A Physical Graffiti Selection Box

Sorry but I can't stand "Night Flight" at all. It's an uneasy cross between sissy-ish pop and uninspired boogie rock. You hear that guitar track in the chorus? That's the most generic rock & roll guitar lick in existence. Now that wouldn't be so bad if they at least stuck to a regular blues pattern (which is was the lick was originally meant for), but instead they decide to superimpose it on a totally unrelated chord progression. The results are catastrophic to my ears. It's fine by me if you like it, but I consider it a failed songwriting experiment and probably the worst song on the album.

As for "Boogie With Stu", the name says it all. It's just a generic boogie jam with awfully stereotypical lyrics. "I don't want no tutti-frutti, no lollipop" makes me cringe. Musically, there's absolutely nothing interesting going on in this song. Anybody could have improvised it.

Snow Dog wrote: ^Night Flight is awesome

So is Boogie With Stu

All excelent tracks, but I had to go with Robert Plant's favorite, Kashmir.

Snow Dog wrote: ^Night Flight is awesome

My second fav cut on the album. Love the James Brown vocals toward the end.

From best to worst:

1. Ten Years Gone - Probably the most gorgeous song they ever recorded, with the possible exception of "The Rain Song".
2. In the Light - The synth effects might be a bit cheesy, but they're perfect for the eerie vibe of the song. Also, gotta love the riff that starts of the "rock" portion of the song. Great transition to a more upbeat section. The lyrics blow, though.
3. Kashmir - The thumping drumming is an absolute Bonzo cliche, but nothing else would have worked, I guess. Although the song is excruciatingly repetitive, the main theme is just so mesmerizing that it's a great song nonetheless.
4. In My Time of Dying - I love the actual "song" portion of the track. The jam, while totally overlong, has a lot of cool parts. Might be my least favorite of the four here, but still pretty great (and certainly head and shoulders over dreck like "Night Flight" or "Boogie with Stu").

Finnforest wrote: Ten Years is one of my all time faves.   In the Light a close second.  I think Kashmir is one of Zeppelin's weaker songs, so tedious.  I can't change the station fast enough when it hits the car stereo.

You probably won't want to try it but you need to hear a Steve Morse cover of Kashmir.


Edited by Slartibartfast - November 14 2011 at 22:14

Love em all! My favourite album from my favourite band! The one that most blew me away when first hearing though was In My Time Of Dying for Bonham's Drums and Page's soloing so that gets my vote.

My Time of Dy ring! Always had a soft spot for those long bluesy ones.
The others are great as well except Kashmir which I really don't like that much although it's probably one of their most influential songs ever. It's an iconic riff but there's not much more to it.

"Ten Years Gone" from this list. Although my favorite off that album is "Bron-Yr-Aur".

Ten Years Gone - but In My Time of Dying is pretty close. Sledgehammer indeed!