Description
Offered for sale is purple (or lilac) vinyl pressing of Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album, issued as a limited edition in 1978 in the UK and issued only for export to the United States.
About this copy: This copy of Led Zeppelin IV is an original 1978 UK pressing on the Atlantic label.
The cover is VG++ and close to M- with slight edge wear. The custom inner sleeve is included and has a no splits, which is unusual for this title.
The colored vinyl disc is VG++ with a couple of light marks on each side and a number of spindle marks on the labels. It’s a clean disc that has been well cared for.
A nice copy of a scarce Led Zeppelin LP and the first copy we’ve had for sale in several years.
Background: Led Zeppelin’s 1971 fourth album was technically untitled, but it’s most commonly referred to as either Led Zeppelin IV or ZOSO, after the graphics that appear on the label. Regardless of title, it’s perhaps their best-known album, containing such iconic songs as Black Dog, Rock and Roll, When the Levee Breaks, and, of course, Stairway to Heaven. The album was a huge seller and continues to sell well to this day.
Allmusic.com gave this album a 5 star review:
Encompassing heavy metal, folk, pure rock & roll, and blues, Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album is a monolithic record, defining not only Led Zeppelin but the sound and style of ’70s hard rock. Expanding on the breakthroughs of III, Zeppelin fuse their majestic hard rock with a mystical, rural English folk that gives the record an epic scope.
In 1978, record companies around the world issued a series of colored vinyl albums reissuing some of their well-known back catalog. In the UK, one of those titles was Led Zeppelin IV, pressed on purple (or lavender, if you prefer) vinyl. These copies were made exclusively for export to the United States.
In recent years, a number of colored vinyl pressings of Led Zeppelin albums have turned up for sale; most of these are unauthorized issues, with most claiming to be from Spain. Most of the Led Zeppelin catalog has been pressed this way, and few collectors know that these pressings are actually unauthorized pressings made without the knowledge of either the band or their record company.
This purple vinyl pressing of Led Zeppelin IV is different, however. This is the only colored vinyl album that Led Zeppelin has ever authorized for release.
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| Country of origin: | UK |
| Size: | 12″ |
| Record Label: | Atlantic |
| Catalog Number: |
K50008 |
| Year of Release: | 1978 |
| Format: | Stereo |
| Share: |       |
