February 10, 2025

1975 - January: Led Zeppelin “Physical Graffiti”

40 minutes

By the time that Led Zeppelin was releasing their sixth studio album, they were solidly on top of the rock pantheon. They had just switched to Swan Song Records, their own label, and had plenty of time to create this double album work, Physical Graffiti. They had three sides-worth of new songs largely recorded at Headley Grange in Hampshire in early 1974, and they expanded it to a double album by including unreleased tracks from sessions for their previous three albums.

Physical Graffiti went to number 1 on the UK chart and number 3 on the US charts immediately. They had planned to release the album in November 1974, but delays in producing the album's sleeve design pushed it back to February 1975. Demand was so strong that it became the first album to go platinum on advance orders alone.

The album itself reflects a diversity that runs from hard rock to prog rock to funk - even country and honky-tonk get represented. The group never seemed too interested in creating single-friendly compositions, so many tracks run well over 6 minutes, along with some shorter instrumental numbers.

Led Zeppelin was considered the biggest rock band on tour during this time, and Physical Graffiti was the album that wrapped up this period. Robert Plant was in a serious car accident with his wife in August 1975, and the group went on hiatus from touring until 1977. Many consider this album to be the high water mark for the Led Zeppelin discography.

Bruce presents this monster double album for this week's podcast.

Kashmir

This is one of Led Zeppelin's signature songs. It started as an instrumental recording from Jimmy Page and John Bonham. Robert Plant wrote the lyrics while vacationing in southern Morocco (not Kashmir, as no band members had been there when this song was written). John Paul Jones plays mellotron and added the orchestration which was played by session musicians. All members of the band consider it one of their best tracks, and it has played in almost every concert since its debut.

Trampled Under Foot

This is a funk piece largely created by John Paul Jones. The beat was inspired by Stevie Wonder's “Superstition,” and the lyrics are drawn largely from Robert Johnson's “Terraplane Blues.” Jones originally created this in the soul genre, but John Bonham convinced the group to add a more funky feel.

The Wanton Song

Many Led Zeppelin songs have a title which does not appear in the lyrics, and this is one of those. Jimmy Page developed the riff in 1973 and brought it to the Physical Graffiti sessions. Page uses a backward echo on this, where the echo appears before the note. It was played during the 1975 tour but was dropped from the setlist thereafter, making it perhaps a deeper cut.

Houses of the Holy

This track is one of the unreleased tracks from previous sessions. It was intended as the title track from their fifth album, but was considered too similar to other songs on the album and was dropped. Led Zeppelin never played this song live.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Movin' On Up (Theme from the television series “The Jeffersons”)

This sitcom was a spinoff from “All In the Family” which got its start in January 1975.

STAFF PICKS:

Any Major Dude Will Tell You by Steely Dan

Lynch kicks off the staff picks with the B-side from “Rikki Don't Lose That Number.” Donald Fagen says that the inspiration was hearing a lot of people using the term “dude” after they moved to L.A., finding the phrase funny and deciding to include it in a song. The idea is that times will get better, and hope is around the corner.

Cat's In the Cradle by Harry Chapin

Rob brings us a folk rock story about a father who finds the tables turned. He didn't have time for his son as he was growing up, and his son doesn't have time for his father when he is older. The lyrics were inspired by a poem written by Chapin's wife regarding her first husband's strained relationship with his father.

Angie Baby by Helen Reddy

Wayne features another storytelling song, this one with some spookiness. Angie is a girl of questionable sanity who lives in her own world at home with her parents. When a neighborhood boy decides to make advances on her when her parents are gone, Angie causes him to disappear into the music of her radio… It was a number 1 hit song.

Changes by David Bowie

Bruce closes out the staff picks with a song that largely flopped when originally released as a single in 1971. Bowie's “Hunky Dory” album did not do well until it got a second look after his 1972 release “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” It was re-released in 1975 as a single and went to number 1 in the UK.

INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:

Bron-Yr-Aur by Led Zeppelin

We close out with some double dipping from Physical Graffiti for this acoustic instrumental.

Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?”

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By Rob Marbury, Wayne Rowan, Bruce Fricks, John Lynch

4.9

4747 ratings