Sold Date: August 16, 2024
Start Date: August 13, 2024
Final Price: $18.00 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 2431
Buyer Feedback: 0

Physical Graffiti is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Released as a double album on 24 February 1975 in the United States and on 28 February 1975 in the United Kingdom, it was the group's first album to be released under their new label, Swan Song Records.  The album was mixed over summer 1974 and planned for an end-of-year release; however, its release was delayed because the Peter Corriston-designed die-cut album cover proved difficult to manufacture.

ABOUT THE COVER:  The album was originally released with a die-cut sleeve design depicting a New York City tenement block, through whose windows various cultural icons could be interchangeably viewed. The two five-storey buildings photographed for the album cover are located at 96 and 98 St. Mark's Place in New York City. (The front doorway and stoop at 96 St. Mark's Place is also the location used by the Rolling Stones for the music video promoting their single "Waiting on a Friend", from their 1981 album Tattoo You).  Eschewing the usual gatefold design in favour of a special die-cut cover, the original album jacket included four covers made up of two inners (for each disc), a middle insert cover and an outer cover. The middle insert cover is white and details all the album track listings and recording information. The outer cover has die-cut windows on the building, so when the middle cover is wrapped around the inner covers and slid into the outer cover, the title of the album is shown on the front cover, spelling out the name "Physical Graffiti". Images in the windows touched upon a set of American icons and a range of Hollywood ephemera. Pictures of W. C. Fields and Buzz Aldrin alternated with the snapshots of Led Zeppelin. Photographs of Lee Harvey Oswald, Marcel Duchamp and Pope Leo XIII are also featured. In 1976, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of best album package.

Physical Graffiti was commercially and critically successful upon its release and debuted at number one on album charts in the UK and number three in the United States.

THIS COPY is a 1st Presswell pressing on the Swan Song label (see Notes, below).

The vinyl has some marks and a couple are worth mentioning.  On side there is an ugly mark near the edge - but surprisingly, per a test listen, it doesn't seem to affect playback.  Unfortunately, there are two other noticeble marks that can be heard as clicks as the record turns.  One starts just before the 2nd track on side three (the short instrumental "Bron-Yr-Aur") and lasts for about the first minute or so.  A second was noticed (not sure now where it was), but only these two seemed audible at a level other than background static.  Because of these scratches, I have graded the vinyl as Good Plus [G+] only, and I am setting the price low - but since the cover and all the rest are in such good condition, perhaps someone will  want this copy for that reason. (And, of course, there's still plenty of good music on these discs that play perfectly.)  

The original cover has just a touch of ring wear at the top of the back; other wise it is in Excellent [EX] condition. 

The original inner sleeves (etc.) are all in Excellent condition as well. (The two inner sleeves especially are Near Mint.)

Notes

Issued in die-cut cover (top opening) with folded insert and printed inner sleeves.

Distributed by Atlantic Recording Corporation/75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York 10019/
℗ © 1975 Atlantic Recording Corporation/Printed in U.S.A.

All songs published by Joaneline Music, Inc., ASCAP

℗ 1975 Atlantic
Dist. by Atlantic Recording Corp.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Rights Society: ASCAP

Price Code (Printed on spine): 1198

Other (Cat# on inner sleeve 1): SS 2-200A

Other (Cat# on inner sleeve 2): SS 2-200B

Pressing Plant ID (In runout and label matrix): PR

Matrix / Runout (Label side A): (ST-SS-753309 PR)

Matrix / Runout (Label side B): (ST-SS-753310 PR)

Matrix / Runout (Label side C): (ST-SS-753311 PR)

Matrix / Runout (Label side D): (ST-SS-753312 PR)

Matrix / Runout (Side A, hand-etched runout - variant 9): ST-SS-753309-D 0-1 AT F.T. SP PR

Matrix / Runout (Side B, hand-etched runout - variant 9): ST-SS-753310-D 0-1 AT F.T. SP PR

Matrix / Runout (Side C, hand-etched runout - variant 9): ST-SS-753311-D AT SP PR F.T. 0-1 SM-A

Matrix / Runout (Side D, hand-etched runout - variant 9): ST-SS-753312-D 0-1 SM-2 AT SP SP PR

ENJOY!