When the Levee Breaks
Led Zeppelin | Artist Essentials
First released: 1971 (year verified)
Original studio album recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: Let the drum sound and repeated phrases establish the weight of the performance.
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Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1971 (year verified)
The selected original recording appears on Led Zeppelin IV (1971). The original release year is retained; later remasters, bonus performances and annual-list dates are separate.
Recording: Original studio album recording
Credit: Led Zeppelin
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original album: Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin IV - official original album discography
Original 1971 album release and original tracklist. The page separately identifies recording sessions, later remastered product dates and companion-disc alternate mixes or live performances; those are not used as first-release dates. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
In the yearly lists
This selected recording is beyond the current yearly lists.
About Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin brought together Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. Their records combined blues and forceful electric riffs with acoustic folk textures, while Page's production made the studio arrangement central to the sound. The first two albums appeared in 1969; Led Zeppelin III expanded the acoustic side in 1970. The studio catalog continued with Physical Graffiti in 1975, Presence in 1976 and In Through the Out Door in 1979. Their live performances also left substantial room for improvisation.
Artist background sources
Led Zeppelin - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Names Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham; describes the blend of blues, folk and other musical styles, the importance of studio production and album format, and improvisation in live performance. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Led Zeppelin - official original album discography
Original 1969 album release and original tracklist. The page separately identifies recording sessions, later remastered product dates and companion-disc alternate mixes or live performances; those are not used as first-release dates. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Led Zeppelin II - official original album discography
Original 1969 album release and original tracklist. The page separately identifies recording sessions, later remastered product dates and companion-disc alternate mixes or live performances; those are not used as first-release dates. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Led Zeppelin III 50th anniversary - Rhino original album history
Explicit original US album release in October 1970, named band members, and acoustic stylistic breadth on That's the Way, Tangerine and Bron-Y-Aur Stomp. The proposed later single reissue is not treated as an original release event. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Physical Graffiti - official original album discography
Original 1975 album release and original tracklist. The page separately identifies recording sessions, later remastered product dates and companion-disc alternate mixes or live performances; those are not used as first-release dates. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Presence - official original album discography
Original 1976 album release and original tracklist. The page separately identifies recording sessions, later remastered product dates and companion-disc alternate mixes or live performances; those are not used as first-release dates. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
In Through the Out Door - official original album discography
Original 1979 album release and original tracklist. The page separately identifies recording sessions, later remastered product dates and companion-disc alternate mixes or live performances; those are not used as first-release dates. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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