Double album not too weighty for Zeppelin

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Oct. 24, 2003 | 8:36 a.m.

The double album. Is there an uglier symbol of rock 'n' roll self-indulgence on the face of the earth?

Of the many bands that have tried on the two-record jacket for size, few have filled it out effectively. Weak tracks dilute strong ones, and the sheer magnitude of the project is usually its downfall.

But in 1975, Led Zeppelin proved that, in rare instances, going beyond the limitations of a single album can be worthwhile. "Physical Graffiti" features 15 songs spread lavishly over 84 minutes, without a dud in the bunch.

Unlike most of its predecessors, the legendary British band's last great album is short on classic rock staples. Unless you're heavy into Zeppelin, odds are you've only heard "Kashmir" and maybe "Houses of the Holy."

Essential as both of those tunes are, though, they only hint at the wondrous musical journey that is "Physical Graffiti."

The two discs are loaded with gems, many of which stretch far beyond the band's trademark blues-based, hard-rock format. Yet somehow, the genre sampling works, as the album transitions smoothly from style to style without seeming the least bit choppy.

Whether it's the funk of "The Wanton Song," the country stomp of "Boogie With Stu," the psychedelia of "In the Light" or the powerhouse blues of "In My Time of Dying," Zeppelin demonstrates a range no band in recorded history can match.

"Physical Graffiti" also includes guitarist Jimmy Page's pretty acoustic workout, "Bron-Yr-Aur," which is contrasted by the sheer force of John Bonham's drumming on "Custard Pie" and John Paul Jones' driving keyboard work on "Trampled Underfoot."

And the two-disc set is home to the most underrated of all Zeppelin concoctions, epic tale "The Rover." Robert Plant's mystical vocals are a perfect match for the track's other-worldly lyrics, earning "The Rover" a spot among the band's all-time greatest compositions in my book.

When "Physical Graffiti" was first released on CD, it might have been easy for Atlantic Records to lob off a song and scrunch the set onto a single disc.

Fortunately, the label realized what so many Zeppelin fans have discovered: that the sixth album's true greatness is tied directly to its expansiveness.

Artist: Led Zeppelin.

Title: "Physical Graffiti."

Year of release: 1975 (Atlantic).

Tracklisting: (Disc 1) "Custard Pie," "The Rover," "In My Time of Dying," "Houses of the Holy," "Trampled Under Foot," "Kashmir." (Disc 2) "In the Light," "Bron-Yr-Aur," "Down By the Seaside," "Ten Years Gone," "Night Flight," "The Wanton Song," "Boogie With Stu," "Black Country Woman," "Sick Again."