MAKING OF THE ALBUM: Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV

The relatively disappointing sales of Led Zeppelin III took both the band and label by surprise, after the phenomenal success of their first two albums. Atlantic Records had felt that Led Zeppelin had taken a few too many chances with their third record and were desperate for their clients to repeat their earlier success. Their manager, Peter Grant (who had also handled guitarist Jimmy Page’s earlier group, The Yardbirds), felt that the sooner they returned to the studio and commenced work on their fourth album the more at ease the label would be. In an effort to avoid any distractions, Grant had declined not only a tour of the UK but also the opportunity of performing a New Year’s Eve show in Germany which – forty years before The Big Four – was to have been broadcast live in cinemas around America.

After several weeks of rest, Page and the band prepared to enter the studio to work on a number of songs that they had been working on. Shortly before Christmas 1970, the band made their way to Basing Street Studios in Notting Hill, London, where they tried to lay down some ideas in demo form. Amongst the material that would emerge during the first sessions were several songs that would appear on subsequent albums, such as No Quarter (Houses of the Holy), The Rover and Down by the Seaside (both from Physical Graffiti). Once rehearsals were completed in the New Year, Led Zeppelin relocated to Headley Grange in East Hampshire for a fortnight of recording in cold and damp conditions.

A jam entitled It’s Been a Long Time would mark a collaboration between the band and pianist Ian Stewart, who had first started out as a member of The Rolling Stones but was later fired and instead became their tour manager. The song, later re-titled Rock and Roll during production, would become a staple of the group’s live shows after the release of the album and, along with Whole Lotta Love, Stairway to Heaven and Kashmir, is one of their most recognised tracks. After Page had been working on the music for almost a year, Stairway to Heaven would evolve during an evening in between sessions, in which he and bassist John Paul Jones laid out the song, whilst singer Robert Plant was writing the lyrics nearby. Another guest appearance would come from singer Sandy Denny, who had gained acclaim as the vocalist with folk group Fairport Convention during the late 1960s.

Atlantic released Led Zeppelin IV on November 8th 1971 and, much like the band’s first two albums, was a major success. The label attempted to convince the group to release Stairway to Heaven as a single but they declined, instead issuing the track Black Dog, which was released one month after the album in the United States (with Misty Mountain Hop as the b-side). The success of Led Zeppelin IV would result in the album being certified multi-platinum in the US, UK, Australia, France and Canada, whilst Stairway to Heaven would become one of the most influential and covered songs of all time. The positive reaction that the band had received would put them under even greater pressure to produce a worthy follow-up and Houses of the Holy (their last with Atlantic), although still successful, would receive a mixed reaction from critics.