Led Zeppelin. IV. Side 2. Discuss.

[Taverner]

...

[Catch22Dem]

1. Led who? What's this roman numeral 4 all about?

:evilgrin: GOTCHA!!!!

[Sporadicus]

2. To Purists, It's Not 'IV'

it's 'The Runes'

[slackmaster]

4. To most people around here it's the ZOSO album

[Nlighten1]

10. Yep...

[carpetbagger]

3. Dude, I'm speechless.

There's stuff you're supposed to like just because. This is one of them. That makes it easy to forget how fckng incredible the side is, especially since it's in many ways a pale B-side following up Stairway et al.

The beauty is that I don't listen to so-called classic rock on the radio. So I actually dig up the album when I want to listen to it. Probably because I only pull it out a few times a year, it is in my mind still as incredible as it was when I was 14.

On edit: Maybe not totally speechless. Each of the four songs on the side, when compared to similar songs in the genre, stand out like absolute giants. Except for Misty Mountain Hop, they could each anchor an album by lesser bands. Flame away, but Going to California is superior to every major acoustic song from a metal band. When the Levee Breaks would be a major player, maybe the major player, on Disraeli Gears, and would blow away anything from the more conventional rock bands (Bad Company comes to mind). Misty Mountain Hop would stand as a highlight on most albums, but here it goes in as a break in the action after Stairway, almost like the 2nd movement of Mahler's second symphony.

[Taverner]

6. But in many ways Side 2 is superior to Side 1

Side one has all the Radio Friendly stuff...but side 2 has the Misty Moutnain Hop > Four Sticks > Going to California > When the Levee Breaks thing going on.

[carpetbagger]

12. I think side 1 sounds bland because of radio play.

Not to mention Cadillac commercials, which shrunk Rock and Roll down from a great song, which after the Memorex commericial became a Great Song, to a cliche "classic rock" song. Taken in parallel (and I think the album was arranged as such), I think side 1 goes 3 for 4, with BD edging MMP, RR over FS, and Stairway over Levee, although I find it telling that they chose to end the album with Levee.

As I said, since I don't listen to this stuff on the radio, it smacks me in the face each time I listen to it, so sides 1 and 2 sound equally fresh (except for images of Cadillacs, and living in Texas I get bombarded with quite a few Cadillac commercials).

I think if you prefer Marijuana Mood Music over Air Guitar Music, side 2 has more quality minutes (like, the whole side). However, it would be a secular blasphemy to speak of the overall quality somehow equating with Stairway alone.

[Nevernose]

5. Greatest make-out album of ALL TIME!

I loved that movie!

[Taverner]

7. But in the movie, they DON'T play Side 2

He goofs and instead plays Kashmir, which was off Physical Graffitti. Surely Cameron Crowe knows the difference....

[Nevernose]

8. You know you right? But that wasn't a Crowe movie.

It was Penelope Spheeris' first.

'Scuse me, Amy Heckerling.

[Taverner]

9. But Cameron Crowe wrote the book and screenplay...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083929/

[Nevernose]

13. I just looked that up myself

I'll pay more attention the next time I watch "Almmost Famous," although "Jerry Maguire" is already one of my favorite movies.

[rucky]

17. My brother's gonna shit! My brother's gonna kill us!

[Tom Kitten]

11. or ZoSo...

I love Misty Mountain Hop it has a weird catchy beat with a great riff and drumming.
Four Sticks is ok, not one of my favorite songs it gets a little repetitive to me...
Going to California is a nice acoustic song, kinda hippie-ish, though.
When the Levee Breaks is a monster, just one of the best songs they did.

When Zep got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame they did this song with Jason Bonham drumming and Neil Young jamming along...I always wondered if these jams get released anywhere, that was a good one...

[Mr. Blonde]

14. My favorite part of their induction

was Joe Perry saying, "Everything you have ever heard about Led Zeppelin is true, mad bad and dangerous to know." I have heard some shit I kid you not I have heard some shit. Not to mention isn't that what you want to hear about your rock band? That they were out doing some messed up stuff that you couldn't even dream of? Like using a mud shark for various reasons.

[Taverner]

19. Yes the infamous shark...

And the groupies and the pinapples...

And Page's black, leather suitcase...

[dumpster_baby]

15. LZ2, Houses of the Holy, and Phy Graffiti were both better albums

C'mon--> "That's The Way", "Rain Song", "Ten Years Gone"?

Gimme a break!

[Taverner]

16. I'll give you Physical Graffitti being better

LZ2 is too radio friendly, as was Houses of the Holy, and HOTH had "D'Yer M'ker" which I LOATHE!!!! If I could expunge that piece of crap from every HOTH album I would be a happy man...

But....the beauty of Zoso is the continuity of side 2...all four songs blend seamlessly into each other...the only other time that happens on a LZ album is the transition from "The Song Remains the Same" > "Rain Song"

[carpetbagger]

18. I think 4 side 2 is a better side than the others.

Taken as a whole, I would offer up the argument that LZ 4's sides, including side 2, cover the four corners of zepland (rock, blues, metal, folk). Ten Years Gone is my favorite LZ song, but the PG album, as a whole, lacks a finished, unified appearence as opposed to 4, or 2 or HH. That's to be expected from a partial-leftover album, but it's there, and I think it detracts from the overall strength of the sides as a whole. ON EDIT: I'm not a particular fan of the LZ sound where they seem to be bridging some gap between rockabilly and the moaning-dog blues sound (which Plant raises to an art form elsewhere). That leaves sides 2 and 3 of PG as the best sides for me. They are strong album sides, but each one is almost like a Yes album side (i.e. one single song, or two songs that sound alike). They don't take you to a complete universe, like the greatest albums do (Doors title, Abbey Road, LZ 4, Moody Blues Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Dark Side of the Moon).

Neither 2's sides nor HH's sides really tour the LZ universe in the way that 4a and 4b do. There is very little that can compare with the guitar work and rawness of 2 (Heartbreaker, Bring It On Home), but there's not the fullness that you get with the balance of tracks in 4 and HH. Maybe it's that I just happen to think Thank You isn't a great song, or that Moby Dick is any better of a Bonham work than any of the regular tracks.

Track for track, HH comes up a bit short with side 2 of 4. Sure, Ocean and Levee might be in the same ballpark, and OHFA tops most of what's on 4, but I listen to the middle of the album (Crunge, Dancing Days, Dyer Maker), and it seems like an extended break in the action. Just as II lacks the Bronyaur sound, HH lacks enough of the Percy sound to make a perfect Zeppelin album or side.

4, however, comes damn close, on both sides.

[asthmaticeog]

20. When the Levee Breaks

For my money, EASILY one of the best songs ever recorded. It smokes the blues versions I've heard right out of the water, which is no mean feat. (Though if anyone could point me to any specific recordings of earlier versions than Led Zeppelin's I'd be much obliged, especially ones recorded by female singers. I've heard a couple of 'em on late night radio here and there, but never managed to catch artist IDs.)