Led Zeppelin marks Physical Graffiti anniversary with expanded Deluxe reissue and new Live EP

Led Zeppelin are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their iconic sixth album, Physical Graffiti, with the release of a new Live EP, on 180-gram 12-inch vinyl (also CD and digital formats), on September 12. Released on the same day will be an updated Anniversary edition of 2015’s Physical Graffiti Deluxe Edition 3LP vinyl set, now including a new bonus replica Physical Graffiti promotional poster.

The Live EP collects four blistering live recordings from the mid-to-late 1970s.

Side A of the vinyl captures ‘In My Time Of Dying’ and ‘Trampled Under Foot’ from the band’s legendary 1975 Earl’s Court residency, five sold-out nights that stand as one of Zeppelin’s high-water marks.

Side B shifts to Knebworth in 1979 (where Zeppelin headlined both nights of the festival), with ‘Sick Again’ and ‘Kashmir’. These live performances were previously only available as part of the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD; this marks their debut on standalone audio formats.

The Live EP collects four blistering live recordings from the mid-to-late 1970s…

Still trampled under foot

The updated 50th Anniversary version of the Physical Graffiti Deluxe Edition 3LP vinyl set, features two 180g black vinyl discs, plus a companion audio disc of alternate mixes and early versions. What’s new is the replica Physical Graffiti promo poster (443 x 610mm) tucked inside the box. 

Physical Graffiti is Led Zeppelin at the peak of their powers, sprawling in scope and swagger. Originally released in February 1975, Physical Graffiti was Led Zeppelin’s sixth album and their first to arrive as a double LP, thanks to an overflow of ideas and studio sessions that stretched back across previous albums. 

“It goes from one extreme to the other but at the same time, it’s very evident that it’s Zeppelin… I love the album and it does work as a double album. There are some real humdinger, roaring tracks,” said Robert Plant.

Jimmy Page, as both guitarist and producer, famously said they had “enough material for one-and-a-half LPs,” and decided to make it a double. Few could have predicted the result would become a fan favourite, and a cornerstone of rock’s golden era.

Its 15 tracks range from the sleazy blues-rock of ‘Custard Pie’ to the intricate, Eastern-flavoured grandeur of ‘Kashmir.’ Funk, blues, folk, prog and hard rock all coexist within the same four sides of wax.

Physical Graffiti sold a million copies in its first week Stateside, and has since been certified 17x platinum. Critical acclaim came swiftly, but it’s the album’s durability that impresses most. Like the New York brownstone tenement on its cover, it’s weathered the years with undiminished impact.

Jimmy Page described it as a “topographical adventure”. John Paul Jones called it “very wide ranging. It probably was a pinnacle.”

Making a masterpiece

The first release on the band’s own label, Swan Song, the album’s genesis sprawled across multiple years and locations. Initial ideas were demoed at Jimmy Page’s home studio in Plumpton, Sussex in 1973, with primary recording at the now-mythic Headley Grange using Ronnie Lane’s Mobile Studio. Further overdubs were completed at Olympic Studios, with mixing wrapped in July 1974.

Assembling Physical Graffiti meant drawing not only from new recordings like ‘In My Time Of Dying,’ ‘Trampled Under Foot’ and ‘The Wanton Song,’ but also from unreleased cuts left off earlier albums, such as ‘Houses Of The Holy,’ ‘Down By The Seaside’ and ‘Night Flight.’

These weren’t scraps; they were treasures waiting for the right home. Graffiti gave them one.

Led Zeppelin’s  Physical Graffiti 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is priced at £56.99 and available is here. The Live EP is priced at £19.99 and available here.