•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
The Zeppelin Crashes to the Ground.
Despite the harsh reviews, "Houses of the Holy" was a great commercial success, albeit much lower than "ZoSo". This success kept Plant and Page away from the harsh truth, which is that "Houses of the Holy" was almost complete mediocrity.
Still confident in themselves, the Led completed the new work, and since they had leftover songs from previous albums, they decided to put all the material (old and new) into a double album titled "Physical Graffiti". An amateurish mistake, because any person of average intelligence knows that double albums are always bad records and "Physical Graffiti" is no exception: excellent tracks alternate with routine tracks, mediocre tracks, and real obscenities ("House of the Holy" and "Black Country Woman").
Despite a generally insufficient listening experience, the Led still amaze us with textbook brilliance: "In My Time Of Dying" (a nice blues, although a chasm below the blues masterpieces of previous records); "Bron-Yr-Aur" (a splendid and sweet acoustic instrumental); "Down by the Seaside" (a relaxing psychedelic slow piece, maybe a bit too long); "The Rover" (with Plant remembering to be Plant, bringing out his voice again, presumed lost in "Houses of the Holy", and once again managing to get under the listener's skin, in a piece that features the best chorus in their repertoire); "In the Light" (despite the long and unnecessary intro - reminiscent of "The Rain Song" - one of the band's masterpieces, memorable from the first listen, with simply brilliant guitar work).
And finally, the timeless "Kashmir". The memorable riff, the oriental atmospheres, and Plant's ethereal melody are set with classical measure, making the piece a real work of art.
It would seem that the group's creativity has returned - if it weren't for the fact that "Bron-Yr-Aur", "Down by the Seaside", and "The Rover" are leftovers from previous albums...
Critics at the time were blunt: the Led are finished. As the band's biographies tell, Page, at this point, began to take them seriously.
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
The review acknowledges Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti as a double album with mixed results, combining excellent tracks with mediocre and weak ones. Highlights include masterpieces like "Kashmir" and "In the Light," but the reliance on leftover songs from previous sessions detracts from overall cohesion. Despite criticism and uneven quality, moments of brilliance remind listeners of the band's strengths. The album is seen as a reflective but imperfect milestone in their career.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. They became one of the most influential rock groups of the late 1960s and 1970s; the band disbanded after John Bonham's death in 1980.109 Reviews
Other reviews
By Antonino91
"Despite having some lazy and unremarkable moments, 'Physical Graffiti' is a very enjoyable album."
"Kashmir, where stunning hard sounds are intertwined with sounds with a decidedly Indian flavor, 8 minutes and 30 of great spectacle."
By Miki Page
"Physical Graffiti captures Led Zeppelin at the height of their career, in the prime of their strength."
"Kashmir is a mystical journey through oriental sounds, giving it a high level of expression and emotion."
By paloz
The first disc consists of 6 tracks, all with terrifyingly catchy rhythms that instantly get stuck in your head.
'In my time of dying' brims with energy, and is hard to forget... delivering one of Bonham's most significant performances.
By claudio carpentieri
"With the listening of ‘In My Time Of Dying’ one can say it’s witnessing one of the band’s absolute masterpieces!"
"A double release that once again confirms the graceful state of the four members of the dirigible, always capable of creating music worthy of the noblest meaning of this term."
