10 Greatest Classic Rock Albums You Need To Hear Before You Die

Led Zeppelin always seemed to be on the cusp of something extraordinary. Whether it was their bluesy beginnings or the experimentation with world music on their later releases, the band were always making strides to push the limits of what a typical rock band could do.

After three self-titled records, the band set up shop in Headley Grange in Hampshire and started work on their masterpiece. This album is the album that you show young kids as an example of what rock and roll is supposed to sound like, with songs that run the gamut between lilting acoustic cuts and pummeling riffs. While there are songs rooted in the more traditional rock sound like "Rock and Roll" and "When the Levee Breaks," the heaviness of John Bonham's drums turn every track into an exciting musical event.

There's also no getting around "Stairway to Heaven," which stands as the band's masterpiece. Clocking in at over 8 minutes, the song is not so much a catchy tune as much as it is a musical journey through the wilderness culminating in some of the greatest guitar work Jimmy Page has ever committed to tape. Rock has gone to reinvent itself many times going forward, but Led Zeppelin IV is the record you put on to remember where you come from.