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 This intense set of recordings is only equalled in my opinion by the 1979 recording "In Through the Out Door". The first CD alone is worth the price.There is the haunting melody "In My Time of Dying" to which Jimmy Page's vocals gives an eerie finishing touch. The power-packed and highly-suggestive "Trampled Under Foot" has a wonderful rhythm. "Custard Pie" ranks as one of Zeppelin's hardest-rocking tunes of all time, and, of course there is the masterpiece "Kashmir". For all who are sickened by Puff Daddy's butchering of the classic track, you need only listen to the original and the powerful beat, thoughtful lyrics, and the unmistakable voice of Jimmy Page will make you forget about all usurpers. This album is a must for all fans of Zeppelin and classic rock. It is guarenteed to become one of your most frequently played CD's.
Some of my personal favorite Zep songs are on this record, "Ten years Gone," "the Rover," "In The Light" and "Kashmir," songs I regularly play on my guitar. I've even grown to like the homage to early rock and roll (such as Elvis) on "Boogie With Stu." Zeppelin still could rock (on songs like "Sick Again" "Custard Pie" and "Houses of the Holy"), but they also let all of their other diverse influences of the past meet each other on this album. Before this, Zeppelin's previous 5 albums had their own style or sound; I blues-rock, II hard rock, III rock/folk, IV super-rock/folk, Houses of the Holy rock and synths.. It's very interesting to hear the many genres and styles on the same record because it really didn't have that surprising effect on all of the others.
This is the paradox of PHYSICAL GRAFFITI: it is not the best example of the legendary Led Zep's sound, but it may be the band's most accomplished work. Indeed, although the album contains the usual rock highlights ("Custard pie", "The rover", "The Wanton song", "Sick again"), the band obviously wished to push other songs forward: "In my time of dying", "Kashmir", "In the light". These three songs are the longest and they benefit from meticulous arrangements, which is not the case of the rest. Besides, these songs were the ones that the band chose to play on stage during the 1975 tour (with "Trampled underfoot"). "Kashmir" may appear a little pompous to many, but I find it cool because it sounds like a James Bond score (that is not pejorative). "Trampled underfoot" is a good funky tune: I don't know many people who can listen to JPJ's harpsichord without tapping their foot. And if you listen to it with your girlfriend (or your boyfriend), it will probably give you some interesting ideas. "Bron yr Aur" is typically the kind of song which makes you run to the guitar shop. But my favorite is definitely "In my time of dying" - the perfect example of musical symbiosis. On that one, there are no leaders and no followers: Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham are all at the same level, and they are at the top. So why do I give 4 stars instead of 5? Because the second disc contains some fillers ("Boogie with stu", "Down by the seaside") which somehow dilute the spirit of the album. Another problem is that some of the songs sound like cast-offs from the HOUSES OF THE HOLY sessions. They are not bad, but they simply don't fit in. In short, PHYSICAL GRAFFITI is a very good double album, but it could have been an EXCELLENT single album. Although it is not "classical" Zep, I strongly recommend PHYSICAL GRAFFITI to the people who want to discover LZ. It is a good synthesis of the heavy rock albums (I, II, IV, PRESENCE)and of the more experimental ones (III, HOUSES OF THE HOLY, IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR). It is also the last album in which the cohesion between the members is undisputable.
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Some people deem that PHYSICAL GRAFFITI is not the best LZ album because the sound is slightly different from that of the first four records - which are supposed to be the most representative. I can understand that. But think about this: while DARK SIDE OF THE MOON is certainly more "classic" Floyd than THE WALL - is it better? Twenty years later, the question is still open.
