Led Zeppelin/Physical Graffiti Sessions

Zeppelin’s sixth original album was their first double album. It was released in February 1975, and a tour was held in 1975 to accompany it. Recording itself was done intermittently from early on, and 1974 was the first year since their debut that they did not tour, so they were able to concentrate on recording. Usually, artists prepare a lot of compositions first, then condense them into an album. Even with The Beatles’ White Album, George Martin recalled that “they should have selected the best songs and released them as a single album.” However, Zeppelin at this time did the opposite, preparing material for one album first, and then adding previously unreleased songs to make a double album. Only eight new songs were prepared at this time, and the rest were songs that had been omitted during the production of previous albums. In that respect, even though it is the same album, songs recorded at different times are included at the same time. The image of Zeppelin that was left by the first two albums would be greatly destroyed by the band themselves with their third album. Even Yoichi Shibuya, a known Zeppelin fanatic, wrote about his dissatisfaction with the acoustic-based sound of the third album. And for the release of “Physical Graffiti” in 1975, Yoichi Shibuya wrote an unprecedented liner note before listening to the album, expressing his expectations, saying, “I’m excited to hear that the sound follows IV.” Although the recording periods are far apart, all the songs on this album have a unified Zeppelin sound as fans expected. After the album was completed, Plant reminisced, “Everything blended together amazingly well.” Rolling Stone magazine gave it the highest praise, saying, “It’s like a masterpiece that combines Sgt., Tommy, and Beggars Banquet.” This work contains the recording session recordings of “Physical Graffiti.” Although the details of the recording have not been revealed, it is thought that the album can be divided into at least six sections. This album is divided into sections by recording period, not by song. [ACOUSTIC SESSION] Unlike the glittering sound of the final version of “TEN YEARS GONE,” take 1 recorded here is a quiet performance by acoustic guitar. It is interesting that the melody is the same but the impression is completely different. The lyrics are not yet added. Takes 2 and 3 are confirmations of the riff after the arrangement was changed from acoustic to electric. The guitar solo part is also quite close to completion. “THE ROVER” is also performed by acoustic guitar. Even though it is performed only with acoustic guitar, it is full of that unique groove feeling, and Plant sings the unfinished lyrics with a humming sound. It was in 1974 that he started his own label after the contract with Atlantic Records, which he had been affiliated with since his debut, expired. He named the label “Swan Song.” It is said that this comes from the title of an instrumental song that Jimmy played for fun. That song is “SWAN SONG” recorded here. [RECORDING SESSIONS 1] “CUSTARD PIE” is a hard number that opens the album. The guitar layered over the irregular drums and the effect sounds are sounds that would not feel out of place even if they were included in IV. The take recorded here is almost complete. The released version was mixed with the vocals subdued and the instruments in the foreground, but this one is well-balanced. The ending has not yet been decided, and it ends abruptly. “IN MY TIME OF DYING” starts with a countdown, and you can see the band discussing the details and trying and erroring to solidify the performance. Although the arrangement is finalized, the details are incomplete, and you can see that they approached the completion by playing it over and over. Plant’s singing is only a temporary guide. “TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT” has a slow tempo, but the vocals are double-tracked, making it a fairly full-fledged recording take. A considerable amount of time is devoted to John Paul Jones’ keyboard solo, which is also different from the released version. [RECORDING SESSION 2] “KASHIMIR” is a representative song of the epic album also known as Zeppelin Pride. The tempo is much faster than the released version, and vocals are not included. The ending is also different. “TEN YEARS GONE” is an electric version because it is a studio. And the most time is spent on “NIGHT FLIGHT” and “BOOGIE WITH STU” in this session 2. [RECORDING SESSION 3] The main part of recording session 3 is “TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT”. Plant layers his vocals over an impressive keyboard riff. The melody is purely left to the vocals, but you can see that the lyrics are still incomplete. There is also a proper break in the middle, the tempo is somewhat slow, and the performance is undeniably hectic, but you can see that the framework is complete at this point. Take 4 is a fairly slow tempo with strange guitars layered on top that were omitted in the original. Plant sings in a whispering voice, and the arrangement is almost jazz-like. The final up-tempo version was probably recorded much later. “IN THE MORNING” is the working title of “IN THE LIGHT”. [RECORDING SESSION 4] “SICK AGAIN” is unfamiliar even from the intro. The vocals are a bit off, but Plant’s vocals are completely different from the original, and listening to this take makes you think that it is an extension of “BOOGIE WITH STU” or that it is a song that was created from the same derivation. “TAKE ME HOME” is probably the original song of “CUSTARD PIE”. Although it is a completely different song, phrases from “CUSTARD PIE” appear everywhere. [RECORDING SESSION 5] The four songs recorded here are almost complete, and the sound does not have the atmosphere of a closed studio. [PHYSICAL GRAFFITI SESSIONS] This work contains all the session recordings that are known to exist for Zeppelin’s sixth album. Zeppelin shows various approaches on the live stage, but it is these studio recordings that are supported by the performance on stage. It is a valuable recording that gives a glimpse into the production process of the songs that are still known as rock classics. DISC ONE RECORDING SESSION 1 01. abc song 02. Ten Years Gone #1 03. Ten Years Gone #2 04. Ten Years Gone #3 05. The Rover 06. Swan Song RECORDING SESSION 2 07. Custard Pie 08. In My Time Of Dying #1 09. In My Time Of Dying #2 10. In My Time Of Dying #3 11 . In My Time Of Dying #4 12. In My Time Of Dying #5 13. In My Time Of Dying #6 14. In My Time Of Dying #7 15. Trampled Underfoot RECORDING SESSION 3 16. Kashmir 17. Ten Years Gone #1 18. Ten Years Gone #2 19. Ten Years Gone #3 20. Night Flight #1 21. Night Flight #2 22. Night Flight #3 23. Night Flight #4 24. Night Flight #5 25. Night Flight #6 26. Night Flight #7 27. Night Flight #8 28. Boogie With Stu #1 29. Boogie With Stu #2 30. Boogie With Stu #3 31. Boogie With Stu #4 32. Boogie With Stu #5 33. Boogie With Stu #6 34. Boogie With Stu #7 35. Boogie With Stu #8 36. Boogie With Stu #9 DISC TWO RECORDING SESSION 4 01. Trampled Underfoot #1 02. Trampled Underfoot #2 03. Trampled Underfoot #3 04. Trampled Underfoot #4 05. Trampled Underfoot #5 06. Trampled Underfoot #6 07. Trampled Underfoot #7 08. Trampled Underfoot #8 09. Trampled Underfoot #9 10. In The Morning #1 11. In The Morning #2 12. The Wanton Song #1 13. The Wanton Song #2 RECORDING SESSION 5 14. Sick Again 15. Take Me Home #1 16. Take Me Home #2 17. Instrumental RECORDING SESSION 6 18 Trampled Underfoot 19. In The Light 20. The Wanton Song 21. Swan Song