Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

UK 1975 Pressing on Swan Song , 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo

Year Released: 1975

Genre: Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Funk Rock, Folk, Blues Rock

Description:

Physical Graffiti is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released as a double album on February 24, 1975. This monumental work is widely regarded as one of the band's most ambitious and creatively diverse projects, and it was the first album released on their own label, Swan Song Records. The album is a sprawling showcase of their musical range, blending new material with a curated selection of unreleased tracks from previous sessions, effectively serving as both a forward-looking artistic statement and a retrospective of their career to that point.

The album's sound is a rich tapestry of genres and influences. It features some of their heaviest and most iconic hard rock tracks, such as "Custard Pie" and "The Rover," but also delves into the experimental, progressive rock of the epic "In the Light" and "Ten Years Gone." The album is also notable for its adventurous forays into funk on "Trampled Under Foot" (inspired by Stevie Wonder's "Superstition") and reggae on "D'yer Mak'er." Its most famous track, the cinematic and mystical "Kashmir," is an eight-and-a-half-minute masterpiece that features a unique blend of orchestral arrangements and a hypnotic, Eastern-influenced riff, a song so powerful that even Robert Plant has stated he would prefer to be remembered for it over "Stairway to Heaven."

The album's iconic cover art, designed by Peter Corriston, is a landmark in its own right. The die-cut cover features a photograph of a New York City tenement building, with cut-out windows that reveal different images on the inner sleeves, allowing the owner to change the "tenants" of the building. This complex and innovative design famously caused production delays, pushing the album's release back from its original planned date. The album's creation was also marked by personal drama, as bassist John Paul Jones nearly quit the band before recording began, but was ultimately persuaded to stay, a decision that proved crucial to the album's diverse sonic landscape. Physical Graffiti was a massive commercial and critical success, cementing Led Zeppelin's status as the most dominant rock band of their era