After the ground-breaking, and foundation-laying Led Zeppelin I, the electric blues and Tolkienesque explorations of Led Zeppelin II, and the acoustic experimentation of Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin’s fourth, and allegedly untitled, fourth album arrived and if I had to pick a tarot card to describe this album it would be the Four of Wands!
The Four of Wands is about success, celebration, the feast after gathering the crops, and a collective creative venture paying off. Led Zep IV brought together all the colours in the Led Zeppelin rainbow and made the rock world and the rest of the planet a better place.
I say ‘allegedly’ untitled album, because Led Zeppelin IV is commonly known as Four Symbols; a title influenced by the four symbols that adorned the album cover. Each symbol was chosen by, and represented, a member of the band. John Paul Jones and John Bonham were represented by runes: Jones by a rune representing confidence and competence, and Bonham’s rune representing the man-woman-child triangle. (Some say Bonham’s rune looked like the Ballantine beer logo.) Robert Plant was represented by Maat’s feather of truth in a unbroken circle representing life; Jimmy Page was represented by an alchemical sigla said to resemble the symbol for the element mercury, and influenced by a magician called Austin Osman Spare. Spare was an acolyte of occultist Aleister Crowley. It’s no coincidence that Page owned Crowley’s house Boleskine (situated on the banks of Loch Ness), until his daughter died there mysteriously.
The inner gatefold of the album had an illustration called The Hermit by Barrington Colby Marn. The Hermit is another mystical symbol, taken from the Tarot. The Hermit signifies wisdom gained on the journey of life. The lantern shows the Inner Light. This image was used by Page in his segment of the film The Song Remains The Same.
The outer gatefold contrasts urban decay with a more natural way of life typified by the peasant in the photograph. This contrast exists in the music: urban electric blues play against acoustic ballads.
The album kicks off with two rock anthems, which straight away contradict the mystical atmosphere surrounding the album. First, the band strut their stuff with Black Dog. No doubts at all about what Plant has on his mind: ‘Hey Mama. Said the way you move. Gonna make you sweat. Gonna make groove.’ The track is raunchy and strident. Plant and Page take the blues one step further. Plant calls, and Page responds with a solid guitar line - a bedroom guitarists dream.
The mood is echoed with Rock’n’Roll. You understand why this is called HEAVY rock. These boys have their feet planted firmly on the ground, and they ain’t movin’ their own way. John Bonham sets the pace, and keeps it moving forward. Legend has it that Jimi Hendrix once the told Page that his drummer used the hi-hat like a pair of castanets. This track proves it. Solid drumming pushed along with solid bass-playing from John Paul Jones. One of the great rhythm sections.
The Battle of Evermore is a total contrast. Even though it has it’s inspiration in folklore, this song is more down to earth than the heady posturing of the previous tracks. The track features Fairport Convention’s Sandy Denny. Her voice weaves in and out of Plant’s. Their voices, and the acoustic backing, give the song an autumnal feel. The sound of things about to die. You can imagine the leaves fallen on the forest floor as they head towards the battle. The fear and anguish are captured in the acoustic tapestry.
Now for the one we’ve all been waiting for: Stairway to Heaven. A song of hope - and every guitar store owner’s nightmare. How may killer guitarist’s (in their own minds) have murdered this song, while perched on an amp trying to look like they know what they are doing. Or, let’s sit in a circle on the dance-floor with matches held high, until the twelve-string power chords kick in. On your feet, air guitars out. Hair and afghan coats flapping wildly. Head held high. Eyes rolling back with ecstasy. You are playing that solo.
All this is a reflection of the love and reverence given to this song. Some think it’s a prayer. Plant and Page knew they were writing a winner. It is – every time.
Zeppelin acknowledge the Tolkien influence on hippy culture with Misty Mountain Hop. A walk in the park turns into a journey to the Misty Mountains after being seduced by beautiful people. This is a rolling stomp on which John Paul Jones gets to flex his versatility on electric piano.
Although Four Sticks is probably the least known of the album tracks, it is possibly the track the sums it up. Despite its heavy rock coverings, it is four parts magical, six parts shamanic. The magical element is conjured up by the shimmering guitar chords, and ethereal synth lines; the shamanic atmosphere is down to John Bonham’s drums. Plant, Page, and Jones do their stuff, but I still think of this as Bonham’s showcase. His drumming is no frills, solid, constant, unchanging, persistent, non-stop, tribal.
Seems like the Misty Mountains didn’t work out, so we’re Going to California. This is a beautiful summary of the hippy dream. The mandolin and acoustic guitar give a wistful backdrop to the dreamer searching for something he knows doesn’t really exist. The romantic cycle lived again: the initial excitement of discovery in Misty Mountain Hop turns into the jaded acceptance of reality. He knows that life was never there - just dead flowers in his air.
The last track, When the Levee Breaks, leaves us in no doubt that Zeppelin are truly blues masters. This is the sound of long hot summer nights on the bayou. The type that have you tossing and turning on a sleepless bed, because you can’t escape the heat. Shimmering guitar and moaning harmonica ache. A metaphor for the sweeter tensions in life. And, the tension is relentless. Then, the levee breaks. Pages searing slide guitar shatters it, making way for Zeppelin at their most strident. The tracks ends with a dizzy, spiralling slide guitar. There’s no escape from the heat.
The Four of Wands tells us that although a hill has been climbed, there are still more peaks to reach. And, didn’t they take us all there with them!
