Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO) [Original recording remastered]

Also known as the "rune" album because of the medieval symbols adorning its cover, Led Zeppelin's fourth album, released in 1971, turned them from mere superstars into giant behemoths of the rock world. On tracks like "Black Dog", "Misty Mountain Hop", and "Rock and Roll", the combination of Robert Plant's banshee wails and Jimmy Page's frenetic guitar playing forever altered the stylistic bent of hard rock music. And the foreboding "When the Levee Breaks" demonstrated that Zeppelin could indeed play the blues fairly straight if they so desired. Still, everything here ultimately took a back seat to the album's (and, ultimately, the band's) magnum opus--the expertly constructed and deftly executed classic, "Stairway to Heaven". --Billy Altman

Also known as the "rune" album or Zoso because of the medieval symbols adorning the inner sleeve, Led Zeppelin's fourth album, released in 1971, turned them from mere superstars into giant behemoths of the rock world. On tracks like "Black Dog," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "Rock and Roll," the combination of Robert Plant's banshee wails and Jimmy Page's frenetic guitar playing forever altered the stylistic bent of hard rock music. And the foreboding "When the Levee Breaks" demonstrated that Zeppelin could indeed play the blues fairly straight if they so desired. Still, everything here ultimately took a back seat to the album's (and, ultimately, the band's) magnum opus--the expertly constructed and deftly executed classic, "Stairway to Heaven." --Billy Altman

Led Zeppelin IV est certainement le chef-d'oeuvre absolu du groupe anglais. C'est en tout cas son disque le plus secret, le plus ésotérique même, à telle enseigne que les critiques anglo-saxons l'ont surnommé "The Runes Album" (les runes étant les caractères des alphabets des anciens peuples scandinaves et germaniques). Au-delà des mots qui cherchent à définir le message occulte du groupe (et de Page en particulier), il s'agit bien, d'un point de vue musical cette fois, d'une quête initiatique, de la redécouverte d'un univers perdu au travers d'un alchimique mélange des genres. Des riffs dévastateurs de "Black Dog", "Rock'n'Roll" et "Misty Mountain High Hop" aux riches atmosphères, tantôt folk, tantôt psychédéliques, tantôt blues de "The Battle Of Evermore", "Stairway To Heaven", "Going To California" et "When The Levee Breaks", Page, Plant, Jones et Bonham, unis par la même volonté de se dépasser, ont livré au public une sorte de musique intemporelle dont on n'a pas, aujourd'hui encore, tiré toute la substantifique moelle. --Philippe Margotin

Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) paper sleeve pressing of this absolute classic album from the Rock legends, originally released in 1971. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Universal. 2008.