Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti 2LP excellent condition
  $   21

 


$ 21 Sold For
Dec 9, 2020 Sold Date
Dec 1, 2020 Start Date
$   9 Start price
15   Number Of Bids
  USA Country Of Seller
eBay Auctioned at
 
save auction  

Description

Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti 2LP excellent condition. Condition is "Used". Shipped with USPS Media Mail.   Is it permissible at all to talk about a gradual decline in LZ albums' quality? Certainly Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Steppenwolf -- it seems that they all declined in quality, more due to songwriting than due to forgetting to practice their instruments. 
 Granted that the instrumental excellence is always there in LZ, was the songwriting (lyrics in particular) worse than before?  Did we in fact hear lyrics which were not intelligent, almost like those of Greg Lake at times?  Not Bob Dylan or Tom Waits to be sure.  
As someone who bought the LP releases as they came out, new every time, with great interest -- I don't recall knowing anyone who did not feel that the first album was the best. 
 The feeling was that this was in part because LZ 1 was the most bluesy, meaning in part that they used traditional or traditional-sounding lyrics. It therefore linked closely to Eric Clapton, but with a cleaner and much faster guitar sound, which seemed incredible.  Remember that graffitti said "Clapton is God" in those days.  It was like somebody had beat up Yahwey Elohim with a guitar and stuffed him in a Peavey Amp for the roadeys to load onto the bus.  God is dead, Long Live God.  
 Although ZOSO (4) may well be better than 3 (with the spinwheel on the cover in the first edition LP) or not, as one may choose, the first 4 seem to hold a hallowed place above all the rest. Not a bad note or song on them.
 Three seems to be MUCH less well recorded for some reason.  "How many more times" however seems to be the best song on 3 and also to be the best single vocal accomplishment ? of their legacy.  Live versions of it are also notable, as are live versions of all the songs from the first 4 LPs. Legend has it that Plant lost his voice on that song (How many)  in particular, live and in studio.  BTW there are BBC recordings of LZ downloadable off of the internet, bootlegs but studio quality.  Seek. They goof around a little, but there are arguments to be made that the BBC versions, always made right after the LPs were recorded, are slightly better.  Longer solos, looser vocals, less stress, more fun.    
  A general concept is that bands never get worse at playing songs unless their personnel have changed.
  So, the point of all this is, is there a point at which total excellence is still there, but after which, it is not?  For the Rolling Stones, the double album Exile on Main Street is absolutely that moment.  Fun to find that album for each of the other groups.  Which is the "bridge too far" for each?  Let it Be is obviously worse than any of the mainline Beatles albums, and even says so "did we pass the audition?"  Reckoning/Dead Set (simultaneous 1981 double LP releases) for the Grateful Dead seem the last total excellence for them, for another example.  
  To be such an album, the last perfect, it should have its own "sound world" (a Wagnerian term) and be end-to-end perfect.
  My idea is that Physical Graffiti , a double LP like Exile, is that moment for LZ.  Humbly submitted.
  I would also venture that none of the LZ-imitation bands were remotely comparable.
 Judas Priest, Eddie Van Halen, it gives one a headache really to enumerate them.  How many people kept saying that this new heavy band was "as good" as LZ.  It was hard not to barf listening to them.  The songwriting was always bad even though the instrumentals were perhaps ok.  The Mahavishnu Orchestra of course, in contrast, was like a parody of them, playing 64 notes where the supposedly fast guitarists would play 2.  They had songwriting, if it can be called that, based on the first movement of Beethoven's 5th, updated to the 20th century (Birds of Fire sounds like that).  But they never tried to be like LZ at all.  Neither did King Crimson, another band worth mention that at times were heavy.  
It seemed as though each of the "heavy" LZ imitators had one or more musicians of reasonably high instrumental talent, "the professor" in priest, Eddie himself.... but LZ was the exception. All good. 
 Imagine Jimi Hendrix in a band where the other musicians were equally good.  Well "Band of Gypsies" 1970 with Buddy Miles on drums gives us a window onto what that might have been like, but still it is like looking through the wrong end of a telescope.  LZ was what Jimi's band could have been, although -- Jimi was a light-hearted entertainer, which was totally different.  Purple Haze live included "excuse me while I kiss this guy" rather than  "kiss the sky."  
Anyway, poly sleeves in and out, original sleeves, absolutely fine vinyl.  You decide what it is worth.  Enjoy.  


price rating