From the wonderful Tight But Loose website:
Review: Led Zeppelin (4 Symbols) by Erik Davis
Part of the 331/3 series from www.continuum-books.com
ISBN 0-8264-1658-6 USD9.95 GBP6.99
The album uses the 4 symbols through the book and in fact thet symbols are the book’s title. Its a small pocket sized book with 177 pages and no pictures. Its raison d’etre is to allow the reader to decide whether the album was some form of occult induction or just a brilliant rock album
Unfortunately, the author has not interviewed the band themselves for the purposes of the book, in addition, there is almost no contemporary interviews from the period or from individuals who were around at the time. Indeed there is little fresh information for the Zep fan to devour – the author even refers to fan websites during his discussions.
So if the book does add some new description behind the album’s making, what is it?
Davis looks at the black magical/mystical connections.
Were dark forces involved?
Fortunately the author de-bunks this. As he says “Taken literally, Zep’s satanism is silly, but as a figure of their cultural power, it warrants attention”. In another section Davis states the the satanic hidden image inside the gatefold of Zep IV is nothing more threatening than a pengiun.
So what we are left with is a beautifully written essay – one man’s analysis and opinions on the creation of the Zep 4 opus. Adding little to what has already been said about the band and Zep4, the book is probably best suited to a casual rather than hardcore fan. A light hearted read.