LED ZEPPELIN IV - PHYSICAL GRAFFITI 1st PRESS EX Keeper orig. inner
£
128
$
170
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Description
LED ZEPPELIN -
PHYSICAL GRAFFITI
SWAN SONG
1st UK Press 1975
SSK 89400
Matrices: A/3 B/4 C/1 D/1
The auction is for a great copy of Physical Graffiti. First press matrices. This is the genuine FIRST PRESS with the correct matrices.
Physical Graffiti is the last great Led Zeppelin title, recorded before the influences of the day (synthesizers, disco) ended Zeppelin's reign as the kings of loud and sexy blues-metal. The two-disc album playfully experiments with new sounds including folk, rock riffs, folk and Middle Eastern rhythms.
By 1975 no one was bigger or heavier than Zeppelin. America was punch drunk after the quadruple whammy of their first four albums, each supported by tours that went from scene-stealing support slots to stadium-filling three-hour marathons, almost overnight. Even the slightly below average (ie: one or two sub-par tracks) Houses Of The Holy (1973) hadn't dented their reputation one jot. The world, and its attendant pleasures, was theirs for the taking. At this point most modern bands would take 5 years off and forget each others' names. What did Robert, Jimmy, John Paul and Bonzo do? Produced a double album that some still hold to be their best of all time.
Admittedly, a fair amount of Physical Graffiti was composed of offcuts and work-in-progress from their previous two albums (cf 'Houses Of The Holy') though these were offcuts startling quality. But what really shines out is the sheer genre-defying eclecticism of it all. Far more than just a crowd-pummelling hard rock act with the world's beefiest rhythm section, these boys were able to do everything from folk (''Bron Y Aur'') and blues ("In My Time Of Dying") to country rock ("Down By The Seaside") and barrelhouse rock 'n' roll ("Boogie With Stu"). In fact Graffiti serves pretty much as a primer of the band's entire oeuvre.
And amongst these flights of dexterity we get some of the band's best-loved numbers of all-time. "Trampled Underfoot", driven by Jones' stomping Fender Rhodes pulls off the remarkable trick of being both heavy AND funky as hell. "Custard Pie" and "The Rover" are monster axe workouts, and of course "Kashmir" is still a juggernaut of incredible power: a blend of east and west inspired by Page and Plant's mystical wanderings and underpinned by Bonham's legendary rumble, famously captured in all its ambient glory in the huge hallway of Headley Grange Manor. And it all came wrapped in one of those fabulously intricate die-cut sleeves that make all people of a certain age long for a return to the glory days of vinyl.
Nick Kent's review in the NME casually mentioned that by this point Zep could seemingly turn this stuff out in their sleep. He was right. Six years of touring and recording had honed them into an unstoppable force, but tragedy lay in wait around the corner in the form of death, drug abuse and changing tastes. But Physical Graffiti remains a towering monument to the glory of Zeppelin in their high-flying heyday. --Chris Jones
Die cut box sleeve: VG+ to EX. This is the correct matt diecut sleeve with the multiple little windows and has not got any damage. There are NO splits or tears, there is one vague crease near the top corner. The spine with the red lettering is fully 100% legible. The sleeve still retains the square box shape and has not been flattened like most for sale these days. To the rear is the 484, Kings Road , London text. The opening has light wear. There is some storage wear on the corners. The full colours are retained in this fantastic sleeve.
There are also the two inner picture sleeves without any creases but with a couple of seamsplits The foldout inner with track titles and credits is still there as well. It has some amount of yellowing.
Labels: EX+. Not any spindle traces.
This is a unique investment opportunity!!! The next classic album to go completely through the roof. Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible so late in the day. Get this while you still can. This value of the album is only going to go one way ... up and up ... until it will be totally unavailable at all for a reasonable price.
Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 30.00. Please wait for my invoice before paying. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.
Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly! PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST, if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one! I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem! This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem. Thanks again!!
This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.
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