Led Zeppelin (a double album), Atlantic.

'Physical Graffiti'

Reviewed by T.M. Robinson.

(Available from Collin Morris Record Shop, Mayfair Chambers,

48 The Terrace.

10% discount applies for Students).

'And our time is flying,
See the candle burning low?
Is the new world rising,
from the shambles of the old?
If we could put join hands,
If we could just join hands,
If we could just join hands (x1,000,000)'

Was this written in 1967 by a dim wit hippie in San Fran? Was he hanging around the street with huge ban-the-bomb pendants giving flowers to all the old fogies? No! But it's the best Robert Plant does in 79½ minutes of sensual whining. Don't expect anything more intellectually inspiring in the lyrics, and anyway, why should you get it? Its music, it has no obligations to anything but itself.

'Physical Graffiti' is a bath of creativity (and it's long enough to have a good soak). Every track presents a new idea completely worthy of the time devoted to it.

This album with its diversity is not just Led Zeppelin playing around with this and that, as graffiti implies. It is a selected accumulation of their imagination.

'Houses of the Holy', their last album, was nothing spectacular. Now they have reasserted themselves. Every one of Led Zeppelin's albums has in the past heralded a new approach to music. Unfortunately, things are not developing as fast or as noticeably as before. I did, in fact, notice some repetition, though very infrequently. The tracks seem to borrow the best aspects of their previous work.

Overall the album is not very heavy, it is not much use turning up the volume far. But it certainly is not wishy-washy. They manage not to build the tempo up too much, and create a tension which leaves them on the verge of exploding into a vicious blaring rock, devoid of the finesse typical of the complete album. In the wake of Us serenity I felt rather anxious. 'Kashmir' is a particularly good example of this effect.

Plant has not yet controlled his whining (very evident in The Rover') but fortunately it becomes less and less obvious as time moves on. He attacks each track with his whole self not just his voice. He is as physical as rock music can allow, yet he remains within the music.

Jimmy Page (guitar) again reinforced my high opinion of him with some extremely good, yet extremely simple work (e.g. his introduction' to Ten Years Gone'.) His lead playing is obviously his forte. Page brought most of the tracks to life, paving the way for the others to follow.

I'm not too sure what John Bohhan (drums) contributed. His contribution must have been greater than apparent for him not to be a freeloader. John Paul Jones (bass and organ) on the contrary adds a great deal to the completeness of the album.

If you buy 'Physical Graffiti' you certainly won't be wasting your money.