First off, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Ronan Himelrick and I am from Canton, Massachusetts. I am a freshman here at the University of Rhode Island and I’m really excited to be joining the Good Five Cent Cigar. With little on-campus entertainment, I’ve decided to review and recommend some music, movies and shows to comfort you during this era of quarantining and social distancing.
This week I will be talking about my favorite album of all time, “Led Zeppelin IV” by Led Zeppelin. This album opened the door to a whole new world of music to me: the world of classic rock.
While I never hated classic rock, it was never my favorite genre to listen to. I was getting tired of the modern pop and hip-hop songs that were repeated over and over across nearly every radio station, so I took a chance with “Led Zeppelin IV.” This album somehow sounded so familiar and so foreign at the same time. I of course recognized some hits (“Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” “Stairway to Heaven”) but the sound of “Zeppelin IV” hit me in such a way that I have since explored deeper into the wide-world of classic rock. This album changed my music taste, and quite possibly my life.
“Led Zeppelin IV” blends aspects of folk, hard rock and blues to create an extraordinarily unique sound. My favorite song is “When the Levee Breaks,” a blues-inspired rock track with incredible drums which make it hard to not listen to it at full volume. “The Battle of Evermore” and “Going to California” are both soft, acoustic folk songs that are really calming and nice to listen to. “Black Dog” and “Rock and Roll” are both quintessential Zeppelin tracks, perfectly encapsulating what a classic rock anthem should be. “Misty Mountain Hop” has always been a bit of an outlier to me, but it still retains the aspects of a good rock song with it’s heavy drums and incredibly catchy guitar riffs.
It’s impossible to talk about Led Zeppelin, or even classic rock as a whole without talking about “Stairway to Heaven.” This eight-minute epic piece of music features incredible vocals from Robert Plant, explosive drumming from John Bonham, and masterful guitars (both acoustic and electric) from Jimmy Page. “Stairway to Heaven” is possibly the greatest rock song of all time. The first time I heard it, I was transported to another world and I still get that feeling listening to it today.
Tracklist
Black Dog
Rock and Roll
The Battle of Evermore
Stairway to Heaven
Misty Mountain Hop
Four Sticks
Going to California
When the Levee Breaks
Final thoughts: Led Zeppelin’s fourth album is a masterpiece, and my favorite album of all time. It perfectly blends blues, folk and hard rock to produce an out of this world feel.
Rating: 9.5/10
We’re taking recommendations for movies, shows and music for me to review!
Reach out to us on twitter: Ronan Himelrick at @ronanrhodycigar or the entertainment section at @URICigarEnt