Four Symbols

Album cover
Led Zeppelin's officially-untitled fourth album
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.
Mixed at Island Studios, London;
Olympic Studios, London.
Producer Jimmy Page
Genre Hard rock
Length 42 min 38 s
Record label Atlantic Records
Catalogue (US) Atlantic SD 7208
(UK) Atlantic 2401 002
Professional reviews
Q review 5/5 July 1994 (http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.review.redirect&fixture_review=121171&resource=124581&fixture_artist=144739) (remastered version)
Robert Christgau Grade: A link (http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Led+Zeppelin)
Rolling Stone Favourable December 11, 1971 p. 63 (http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/cd/review.asp?aid=26979&cf=)
New Musical Express 9/10 October 2, 1992 p. 29 (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=60148746&loc=109&PageFormat=7)
Allmusic.com 5/5 link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDSUB040402061702081566&sql=Anl508qbtbtv4)
Led Zeppelin Chronology
Led Zeppelin III
(1970)
Led Zeppelin IV
(1971)
Houses of the Holy
(1973)

The fourth album released by the British blues/rock band Led Zeppelin is variously referred to as "Led Zeppelin IV", "Four Symbols", "Runes", "Sticks", "Zoso" (after the approximate shape of the symbols used as a title), or even "untitled." Indeed it has no official title. After the critical mauling Led Zeppelin III had received in late 1970, Jimmy Page decided that the next album would not have a proper title - in order to see if the music could sell itself. The original pressing did not have a readable title or the name Led Zeppelin anywhere on the outside, instead featuring four hand-drawn symbols (one designed by and representing each band member). These symbols inspired the various informal names used for the album.

The album remains a perennial favorite on classic rock radio, and features "Stairway to Heaven", widely recognized as one of the greatest rock music songs ever recorded. While reaching #2 in the US - and lasting 259 weeks on that chart, it was also the band's third consecutive UK chart topper.

Released on November 8, 1971 by Atlantic Records

Contents

Track Listing

  1. "Black Dog" (Page/Plant/Jones) - 4:54
  2. "Rock and Roll" (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham) - 3:40
  3. "The Battle of Evermore" (Page/Plant) - 5:51
  4. "Stairway to Heaven" (Page/Plant) - 8:00
  5. "Misty Mountain Hop" (Page/Plant/Jones) - 4:38
  6. "Four Sticks" (Page/Plant) - 4:44
  7. "Going to California" (Page/Plant) - 3:31
  8. "When the Levee Breaks" (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham/Minnie) - 7:07

Personnel

  • Jimmy Page - Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, producer, remastering, digital remastering
  • Robert Plant - Vocals, harmonica
  • John Paul Jones - Synthesizer, bass guitar, keyboards
  • John Bonham - Drums
  • Ian Stewart - Piano (Track 2)
  • Sandy Denny - Vocals (Track 3)
  • Peter Grant - Executive producer
  • George Chkiantz - Mixing
  • Andy Johns - Engineer, mixing
  • George Marino - Digital remastering
  • Graphreaks - Design coordinator
  • Barrington Colby Mom - Inside illustration - The Hermit

Chart positions

Billboard Music Charts (North America) - album

1971	Led Zeppelin IV	 The Billboard 200       	No. 2

Billboard (North America) - singles

1972	Black Dog	 Pop Singles	                No. 15
1972	   Rock and Roll    Pop Singles	                   No. 47

Additional notes

  • Despite the immense popularity of "Stairway to Heaven", which received heavy AOR radio rotation in the early 1970s, and remains one of the most popular rock songs of all time, the song was never officially released as a single and thus it was never seen on the Billboard charts.
  • Although the symbols that form its title (and the album itself) are sometimes referred to as "Runes", none are in fact runes. The symbols for Robert Plant, Maàt's feather of Truth encapsulated by an unbroken circle representing life, and Jimmy Page, a stylised Capricorn ruled by Saturn, are called siglia. Although looking almost like the word "Zoso" it is not intended to be written or pronounced as such. Page's symbol is remarkably similar to other sigils of hermetist J. Cardan and magician Austin Osman Spare found in: Gettings, Fred (1982) Dictionary of Occult, Hermetic and Alchemical Sigils, ISBN 0-7100-0095-2.
  • In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Led Zeppelin IV the 26th greatest album of all time.
Led Zeppelin
John Bonham - John Paul Jones - Jimmy Page - Robert Plant
Original albums: Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin III - Untitled - Houses of the Holy - Physical Graffiti - Presence - The Song Remains the Same - In Through the Out Door - Coda
Other albums: Boxed Set - Profiled - Remasters - Boxed Set 2 - The Complete Studio Recordings - BBC Sessions - Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin Volume One - Latter Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin Volume Two - How the West Was Won
Films: The Song Remains the Same - Led Zeppelin DVD
Songs: "The Battle of Evermore" - "Dazed and Confused" - "Stairway to Heaven" - "When the Levee Breaks"
Other: Peter Grant - Swan Song Records


External Links

de:Led Zeppelin IV fr:Four Symbols it:Led Zeppelin IV pl:Led Zeppelin IV fi:Led Zeppelin IV sv:Led Zeppelin IV

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