Monday, October 29, 2007

Led Zeppelin IV: Listen Closely













Erik Davis felt there were certain intentions as to why it was the 4th album, with 4 songs, and 4 symbols on the album cover. Led Zeppelin IV established a square "fourness base." This was a comforting complexity for most or at least for Erik Davis. The DVD of Led Zeppelin IV shows more clearly their shifts from light to shade within their music. Led Zeppelin's savery and clever use of ambiguity created a desire and meaning throughout album IV. Their symbolic and metaphoric lyrics were used to describe the corrupted changes in society at that time. Led Zeppelin IV helps you recognize what you are not conscious of that is influencing your culture.


The theme of the record according to Erik Davis, was to "bring balance back." Which meant bringing humans back to balance during a time when society was out of whack. "When The Levee Breaks" describes the need for balance by creating lust within heavy sound. According to Erik Davis, the weight on the album is carried out by the remarkable drums. John Bonham created nostalgia weather or not it was valid.

Led Zeppelin IV creates the "exotic mysticism of the east." The band displays such a vanishing world through technological effects within the studio. They accomplished the impossible. Led Zeppelin created a balance between culture and physiology which was very tricky and still is. It pays close listening. Erik Davis feels they made this record a real masterpiece.

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