IV

Recorded at Headley Grange in Hampshire, Island Studios in London, and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, Led Zeppelin IV is the album that put Led Zeppelin into homes around the world. It acts as a successful marriage of the hard rock from their second album with the folkier meanderings of their third.

The album demonstrates their subtlety and restraint as much as their stadium-filling grandstanding, confirming their superstar rock status. The actually untitled album (also known as Four Symbols or The Runes Album) was a chart-topper on both sides of the Atlantic, capturing the group's schizophrenia perfectly.

They wallop away through genre-defining rock standards such as "Rock And Roll," "Black Dog," and "Misty Mountain Hop." On the other hand, they are gentle and restrained on the folk mysticism of "Going To California" and the Sandy Denny co-sung "The Battle Of Evermore." On their anthem, "Stairway To Heaven," both strands come together in perfect accord.

Starting as a recorder-driven acoustic folk ballad, it culminates in its closing minutes as a full-on, much-emulated rock classic. Robert Plant's vocals and Jimmy Page's guitar both approach career-bests.

Led Zeppelin IV also showcases the singular talent of drummer John Bonham - the blues-driven "When The Levee Breaks" is one of the most heavily sampled drum tracks of all time. With immaculate playing (multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones' contributions are not to be underestimated), a mystically obscure sleeve, and a remarkable range of tunes, Led Zeppelin IV is still, for many, the best example of the group's craft.