Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin IV is the fourth album, and it has no title. As if answering the cool reception of its predecessor, the band stripped every word from the sleeve and put up only four symbols, one chosen by each member. It was recorded between December 1970 and February 1971, mostly at Headley Grange, an old house in Hampshire, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, with Andy Johns engineering. Ian Stewart of the Stones plays piano on “Rock and Roll,” and Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention sings on “The Battle of Evermore” — the only guest vocalist on any Led Zeppelin album. The twisted riff of “Black Dog” took its name from a stray black dog wandering the grounds. “Stairway to Heaven” is compelling for its shape, a calm entrance gathering heat by stages toward a major release, and it was never released as a single. The enormous drums of “When the Levee Breaks” were captured by just two microphones set up in the entrance hall. From the bouncing keyboard of “Misty Mountain Hop” to the quiet scenery of “Going to California,” no two tracks resemble each other. It peaked at number 2 in the US, yet has sold 37 million copies worldwide and still stands at the centre of 1970s rock.