PHYSICAL GRAFFITI

By 1975 no one was bigger or heavier than Led Zeppelin. America and the world in general was punch drunk after the quadruple whammy of their first four albums, each supported by live tours that went from scene- stealing support slots to stadium-filling three-hour marathons, almost overnight. Even the slightly below average for critics and fans "Houses Of The Holy" hadn't dented their reputation one jot. The world, and its attendant pleasures, was theirs for the taking.

"Physical Graffiti" is the sixth studio album of Led Zeppelin and was released in 1975 as a double album. Recording sessions for the album were initially disrupted when the bassist and keyboardist of the band John Paul Jones considered leaving the group. After reuniting at Headley Grange, a former poorhouse in Headley, East Hampshire, England, which is best known as a recording and rehearsal venue in the 60's and 70's for bands like Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Peter Frampton, Pretty Things and Clover, the band wrote and recorded eight songs, the combined length of which stretched the album beyond the typical length of a single LP. This prompted the group to make a double album including previously unreleased tracks from other earlier recording studio sessions.

It was the first album released by Swan Song Records, the new label created by the group, and the album points to various styles and influences of music. "Physical Graffiti" is often cited as one of the greatest albums of all time. This album is one of the list of 200 definitive albums in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it was also considered by Rolling Stone Magazine the 70th greatest album of all time. The album was a critical and audience success, reaching the top of the Billboard. Soon after the release of "Physical Graffiti", all previous released albums of Led Zeppelin returned to the list of 200 most listened albums. It went 16x platinum in the USA, in 2006, signifying shipments of eight million copies.

Often described as Led Zeppelin's definitive work, there's no denying that "Physical Graffiti" influential hold on the modern music acts. This is a double album that traversed many genres, blues, rock, roots, folk, metal, world- music, and that's just for starters. For many this sixth studio album of Led Zeppelin is arguably their pinnacle, their peak, their high rock worthy of its rating. This two record set, the product of almost two years' labour is the band's "Tommy", "Beggar's Banquet" and "Sgt. Pepper's" rolled into one. "Physical Graffiti" is the Led Zeppelin's bid for artistic respectability. Admittedly, a fair amount of "Physical Graffiti" was composed of offcuts and work- in-progress from their previous two albums, though those were offcuts startling quality. But what really shines out is the sheer genre defying eclecticism of it all. Far more than just a crowd pummelling hard rock act with the world's beefiest rhythm section, these boys were able to do everything from folk "Bron Y Aur" and blues "In My Time Of Dying", to country rock "Down By The Seaside" and barrelhouse Rock'n'Roll "Boogie With Stu". In fact, "Physical Graffiti" serves pretty much as a primer of the band's entire oeuvre. And amongst these flights of dexterity we get some of the band's best loved numbers of all time. "Trampled Underfoot", driven by Jones' stomping Fender Rhodes pulls off the remarkable trick of being both heavy and funky as hell. "Custard Pie" and "The Rover" are monster axe workouts, and of course "Kashmir" is still a juggernaut of incredible power, a blend of east and west inspired by Page and Plant's mystical wanderings and underpinned by Bonham's legendary rumble, famously captured in all its ambient glory in the huge hallway of Headley Grange Manor. And it all came wrapped in one of those fabulously intricate die cut sleeves that make all people of a certain age long for a return to the glory days of vinyl. In short, "Physical Graffiti" captures the whole experience of Led Zeppelin at the top of their game. "Physical Graffiti" is the sound of a group writing their identity across the popular culture, indeed.

Conclusion: Led Zeppelin returned from a nearly two years of a hiatus of time since their previous fifth studio album "Houses Of The Holy", released in 1973. This very ambitious double studio album treat many of the songs on "Physical Graffiti" as forays into individual styles, with only occasionally synthesizing sounds, notably presented on the second most extensive song on the album "Kashmir". In reality, "Physical Graffiti" is a real tour the force and a perfect test to Led Zeppelin's musical versatility. Thus, "Physical Graffiti" is a very difficult album to judge as a whole really, such is its musical variety. However, it's, in my humble opinion, a very essential album in the discography of the group, even it has only one essential track on it, "Kashmir". In reality it has only two truly great tracks on it "In My Time Of Dying" and especially "Kashmir". However and in general, this is an excellent Led Zeppelin's studio album, very good and cohesive enough. Led Zeppelin doesn't know how to make weak albums, really. "Physical Graffiti" is an album that reminds me too much "Living In The Past" of Jethro Tull. Both are essential albums to both bands but both are far way of being real masterpieces. Sincerely, for me, all the first five studio albums of Led Zeppelin are better than "Physical Graffiti" is.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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