Led Zeppelin IV de Led Zeppelin
Álbum de Led Zeppelin
- Fecha de lanzamiento: 8 de Noviembre de 1971
- Compositores: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham
- Productores: Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin IV es un álbum de Led Zeppelin, publicado en 1971. El disco incluye 8 canciones, entre ellas «Black Dog», «Rock And Roll», «The Battle Of Evermore» y «Stairway To Heaven».
Comúnmente conocido como Led Zeppelin IV, aunque oficialmente no tiene título, el cuarto álbum de Led Zeppelin, lanzado en 1971, es una de las obras cumbre de la historia de la música rock. Es el álbum que perfecciona la fusión de estilos que la banda había explorado en sus trabajos anteriores, creando una creación notable que es a la vez brutalmente pesada y delicadamente hermosa. Contiene la que es posiblemente la canción de rock más famosa de todos los tiempos, "Stairway to Heaven", junto con una colección impecable de himnos de hard rock y baladas de folk místico. Con más de 37 millones de copias vendidas, es uno de los álbumes más vendidos de la historia y el disco que cimentó el estatus de Led Zeppelin como la banda más grande del planeta.
Cómo se grabó
Tras la desconcertada recepción crítica de Led Zeppelin III, la banda reaccionó de una manera desafiante: decidieron lanzar su siguiente álbum sin ningún título, ni nombre de la banda, ni número de catálogo en la portada. En su lugar, cada miembro eligió un símbolo personal para representarse. Querían que la música hablara por sí misma, sin el peso de las expectativas o las críticas.
La grabación tuvo lugar en gran parte en Headley Grange, una mansión rural, utilizando el estudio móvil de The Rolling Stones. El ambiente relajado y comunal del lugar fomentó una gran creatividad, y muchas de las canciones surgieron de improvisaciones espontáneas. La acústica única de la mansión, especialmente el vestíbulo de la entrada, fue clave para lograr el sonido de batería monumental de John Bonham en "When the Levee Breaks".
El estilo musical
"Led Zeppelin IV" es la síntesis perfecta de todo lo que la banda había hecho hasta entonces. El álbum equilibra a la perfección el hard rock atronador ("Black Dog", "Rock and Roll") con el folk místico y acústico ("The Battle of Evermore", "Going to California"). El sonido es a la vez potente y lleno de matices, con una producción impecable de Jimmy Page que se ha convertido en una referencia en la historia del rock. Temáticamente, el álbum está impregnado de mitología, folklore y el ocultismo que tanto interesaba a Page.
Desglose de temas
El álbum se abre con dos de los riffs más incendiarios de la historia. "Black Dog" es un complejo hard rock construido sobre una estructura de llamada y respuesta entre la voz de Plant y la guitarra de Page. Le sigue el rock and roll puro y sin adulterar de "Rock and Roll". La balada folk "The Battle of Evermore" es una pieza mística inspirada en "El Señor de los Anillos" y es la única canción de Led Zeppelin que cuenta con un vocalista invitado, Sandy Denny de Fairport Convention.
Y entonces llega "Stairway to Heaven". La epopeya de ocho minutos es una de las composiciones más famosas y analizadas de la música. Es una pieza redonda de la dinámica, que comienza como una delicada balada de folk acústico y crece gradualmente hasta convertirse en un clímax de hard rock con uno de los solos de guitarra más celebrados de todos los tiempos. Pese a su inmensa popularidad, la banda se negó a lanzarla como sencillo.
La segunda cara incluye el funk-rock de "Misty Mountain Hop", la delicada balada acústica "Going to California" y el cierre monumental, "When the Levee Breaks", una reinterpretación de un blues de Memphis Minnie que se convierte en una tormenta sónica gracias a su hipnótico y masivo ritmo de batería.
Salida al mercado y resultados
A pesar de la falta de un título o nombre en la portada, el álbum fue un éxito comercial instantáneo y se ha convertido en uno de los álbumes más vendidos de la historia.
- UK Albums Chart: 1
- USA Billboard 200: 2
- Alemania (GfK Entertainment): 9
- Canadá (RPM): 1
Lo que dijo la crítica
La crítica aclamó el álbum como una obra sobresaliente absoluta. Consolidó a Led Zeppelin no solo como la banda más grande del mundo, sino también como una de las más innovadoras y artísticamente importantes. Es un álbum que trasciende el tiempo, una colección de canciones perfectas que representa la cima absoluta del rock de los 70.
Listado de Canciones
- Black Dog4:57
Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove Ah, ah, child, way you shake that thing Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way Watch your honey drip, I can't keep away Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh, oh, oh Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh, oh, oh I got to roll, can't stand still Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill Eyes that shine, burning red Dreams of you all through my head Ah-ah, ah-ah Ah-ah, ah-ah Ah-ah, ah-ah, ahh Hey baby, oh baby, pretty baby Tell me would you do me now Hey baby, oh baby, pretty baby Move me while you groove me now Take too long 'fore I found out What people mean by down and out Spent my money, took my car Started tellin' her friend she' gon' be a star I don't know, but I've been told A big-legged woman ain't got no soul All I ask for, all I pray Steady rollin' woman gonna come my way Need a woman gonna hold my hand Won't tell me no lies, make me a happy man Ah-ah, ah-ah Ah-ah, ah-ah Ah-ah, ah-ah, ahh Hey baby, pretty baby, oh baby Hey baby, pretty baby, oh baby Hey baby, pretty baby, oh baby - Rock And Roll3:40
It's been a long time since I rock and roll It's been a long time since I did the stroll Let me get it back, let me get it back Let me get it back, baby, where I came from? It's been a long time, been a long time Been a long lonely Lonely, lonely, lonely Lonely time Yes, it has It's been a long time since the book of love I can't count the tears of a life with no love Carry me back, carry me back Carry me back, baby, where I came from It's been a long time, been a long time Been a long lonely Lonely, lonely, lonely Lonely time Seems so long since we walked in the moonlight Making vows that just can't work right Open your arms, open your arms Open your arms, baby, let my love come running in It's been a long time, been a long time Been a long lonely Lonely, lonely, lonely Lonely time - The Battle Of Evermore5:52
Letra
Queen of light took her bow And then she turned to go The prince of peace embraced the gloom And walked the night alone Oh, dance in the dark of night Sing to the morning light The dark lord rides in force tonight And time will tell us all Oh, throw down your plow and hoe Rest not to lock your homes Side by side we wait the might Of the darkest of them all I hear the horses thunder Down in the valley below I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon Waiting for the eastern glow The apples of the valley hold The seeds of happiness The ground is rich from tender care Repay, do not forget, no, no Dance in the dark of night Sing to the morning light The apples turn to brown and black The tyrant's face is red Oh, in war is the common cry Pick up you swords and fly The sky is filled with good and bad That mortals never know Oh well, the night is long The beads of time pass slow Tired eyes on the sunrise Waiting for the eastern glow The pain of war cannot exceed The woe of aftermath The drums will shake the castle wall The ring wraiths ride in black, ride on Sing as you raise your bow Shoot straighter than before No comfort has the fire tonight That lights the face so cold Oh, dance in the dark of night Sing to the morning light The magic runes are written in gold To bring the balance back, bring it back At last the sun is shining The clouds of blue roll by With flames from the dragon of darkness The sunlight blinds his eyes - Stairway To Heaven8:02
There's a lady who's sure All that glitters is gold And she's buying a stairway to heaven When she gets there she knows If the stores are all closed With a word she can get what she came for And she's buying a stairway to heaven There's a sign on the wall But she wants to be sure 'Cause you know, sometimes words have two meanings In the tree by the brook There's a songbird who sings Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven It makes me wonder It makes me wonder There's a feeling I get when I look to the west And my spirit is crying for leaving In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees And the voices of those who stand looking It makes me wonder It really makes me wonder And it's whispered that soon If we all call the tune Then the piper will lead us to reason And a new day will dawn For those who stand long And the forests will echo with laughter If there's a bustle in your hedgerow Don't be alarmed now It's just a Spring clean for the May queen Yes, there are two paths you can go by But in the long run There's still time to change the road you're on And it makes me wonder Your head is humming and it won't go In case you don't know The piper's calling you to join him Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow And did you know Your stairway lies on the whispering wind And as we wind on down the road Our shadows taller than our souls There walks a lady we all know Who shines white light and wants to show How everything still turns to gold And if you listen very hard The tune will come to you, at last When all are one and one is all, yeah To be a rock and not to roll And she's buying a stairway to heaven - Misty Mountain Hop4:38
Walking in the park just the other day, baby What do you, what do you think I saw? Crowds of people sitting on the grass With flowers in their hair said Hey boy, do you wanna score? And you know how it is I really don't know what time it was, woh-oh-oh So I asked them if I could stay awhile I didn't notice, but it had got very dark and I was really Really out of my mind Just then a policeman stepped up to me and asked us said Please, hey, would we care to all get in line, get in line Well, you know, they asked us to stay for tea and have some fun, woh-oh-oh He said that his friends would all drop by Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see And baby, baby, baby, do you like it? There you sit, sitting spare like a book on a shelf rusting Not trying to fight it You really don't care if they're coming, woh-oh-oh I know that it's all a state of mind If you go down in the streets today, baby, you better You better open your eyes Folk down there really don't care, really don't care, don't care, really don't Which, which way the pressure lies So I've decided what I'm gonna do now So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains Where the spirits go now Over the hills where the spirits fly Uh, uh, uh Uh, uh, uh, uh Uh, uh, uh Uh, uh, uh, uh I really don't know I really don't know - Four Sticks4:45
Letra
Oh, baby, it's crying time, oh, baby, I've got to fly Got to try to find a way, got to try to get away 'Cause you know, I gotta get away from you, babe Oh, baby, the river's red, aw, baby, in my head There's a funny feeling going on I don't think I can hold out long And when the owls cry in the night Oh, baby, baby, when the pines begin to cry Baby, baby, baby, how do you feel If the rivers run dry, baby, how would you feel Craze, baby, mm, the rainbow's end Hoo, baby, it's just a den for those who hide A hide their loves to depths of lies And ruined dreams that we all knew so, babe And when the owls cry in the night And, baby, when the pines begin to cry Oh, baby, baby, how do you feel If the rivers run dry, baby, how will you feel Baby, how do you feel Oh, yeah, brave I endure Woo, yeah, strong shields and lore Tthey can't hold the wrath of those who walk In the boots of those who march Baby, through the roads of time so long ago - Going To California3:31
Spent my days with a woman unkind Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine Made up my mind to make a new start Going to California with an aching in my heart Someone told me there's a girl out there With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair Took my chances on a big jet plane Never let them tell you that they're all the same The sea was red and the sky was grey Wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today The mountains and the canyons started to tremble and shake As the children of the sun began to awake Seems that the wrath of the Gods Got a punch on the nose and it started to flow I think I might be sinking Throw me a line if I reach it in time I'll meet you up there where the path Runs straight and high To find a queen without a king They say she plays guitar and cries and sings la la la la Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn Trying to find a woman who's never, never, never been born Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams Telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems - When The Levee Breaks7:08
Letra
If it keeps on raining, levee's going to break If it keeps on raining, levee's going to break When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home Don't it make you feel bad When you're trying to find your way home You don't know which way to go? If you're going down South They go no work to do If you don't know about Chicago Crying won't help you Praying won't do you no good Now, crying won't help you Praying won't do you no good When the levee breaks Mama, you got to move All last night sat on the levee and moaned All last night sat on the levee and moaned Thinking about my baby and my happy home Going, going to Chicago, going to Chicago Sorry, but I can't take you Going down, going down now, going down