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The untitled fourth album of English Rock band Led Zeppelin was released on November 8 1971 . It has no official title mentioned on the cover and is commonly referred to as ''Led Zeppelin IV'', in the style of the band's previous three albums. Atlantic Records catalogues have used the names '''''Four Symbols''''' and '''''The Fourth Album''''', and it is also variously referred to as '''''Untitled''''', '''''Runes''''', '''''Sticks''''', '''''Man with Sticks''''', '''''Four''''' and '''''ZoSo''''' (after the appearance of the first character or symbol printed on the LP label). Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page frequently refers to the album in interviews as ''Led Zeppelin IV'', while singer Robert Plant thinks of it as "the fourth album, that's it." It is one of the Best-selling Albums in history, with over 23 million units sold in the United States alone; estimates for worldwide figures usually top 30 million units. OVERVIEW The album was recorded at Island Records 's newly opened Basing Street Studios , London , around the same time as Jethro Tull 's '' Aqualung '', and at Headley Grange , a remote Victorian house in East Hampshire , England, as well as Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, CA . After the lukewarm, if not confused and sometimes dismissive, critical reaction '' Led Zeppelin III '' had received in the autumn of 1970, Jimmy Page decided that the next Led Zeppelin album would not have a title, but would instead feature four hand-drawn symbols on the inner sleeve and record label, each one chosen by the band member it represents. "We decided that on the fourth album, we would deliberately play down the group name, and there wouldn't be any information whatsoever on the outer jacket," Page explained. "Names, titles and things like that do not mean a thing."The Straight Dope : What do the four symbols on Led Zeppelin's 4th album mean? Owing to the lack of an official title, Atlantic Records initially distributed graphics of the symbols in many sizes to the press for inclusion in charts and articles. The album was one of the first to be produced without conventional identification, and this communicated an anti-commercial stance that was controversial at the time (especially among certain executives at Atlantic). ''Led Zeppelin IV'' remains a perennial favorite on Classic Rock radio and features " Stairway To Heaven ", one of the most famous and popular rock songs ever recorded. In 1998, ''Q'' Magazine readers voted Led Zeppelin IV the 26th greatest album of all time; in 2000 "Q" placed it at #26 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. It is #7 on Pitchfork Media 's Top 100 Albums of the 1970s. A 2005 listener poll conducted by Toronto , Ontario classic rock station Q107 named Led Zeppelin IV the #2 best classic rock album of all time. In 2006, the album was rated #1 on ''Classic Rock'' magazine's 100 Greatest British Albums poll; that same year it was voted #1 in '' Guitar World '' 100 Greatest Albums readers' poll and was ranked #7 in ABC media's top ten albums. THE SYMBOLS Each member of the band chose a personal emblem for the cover. Left to right, their members and meanings:
There is also a fifth, smaller symbol chosen by guest vocalist Sandy Denny representing her contribution to " The Battle Of Evermore "; it appears in the credits list on the inner sleeve of the LP, serving as an asterisk. ALBUM COVER AND INSIDE SLEEVE The painting on the front of the album showing an old man carrying a . In the film, there is a similar-looking witch, and inside the bundle of sticks are body parts from a thief hung on the gallows (Trivia section, "''Häxan''", Classic-Horror) . This would be fitting, given Page's interest in hermetic studies. The house and surrounding area in the picture are by Butterfield Court in the Eve Hill area of Dudley; the use of Eve Hill may be an in-joke ["Ev-il"] by the band. The Tower Block on the back cover is of Butterfield Court in Dudley , England (not the now demolished Prince of Wales Court, as is sometimes incorrectly stated). Butterfield Court can be seen, owing to it being 20-stories high and on top of a ridge, 25 miles away in rural Worcestershire and Shropshire and on a clear day, over 45 miles away in Wales . A contemporary image of Butterfield Court can be seen here The typeface for the lyrics to "Stairway to Heaven", printed on the inside sleeve of the album, was Page's contribution. He found it in an old arts and crafts magazine called ''Studio'' which started in the late 1800s . He thought the lettering interesting and got someone to work up a whole alphabet.Brad Tolinski and Greg Di Bendetto, "Light and Shade", ''Guitar World'', January 1998. TRACK LISTING Side one # " Black Dog " ( Page / Plant / Jones ) – 4:55 # " Rock And Roll " (Page/Plant/Jones/ Bonham ) – 3:40 # " The Battle Of Evermore " (Page/Plant) – 5:38 # " Stairway To Heaven " (Page/Plant) – 7:55 Side two # " Misty Mountain Hop " (Page/Plant/Jones) – 4:39 # " Four Sticks " (Page/Plant) – 4:49 # " Going To California " (Page/Plant) – 3:36 # " When The Levee Breaks " (Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham/ Memphis Minnie ) – 7:08 PERSONNEL
CHART POSITIONS Album Singles CERTIFICATIONS CULTURAL REFERENCES Side B of the album was made somewhat infamous as make-out music in the movie '' Fast Times At Ridgemont High ''; Mike Damone ( Robert Romanus ) tells Mark Ratner ( Brian Backer ) to always play side 2 of ''Led Zeppelin IV'' when he's on a date. In the next scene, he is on the date with '' Physical Grafitti '''s " Kashmir " playing in the car. Mark therefore "blows" the date, since he plays the wrong Led Zeppelin album. In actuality, Universal Pictures couldn't get the rights to any of the songs on ''Led Zeppelin IV'', despite screenwriter Cameron Crowe 's prior relationship to the band, so they opted to use "Kashmir" instead.
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