Led Zeppelin. Physical Graffiti (1975)

Physical Graffiti is the sixth album by the English hard rock band Led Zeppelin. Itis a double album which was released on February 24, 1975. Physical Graffiti was the band's first release on their own Swan Song Records label.

The recording sessions for Physical Graffiti took place in January and February 1974 at Headley Grange in East Hampshire, England. Several of the songs on the album, however, were recorded during the sessions for previous Led Zeppelin albums. The instrumental "Bron-Yr-Aur" was recorded in July 1970 at Island Studios, London, for Led Zeppelin III. "Night Flight" and "Boogie with Stu" were recorded at Headley Grange and "Down by the Seaside" at Island Studios, all for Led Zeppelin IV. "The Rover" and "Black Country Woman" were recorded at the same sessions as "D'yer Mak'er" at Stargroves using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio in May 1972. "Houses of the Holy" was also recorded in May 1972, but at Olympic Studios. The group's fifth album, Houses of the Holy, took its title from this song despite the decision not to include the song on that album.

The remaining eight songs were all recorded during the sessions for Physical Graffiti in early 1974. Additional overdubs were added and the final mixing was performed in October 1974 by Keith Harwood.

A review in Rolling Stone magazine referred to Physical Graffiti as Led Zeppelin's "bid for artistic respectability", adding that the only competition the band had for the title of 'World's Best Rock Band' were The Rolling Stones and The Who. The album was a massive commercial and critical success, reaching #1 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, and has proven to be one of the most popular releases by the group, selling 16 million copies in the United States alone. Physical Graffiti was the first album to go platinum on advance orders alone. Shortly after the release of Physical Graffiti, all previous Led Zeppelin albums simultaneously re-entered the top-200 album chart. In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Physical Graffiti the 28th greatest album of all time; in 2000 Q placed it at number 32 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever; and in 2001 the same magazine named it as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time. In 2003 the TV network VH1 named it the 71st greatest album ever. Rolling Stone ranked it #70 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Plant has stated Physical Graffiti is his favourite album.

Track Listing

Side one

1. "Custard Pie" (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) – 4:13
2. "The Rover" (Page, Plant) – 5:37
3. "In My Time of Dying" (Page, Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham) – 11:05

Side two

1. "Houses of the Holy" (Page, Plant) – 4:02
2. "Trampled Under Foot" (Page, Plant, Jones) – 5:37
3. "Kashmir" (Page, Plant, Bonham) – 8:32

Side three

1. "In the Light" (Page, Plant, Jones) – 8:46
2. "Bron-Yr-Aur"* (Page) – 2:06
3. "Down by the Seaside" (Page, Plant) – 5:13
4. "Ten Years Gone" (Page, Plant) – 6:32

Side four

1. "Night Flight" (Jones, Page, Plant) – 3:36
2. "The Wanton Song" (Page, Plant) – 4:07
3. "Boogie with Stu" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant, Ian Stewart, Ritchie Valens) – 3:53
4. "Black Country Woman" (Page, Plant) – 4:24
5. "Sick Again" (Page, Plant) – 4:42

DOWNLOAD ALBUM
SING IT