Vinyl of the Week - 17 October, 2021

Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin

In the career of a rock band, there is quite often a period where it could be argued they were at their best. This album is, in my humble opinion, a perfect example of a band at the peak of their powers. Physical Graffiti was released in 1975 and showcases why Led Zeppelin is regarded as one of the greatest bands of all time. From the heavy rock of Custard Pie to the layered guitar work of Ten Years Gone, the eastern-influenced Kashmir, blues rock inspired In My Time of Dying and the beautiful, acoustic Bron-Yr-Aur, this record is executed to perfection. I could go on for quite a while with all sorts of interesting facts about this album. Like the building used for the brilliantly conceived, interactive cover. The same building whose doorway was used for the Stones music video Waiting On A Friend. An image of this New York City apartment block, with die cut windows spelling out the album’s title and interchangeable inner sleeves to display a range of cultural icons - it won a Grammy for its design. A commercial success and critically praised, Plant said Physical Graffiti represented the band at the height of their creativity and even Page acknowledged it as his favourite. Of course, agreeing when a band was at their very best is usually a topic of much debate among the fans of that particular band… I’m going to put it on and listen to it one more time – just to confirm that I’m right - DS