Led Zeppelin – (Zoso) (1971) Review | The Tetragrammaton of Rock and Roll
Kronomyth 4.0: Satan’s sect symbols.
So magical is the music on this album that it could not be named, only marked with a series of mysterious glyphs, of which the first and most discernible, Zoso, has served as an appellation in absentia. You might say the same magical forces were at play to varying degrees on their first three albums, and I would agree. The heavy metal by way of the blues (When the Levee Breaks, Black Dog), the acoustic myth-making (The Battle of Evermore, Stairway to Heaven), the stunning sonic overload (Misty Mountain Hop, Rock and Roll)—we’ve encountered these forms before. The difference is that Led Zeppelin has perfected them here. “Ramble On” referenced The Lord of the Rings; “The Battle of Evermore” transports you there. “Dazed and Confused” stoned you; “When the Levee Breaks” steamrolls you, with John Bonham an immovable force at its center. Somewhere in the middle, on Misty Mountain Hop, I’m reminded that the purpose of music is to engage your mind and heart and lift them out of the mundane. You can’t listen to Led Zeppelin’s fourth album and remain a prisoner of the real world. Supernatural powers are clearly at work as you find yourself transported to fabled places and unearthly delights. The Hermit with his lantern? He’s your guide into this fantasy world. He leads you in through the outdoor, then out through the indoor. What you encounter between those doors may be Mordor or Gondor or a world of your own making.
The Products
A1. Black Dog (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant/John Paul Jones) (4:54)
A2. Rock and Roll (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant/John Paul Jones/John Bonham) (3:40)
A3. The Battle of Evermore (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant) (5:51)
A4. Stairway to Heaven (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant) (8:00)
B1. Misty Mountain Hop (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant/John Paul Jones) (4:38)
B2. Four Sticks (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant) (4:44)
B3. Going to California (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant) (3:31)
B4. When the Levee Breaks (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant/John Paul Jones/John Bonham/Memphis Minnie) (7:07)
The Players
John Bonham (drums), John Paul Jones (bass, electric piano, mandolin, recorders, synthesizer), Jimmy Page (electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin), Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica) with Sandy Denny (vocals on A3), Ian Stewart (piano on A2). Produced by Jimmy Page; engineered by Andy Johns; mixed by Andy Johans and George Chkiantz; executive producer: Peter Grant.
The Pictures
Inside illustration by Barrington Colby Mom. Design coordination by Graphreaks.
The Plastic
Released on elpee on November 8, 1971 in the US (Atlantic, SD 7208), the UK and Germany (Atlantic, K50008) and Japan (Atlantic, P-10125) with gatefold cover and innersleeve.
- Re-issued on elpee and cassette in the US (Atlantic, SD/CS 19129) with gatefold cover and innersleeve.
- Re-issued on remastered compact disc and cassette in July 1994 in the US (Atlantic, 82638).
