heaven" endures as a deserved classic, one of the all-time greats in the rock canon. Last but not least, this untitled 1971 beauty has my all-time favorite cover art of any music album. Congratulations, Abby, on another great, informative analysis. You don't simply offer your opinions, but go into detail about how they formed and why you hold them, demonstrating impressive research combined with considerable eloquence.
That opening bit of harmonic material heard in Stairway to Heaven is common enough in jazz that it has its own name. The minor descend cliche. It’s the basis for a LOT of long-standing minor chord based licks. Fun fact: the minor ascend cliche is the James Bond theme, basically. Also very common.
This is my favorite Zeppelin album. I know it may be a kind of lame choice, as this album is so iconic and quite overplayed, but to me it still represents all i love about Led Zeppelin best.
Some albums sell through the roof and achieve "classic" status because of sales and hype while others do the same simply because of their high quality, and Zeppelin IV is definitely because of the latter.
I have said it before, and it bears repeating; No matter what you have to say about LZ and especially “THAT SONG”, the fact of the matter is that they’ve been responsible for sooooo many people picking up and learning the guitar, every bit as much as Elvis Presley and The Beatles. And regardless of their mis-steps and such, I’d say that’s quite an accomplishment. And Abigail, once again, BRAVO on your presentation. College instructor-worthy!
I totally agree about Jimmy influencing gtr players. I consider him and the Beatles my guitar teachers. Without a doubt doubt learned the most from them. I’m a drummer first, and Bonzo, was my best drum teacher, along with Ringo. Learned so much from both those bands
The very first album i ever bought with my own money! I was a freshman high school student in an all boys catholic school in Manila where everything seemed to rock insofar as music was cocerned. Led Zeppelin was (and still is) my favorite band, and Led Zep 4 was my favorite Led Zeppelin album for as long as i can remember. Not long after when i started buying all of their records, i suddenly replaced Led Zeppelin 4 with Zeppelin 2 as my favorite record by the band. I was already in college when i started to really appreciate John Paul Jones as a musician and how he partnered with John Bonham to create what was in my opinion, the best kiss-ass rhythm section the rock genre has ever produced! Needless to say, Led Zeppelin 4 has become my second favorite Led Zep album next to Led Zeppelin 2 (a close second at that) with Physical Graffitti at the third spot. Thank You for including Led Zeppelin in your vinyl collection. Your program is very informative and entertaining and you are so pretty and intelligent and fun to watch. You remind me of a young and better (more intelligent) version of Goldie Hawn. Peace and Love be with you always! 😊
Joni Mitchell being the inspiration for Going to California makes perfect sense. The song fits her milieu, Jimmy’s strumming on the acoustic wouldn’t sound out of place on one of Joni’s albums, and I’ve heard that both Jimmy and Robert were huge fans of her work.
I think my favorite is When The Levee Breaks. It may not be the best song, but it really ends the album well. You did another great review, and your look is awesome! I believe this album is their biggest seller. It failed to hit the summit of the charts because Carole King was simply on fire with Tapestry, but it has become an enduring seller. The album is five stars out of five.
One of your best ever episodes of Vinyl Monday. It helps of course when I'm actually into the album. I always have to watch twice because I never hear anything the first time.
Have a couple US pressings one is a white label promo. Love When the Levee Breaks. Got into 78 collecting and have the Memphis Minnie Kansas Joe on Columbia. Stones, Zep, Cream etc. etc. got me into 78 collecting. Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Barbecue Bob, Blind Gary Davis etc. Your videos are great and I love the attention to detail.
I looove this album Abby!!!! I have no words to say... All the songs are fantastic!!!! I don't have favorite, because all the tracks are best of the best .. I can't wait for Bod Dylans' album... Have a nice week Abby, a lot of love...
'Looping' back in Vinyl Monday time when you couldn't see the wood for the Zeppelin's. You created a great look, so another time another place. What an opener. Love the way Page's guitar sounds, crunchy or munchy can't decide. This band the sound of humans playing together sometimes dragging sometimes pushing. I do listening for 'my Vinyl Monday's'. I do. Before watching this I would have said that II was my thing but listening tonight I was blown away. Power. Pleasure. Positivity. Your review did it proud and I totally caught the earlier VM enthusiasm for Zeppelin. B-Roll Abby Accidentally Starts Inter Galactic War: only if she did summat like this would I say she'd been stupid. She's built up so much credit. Two Abby's play nice!
Hi Abby.Thanks for another brilliant review of a very good album although I do prefer Physical Graffiti.BTW if you open the gate fold cover and look at the front it makes more sense. Please keep up the good work.
Another amazing album from my favorite rock year, 1971. The Battle Of Evermore is my favorite on this album, very Ethereal, takes me to a completely different world with every listen. The drum sound Bonzo got on When The Levee Breaks is one of the greatest sounds ever.
The only time I got an opportunity to see Zeppelin (and took it of course) was 16th February 1972 in Perth Western Australia 3 months after this album came out. I was 15. It was fun.
In the days of live radio, Deejays chose "Stairway..." for frequent radio play because, at 8 minutes length, it gave them time to visit the loo, pour coffee, grab a smoke on the fire escape, whatever, before changing the record. Likewise, :American Pie" (or so I've been told.) "Alice's Restaurant" clocked in with enough time for lunch!
LZ IV is my favorite LZ album. Yes even with that song. When the Levee Breaks vs. Stairway to Heaven is spot on. Both great songs but the juxtaposition is great.
This album (along with "Houses of The Holy") were in the house when I was growing up in the 70' s and 80s. A few years back I was given a collection of cassettes and Zep 4 was included. Faves include " Black Dog", "Rock and Roll and " Going To California." Another fine video Abby. 🙂
Great video, Abby! I look forward to these on Monday mornings. My mind is blown at the other examples of the chord progression of That song. The beginning part might be common, but that build-up to the dramatic ending was unique. I love the vibe of Misty Mountain Hop & Four Sticks. It was epic Stoner Rock for me in the '70s. I also loved Sandy Denny's beautiful vocals on Battle of Evermore. I have a lot of Zep bootlegs & it's kind of weird to hear it sung by Plant & John Bonham. When The Levee Breaks takes me back to the days of cranking up my first stereo. Still love that album.
once you hear That Song's chord progression once, you never un-hear it! blows my mind all the time. of all those songs, i'd say gentle giant's is closest to the full stairway effect
I can't remember where I read it, but one of the reasons why, supousedly, Bonham chose the three circles symbol was because its similarity to the logo of a beer brand. Also, you didn't mention the hidden creepy face on the rock formation under The Hermit: put your vertically open gatefold on a mirror and you will see.
the three circles have a lot of overlapping meanings and there's a few reasons bonzo chose it, i just had to condense it down far because this video is long enough!
I couldn't agree more with you on Christgau, I don't believe he even listens to music and instead rates how he felt when he woke up that morning and it seems he woke up in a good mood that day. Anyway, I really love the second side of this album after hearing the first side to death and I think it's the unsung (or unplayed) hero of the album and I particularly love Four Sticks, the VSC3 synthesiser makes that song in my opinion.
I used to have a copy I bought when I lived in South Africa in 82 and it had a really different album sleeve when you opened it up it had the lyrics for Stairway To Heaven in big print. I wish I'd kept it now.
Joni M was referenced in interviews with Mr Plant as the "Queen" in "Going to Cali," so I'd say that the tribute to her is definitive... Further, he sez that Zepp's song is also a reference to her then-recently released lp Blue, and especially the Joni track "California"! The source of your reluctance to spell out the song "Stairway" is understandable (radio overplay is putting it mildly!), but I still love the MSG live version of the anthem with Page's ruthlessly unhinged solo and Plant's elfin hand signaling of the lyrics.
This album was of course never titled Led Zeppelin Four. It may just be an industry/media rumour that the ‘unofficial’ name was ‘Four Runes’ (although if you count the late, lamented Sandy Denny it is five). As an album it is a masterpiece even if STH is overplayed and overhyped. ‘Levee’ is just unbelievable. This album is Zeppelin reaching full maturity and showing just what they were capable of. I think you did the ‘4’ album and the band full justice, Abigail in your as usual engaging way. One other note regarding ‘that’ song, is that allegedly you will be immediately stopped by music stores’ staff if you play so much as a note for a guitar try out (urban myth?). Love you, keep up the great work … Vinyl lives! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
If someone asks "What is the best rock song of all time?" there's no contest. I didn't always feel this way, but one day when I was in my 70s, I just knew it. There's nothing that even comes close. If I can listen to it for 50 years and it still sounds good, it's a keeper! Somewhere in that "bustle in your hustle" lyrics is pure rock magic. A hundred years from now, it'll be considered a "classic" alongside Beethoven and Mozart.
Fine stuff! I think LZ4 was one of those suitcase records for me. It was already an oldie by the time one of my sisters introduced me to it but once I'd heard it it really put the hook in. As for THAT song, I think playing it would be a good AI/Human differentiation test. I can't imagine anyone not liking it the first time. But yes it wears thin soon. My favourite track is Levee and it joins other epics like Kashmir, Achilles or In the Evening for that extra serve of wow that can take someone indifferent to the band and, if not change their mind, at least open a window. It's hard to know what some of the songs are about which only adds to the mystique which adds to the adventure of listening to it. Of all the bands I cast off with the advent o' punk LZ were one of the first I took up again (after giving away all the US pressed studio albums I'd bought). Thanks for another great ep.
My first experience of LZ was hearing this album. The vocalist in my band played it to me and I instantly fell in love. As a drummer, I will always love and respect Levee, but also like Battle (for mandolin and Sandy) and of course, that song - we never heard it on the radio in UK. Always enjoy hearing your views and reviews, lovely lady. Love the fashions, too (old enough to remember them first time round).
That was the first LZ I bought when it came out, and it's still my favorite. It was during the golden age of FM radio (at least in L A). Every song from that album got airplay back then, some more than others. Black Dog and RockNRoll probably the most in the first year. The unmentioned song didn't reach the obnoxious level of airplay in the first year (if I remember right), like it did in subsequent years. I enjoyed your thoughtful thesis about the album, I never thought of looking at it in some of those ways. Looking forward to the next video.
This is my fave vinyl Monday! I saw Robert Plant in concert back in 2005 from the 5th row on the floor! After the show he said " I Hope you enjoyed the show see you soon Victoria! I still have my ticket and my "Robert Plant and the strange sensation t shirt!
Great review, Abigail! Zeppelin 4 is the ultimate rock album IMO. My thoughts on Stairway... I always go back to the very first time I heard it and how it made me feel. Yes, it has been played to death, but the song is an absolute masterpiece. The guitar solo alone is probably the best guitar solo ever recorded (along with comfortably numb).
i listened to this record, and primarily side one Soooooo many times as a teen in the 70's (and yes, had the runout messages i didn't understand at the time) but now all i can listen to is side two with the exception of Goin to California
I was going to ask you what you thought of 'Presence', but then you mentioned 'Achilles Last Stand', and that being where Page claimed his crown, and nothing more needs to be said. 'Achilles Last Stand' and 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' are two of my favorite LZ songs. As for LZ 'IV', 'Black Dog' and ' Rock N Roll' are my favs. Excellent video, and as always very informative.
In the summer of 1972 when I was fifteen four friends and I got arrested for smoking weed in the woods at a baseball game. I was searched and the cops didn't find any weed on me because I had tossed it away after I hit the ground when the officers told us to at gunpoint. One friend ran back into the woods and got away so there had originally been six of us... three boys and three girls. When they searched my pockets, the only other thing I had with me was a piece of paper with the lyrics and chords to... a song. They had no idea what to make of it but they took it to mean I was on drugs. That's what the night sergeant asked me. He was sincerely concerned because his wife worked for my father. I said, "Do you mean am I high right now? Because after having a gun pointed at my head, no, I'm not." He said good and told me he never wanted to see me there again and let us all go free. None of us ever spoke a word about it until years later, I was home visiting my parents and their guests for dinner were to be my dad's office manager and her husband. I told my parents I would cook dinner. I made a great dinner for five--I think it was brisket--and when we sat down at the table, I said, "I have a story I want to tell." And I spilled all the beans, only I didn't reveal who I was with. That would have been even more shocking because let's just say I didn't have any track record as a ladies' man. I was as geeky a kid as you ever saw. My mom said she remembered that night when I came home and went straight up to my room and didn't come out until the next morning. She just thought I was drunk. The sergeant's wife turned to her husband with fire in her eyes and said, "You never told me about this!" He just smiled, sat back in his chair, and said, "He's a good kid." At my 40th high school reunion, one of the girls brought it up and then everybody knew what had happened more than 40 years before. Many were shocked, not that I had weed, but that I was smoking in the woods with three "good" girls. That's my Stairway story and I'm sticking to it. LOL
Everyone of the British bands from that era "stole?" "stoled?" "stealed?" blues music.....hell even the black blues musicians themselves thieved music from each other....but Zeppelin is the ONLY one who catches hell for it! Awesome video!
Everyone is stealing ideas from everyone still. Especially extremely popular artists borrowing songs from underground bands. It's prevalent in Every form of music, and will probably go on until the end of time.
Page & Plant: No Quarter/Unledded has an all-acoustic Four Sticks with Moroccan percussion and a string section. Only electric instrument is an electric organ that's buried in the mix.
Dang, that's a really good find! Really good condish, and I never realised that Sandy Denny got her own symbol too! I love the forest nymph/song remains the same look you're going for, it's a definite vibe. One of my favourite rock albums of the first half of the '70s, luckily for me I don't listen to very much rock radio so I've never really been over-exposed to the *song we must not mention*. And as similar as many of the songs are (like most Zeppy albums) I wouldn't want to miss a single one.
Sandy Denny is pretty much the most underrated artist London UK has ever produced. Led Zeppelin's song The Battle Of Evermore really comes to life with her singing with Robert Plant.
There were times in the eighties and early nineties when if you were listening to fm radio you would here Stairway three or four times a day. I remember a particular day when it came on, I immediately flipped the station, and sure as shit they were playing it too. Madness.
Misty Mountain is the sleeper loved it from the first time I heard it as a B side ; with that said this lp solidified my love for all things Led! Good job Abby!
Acoustic guitar was there from the beginning. just more dominant on number 3. Jimmy Pages acoustic work is fantastic. The fourth album had a great vibe, and you can tell they had fun while creating it. Well done Abbey
I got a UK second pressing of this recently for £17, so was well chuffed with that! Like you I also have the 2014 remaster but play this old copy a lot more, there's something more lovable about a musty pre-owned copy! 🙂
This really was a superb review. I only discovered your channel recently but became a fan immediately. All of your reviews are great. Excellent content, well organized, just the right touch of humor, very professional presentation.
"IV" is my fovourite Led Zeppelin album and when I bought my 1st CD player, it had to be the first Zep's CD to get (earlier I listened to LZ mostly from cassettes). I have an old Japaness pressing with hermit on black back cover and prefer its sound to any remaster, including Page's one from 1990s. I can't say which songs on this album i like the most, it seems there's something like 8 of them... At first I treated tracks 1 and 2 with reserve, for I was a "psychodelic & progressive" snob and thought classical rock-and-roll was something childish. But gradually my ears became more open. Now I love entire album, but there are tracks I just have a little more to say about. "Four Sticks" - don't you think it could be inspired by Hendrix' "Manic Depression"? For me, it had to be electric. It spins like a giant and heavy wheel. Once it reminded me of meditation of whirling dervish (I tried it once, short after I discovered "IV"), and that short solo on synthi is like a culmination of this "dance", short before you fall on the ground. "The Battle of Evermore" - it's extremelly rare to achieve such a degree of tension in purely accoustic arrangement, crowned with that obsessive "bring it back... bring it back...", and then "bring it... bring it... bring it...". I'm not Tolkien's fan and don't catch most of the hints to his novels. But I'm curious wasn't it interpreted as reference to the events of that time, I mean war. "Stairway to Heaven" - if you listen (very hard) to it for what it is (as I listened to it for the first time in 1980s, from a Russian vinyl compilation, titled - surprise! - "Stairway to Heaven"), not for what it became - what you hear? Led Zeppelin who try to be progressive... and make it very, very classy way! Each segment is a logical result of previous one, well-thought-out structure, brilliant! The intended eclectism emphasizes the internal differentiation of the lyrics (oh no, what a pert sentence!), somehow like in Doors' "Soft Parade". The only reservation I have is to that quasi-mystic lyrics (a real mysticism of any religion is much less chaotic). You have surprised me that JPJ played the real recorder, I was convinced that he made it on mellotron (just like once I thought it was him who uverdubbed piano in "Rock and Roll"). "When the Levee Breaks" - the arrangement and sound intentionally overwhelming. The ominous rhythm well corresponds with lyrics, the whole instrumentation and vocal lead is like a flood wave that sweeps you and carries with itself. And that sweet, bluesy, drilling harmonica... Probably the most perfect synthesis of hard-rock and blues any group ever did. "Misty Mountain Hop" - composed, arranged and performed with great sense of humor. Feels like jumping on one leg. And lyric is just a short reportage written by really good poet-journalist. "Going to California" - slow, gentle folky ballad... and suddenly that high-sung insertion takes you to another place, miles higher. Thank you for another great episode. Oh, and next is "Blond on Blonde", good choice!
That old guy on the cover? It's not a painting but a colourized photograph ! Take a closer look, especially the branches on his back. I made a miniature sculpture of it so I've studied it a lot ! 🤟😎
You are such a brilliant, creative thinker! I’d enthusiastically attend your college course. I love how you diss cristgau (sp?). I’d be interested to hear what you think of Lester Bangs .
lester bangs has come up a few times on my channel! while i don't always agree with his opinions - hell i think he could be kind of a brat - i recognize he championed authenticity above all else and wasn't interested in pleasing anyone. for that, i deeply respect him
@@abigaildevoe thank you for your response. The authenticity cred really shines through in the way he championed The Stooges and Black Sabbath when everyone else thought they were crap. He saw it as the genius it was, and was always out to discover and champion authentic rock and roll. His evolving opinions on Jim Morrison over the years, I think, are quite telling of his ability to first admit bias and “right” those “wrongs.” Yes, truly an enfant Terrible (as was Morrison). He most often, I think, used that as a device that helped him really go out on limbs for those who passed his authenticity tests. Example: he chastised himself publicly for his early dismissal of Exile on Main St by admitting he hadn’t given the album a proper listen (there’s SO MUCH underneath all that murk!). Above all, as a writer, I’ll go out on a limb and say that - love him or not - Lester Bangs is one of the Great American Writers. He influenced my own stream-of-consciousness, manic rock ‘n’ roll narrative style quite a bit. He was kinda like Lenny Bruce in some ways. Your opinion sounds spot-on.
You are funny, uplifting, charismatic and beautiful. Just wanted to point out that Zeppelin did indeed credit Memphis Minnie for When the Levee Breaks on the original 1971 release along with all four members for the reworking of the song. Often with most of the emphasis being on what they "stole" people tend to overlook the artists/songs they did credit. I adore your channel keep up the glorious work!
This album introduced me to Led Zeppelin. I can see your copy is by Specialty Records, my favourite pressing plant in the US (one of my copy is very similar to yours, if not identical). Audiophiles tend to prefer Monarch over all the others, but comparing SP and MO pressings of Untitled, I didn't notice any improvements. UK original pressings also have Porky/Pecko Duck in the deadwax. I was lucky to find one on the plum label and it sounds amazing.
Hi Abby great talk! of course I love this album ,Led Zeppelin are my favorite band , if I have to choose favs , I prefer a little more all the song of the side one. for me this album is fascinating also for the esoteric symbols and figures, and for the Tolkien inspired song , as the title "Misty mountain hope" and "The battle of evermore"; I like that stuff
what’s your favorite st*irway song? comment below!
My fave Stairway song is "Halfway Down The Stairs" by Robin The Frog. Here it is 🤗
ruclips.net/video/504nGuw-BCQ/видео.html
my favorite st*irway song,is probably I Me Mine by The Beetles :))
Hairway to Steven
Stairway To The Stars by Blue Oyster Cult.
Mine is the OG. When Heart sang it at the Kennedy center I believe honoring Led Zeppelin. Jon Bonhams son playing drums. Jack Black had the best intro. You can watch it on RUclips
Because Stairway is amazing!
I used to joke that Stairway to Heaven was like Gilligan’s Island, there’s probably not a minute of the day it’s not playing somewhere in the world
Do you know there was a parody recording of Stairway with Gilligan's Island lyrics?
Yep, Stairway to Gilligan’s Island, they used to play it on Dr Demento
@@konowd Yep, I used to listen to Dr. Demento.
There’s a reason why that song was played…. It a masterpiece.
Overblown nonsense
I’m glad they finally found the identity of the man in the photo. His name is Lot Long he is from a small town in England and the photo it’s self was taken in 1892
An album with no name, no singles, and still found the way to be part of rock history. I have to admit that even though it is the most cliche song, I absolutely love stairway to heaven.
That's what I wassayin . It's a bitchin track fellas. If they wanted to attack popularity they dropped the ball real bad
What do you mean, "no singles"? Its single "Black Dog" was Top 40 in nine countries. Its "Rock and Roll" single charted in four countries. I think "Stairway To Heaven" is great, too. Have a nice day. :-)
@@bobdavis4848 sorry about that, I think the ideas just crossed my mind, I was thinking about Stairway to heaven was not a single and ended up writing no singles hehe
@@rodrilefou2091 I understand; that's OK, thanks for explaining. :-) I was hoping the "what do you mean" didn't sound rude. There was just a promotional only single of "Stairway To Heaven" but sent to DJs, not in a store's single section, so it doesn't really count.
@@bobdavis4848 hehe don't worry it wasn't rude, I did not know about the promotional single of Stairway to heaven.
The album that sums up Led Zeppelin: dark, cryptic and mysterious.
1971 was an epic year for classic LPs. Sticky Fingers. Imagine, Hunky Dory, Who's Next, this masterpiece, among others. It doesn't get any better. You have great taste!
LA Woman, as well. 😃
Yes 1971 was packed with. Fragile Nuersery Cryme Electeic Warrior Master Of Reality Humble Pie Performance
And don't forget ELP's "Tarkus" & PF's "Meddle".
@@ericrobson4291 Yeah, thank you! JT's "Aqualung", lyrically sometimes shallow, musically is another masterpiece of that brilliant year.
@@ericrobson4291 This 2 albums - still to explore for me. Thank you for mentioning them, i didn't listen a lot of Alice Cooper so far!
“That Song” got over-played for a reason. I submit that, even though we might see it as chichéd, if it comes on the radio it’s one of those songs that gets left on till it’s finished…
As is with so many middle boomers, Led Zeppelin was and still is, to those who never grew up, so very very meaningful. It was perfect music to escape to far off places in our heads with, no hallucinogens or stimulants needed. They never let me down.
psychedelics do help though ;)
Very "Going To California," "Misty Mountain Hop" outfit. Flowers in their hair and all. Wow, you do your research.
But it's not just your research but your insights.
Led Zeppelin literally changed the course of music ! I was 15 when i bought Zep 1 in 68 and when i first heard Battle of Evermore it was so beautiful i instantly became a Sandy Denny devotee !
Did they roll it out early in some places? In most places Zeppelin 1 came out in '69, if you've got an early one that might be worth a pile of money these days!
@@SonofSethoitae Some of the U.S. radio stations and record stores had it by December '68, one of the reasons why the Boston Tea Party gig that month was packed out. Ironically, the U.K. was one of the last places to get a release. If you've got a copy with "Led Zeppelin" in blue on the sleeve instead of orange, that's worth something like $300. It took some time to come out because it was recorded before they'd signed a deal, the recording was paid for by Page himself. This was one of the things that gave them the confidence to release the fourth album without their name on it or even a title.
The first time I heard "the song", (yes, I'm that old) is when I bought the album and brought it home. FM radio was just coming of age when IV was released. 'Rock and Roll' was probably the only track most of us heard on the radio, until the mid to late 70's, when AOR became the thing. Yea, after that, "the song" got played to death.
I’m 53, I didn’t care if I heard certain bands ever again having played them to death. Led Zeppelin being one. After your analysis I’m breaking them out again. Great review.
I am that age exactly and Led Zeppelin is somehow the only band I never get tired of, I can listen any time anywhere
First, thank you for this video. Great review!
Second, I love Led Zeppelin. LZIV is fantastic! There is no weak song on it. STH is, IMHO, a masterpiece. When that album came out, no one could get enough of the entire album in general and of STH in particular.
I remember the first time I ever heard the album. My friend played it on his very-high-quality stereo while a whole roomful of us sat and listened in awe. (His parents were rich; his system cost just over $4,000.00---a month before LZIV came out. That would be about $30,000.00 today. I, OTOH, was lucky to afford food, clothing, and shelter.)
When I sit and listen to LZIV, I am transported back to the days of my youth. I am nineteen again, and LZ is rocking the whole world. Oh, to live just one more day in the early Seventies!
i love stories like these. for a long time you just didn’t get together with friends to all listen to an album together (but album release parties are coming back!)
'The Battle Of Evermore'. I have this sailboat that I built from aircraft lumber. I saved the wood, and materialsI in my apartment in Downtown Houston; ( that took 3 1/2 years). Then I lived on it for 9 1/2 years, in Key West. The name of the boat is: "Easting". Lyrics from that song. It's still central to my life. Pretty much one of the few things that I care about.
That shot of you that uses the hair light is very angelic.
The big song for me on this one is When The Levee Breaks, mainly cause of Bonham's drums. I like Four Sticks a lot too, it helps it's not overplayed and Battle of Evermore cause of the great guest vocal from Sandy Denny.
Jimmy Page was meticulous in strategically placing the microphones for John Bonham in the stairway at the (allegedly haunted Grange) for ‘Levee’ … the result speaks for itself.
Favorite tune Sandy Denny singing with Robert on 'The Battle of Evermore'
Misty Mountain Hop for me. My favorite from this album.
1. Love your college borne communications skills. Grammer, enunciation and presentation is top notch.
2. Your musings are based in an understanding of music i've not seen in a child your age.
3. You, with a personality of maturity, mixed with a curiousity that can only be attributed to small humans. Innocent yet honest.
4. Overall, as a album reviewer, (i've seen tons), you're a ten out of ten. Not to mention a natural beauty that leads me to listen and watch that much closer.
5. Sadly im old enough to be your grandpa lol, which allows me to step back and warmly; fondly and respectfully tell you, good job kiddo. Keep it up.
"BLACK DOG" Babe!! "Who doesn't like the Black Dog riff"!! LOL!!
'corse you knocked it out of the park with that outfit...but where is your magic wand!! Silly girl!!!! LOL!!
Bare shoulders … oh, please. I once heard Plant introduce Black Dog as ‘Black Bob’ (a fictitious dog in a comic strip …)
19:15
This was not only one of the best Led IV reviews, but was one of the best When the Levee Breaks review i've heard
Levee is my favorite song of all time, and i never get sick of either listening to the song or watching people talking about it
And your review was freaking amazing
Amazing channel and work
This album is one of my all-time favorites.
Going to California is for me the prettiest song Led Zeppelin has done.
Rock and Roll is a perfect diss for the critics
I just found out the old man in the picture was a widower, Lot Long, the Wiltshire thatcher @1889
yes that was only just revealed!! HUGE news!
Enjoyed the analysis. I always find the cover art so enigmatic: the portrait of the reclusive hermit gathering sticks in the countryside; the decaying, derelict house walls; the overgrown suburb beyond, and the streamlined monolithic high-rise on the back. Seems to be a lament that all things are slowly passing into history? I'm still not sure. Cheers from London!
"If there a bussel in your hedgdrow, don't be alarmed." Great lyrics.
Bustle … 🧔🏼♂️
@@LANCSKID I was going to correct as well...good eye!
That line directly references the ceremonial burning of hedgerows to celebrate Vernal equinox ( Beltane).
It's just a spring clean for the May Queen unveiled the meaning behind Stairway to Heaven. Which is about a girl chosen to be the bride of Belenus ( the Solar God) , but to wed the God means that she was sacrificed to transcend mortality. Thus buying the Stairway to Heaven.
Totally dig the outfit; as always 🔥!
This unassailable classic is Led Zeppelin's masterpiece. All their other albums contain fine, memorable music, but the untitled LP endures as their single most iconic outing. This album enshrines what may be my single favorite Zeppelin song, "Going to California", and even the overexposed "Stairway to Heaven" endures as a deserved classic, one of the all-time greats in the rock canon. Last but not least, this untitled 1971 beauty has my all-time favorite cover art of any music album.
Congratulations, Abby, on another great, informative analysis. You don't simply offer your opinions, but go into detail about how they formed and why you hold them, demonstrating impressive research combined with considerable eloquence.
That opening bit of harmonic material heard in Stairway to Heaven is common enough in jazz that it has its own name. The minor descend cliche. It’s the basis for a LOT of long-standing minor chord based licks. Fun fact: the minor ascend cliche is the James Bond theme, basically. Also very common.
This is my favorite Zeppelin album. I know it may be a kind of lame choice, as this album is so iconic and quite overplayed, but to me it still represents all i love about Led Zeppelin best.
Some albums sell through the roof and achieve "classic" status because of sales and hype while others do the same simply because of their high quality, and Zeppelin IV is definitely because of the latter.
I have said it before, and it bears repeating; No matter what you have to say about LZ and especially “THAT SONG”, the fact of the matter is that they’ve been responsible for sooooo many people picking up and learning the guitar, every bit as much as Elvis Presley and The Beatles. And regardless of their mis-steps and such, I’d say that’s quite an accomplishment. And Abigail, once again, BRAVO on your presentation. College instructor-worthy!
I totally agree about Jimmy influencing gtr players. I consider him and the Beatles my guitar teachers. Without a doubt doubt learned the most from them. I’m a drummer first, and Bonzo, was my best drum teacher, along with Ringo. Learned so much from both those bands
The very first album i ever bought with my own money! I was a freshman high school student in an all boys catholic school in Manila where everything seemed to rock insofar as music was cocerned. Led Zeppelin was (and still is) my favorite band, and Led Zep 4 was my favorite Led Zeppelin album for as long as i can remember. Not long after when i started buying all of their records, i suddenly replaced Led Zeppelin 4 with Zeppelin 2 as my favorite record by the band. I was already in college when i started to really appreciate John Paul Jones as a musician and how he partnered with John Bonham to create what was in my opinion, the best kiss-ass rhythm section the rock genre has ever produced! Needless to say, Led Zeppelin 4 has become my second favorite Led Zep album next to Led Zeppelin 2 (a close second at that) with Physical Graffitti at the third spot. Thank You for including Led Zeppelin in your vinyl collection. Your program is very informative and entertaining and you are so pretty and intelligent and fun to watch. You remind me of a young and better (more intelligent) version of Goldie Hawn. Peace and Love be with you always! 😊
Greatest rock album ever, IMHO. Some songs are virtually cinematic in scope, like When the Levee Breaks. That blues interpretation is epic.
Loving all your videos, by the way. "Led Zeppelin IV" is a mighty fine album, indeed. Rest in peace John Bonham & Sandy Denny.
Joni Mitchell being the inspiration for Going to California makes perfect sense. The song fits her milieu, Jimmy’s strumming on the acoustic wouldn’t sound out of place on one of Joni’s albums, and I’ve heard that both Jimmy and Robert were huge fans of her work.
I love sandy Dennys story.. cool lady.. my favorite led zeppelin is in through the outdoor by far however
Great outfit!!! My fave Is the Battle of Evermore. Plant and Allison Krause do a very beautiful version nowadays
I think my favorite is When The Levee Breaks. It may not be the best song, but it really ends the album well. You did another great review, and your look is awesome! I believe this album is their biggest seller. It failed to hit the summit of the charts because Carole King was simply on fire with Tapestry, but it has become an enduring seller. The album is five stars out of five.
One of your best ever episodes of Vinyl Monday. It helps of course when I'm actually into the album. I always have to watch twice because I never hear anything the first time.
Indeed indeed, very good to know there's such thing as well-read nexgens. She knows every history-book tidbit, info-dragon
Have a couple US pressings one is a white label promo. Love When the Levee Breaks. Got into 78 collecting and have the Memphis Minnie Kansas Joe on Columbia. Stones, Zep, Cream etc. etc. got me into 78 collecting. Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Barbecue Bob, Blind Gary Davis etc. Your videos are great and I love the attention to detail.
I looove this album Abby!!!! I have no words to say... All the songs are fantastic!!!! I don't have favorite, because all the tracks are best of the best .. I can't wait for Bod Dylans' album... Have a nice week Abby, a lot of love...
Your analysis of what " that song" means is the journey of the tarot
'Looping' back in Vinyl Monday time when you couldn't see the wood for the Zeppelin's. You created a great look, so another time another place.
What an opener. Love the way Page's guitar sounds, crunchy or munchy can't decide. This band the sound of humans playing together sometimes dragging sometimes pushing.
I do listening for 'my Vinyl Monday's'. I do. Before watching this I would have said that II was my thing but listening tonight I was blown away. Power. Pleasure. Positivity. Your review did it proud and I totally caught the earlier VM enthusiasm for Zeppelin.
B-Roll Abby Accidentally Starts Inter Galactic War: only if she did summat like this would I say she'd been stupid. She's built up so much credit. Two Abby's play nice!
Hi Abby.Thanks for another brilliant review of a very good album although I do prefer Physical Graffiti.BTW if you open the gate fold cover and look at the front it makes more sense.
Please keep up the good work.
Awesome sauce a gem album my favorite lp of all time , you nailed it aby
Another amazing album from my favorite rock year, 1971. The Battle Of Evermore is my favorite on this album, very Ethereal, takes me to a completely different world with every listen. The drum sound Bonzo got on When The Levee Breaks is one of the greatest sounds ever.
The only time I got an opportunity to see Zeppelin (and took it of course) was 16th February 1972 in Perth Western Australia 3 months after this album came out. I was 15. It was fun.
Did you tape it? It's the only one of the famous Australian shows that is AWOL.
LedHed Pb 207.20 🎶 🎸 🎹
Abbey ..U Rock !!! 🌠🌌🪐
In the days of live radio, Deejays chose "Stairway..." for frequent radio play because, at 8 minutes length, it gave them time to visit the loo, pour coffee, grab a smoke on the fire escape, whatever, before changing the record. Likewise, :American Pie" (or so I've been told.) "Alice's Restaurant" clocked in with enough time for lunch!
hello abigal . u look amazinggggg my friend. great review. i like zepplin 4. cannot wait for next monday.
mike
fan and friend
from canada eh
LZ IV is my favorite LZ album. Yes even with that song. When the Levee Breaks vs. Stairway to Heaven is spot on. Both great songs but the juxtaposition is great.
This album (along with "Houses of The Holy") were in the house when I was growing up in the 70' s and 80s. A few years back I was given a collection of cassettes and Zep 4 was included. Faves include " Black Dog", "Rock and Roll and " Going To California." Another fine video Abby. 🙂
you are very knowledgeable in the historical facts on those records. thanks much.
I just saw this. Very well documented review. I liked it. Very informative and well described.
Great video, Abby! I look forward to these on Monday mornings. My mind is blown at the other examples of the chord progression of That song. The beginning part might be common, but that build-up to the dramatic ending was unique. I love the vibe of Misty Mountain Hop & Four Sticks. It was epic Stoner Rock for me in the '70s. I also loved Sandy Denny's beautiful vocals on Battle of Evermore. I have a lot of Zep bootlegs & it's kind of weird to hear it sung by Plant & John Bonham. When The Levee Breaks takes me back to the days of cranking up my first stereo. Still love that album.
once you hear That Song's chord progression once, you never un-hear it! blows my mind all the time. of all those songs, i'd say gentle giant's is closest to the full stairway effect
I can't remember where I read it, but one of the reasons why, supousedly, Bonham chose the three circles symbol was because its similarity to the logo of a beer brand. Also, you didn't mention the hidden creepy face on the rock formation under The Hermit: put your vertically open gatefold on a mirror and you will see.
the three circles have a lot of overlapping meanings and there's a few reasons bonzo chose it, i just had to condense it down far because this video is long enough!
@@abigaildevoe I love long videos! Thanks for your answer :3
You have been reviewing some absolute classic vinyls of late 👏
😊Thank you for the massive insight on this most awesome album✨
I couldn't agree more with you on Christgau, I don't believe he even listens to music and instead rates how he felt when he woke up that morning and it seems he woke up in a good mood that day. Anyway, I really love the second side of this album after hearing the first side to death and I think it's the unsung (or unplayed) hero of the album and I particularly love Four Sticks, the VSC3 synthesiser makes that song in my opinion.
I used to have a copy I bought when I lived in South Africa in 82 and it had a really different album sleeve when you opened it up it had the lyrics for Stairway To Heaven in big print. I wish I'd kept it now.
Joni M was referenced in interviews with Mr Plant as the "Queen" in "Going to Cali," so I'd say that the tribute to her is definitive... Further, he sez that Zepp's song is also a reference to her then-recently released lp Blue, and especially the Joni track "California"!
The source of your reluctance to spell out the song "Stairway" is understandable (radio overplay is putting it mildly!), but I still love the MSG live version of the anthem with Page's ruthlessly unhinged solo and Plant's elfin hand signaling of the lyrics.
This album was of course never titled Led Zeppelin Four. It may just be an industry/media rumour that the ‘unofficial’ name was ‘Four Runes’ (although if you count the late, lamented Sandy Denny it is five). As an album it is a masterpiece even if STH is overplayed and overhyped. ‘Levee’ is just unbelievable. This album is Zeppelin reaching full maturity and showing just what they were capable of. I think you did the ‘4’ album and the band full justice, Abigail in your as usual engaging way. One other note regarding ‘that’ song, is that allegedly you will be immediately stopped by music stores’ staff if you play so much as a note for a guitar try out (urban myth?). Love you, keep up the great work … Vinyl lives! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
There definitely used to be signs up in British music shops that said “No Playing Smoke on the Water”…
If someone asks "What is the best rock song of all time?" there's no contest. I didn't always feel this way, but one day when I was in my 70s, I just knew it. There's nothing that even comes close. If I can listen to it for 50 years and it still sounds good, it's a keeper! Somewhere in that "bustle in your hustle" lyrics is pure rock magic. A hundred years from now, it'll be considered a "classic" alongside Beethoven and Mozart.
Fine stuff! I think LZ4 was one of those suitcase records for me. It was already an oldie by the time one of my sisters introduced me to it but once I'd heard it it really put the hook in. As for THAT song, I think playing it would be a good AI/Human differentiation test. I can't imagine anyone not liking it the first time. But yes it wears thin soon. My favourite track is Levee and it joins other epics like Kashmir, Achilles or In the Evening for that extra serve of wow that can take someone indifferent to the band and, if not change their mind, at least open a window. It's hard to know what some of the songs are about which only adds to the mystique which adds to the adventure of listening to it. Of all the bands I cast off with the advent o' punk LZ were one of the first I took up again (after giving away all the US pressed studio albums I'd bought). Thanks for another great ep.
Forest nymph!😆
My first experience of LZ was hearing this album. The vocalist in my band played it to me and I instantly fell in love. As a drummer, I will always love and respect Levee, but also like Battle (for mandolin and Sandy) and of course, that song - we never heard it on the radio in UK. Always enjoy hearing your views and reviews, lovely lady. Love the fashions, too (old enough to remember them first time round).
oh to not be sick of st*irway because of classic rock radio. you across the pond are a lucky bunch for that
That was the first LZ I bought when it came out, and it's still my favorite. It was during the golden age of FM radio (at least in L A). Every song from that album got airplay back then, some more than others. Black Dog and RockNRoll probably the most in the first year. The unmentioned song didn't reach the obnoxious level of airplay in the first year (if I remember right), like it did in subsequent years. I enjoyed your thoughtful thesis about the album, I never thought of looking at it in some of those ways. Looking forward to the next video.
This is my fave vinyl Monday! I saw Robert Plant in concert back in 2005 from the 5th row on the floor! After the show he said " I Hope you enjoyed the show see you soon Victoria! I still have my ticket and my "Robert Plant and the strange sensation t shirt!
Stairway to heaven is my fave since my mom died almost 2 years ago.
As a Zeppelin fan since the early 70's, three has always been my favorite. I think it's raw.
Great review, Abigail! Zeppelin 4 is the ultimate rock album IMO. My thoughts on Stairway... I always go back to the very first time I heard it and how it made me feel. Yes, it has been played to death, but the song is an absolute masterpiece. The guitar solo alone is probably the best guitar solo ever recorded (along with comfortably numb).
i listened to this record, and primarily side one Soooooo many times as a teen in the 70's (and yes, had the runout messages i didn't understand at the time) but now all i can listen to is side two with the exception of Goin to California
Another great Vinyl Monday! Your outfit is spot-on totally adorable!❤
I seen Led Zep at Cobo Hall in the early 70s.....great concert...they got down.
I was going to ask you what you thought of 'Presence', but then you mentioned 'Achilles Last Stand', and that being where Page claimed his crown, and nothing more needs to be said. 'Achilles Last Stand' and 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' are two of my favorite LZ songs. As for LZ 'IV', 'Black Dog' and ' Rock N Roll' are my favs. Excellent video, and as always very informative.
We back in the day use to call it the Zoso album.
My favorites on LZ4: When the Levee Breaks, Misty Mountain Hop, Battle of Evermore, and THAT song.
In the summer of 1972 when I was fifteen four friends and I got arrested for smoking weed in the woods at a baseball game. I was searched and the cops didn't find any weed on me because I had tossed it away after I hit the ground when the officers told us to at gunpoint. One friend ran back into the woods and got away so there had originally been six of us... three boys and three girls. When they searched my pockets, the only other thing I had with me was a piece of paper with the lyrics and chords to... a song. They had no idea what to make of it but they took it to mean I was on drugs. That's what the night sergeant asked me. He was sincerely concerned because his wife worked for my father. I said, "Do you mean am I high right now? Because after having a gun pointed at my head, no, I'm not." He said good and told me he never wanted to see me there again and let us all go free. None of us ever spoke a word about it until years later, I was home visiting my parents and their guests for dinner were to be my dad's office manager and her husband. I told my parents I would cook dinner. I made a great dinner for five--I think it was brisket--and when we sat down at the table, I said, "I have a story I want to tell." And I spilled all the beans, only I didn't reveal who I was with. That would have been even more shocking because let's just say I didn't have any track record as a ladies' man. I was as geeky a kid as you ever saw. My mom said she remembered that night when I came home and went straight up to my room and didn't come out until the next morning. She just thought I was drunk. The sergeant's wife turned to her husband with fire in her eyes and said, "You never told me about this!" He just smiled, sat back in his chair, and said, "He's a good kid." At my 40th high school reunion, one of the girls brought it up and then everybody knew what had happened more than 40 years before. Many were shocked, not that I had weed, but that I was smoking in the woods with three "good" girls. That's my Stairway story and I'm sticking to it. LOL
Everyone of the British bands from that era "stole?" "stoled?" "stealed?" blues music.....hell even the black blues musicians themselves thieved music from each other....but Zeppelin is the ONLY one who catches hell for it!
Awesome video!
Everyone is stealing ideas from everyone still. Especially extremely popular artists borrowing songs from underground bands. It's prevalent in Every form of music, and will probably go on until the end of time.
Page & Plant: No Quarter/Unledded has an all-acoustic Four Sticks with Moroccan percussion and a string section. Only electric instrument is an electric organ that's buried in the mix.
Dang, that's a really good find! Really good condish, and I never realised that Sandy Denny got her own symbol too! I love the forest nymph/song remains the same look you're going for, it's a definite vibe. One of my favourite rock albums of the first half of the '70s, luckily for me I don't listen to very much rock radio so I've never really been over-exposed to the *song we must not mention*. And as similar as many of the songs are (like most Zeppy albums) I wouldn't want to miss a single one.
Sandy Denny is pretty much the most underrated artist London UK has ever produced. Led Zeppelin's song The Battle Of Evermore really comes to life with her singing with Robert Plant.
There were times in the eighties and early nineties when if you were listening to fm radio you would here Stairway three or four times a day. I remember a particular day when it came on, I immediately flipped the station, and sure as shit they were playing it too. Madness.
What's yer favorite " Song Remains The Same " fantasy scene ?!?
excellent. review. A CLASSIC, NO MORE SAID. one greatest bands ever. legends. kudos to u for nailing it
Groovy
Misty Mountain is the sleeper loved it from the first time I heard it as a B side ; with that said this lp solidified my love for all things Led! Good job Abby!
Acoustic guitar was there from the beginning. just more dominant on number 3. Jimmy Pages acoustic work is fantastic. The fourth album had a great vibe, and you can tell they had fun while creating it. Well done Abbey
I got a UK second pressing of this recently for £17, so was well chuffed with that! Like you I also have the 2014 remaster but play this old copy a lot more, there's something more lovable about a musty pre-owned copy! 🙂
hey thanks for letting me know it was a 2014 press - again, i had NO idea as it was a gift haha
This really was a superb review. I only discovered your channel recently but became a fan immediately. All of your reviews are great. Excellent content, well organized, just the right touch of humor, very professional presentation.
Now i'm gonna go and re-listen to this. One of my all time favs and its been a grip since i've done so. Cheers! 🍻
enjoy the re-listen!
A really great and informative review. Thanks !!
"IV" is my fovourite Led Zeppelin album and when I bought my 1st CD player, it had to be the first Zep's CD to get (earlier I listened to LZ mostly from cassettes). I have an old Japaness pressing with hermit on black back cover and prefer its sound to any remaster, including Page's one from 1990s.
I can't say which songs on this album i like the most, it seems there's something like 8 of them... At first I treated tracks 1 and 2 with reserve, for I was a "psychodelic & progressive" snob and thought classical rock-and-roll was something childish. But gradually my ears became more open. Now I love entire album, but there are tracks I just have a little more to say about.
"Four Sticks" - don't you think it could be inspired by Hendrix' "Manic Depression"? For me, it had to be electric. It spins like a giant and heavy wheel. Once it reminded me of meditation of whirling dervish (I tried it once, short after I discovered "IV"), and that short solo on synthi is like a culmination of this "dance", short before you fall on the ground.
"The Battle of Evermore" - it's extremelly rare to achieve such a degree of tension in purely accoustic arrangement, crowned with that obsessive "bring it back... bring it back...", and then "bring it... bring it... bring it...". I'm not Tolkien's fan and don't catch most of the hints to his novels. But I'm curious wasn't it interpreted as reference to the events of that time, I mean war.
"Stairway to Heaven" - if you listen (very hard) to it for what it is (as I listened to it for the first time in 1980s, from a Russian vinyl compilation, titled - surprise! - "Stairway to Heaven"), not for what it became - what you hear? Led Zeppelin who try to be progressive... and make it very, very classy way! Each segment is a logical result of previous one, well-thought-out structure, brilliant! The intended eclectism emphasizes the internal differentiation of the lyrics (oh no, what a pert sentence!), somehow like in Doors' "Soft Parade". The only reservation I have is to that quasi-mystic lyrics (a real mysticism of any religion is much less chaotic). You have surprised me that JPJ played the real recorder, I was convinced that he made it on mellotron (just like once I thought it was him who uverdubbed piano in "Rock and Roll").
"When the Levee Breaks" - the arrangement and sound intentionally overwhelming. The ominous rhythm well corresponds with lyrics, the whole instrumentation and vocal lead is like a flood wave that sweeps you and carries with itself. And that sweet, bluesy, drilling harmonica... Probably the most perfect synthesis of hard-rock and blues any group ever did.
"Misty Mountain Hop" - composed, arranged and performed with great sense of humor. Feels like jumping on one leg. And lyric is just a short reportage written by really good poet-journalist.
"Going to California" - slow, gentle folky ballad... and suddenly that high-sung insertion takes you to another place, miles higher.
Thank you for another great episode. Oh, and next is "Blond on Blonde", good choice!
That old guy on the cover? It's not a painting but a colourized photograph ! Take a closer look, especially the branches on his back. I made a miniature sculpture of it so I've studied it a lot ! 🤟😎
You are such a brilliant, creative thinker! I’d enthusiastically attend your college course. I love how you diss cristgau (sp?). I’d be interested to hear what you think of Lester Bangs .
lester bangs has come up a few times on my channel! while i don't always agree with his opinions - hell i think he could be kind of a brat - i recognize he championed authenticity above all else and wasn't interested in pleasing anyone. for that, i deeply respect him
@@abigaildevoe thank you for your response. The authenticity cred really shines through in the way he championed The Stooges and Black Sabbath when everyone else thought they were crap. He saw it as the genius it was, and was always out to discover and champion authentic rock and roll. His evolving opinions on Jim Morrison over the years, I think, are quite telling of his ability to first admit bias and “right” those “wrongs.” Yes, truly an enfant Terrible (as was Morrison). He most often, I think, used that as a device that helped him really go out on limbs for those who passed his authenticity tests. Example: he chastised himself publicly for his early dismissal of Exile on Main St by admitting he hadn’t given the album a proper listen (there’s SO MUCH underneath all that murk!). Above all, as a writer, I’ll go out on a limb and say that - love him or not - Lester Bangs is one of the Great American Writers. He influenced my own stream-of-consciousness, manic rock ‘n’ roll narrative style quite a bit. He was kinda like Lenny Bruce in some ways. Your opinion sounds spot-on.
You are funny, uplifting, charismatic and beautiful. Just wanted to point out that Zeppelin did indeed credit Memphis Minnie for When the Levee Breaks on the original 1971 release along with all four members for the reworking of the song. Often with most of the emphasis being on what they "stole" people tend to overlook the artists/songs they did credit. I adore your channel keep up the glorious work!
This video and your observations are brilliant! Quite entertaining, too. Subscribed!
thank you so much! welcome to this long strange trip
This album introduced me to Led Zeppelin. I can see your copy is by Specialty Records, my favourite pressing plant in the US (one of my copy is very similar to yours, if not identical). Audiophiles tend to prefer Monarch over all the others, but comparing SP and MO pressings of Untitled, I didn't notice any improvements. UK original pressings also have Porky/Pecko Duck in the deadwax. I was lucky to find one on the plum label and it sounds amazing.
IV is one of my favorite Zep albums. Just found a new repress at Guitar Center, so my copy is pristine. Thanks for the review.
enjoy your new copy!
Hi Abby great talk! of course I love this album ,Led Zeppelin are my favorite band , if I have to choose favs , I prefer a little more all the song of the side one. for me this album is fascinating also for the esoteric symbols and figures, and for the Tolkien inspired song , as the title "Misty mountain hope" and "The battle of evermore"; I like that stuff
Great review as always! Rock N Roll just makes you feel good the drumming intro is perfection! The entire album is a masterpiece