Live EP [Vinyl]

... the original album, the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's sprawling and adventurous sixth album Physical Graffiti also included the release of the four-song Live EP. These tracks, all Physical Graffiti tunes, come from two separate performances in 1975 and 1979. The vaults had been pretty well excavated of completely unreleased Zeppelin material at this point, and these songs had already been included as part of the band's lengthy 2003 DVD collection of live footage from across their career but were never released on audio-only formats before this. A powerhouse showing of the crushing blues-rocker "In My Time of Dying" and the funky, clavinet-heavy boogie of "Trampled Underfoot" come from a five-night run of concerts in 1975 at London's Earl's Court Arena. These shows happened just a few months after the release of Physical Graffiti, and the band's energy is supercharged. "Sick Again" and "Kashmir," the remaining two songs on Live EP, were tracked at Knebworth in 1979, and while Zeppelin is still firing on all cylinders (especially John Bonham's drums on "Sick Again"), they sound more comfortable and controlled in their playing. The phaser-soaked drums and cinematic riffing of "Kashmir" come through with more punch than the heavily orchestrated studio version, which feels almost restrained and overproduced by comparison. With a running time of almost 35 minutes, Live EP feels almost like a short live album and serves as yet another reminder of the visceral power Led Zeppelin possessed for the entire duration of their existence. ~ Fred Thomas