In 1971, the Led Zeppelin band released the iconic “unnamed” album — Led Zeppelin IV. There have been numerous assertions through the years that Zeppelin outsold the “White Album” by the Beatles with IV. But according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) the Zeppelin IV album sold 23 million copies as opposed to the Beatles “White Album” which outsold Zeppelin by a million copies — but what’s a million copies between great bands? The assertion gets hazier though, because by some accounts, the RIAA counts double albums per disk. In which case the “White Album” — a double disk album- if taken as a unit, sold only 12 million copies. It gets confusing to try to unravel all the industry measurements, because in an article in the Independent (published August 9, 2017) — The 59 best-selling albums of all times — it shows the Led Zeppelin IV album as number 4 in the list — selling 23 million copies and the “White Album” by the Beatles at number 10 — selling only 19 million copies. I guess it depends on when you are looking at the statistics and what source. It doesn’t really matter to me — I love both albums! I remember when the album came out, I still had friends who waited by their radios with their cassette recorders for their favorite songs to play so they could capture them (hoping the dog wouldn’t bark or their Mom wouldn’t call for them to come do a chore). Everyone wanted a copy of “Stairway to Heaven” although my personal favorite was “The Battle of Evermore” — which hardly ever got air play. But for those of you who are craving “Stairway to Heaven:

This one song has become ubiquitous, you can hear it in supermarkets, elevators, and of course as a Cover Song for bands all around the world. I’ve heard it done with acoustic guitar and even in crystal glasses filled with varying amounts of water. It has even been done at a Symphonic Concert:

And the band Heart, did a tribute to Led Zeppelin with “Stairway to Heaven” at Kennedy Center in NYC in December 2012:

Here’s a list of the songs on the album: - list itemBlack Dog

• list itemRock and Roll

• list itemThe Battle of Evermore

• list itemStairway to Heaven

• list itemMisty Mountain Hop

• list itemFour Sticks

• list itemGoing to California

• list itemWhen the Levee Breaks