Led Zeppelin IV

File:Headley Grange - geograph.org.uk - 29789.jpg in Hampshire.]]

Following the release of Led Zeppelin III in October 1970, the group took a break from live performances to concentrate on recording a follow-up. They turned down all touring offers, including a proposed New Year's Eve gig that would have been broadcast on television. They returned to Bron-Yr-Aur, a country house in Snowdonia, Wales, to write new material.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=67}}

Recording sessions for the album began at Island Records' new studios on Basing Street in London on 5 December 1970, with the recording of "Black Dog".{{Cite book |last=Guesdon |first=Jean-Michel |title=Led Zeppelin All The Songs |publisher=Running Press |others=Co-written by Philippe Margotin |year=2018 |isbn=9780316418034}}{{Cite news| title = Their Time is Gonna Come| newspaper = Classic Rock Magazine|date=December 2007}} The group had considered Mick Jagger's home, Stargroves as a recording location, but decided it was too expensive.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=73}} They subsequently moved the following month to Headley Grange, a country house in Hampshire, England, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio and engineer Andy Johns, with the Stones' Ian Stewart assisting. Johns had just worked on engineering Sticky Fingers and recommended the mobile studio.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=73}} Guitarist and producer Jimmy Page later recalled: "We needed the sort of facilities where we could have a cup of tea and wander around the garden and go in and do what we had to do."{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=16}} This relaxed, atmospheric environment at Headley Grange also provided other advantages for the band, as they were able to capture spontaneous performances immediately, with some tracks arising from the communal jamming.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=16}} Bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones remembered there was no bar or leisure facilities, but this helped focus the group on the music without being distracted.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=73}}

Once the basic tracks had been recorded, the band added overdubs at Island Studios in February. The band spent five days at Island, before Page then took the multitrack tapes to Sunset Sound in Los Angeles for mixing on 9 February, on Johns' recommendation, with a plan for an April 1971 release.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=91}}{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=89}} Mixing would take ten days, before Page travelled back to London with the newly mixed material. The band had a playback at Olympic Studios. The band disliked the results, and so after touring through the spring and early summer, Page remixed the whole album in July. The album was delayed again over the choice of cover and whether it should be a double album, with a possible suggestion it could be issued as a set of EPs.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|pp=16, 89}}

"Black Dog" was named after a dog that hung around Headley Grange during recording. The riff was written by Page and Jones, while the a cappella section was influenced by Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well". Singer Robert Plant wrote the lyrics, and later sang portions of the song during solo concerts.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} The guitar solos on the outro were recorded directly into the desk, without using an amplifier.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=79}}

"Rock and Roll" was a collaboration with Stewart that came out of a jam early in the recording sessions at Headley Grange. Drummer John Bonham created the introduction, which came from jamming around the intro to Little Richard's "Keep A-Knockin'".{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=74}} The track became a live favourite in concert and was performed as the opening number or as an encore.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} It was released as a promotional single in the US, with stereo and mono mixes on either side of the disc.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=96}}

"The Battle of Evermore" was written by Page on the mandolin, borrowed from Jones. Plant added lyrics inspired by a book he was reading about the Scottish Independence Wars. The track featured a duet between Plant and Fairport Convention's Sandy Denny,{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}}{{efn|Plant knew Denny via a mutual friend, the Fairport Convention bassist Dave Pegg. Pegg, Plant and Bonham had played together on the 1960s Birmingham club circuit in the group the Way of Life.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=76}}}} who provided the only female voice to be heard on a Led Zeppelin recording.33 1/3 book Plant played the role of narrator in the song, describing events, while Denny sang the part of the town crier representing the people.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=76}}

File:Jimi page.jpg guitar used live for "Stairway to Heaven"]]

"Stairway to Heaven" was mostly written by Page and most of the chord sequence was already worked out when recording started at Basing Street Studios. The lyrics were written by Plant at Headley Grange, about a woman who "took everything without giving anything back".{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=87}} The final take of the song was recorded at Island Studios after the Headley Grange session. The basic backing track featured Bonham on drums, Jones on electric piano and Page on acoustic guitar.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=87}} The whole group contributed to the arrangement, such as Jones playing recorders on the introduction and Bonham's distinctive drum entry halfway through the piece.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}} Page played the guitar solo using a Fender Telecaster he had received from Jeff Beck. It had been his main guitar on the group's first album and early live shows. He put down three different takes of the solo and picked the best to put on the album.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=89}}

The song was considered the standout track on the album and was played on FM radio stations frequently, but the group resisted all suggestions to release it as a single. It became the centrepiece of the group's live set from 1971 onwards. In order to replicate the changes between acoustic, electric and twelve-string guitar on the studio recording, Page played a Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck guitar during the song.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}}

"Misty Mountain Hop" was written at Headley Grange and featured Jones playing electric piano.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}} Plant wrote the lyrics about dealing with the clash between students and police over drug possession. The title came from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.{{sfn|Shadwick|2005|p=162}} Plant later performed the track on solo tours.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}}

"Four Sticks" took its title from Bonham playing the drum pattern that runs throughout the song with four drum sticks, and Jones played analog synth. The track was more difficult to record than the other material on the album, requiring numerous takes.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}} It was played live occasionally in early 1971.{{Cite web |title=K. B. Hallen – May 3, 1971 |url=https://www.ledzeppelin.com/show/k-b-hallen-may-3-1971 |access-date=19 May 2023 |website=Led Zeppelin.com |date=21 September 2007 |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=8 October 2022 |title=Led Zeppelin – Live In Odense 1971 (Graf Zeppelin LZSC-504A/B) – Collectors Music Reviews |url=https://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com/led-zeppelin/led-zeppelin-live-in-odense-1971-graf-zeppelin-lzsc-504a-b/ |access-date=19 May 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=19 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519142224/https://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com/led-zeppelin/led-zeppelin-live-in-odense-1971-graf-zeppelin-lzsc-504a-b/ |url-status=dead }} The song was also re-recorded with the Bombay Symphony Orchestra in 1972.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=86}} This version appeared on the deluxe edition reissue of the group's 1982 album Coda. The song was also reworked for Page and Plant's 1994 album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-quarter-mw0000169788|title=No Quarter|website=AllMusic|access-date=4 July 2018|archive-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621144041/https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-quarter-mw0000169788|url-status=live}}

"Going to California" was a quiet acoustic number. It was written by Page and Plant about Californian earthquakes, and trying to find the perfect woman. The music was inspired by Joni Mitchell, of whom both Plant and Page were fans. The track was originally titled "Guide To California"; the final title came from the trip to Los Angeles to mix the album.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}}{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=78}}

"When the Levee Breaks" came from a blues song recorded by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929. The track opened with Bonham's heavy unaccompanied drumming, which was recorded in the lobby of Headley Grange using two Beyerdynamic M 160 microphones suspended above a flight of stairs; output from these were passed to a limiter. A Binson Echorec, a delay effects unit, was also used.{{cite web | url =https://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/andy-johns-on-the-secrets-behind-the-led-zeppelin-iv-sessions-586533 | title =Andy Johns on the secrets behind the Led Zeppelin IV sessions | last =Welch | first =Chris | date =31 October 2013 | website =MusicRadar | publisher =Future Publishing | access-date =28 October 2018 | archive-date =4 November 2018 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20181104074323/https://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/andy-johns-on-the-secrets-behind-the-led-zeppelin-iv-sessions-586533 | url-status =live }} Page recalled he had tried to record the track at early sessions but it had sounded flat. The unusual locations around the lobby gave the ideal ambience for the drum sound.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=84}} This introduction was later extensively sampled in hip hop music during the 1980s.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}} Page and Plant played the song on their 1995 tour promoting No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=103}}

Three other songs from the sessions, "Down by the Seaside", "Night Flight" and "Boogie with Stu" (featuring Stewart on piano), were included four years later on the double album Physical Graffiti. An early version of "No Quarter" was also recorded at the sessions.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}}

==Title==

File:Led Zeppelin (untitled).jpg

After the lukewarm, if not confused and sometimes dismissive, critical reaction Led Zeppelin III had received in late 1970, 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.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} Atlantic Records were strongly against the idea, but the group stood their ground and refused to hand over the master tapes until their decision had been agreed to.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=93}}

Page has also stated that the decision to release the album without any written information on the album sleeve was contrary to strong advice given to him by a press agent, who said that after a year's absence from both records and touring, the move would be akin to "professional suicide". Page thought, "We just happened to have a lot of faith in what we were doing." He recalled the record company were insisting that a title had to be on the album, but held his ground, as he felt it would be an answer to critics who could not review one Led Zeppelin album without a point of reference to earlier ones.{{cite news|first=James|last=Jackson|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6979690.ece|title=Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin IV, the band's peak and their reunion|work=The Times|date=8 January 2010|url-access=subscription|access-date=23 January 2010|archive-date=9 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809081905/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6979690.ece|url-status=dead}}

Releasing the album without an official title has made it difficult to consistently identify. While most commonly called Led Zeppelin IV, Atlantic Records catalogues have used the names Four Symbols and The Fourth Album. It has also been referred to as ZoSo (which Page's symbol appears to spell), Untitled and Runes.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} Page frequently refers to the album in interviews as "the fourth album" and "Led Zeppelin IV",{{cite journal|first=Dave|last=Schulps|url=http://www.iem.ac.ru/zeppelin/docs/interviews/page_77.trp|title=Interview with Jimmy Page|journal=Trouser Press|date=October 1977|access-date=11 September 2008|archive-date=20 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820054853/http://www.iem.ac.ru/zeppelin/docs/interviews/page_77.trp|url-status=dead}} and Plant thinks of it as "the fourth album, that's it".{{cite magazine|first=Austin|last=Scaggs|author-link=Austin Scaggs|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/robertplant/articles/story/7287549/qa_robert_plant|title=Q&A: Robert Plant|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=5 May 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090717052103/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/robertplant/articles/story/7287549/qa_robert_plant |archive-date=17 July 2009 }} The original LP also has no text on the front or back cover, and lacks a catalogue number on the spine.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}}

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| image1 = Zoso-square-layout.svg

| alt1 = Four hand-drawn symbols

| caption1 = The four symbols represent (from top left clockwise): Page, Jones, Plant, and Bonham

| image2 = Lot long photo frameless.jpg

| alt2 = A man with a thick bundles of sticks on his back

| caption2 = Lot Long, a Wiltshire thatcher in a 1892 photograph by Ernest Howard Farmer{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/original-photograph-mysterious-figure-cover-000131906.html |work=Louder Sound |title=An original photograph of the mysterious figure on the cover of Led Zeppelin IV has been discovered in an old photo album – and he's been identified |first1=Fraser |last1=Lewry |date=7 November 2023 |via=Yahoo!}}

| image3 = Salisbury Tower, Birmingham.png

| alt3 = Residential tower block in Birmingham

| caption3 = Salisbury Tower, Ladywood, Birmingham.

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In place of a title, Page decided each member could choose a personal emblem for the cover. Initially thinking of a single symbol, he then decided there could be four, with each member of the band choosing his own. He designed his own symbol{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} and has never publicly disclosed any reasoning behind it. It has been argued that his symbol appeared as early as 1557 to represent Saturn.{{cite book | last = Gettings | first = Fred | title = The Dictionary of Occult, Hermetic, and Alchemical Sigils and Symbols | publisher = Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=W-E9AAAAIAAJ | year = 1981 | location = London | page = 201 | isbn = 0-7100-0095-2 | access-date = 15 March 2011 | archive-date = 16 June 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130616012637/http://books.google.com/books?id=W-E9AAAAIAAJ | url-status = live }} The symbol is sometimes referred to as "ZoSo", though Page has explained that it was not in fact intended to be a word at all.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} Jones' symbol, which he chose from Rudolf Koch's Book of Signs, is a single circle intersecting three vesicae piscis (a triquetra). It is intended to symbolise a person who possesses both confidence and competence.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} Bonham's symbol, the three interlocking (Borromean) rings, was picked by the drummer from the same book. It represents the triad of mother, father and child, but, also happens to be the logo for the steel and armament producer Krupp and, turned upside down, Ballantine beer.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} Plant's symbol of a feather within a circle was his own design, being based on the sign of the supposed Mu civilisation.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} A fifth, smaller symbol chosen by guest vocalist Sandy Denny represents her contribution to "The Battle of Evermore"; the figure, composed of three equilateral triangles, appears on the inner sleeve of the LP, serving as an asterisk.

File:4 GeomShaps Triple triangle.svg's symbol of three downward-pointing equilateral triangles]]

During Led Zeppelin's tour of the United Kingdom in winter 1971 shortly after the album's release, the symbols could be seen on the group's stage equipment; Page's on one of his amplifiers, Bonham's on his bass drum head, Jones' on a covering for his Rhodes piano, and Plant's on the side of a PA cabinet. Only Page's and Bonham's symbols were retained for subsequent tours.{{sfn|Lewis|Pallett|2007|p=72}}{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=97}}

The picture on the front of the album of an old man carrying a bundle of sticks on his back was bought in an antique shop in Reading, Berkshire by Plant.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} The picture was then affixed to the internal, papered wall of a partly demolished suburban house for the cover photograph to be taken. Research in 2023 suggests that the image, which had previously been described as an oil painting, is a black and white photograph dating to 1892 which had been hand-coloured. The original photograph was taken by Ernest Howard Farmer (1856{{snd}}1944), the first head of the school of photography at Regent Street Polytechnic. The research also suggests that the stooped figure is Lot Long (or Lot Longyear, 1823–1893), a thatcher from Mere, Wiltshire.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/08/led-zeppelin-iv-cover-photo-revealed-victorian-wiltshire-thatcher|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Figure on Led Zeppelin IV cover identified as Victorian Wiltshire thatcher|first=Nadia|last=Khomani|date=8 November 2023 |accessdate=8 November 2023|issn=1756-3224|oclc=60623878}}{{cite news |last=Parker |first=Sophie |date=8 November 2023 |title=Original photo from Led Zeppelin IV album cover discovered |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-67336495 |access-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108081112/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-67336495 |archive-date=8 November 2023}}

The block of flats seen on the album is Salisbury Tower in the Ladywood district of Birmingham.{{cite news |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/how-led-zeppelin-iv-album-12157063|title=How the Led Zeppelin IV album cover would look it was made today – 45 years on |newspaper=Birmingham Mail|date=10 November 2016 |access-date=11 July 2018|archive-date=20 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420171234/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/how-led-zeppelin-iv-album-12157063 |url-status=live}} Page has explained that the cover of the fourth album was intended to bring out a city/country dichotomy that had initially surfaced on Led Zeppelin III, and a reminder that people should look after the Earth. He later said the cover was supposed to be for "other people to savour" rather than a direct statement.{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=James |date=8 January 2010 |title=Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin's good times, bad times and reunion rumour s |newspaper=The Times |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6979627.ece_robert_plant |url-access=subscription}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The album cover was among the 10 chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of "Classic Album Cover" postage stamps issued in January 2010.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jan/08/coldplay-album-stamp-approval | title=Coldplay album gets stamp of approval from Royal Mail | work=The Guardian | location=London | date=8 January 2010 | access-date=8 January 2010 | first=Sean | last=Michaels | archive-date=11 January 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111051931/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/08/coldplay-album-stamp-approval | url-status=live }}

The inside illustration, entitled "The Hermit", painted by Barrington Coleby (credited to Barrington Colby MOM on the album sleeve),{{cite AV media notes|title=Untitled|publisher=Atlantic Records|id=K50008|year=1972}} was influenced by the design of the card of the same name in the Rider–Waite tarot deck.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} This character was later portrayed by Page himself in Led Zeppelin's concert film, The Song Remains the Same (1976).{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-10-wildest-led-zeppelin-legends-fact-checked-153103/the-old-hermit-in-the-led-zeppelin-iv-gatefold-is-a-character-from-the-lord-of-the-rings-152292/|title=The 10 Wildest Led Zeppelin Legends, Fact-Checked|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=21 November 2012|access-date=10 July 2018|archive-date=11 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711034504/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-10-wildest-led-zeppelin-legends-fact-checked-153103/the-old-hermit-in-the-led-zeppelin-iv-gatefold-is-a-character-from-the-lord-of-the-rings-152292/|url-status=live}} The inner painting is also referred to as View in Half or Varying Light.{{cite book|title=Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV|first=Erik|last=Davis|publisher=A&C Black|year=2005|page=36|isbn=978-0-826-41658-2}} 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 Arts and Crafts magazine called The Studio which dated from the late 19th century. He thought the lettering was interesting and arranged for someone to create a whole alphabet.{{cite magazine | last1 = Tolinski | first1 = Brad | last2 = Di Benedetto | first2 = Greg | title = Light and Shade | magazine = Guitar World |date=January 1998 }}

The album was released by Atlantic on 8 November 1971.Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin, Atlantic Records, R2-536185, Super Deluxe Edition Box, 2014 Liner Notes, page 3 It was promoted via a series of teaser advertisements showing the individual symbols on the album artwork.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} It entered the UK chart at No. 10, rising to No.1 the following week and has spent a total of 90 weeks on the chart.{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/29594/led-zeppelin/|title=Led Zeppelin {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|website=www.officialcharts.com|date=13 September 1997 |language=en|access-date=13 July 2018|archive-date=17 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817211049/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/29594/led-zeppelin/|url-status=live}} In the US it was Led Zeppelin's best-selling album,{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/the-50-best-selling-albums-of-all-time-music-charts-singers-a7884191.html|title=The 50 best-selling albums of all time|first=John|last=Lynch|newspaper=The Independent|date=9 August 2017|access-date=19 July 2018|archive-date=14 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614003109/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/the-50-best-selling-albums-of-all-time-music-charts-singers-a7884191.html|url-status=live}} but did not top the Billboard album chart, peaking at No. 2 behind There's a Riot Goin' On by Sly and the Family Stone and Music by Carole King.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1971-12-18|title=Top 200 Albums|magazine=Billboard|date=18 December 1971|access-date=11 July 2018|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718074320/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1971-12-18|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1972-01-08|title=Top 200 Albums|magazine=Billboard|date=8 January 1972|access-date=11 July 2018|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718072730/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1972-01-08|url-status=live}}{{efn|Several sources have claimed that King's most critically and commercially successful album, Tapestry, kept Led Zeppelin IV from No. 1,{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} but the latter was still being mixed during the former's chart run over summer 1971.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1971/billboard-200|title=Billboard 200 : 1971|magazine=Billboard|access-date=11 July 2018|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718074407/https://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1971/billboard-200|url-status=dead}}}} "Ultimately", writes Lewis, "the fourth Zeppelin album would be the most durable seller in their catalogue and the most impressive critical and commercial success of their career".{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} At one point, it was ranked as one of the top five best-selling albums of all time. The album is one of the best-selling albums of all time with more than 37 million copies sold as of 2014.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/10998169/Led-Zeppelin-IV-is-this-the-greatest-rock-album-ever-made.html|title=Led Zeppelin IV: is this the greatest rock album ever made?|first=Neil|last=McCormick|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 July 2014|access-date=17 July 2018|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718063148/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/10998169/Led-Zeppelin-IV-is-this-the-greatest-rock-album-ever-made.html|url-status=live}} As of 2021, it is tied for fifth-highest-certified album in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America at 24× Platinum.{{cite web| title = Top 100 Albums| publisher = RIAA| url = https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-100-albums| access-date = 22 November 2012| archive-date = 24 September 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140924083914/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-100-albums| url-status = live}}

The album was reissued several times throughout the 1970s, including a lilac vinyl pressing in 1978, and a box set package in 1988.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=94}} It was first issued on CD in the 1980s. Page remastered the album in 1990 with engineer George Marino in an attempt to update the catalogue, and several tracks were used for that year's compilation Led Zeppelin Remasters and the Led Zeppelin Boxed Set. All remastered tracks were reissued on The Complete Studio Recordings,{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/complete-studio-recordings-mw0000620877|title=The Complete Studio Recordings|website=AllMusic|access-date=17 July 2018|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718031020/https://www.allmusic.com/album/complete-studio-recordings-mw0000620877|url-status=live}} while the album was individually reissued on CD in 1994.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|pp=94–95}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Led Zeppelin IV|publisher=Atlantic Records|year=1994|id=7567-82638-2}}

A remastered version of Led Zeppelin IV was reissued on 27 October 2014, along with Houses of the Holy. The reissue comes in six formats: a standard CD edition, a deluxe two-CD edition, a standard LP version, a deluxe two-LP version, a super deluxe two-CD plus two-LP version with a hardback book, and as high-resolution 24-bit/96k digital downloads. The deluxe and super deluxe editions feature bonus material. The reissue was released with an inverted colour version of the original album's artwork as its bonus disc's cover.{{cite web|last=Bennett|first=Ross|date=29 July 2014|url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/16007/led-zeppelin-iv-houses-holy-remasters-due/|title=Led Zeppelin IV and Houses of the Holy Remasters Due|work=Mojo|access-date=31 July 2014|archive-date=20 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720225400/https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/16007/led-zeppelin-iv-houses-holy-remasters-due/|url-status=live}} The album's remastered version received widespread acclaim from critics, including Rolling Stone, who found Page's remastering "illuminative".{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/led-zeppelin-iv-remastered/led-zeppelin|title=Reviews for Led Zeppelin IV [Remastered] by Led Zeppelin|website=Metacritic|access-date=13 July 2015|archive-date=8 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908024141/http://www.metacritic.com/music/led-zeppelin-iv-remastered/led-zeppelin|url-status=live}}

{{Album reviews

| MC = 100/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/led-zeppelin-iv-remastered/led-zeppelin |title=Led Zeppelin IV [Remastered] by Led Zeppelin Reviews and Tracks |website=Metacritic |access-date=25 September 2021}}

| subtitle = Retrospective professional ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/led-zeppelin-iv-r1956818 |title=AllMusic Review |website=AllMusic |access-date=17 August 2011 |archive-date=6 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906031448/http://allmusic.com/album/led-zeppelin-iv-r1956818 |url-status=live }}

| rev2 = Blender

| rev2Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2232|title=Led Zeppelin IV|work=Blender|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050926191528/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2232 |archive-date=26 September 2005 }}

| rev3 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev3Score = {{Rating-Christgau|A}}

| rev4 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev4Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}

| rev5 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev5Score = A+{{cite magazine|last=Sinclair|first=Tom|date=20 June 2003|url=https://ew.com/article/2003/06/20/recordsled-zeppelin/|title=On the Records ... Led Zeppelin|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|location=New York|access-date=7 February 2014|archive-date=5 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205135710/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,458337,00.html|url-status=live}}

| rev6 = Mojo

| rev6score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|first=Mat |last=Snow |author-link=Mat Snow |title=More muscle in your bustle: Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV |magazine=Mojo |date=November 2014 |page=106}}

|rev7 = MusicHound Rock

|rev7score = 5/5{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/662 662]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/662}}

|rev8 = Pitchfork

|rev8score = 9.1/10{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19834-led-zeppelin-ivhouses-of-the-holyphysical-graffiti/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150227053925/http://m.pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19834-led-zeppelin-ivhouses-of-the-holyphysical-graffiti/ |url-status=live |archive-date=27 February 2015 |last=Richardson |first=Mark |title=Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV/Houses of the Holy/Physical Graffiti |work=Pitchfork Media |date=24 February 2015 |access-date=10 October 2015 }}

| rev9 = Q

| rev9Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite journal|title=Review: Led Zeppelin IV|journal=Q|location=London|page=141|date=October 1994}}

| rev10 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev10Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book|author=Kot, Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-last=Hoard|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/479 479]|display-authors=etal}}

}}

Led Zeppelin IV received overwhelming praise from critics.{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|year=2006|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|volume=5|page=140|isbn=0-19-531373-9|edition=4th|publisher=Oxford University Press}} In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Lenny Kaye called it the band's "most consistently good" album yet and praised the diversity of the songs: "out of eight cuts, there isn't one that steps on another's toes, that tries to do too much all at once."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/led-zeppelin-iv-19711223 |title=Rolling Stone Review |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=23 December 1971 |access-date=20 May 2011 |archive-date=9 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609085415/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/led-zeppelin-iv-19711223 |url-status=live }} Billboard magazine called it a "powerhouse album" that has the commercial potential of the band's previous three albums.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Q8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70|access-date=31 January 2014|page=70|title=Album Reviews|magazine=Billboard|date=20 November 1971|archive-date=27 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627073218/http://books.google.com/books?id=5Q8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70|url-status=live}} Robert Christgau originally gave Led Zeppelin IV a lukewarm review in The Village Voice,{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|title=Consumer Guide (22)|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg22.php|newspaper=The Village Voice|date=30 December 1971|access-date=10 October 2024|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815194640/http://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg22.php|archive-date=15 August 2013|url-status=live}} but later called it a masterpiece of "heavy rock".{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg24.php|title=Consumer Guide (24)|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|date=3 March 1972|access-date=19 June 2012|archive-date=26 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026050702/http://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg24.php|url-status=live}} While still finding the band's medieval ideas limiting, he believed the album showed them at the pinnacle of their songwriting,{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=4 October 1976|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv10-76.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|access-date=18 November 2013|archive-date=23 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923072038/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv10-76.php|url-status=live}} and regarded it as "the definitive Led Zeppelin and hence heavy metal album".{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=13 October 1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=0-89919-025-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/christgausrecord00robe_1/page/222 222]|chapter=Led Zeppelin IV|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=2013|access-date=5 September 2018|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=6 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906014226/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=2013|url-status=live}}

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine credited the album for "defining not only Led Zeppelin but the sound and style of '70s hard rock", while "encompassing heavy metal, folk, pure rock & roll, and blues". In his album guide to heavy metal, Spin magazine's Joe Gross cited Led Zeppelin IV as a "monolithic cornerstone" of the genre.{{cite journal|last=Gross|first=Joe|date=February 2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LvowiBHKWgsC&pg=PA89|title=Heavy Metal|journal=Spin|publisher=Vibe/Spin Ventures|page=89|volume=21|issue=2|access-date=19 June 2012|archive-date=27 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627073230/http://books.google.com/books?id=LvowiBHKWgsC&pg=PA89|url-status=live}} BBC Music's Daryl Easlea said that the album made the band a global success and effectively combined their third album's folk ideas with their second album's hard rock style,{{cite web|last=Easlea|first=Daryl|year=2007|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/zpzf|title=Review of Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV|publisher=BBC Music|access-date=1 February 2014|archive-date=12 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112083945/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/zpzf|url-status=live}} while Katherine Flynn and Julian Ring of Consequence of Sound felt it featured their debut's blues rock, along with the other styles from their second and third albums.{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/06/dusting-em-off-led-zeppelin-iv/|title=Dusting 'Em Off: Led Zeppelin IV|date=7 June 2014|access-date=31 October 2014|archive-date=22 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022003906/http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/06/dusting-em-off-led-zeppelin-iv/|url-status=live}} Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame biography described the album as "a fully realized hybrid of the folk and hard-rock directions".{{cite web|url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/led-zeppelin|title=Led Zeppelin|publisher=The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=17 July 2018|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718055044/https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/led-zeppelin|url-status=live}} PopMatters journalist AJ Ramirez regarded it as one of the greatest heavy metal albums ever,{{cite magazine|last=Ramirez|first=AJ|date=5 December 2011|url=https://www.popmatters.com/152071-all-that-glitters-led-zeppelin-when-the-levee-breaks-2495910438.html|title=All That Glitters: Led Zeppelin – 'When the Levee Breaks'|magazine=PopMatters|access-date=9 August 2018|archive-date=9 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809184055/https://www.popmatters.com/152071-all-that-glitters-led-zeppelin-when-the-levee-breaks-2495910438.html|url-status=live}} while Chuck Eddy named it the number one metal album of all time in his 1991 book Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe.{{cite news|last=Herrmann|first=Brenda|date=18 June 1991|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/06/18/ranking-rock-enraging-fans/|title=Ranking Rock, Enraging Fans|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=7 February 2014|archive-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222003400/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-06-18/features/9102230953_1_guns-n-roses-molly-hatchet-heavy-metal|url-status=live}} According to rock scholar Mablen Jones, Led Zeppelin IV and particularly "Stairway to Heaven" reflected heavy metal's presence in countercultural trends of the early 1970s, as the album "blended post-hippie mysticism, mythological preoccupations, and hard rock".{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Mablen|year=1987|title=Getting It On: The Clothing of Rock'n'Roll|publisher=Abbeville Press|isbn=0896596869|page=[https://archive.org/details/gettingitoncloth0000jone/page/115 115]|url=https://archive.org/details/gettingitoncloth0000jone/page/115}}

Steven Hyden observed in 2018 that the album's popularity had given rise to a reflexive bias against it from both fans and critics. "There are two unwritten laws" about the album, he wrote. The first was that a listener must claim a track from side two, the "deep cuts with credibility" side, was his or her favourite, and the second was that one should never say it was their favourite among the band's albums. He blamed this later tendency for why "rock critics who try too hard always make a case for In Through the Out Door being Zeppelin's best." The band members themselves, he noted, also seemed to prefer performing the songs from side two in their solo shows.{{cite book|last=Hyden|first=Steven|author-link=Steven Hyden|title=Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock|date=2018|publisher=Dey Street|isbn=9780062657121|pages=21–22|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zJElDwAAQBAJ|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410004509/https://books.google.com/books?id=zJElDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}} In 2022, Jenna Scaramanga of Guitar World asserted that "Led Zeppelin IV is not just the greatest guitar album of the 70s, but the benchmark for every guitar band ever since."{{Cite web |last=Scaramangapublished |first=Jenna |date=19 August 2022 |title=The greatest guitar albums of the '70s: Getting the Led out with Sabbath, the Who, Pink Floyd and more |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/greatest-guitar-albums-of-the-70s |access-date=17 March 2025 |website=guitarworld |language=en}}

In 2000, Led Zeppelin IV was named the 26th-greatest British album in a list by Q magazine.{{cite magazine|magazine=Q|location=London|page=76|date=June 2000|title=100 Greatest British Albums}} In 2002, Spin magazine's Chuck Klosterman named it the second-greatest metal album of all time and said that it was "the most famous hard-rock album ever recorded" as well as an album that unintentionally created metal—"the origin of everything that sounds, feels, or even tastes vaguely metallic".{{cite magazine|last=Klosterman|first=Chuck|author-link=Chuck Klosterman|date=September 2002|page=81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xfEjLof28w8C&pg=PA81|title=40 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time|magazine=Spin|access-date=5 February 2014|archive-date=27 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627143935/http://books.google.com/books?id=xfEjLof28w8C&pg=PA81|url-status=live}} In 2000 it was voted number 42 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|author=Colin Larkin|author-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=2000|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=54}} In 2003, the album was ranked number 66 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", then re-ranked number 69 in a 2012 revised list,{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/billy-joel-the-stranger-2-161561/| year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| publisher=Rolling Stone| access-date=23 September 2019| archive-date=7 August 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807093525/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/billy-joel-the-stranger-2-161561/| url-status=live}} and re-ranked 58 in a 2020 revised list.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/led-zeppelin-led-zeppelin-iv-2-1063175/|title=Led Zeppelin IV ranked 58th greatest album by Rolling Stone magazine|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=28 September 2020|archive-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020090033/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/led-zeppelin-led-zeppelin-iv-2-1063175/|url-status=live}} It was also named the seventh-best album of the 1970s in a list by Pitchfork.{{cite web|author=Pitchfork Staff|date=23 June 2004|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5932-top-100-albums-of-the-1970s/10/|title=Top 100 Albums of the 1970s|website=Pitchfork|page=10|access-date=6 February 2014|archive-date=15 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415064956/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5932-top-100-albums-of-the-1970s/10/|url-status=live}} In 2016, Classic Rock magazine ranked Led Zeppelin IV as the greatest of all Zeppelin albums.{{Cite news|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-led-zeppelin-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best|title=Led Zeppelin Albums Ranked From Worst To Best – The Ultimate Guide|work=loudersound|access-date=30 April 2018|language=en|archive-date=1 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093044/https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-led-zeppelin-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best|url-status=live}}

{{small|{{asterisk}} designates unordered lists.}}

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, except where noted

| headline = Side one{{cite AV media notes| year = 1971| title = Untitled ({{a.k.a.}} Led Zeppelin IV)| type = Album notes| others = Led Zeppelin| location = New York City| publisher = Atlantic Records| id = SD 7208| at = LP labels}}

| title1 = Black Dog

| writer1 = {{hlist|Page|Plant|John Paul Jones}}

| length1 = 4:55

| title2 = Rock and Roll

| writer2 = {{hlist|Page|Plant|Jones|John Bonham}}

| length2 = 3:40

| title3 = The Battle of Evermore

| note3 = featuring Sandy Denny

| length3 = 5:51

| title4 = Stairway to Heaven

| length4 = 8:02

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Misty Mountain Hop

| writer1 = {{hlist|Page|Plant|Jones}}

| length1 = 4:38

| title2 = Four Sticks

| length2 = 4:45

| title3 = Going to California

| length3 = 3:32

| title4 = When the Levee Breaks

| writer4 = {{hlist|Page|Plant|Jones|Bonham|Memphis Minnie}}{{efn|A biography of Memphis Minnie also lists Kansas Joe McCoy as a writer.{{cite book |last1=Garon |first1=Paul |title=Woman with guitar : Memphis Minnie's blues |date=2014 |location=San Francisco |isbn=978-0872866218 |pages=49–50 |edition=Revised and expanded}}}}

| length4 = 7:08

| total_length = 42:31

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2014 deluxe edition bonus disc

| title1 = Black Dog

| note1 = Basic track with guitar overdubs

| length1 = 4:34

| title2 = Rock and Roll

| note2 = Alternate mix

| length2 = 3:39

| title3 = The Battle of Evermore

| note3 = Mandolin/Guitar mix from Headley Grange

| length3 = 4:13

| title4 = Stairway to Heaven

| note4 = Sunset Sound mix

| length4 = 8:03

| title5 = Misty Mountain Hop

| note5 = Alternate mix

| length5 = 4:45

| title6 = Four Sticks

| note6 = Alternate mix

| length6 = 4:33

| title7 = Going to California

| note7 = Mandolin/Guitar mix

| length7 = 3:34

| title8 = When the Levee Breaks

| note8 = Alternate UK mix

| length8 = 7:08

| total_length = 40:32

}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Led Zeppelin{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2018|p=244–284}}

• Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica on "When the Levee Breaks"{{sfn|Lewis|2010|loc=eBook}}
• Jimmy Page – electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin on "The Battle of Evermore", production, mastering, digital remastering
• John Paul Jones – bass, electric piano, mandolin, recorders, synthesiser
• John Bonham – drums

Additional musicians

• Sandy Denny – duet vocals on "The Battle of Evermore"{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2018|p=254}}
• Ian Stewart – piano on "Rock and Roll"{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}}

{{col-break}}

Production

• George Chkiantz – mixing
• Andy Johns – engineering, mixing
• Peter Grant – executive production
• Barrington Colby M.O.M. – The Hermit illustration
• Keith Morris – photography
• Graphreaks – design coordination

{{col end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for the fourth Led Zeppelin album}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Argentina|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1970|certref={{cite web |url=http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110706084844/http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-date=6 July 2011 |title=Discos de oro y platino |language=es |access-date=23 February 2023 |publisher=Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|number=9|certyear=2009}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|title=Led Zeppelin 4|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1971|certyear=2021|access-date=10 November 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Diamond|number=2|certyear=1995|relyear=1971}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=1971|certyear=2023|id=12951|access-date=28 September 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|title=Volume 4|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1971|certyear=2001|access-date=9 August 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Gold|number=3|certyear=2003|relyear=1971}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|title=Led Zeppelin 4|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|note=sales since 2009|relyear=1971|certyear=2018|id=1244|access-date=13 November 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1971|region=Japan|artist=Led Zeppelin|title=Led Zeppelin IV|certyear=1980|award=Platinum|certref={{cite web |url=https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15801/lot/182/|date=20 December 2020|title=A platinum sales award foe the album 'Led Zeppelin IV'}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1971|region=New Zealand|award=Platinum|number=7|certyear=1990|certref={{cite book|first=Dean|last=Scapolo|title=The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006|publisher=Maurienne House|year=2007|isbn=978-1-877443-00-8}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Norway|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Silver|relyear=1972|salesamount=20,000|certref={{cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/70s/1972/Cash-Box-1972-09-16.pdf|title=WEA's International's...|publisher=Cash Box|page=42|date=16 September 1972}}|salesref={{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hAkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22italy%22+%22no+Silver+disk+for+singles|title=Gold/Silver Record Chart|publisher=Billboard|date=26 December 1974|access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=14 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914143621/https://books.google.hr/books?id=hAkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22italy%22+%22no+Silver+disk+for+singles|url-status=live}}|access-date=13 November 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Norway|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=2021|note=reissue|access-date=15 October 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=South Africa|award=Gold|certref={{cite web|url=https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/261/lot/102486|access-date=7 July 2023|title=A "gold" record award presented on January 31, 1973, by WEA Filipacchi Music S.A. for the sale of 150,000 copies of Led Zeppelin's album}}|relyear=1971|certyear=1973|salesamount=150,000|salesref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=album|artist=Led Zeppelin|title=Led Zeppelin IV|relyear=1971|certyear=2000|award=Platinum|certref={{cite book|url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/x263f6daopkswo8|title=Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990|year=2005|publisher=Iberautor Promociones Culturales|language=es|isbn=8480486392}}|access-date=12 September 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|title=4|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1971|certyear=1994|access-date=20 July 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|number=6|id=3775-2162-2|certyear=2007|accessdate=9 December 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Led Zeppelin IV|artist=Led Zeppelin|type=album|award=Platinum|number=24|relyear=1971|certyear=2021|access-date=8 November 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Yugoslavia|nocert=true|certref={{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/2e3ZvSO|title=Yugoslavia Top Album sellers|publisher=Yugopapir|via=Imgur.com|access-date= 10 July 2024}}|salesamount=52,958|salesref=}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

Notes

{{notelist}}

Citations

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |title=Led Zeppelin, All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers |location=New York |first1=Jean-Michael |last1=Guesdon |first2=Philippe |last2=Margotin |year=2018 |url=https://archive.org/details/ledzeppelinallso0000gues }}
• {{Cite book|first=Dave|last=Lewis|year=1990|title=Led Zeppelin : A Celebration|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-7119-2416-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/ledzeppelinceleb0000lewi}}
• {{cite book|first=Dave|last=Lewis|year=2010|title=Led Zeppelin: The "Tight But Loose" Files|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-220-9}}
• {{cite book| last1 = Lewis| first1 = Dave|last2=Pallett| first2=Simon | title = Led Zeppelin: The Concert File| year = 2007| publisher = Omnibus Press| location = London| isbn = 978-0-7119-5307-9}}
• {{cite book|last=Shadwick|first=Keith|title=Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music, 1968–80|publisher=Backbeat|year=2005|isbn=978-0-87930-871-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/ledzeppelinstory0000shad}}

{{refend}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|4300}}
• {{MusicBrainz release|mbid=71eafe5d-33b0-4e41-9b51-754b8450302e|name=Led Zeppelin IV}}

{{Led Zeppelin songs}}

{{Led Zeppelin}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2012}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Led Zeppelin 4}}

Category:1971 albums

Category:Albums produced by Jimmy Page

Category:Atlantic Records albums

Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients

Category:Led Zeppelin albums

Category:Albums involved in plagiarism controversies

Category:Albums recorded in a home studio