Four Symbols
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| 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
- "Black Dog" (Page/Plant/Jones) - 4:54
- "Rock and Roll" (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham) - 3:40
- "The Battle of Evermore" (Page/Plant) - 5:51
- "Stairway to Heaven" (Page/Plant) - 8:00
- "Misty Mountain Hop" (Page/Plant/Jones) - 4:38
- "Four Sticks" (Page/Plant) - 4:44
- "Going to California" (Page/Plant) - 3:31
- "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.
- It is number 66 on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
| Led Zeppelin |
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| 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
- Led Zeppelin IV Lyrics (http://home.att.net/~chuckayoub/led_zeppelin_iv.html)bg:Led Zeppelin IV
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