Physical Graffiti
Studio album by Led Zeppelin
Released	February 24, 1975
Recorded	July 1970; December 1970-March 1971; May 1972; January–February 1974; October 1974 at Headley Grange, Hampshire, with Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio; Stargroves, England, with Rolling Stones Mobile Studio; Olympic Studios, London; Island Studios, London. Mixed at Olympic Studios, London; Electric Lady Studios, New York
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock, folk rock
Length	82:15
Label	Swan Song
Producer	Jimmy Page
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Q November 2000 Robert Christgau (B+) link Rolling Stone (Very Favorable) link
Led Zeppelin chronology
Houses of the Holy (1973) Physical Graffiti (1975) Presence (1976)
Back cover

Physical Graffiti is the sixth album, a double album by the English hard rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on February 24, 1975 (see 1975 in music) and was the band's first release on its own Swan Song Records label. Cover of the Led Zeppelin album Physical Graffiti. ... A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A house in Headley, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, which is perhaps most known for the music that was recorded there by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Genesis. ... For other uses, see Hampshire (disambiguation). ... Ronald Lane (April 1, 1946 - June 4, 1997) was an English singer, songwriter and bass player (nicknamed Plonk) best known for his membership in two prominent English rock bands, Small Faces (1965-69) and Faces (1970-75). ... Stargroves in East End, Newbury, was the 1970s home of Mick Jagger, who recorded Exile On Main Street and five songs from Sticky Fingers there. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio is a mobile recording studio owned by the musical group the Rolling Stones. ... Olympic Studios is a commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, in the south-western suburb of Barnes in London, England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Olympic Studios is a commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, in the south-western suburb of Barnes in London, England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York Citys Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970. ... This article is about the state. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... Heavy metal redirects here. ... Blues Rock or Blues-rock is a fusion genre of music which combines elements of the blues with rock and roll. ... Bob Dylans folk-rock album, Blonde on Blonde Folk-rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Swan Song Records was a record label launched by Led Zeppelin on May 10, 1974. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... Q is a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 140,282 and a readership of 731,000. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... Robert Christgau (born April 18, 1942), is an American essayist, music journalist, and the self-declared Dean of American Rock Critics.[1] In print, his name is sometimes abbreviated as Xgau. ... This article is about the magazine. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... For the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, see Houses of the Holy (song). ... Presence is the seventh studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Swan Song Records on March 31, 1976. ... A double album is an audio album of sufficient length that two units of the medium in which it is sold (especially records and compact discs) are necessary to contain the entirety of it. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... // January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case. ... Swan Song Records was a record label launched by Led Zeppelin on May 10, 1974. ...

Recording history

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. A house in Headley, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, which is perhaps most known for the music that was recorded there by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Genesis. ... East Hampshire is a local government district in Hampshire, England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Bron-Yr-Aur is a two minute acoustic guitar instrumental song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Led Zeppelin III, the third album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, was released October 5, 1970 by Atlantic Records. ... Written by led zeppelin bassist john paul jones, this is a song on the second disc of Physical Graffiti, Led zeppelins double album. ... Boogie With Stu is a song by Led Zeppelin, from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... Down by the Seaside is a song by Led Zeppelin of the album Physical Graffiti released in 1975. ... The untitled fourth album of English rock band Led Zeppelin was released on November 8, 1971. ... The Rover is a song by Led Zeppelin that opens with a drum beat from John Bonham, and throughout the song, Jimmy Page plays a distinctive riff, using wah and flange effects. ... Black Country Woman is the penultimate song on English rock band Led Zeppelins 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... Dyer Maker (intended to be pronounced with a British non-rhotic accent as jah-may-kah) is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. ... Stargroves in East End, Newbury, was the 1970s home of Mick Jagger, who recorded Exile On Main Street and five songs from Sticky Fingers there. ... The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio is a mobile recording studio owned by the musical group the Rolling Stones. ... Houses of the Holy is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... Olympic Studios is a commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, in the south-western suburb of Barnes in London, England. ... For the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, see Houses of the Holy (song). ...

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.

According to engineer Ron Nevinson, the decision to expand the album to include songs from previous sessions was not part of the original planning:

Album cover

The album designer, Peter Corriston, was looking for a building that was symmetrical with interesting details, that was not obstructed by other objects and would fit the square album cover.

He said:

The two buildings photographed for the album cover are located at 96 and 98 St. Mark's Place in New York City. ^[3][4] But to enable it to fit, the building which is actually a five-story building, had to be cropped out. So for the album cover it became a four-story building instead.^[2] The buildings used on the cover were the same that Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were in front of in the Rolling Stones music video "Waiting on a Friend".^[5] New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... St. ... Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones in 1962. ... Sir Michael Phillip Mick Jagger (born July 26, 1943) is a English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman. ... This article is about the rock band. ... Waiting On A Friend is a song by rock and roll band the Rolling Stones off of their 1981 release Tattoo You. ...

Inner disc cover 1

Inner disc cover 2

Middle insert front

Middle insert back

The original album jacket for the LP included 4 covers made up of 2 inners (for each disc), a middle insert cover and an outer cover. The inner covers depict various objects and people (including photos of the band members in drag) on each window. The middle insert cover is white with all the album track listings and recording information etc. The outer cover has die-cut windows on the building, so when the middle cover is wrapped around the inner covers and slid into the outer cover, the title of the album is shown on the front cover, spelling out the name "Physical Graffiti".

Sales and influence

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.^[6] 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 gold on advance orders alone.^[7] Shortly after the release of Physical Graffiti, all previous Led Zeppelin albums simultaneously re-entered the top-200 album chart.^[8] 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. This article is about the music magazine. ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... The Who are a British rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ... A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994 and VH1: Music First until 2003) is an American digital television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently... This article is about the magazine. ... The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003. ...

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

A custard pie is a pie crust filled with a cooked custard. ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... Robert Anthony Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England), is an English rock singer and songwriter, famous for his membership in the rock band Led Zeppelin as the lead vocalist, as well as for his successful solo career. ... The Rover is a song by Led Zeppelin that opens with a drum beat from John Bonham, and throughout the song, Jimmy Page plays a distinctive riff, using wah and flange effects. ... In My Time of Dying is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, Kent) is an English multi-instrumentalist musician, and was known for being the bassist, the keyboardist and the mandolinist for rock band Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980) was an English drummer and member of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ...

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

Houses of the Holy is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... Trampled Under Foot (also sometimes seen as Trampled Underfoot) is a song by English rock group Led Zeppelin, featured on their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... This article is about the Led Zeppelin song. ...

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

In The Light is a song by British rock band Led Zeppelin on their album Physical Graffiti. ... Bron-Yr-Aur is a two minute acoustic guitar instrumental song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... Down by the Seaside is a song by Led Zeppelin of the album Physical Graffiti released in 1975. ... Ten Years Gone is a song by Led Zeppelin. ...

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

* Some cassette versions of the album place "Bron-Yr-Aur" immediately after "Kashmir", presumably to make each side of the cassette last approximately the same amount of time. Written by led zeppelin bassist john paul jones, this is a song on the second disc of Physical Graffiti, Led zeppelins double album. ... The Wanton Song is a song from Led Zeppelins 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... Boogie With Stu is a song by Led Zeppelin, from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... Ian AR Stewart (18 July 1938 – 12 December 1985) was a Scottish rock musician. ... Ritchie Valens (born Ricardo Steven Valenzuela, May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959) was a pioneer of rock and roll and a forefather to the Latin Rock movement. ... Black Country Woman is the penultimate song on English rock band Led Zeppelins 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ... Sick Again is a song by Led Zeppelin, from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. ...

** Credited to "Mrs. Valens, mother of Ritchie Valens". According to Jimmy Page, since the jam leaned heavily on "Ooh My Head" by the late Ritchie Valens, it was decided to give credit to his mother "because we heard she never received any royalties from any of her son's hits, and Robert did lean on that lyric a bit. So what happens? They tried to sue us for all of the song! We had to say bugger off".^[9]

* "In My Time of Dying" contains significant similarities to a track of the same name on Bob Dylan's first album. Dylan credits this tune's composition to "Traditional" while taking credit for its arrangement.

Miscellaneous

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Physical Graffiti contains both the longest and shortest studio recordings by Led Zeppelin. "In My Time of Dying" clocks in at 11 minutes 5 seconds and "Bron-Yr-Aur" is 2 minutes 6 seconds.
• Philadelphia comedy-punk band the Dead Milkmen spoofed the album cover and title on their 1990 album Metaphysical Graffiti

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Metaphysical Graffiti is a Dead Milkmen album released by Enigma Records in 1990. ...

Personnel

• Jimmy Page – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, producer
• Robert Plant – harmonica, vocals, acoustic guitar on "Boogie with Stu"
• John Paul Jones – bass, organ, piano, mellotron, guitar, mandolin, VCS3 synthesizer
• John Bonham – drums, percussion

James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve... An electric guitar An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into electrical current, which is then amplified. ... This article is about the musical instrument. ... Robert Anthony Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England), is an English rock singer and songwriter, famous for his membership in the rock band Led Zeppelin as the lead vocalist, as well as for his successful solo career. ... A harmonica is a free reed wind instrument. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve... John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, Kent) is an English multi-instrumentalist musician, and was known for being the bassist, the keyboardist and the mandolinist for rock band Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham... A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... An organ is the following: In anatomy, an organ is a group of tissues which perform some function. ... A short grand piano, with the lid up. ... The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... This article is about the musical instrument. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980) was an English drummer and member of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as a cowbell, wood block, chimes or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ... Percussion redirects here. ...

Additional personnel

• Ian Stewart – piano on "Boogie with Stu"
• George Chkiantz – engineer
• Peter Grant – producer, executive producer
• Keith Harwood – engineer, mixing
• Andy Johns – engineer
• Eddie Kramer – engineer, mixing
• Ron Nevison – engineer
• Mike Doud – artwork, design, cover design
• Peter Corriston – artwork, design, cover design
• Elliot Erwitt – photography
• Dave Heffernan – illustrations
• B.P. Fallon – photography
• Roy Harper – photography

CD Mastering engineers Ian AR Stewart (18 July 1938 – 12 December 1985) was a Scottish rock musician. ... George Chkiantz is a recording engineer in London who has been responsible for the engineering on a number of well-known albums, many of which are considered classics, owing in part to the high-quality of the recordings. ... Peter Grant in 1973 Peter Grant, (April 5, 1935 – November 21, 1995) was a manager for The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin and Bad Company, and a record executive for Swan Song Records. ... Andy Johns, younger brother of famous Olympic Studios engineer Glyn Johns and uncle of Kings of Leon and Ryan Adams producer Ethan Johns (son of Glyn Johns) is a prolific engineer and producer. ... Eddie Kramer is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon and Robin Trower. ... Cover of Elliott Erwitts Dogs Dogs book. ... Roy Harper (born June 12, 1941), is an English rock singer-songwriter / guitarist who specialises in folk music. ...

• Barry Diament - original CD (mid-1980s)
• George Marino - remastered CD (1990)

Charts

Album

It has been suggested that Billboard be merged into this article or section. ...

Singles

Certifications

RIAA redirects here. ...

References