40 years ago, Led Zeppelin released its most difficult album — and it's still hard to listen to

[TomSea]

40 years ago, Led Zeppelin released its most difficult album — and it's still hard to listen to

 The surviving members of Led Zeppelin — Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones — recently won a court case in which they were accused of ripping off parts of a song called "Taurus" by the band Spirit to create their epic, "Stairway to Heaven."

"Stairway" is on Zep's fourth, unnamed album, from 1971. Fans usually refer to it as "Led Zeppelin IV," and it's the culmination of the band's early period, which began in 1969 with Led Zeppelin I.

Following Zep IV, the group released 1973's "Houses of the Holy," then 1975's double-album, "Physical Graffiti." The period from the early-to-mid-1970s was when the band's legend grew, as they set new concert attendance records, sold millions of records, dominated radio, and developed a reputation for unmatched rock 'n' roll excess.

Lost in much of the hoopla was Zep's impressive musical maturation. The first four records represent a cycle, with a hard-driving, post-Yardbirds blues quartet blended with a very heavy, progressive folk sensibility. Page was the band's all-purpose guitar hero and studio producer, and he was both distinctive and skilled at both jobs. Plant's vocals were unique and versatile, and his stage presence was iconic. Jones could do anything, and drummer John Bonham was a force of nature.

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