rev_m_zoso

LED ZEPPLIN
IV-ZOSO

as reviewed by Jack Crompton at Amazon.com, December 31, 2008

When all is one and one is all...

Led Zepplin defined an era from the late sixties to the mid seventies in which they became THE reigning icons of music categorization of what later became known as ‘heavy metal’ and ‘art rock’. Right from the start, they produced a stream of cutting edge music that put the world on immediate notice that this was a different sound altogether and a synergistic concentration of talent.

Indeed, they were artists to be sure and ironically, their best work was often not the kind played at high volume, but revealed subtleties and musicianship of the very highest order. Formed from remnants of that early english ‘seed’ band, The Yardbirds, which spawned so much of what later became rock history, Zepplin’s unique sound was built upon the genius of guitarist Jimmy Page, who was the last of the Yardbird’s trail-blazing guitarists, following the shadow of legends Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. By the time Page formed Zepplin, he had developed considerably to really step into a ‘peak creative zone’ which lasted for several years.

Inspired by the vocal virtuosity and out of the box inspiration of singer Robert Plant, the flamboyant individualistic percussive style of drummer Jon Bonham and journeyman bassman/keyboardist John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, a naturally brilliant arranger and a perfectionist sculptor of sound in the studio, achieved landmark creative brilliance with this band. The total sound of the band proved to be much more than the sum of their parts, transcending any one particular genre and pushing the envelope of many.

In fact, Led Zepplin proved to be what many consider the most ground-breaking, rule-breaking band in rock history as they continually would search for music beyond boundaries of what was ‘normal’ at the time, combining ancient druid folk tunes, innovative time signatures with the cutting edge of electric sound possibilities. As all true artist, they danced into the unknown and this is what made them great.

Although the preceding four albums and the subsequent release, ‘Houses of the Holy’ all could each be in consideration, it is on ZOSO, their fourth album, where they really produced a bonafide masterpiece, It is on this album that they produced the masterful set of tunes for which they will always be remembered, the most obvious being the seminal rock classic, ‘Stairway to Heaven’.

Despite it’s heavy airplay, (which tends to desensitize one), ‘Stairway’ still remains in my opinion one of rock’s most perfect performances on record. The masterful arrangement by Page echoes his celtic roots, and he beautifully builds the tune in layers to a mesmerizing guitar solo crescendo, that is beautifully phrased. There is no doubt upon conclusion of the tune that Zepplin created a truly timeless anthem. And even now, 35 years later, that sweet opening guitar phrase is a standard benchmark that all aspiring rock guitarists strive to live up to.

Although the other tracks here are not as well known to the mainstream music world, they are all superb and offer many different colors to the extraordinary sonic palette that Zepplin offers here. Built on Page’s wonderful fingerpicking style played in an open D tuning, ‘Going to California’ is a sweet, acoustic-based, nostalgic love song that embodies the torn emotions of a soul looking for it’s new horizon. Plant’s vocal work is mersmerizing and convincing. Its a beauty.

I particularly love ‘Four Sticks’ and the ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ for their odd timing and mystical overtones. It’s clear that drummer Bonham had a very fertile influence with Page as you can here the synergy between the two particularly on these tunes. Musically, they were great complements.

‘The Battle for Evermore’ is another great piece of work and again reveals that the bands best work is often in folk/acoustic domain. Vocalist Robert Plant really drives this one, and it’s a fantastic piece of very earthy, organic music. Like much of their acoustic music, it has a decidedly mystical, ageless element to it.

This is an album that has really stood the test of time. Throughout Jimmy Page shows masterful sonic arrangements and creates wonderfully layered textures of sound that really raised the bar of artistic achievement in the rock world. Although they have many other sparkling gems, (such as another masterpiece, ‘Rain Song’ and perhaps the greatest of blues recordings, ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You), scattered across several albums, ‘ZOSO really is fitting pick for defining this important and innovative band at their absolute creative peak.

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