Untitled (IV)

Led Zeppelin was already a household name by 1971, due in part to Jimmy Page’s huge guitar riffs and singer Robert Plant’s voice and good looks. Their first two albums were mostly hard rock rip-offs of blues standards-albeit excellent hard rock rip-offs of blues standards. Their third album, however, stretched out musically, particularly with British folk influences; that’s further exploited here on “The Battle of Evermore,” a vocal duet with Fairport Convention’s Sandy Denny. But whether called IV, Untitled, ZoSo or The Runes Album, Led Zeppelin’s fourth album will always be their best known, and for one reason: “Stairway to Heaven.” Page’s guitar work is classic, erupting into one of his most blistering solos; but Plant’s lyrics, very much of the era, offer the hook that caught the world’s attention. Of course, Led Zeppelin were still a heavy rocking blues band, and the hard riffing of “Black Dog” and “Rock and Roll” remain just as essential. Subsequent albums would introduce further musical diversity as the songwriting of Page matured, but none of their recordings would be better known, and no record collection at the time would have been complete without this album. As with all other Zeppelin albums after their first, it topped the UK charts; but this album would only reach No. 2 in the US.