Led Zeppelin ‘Physical Graffiti’ Reissue Expected to Top U.K. Album Chart
U.K. record buyers have been spending a lot of money on classic rock artists lately — and that seems set to continue with the expanded reissue of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, which is expected to top the charts in its first week of release.
Classic Rock Magazine offers a rundown of current sales projections, which put Graffiti back on top for the first time since its original release in 1975. The album leads a Top 40 dotted with new releases from veteran rockers, including the Black Star Riders’ The Killer Instinct (No. 5), the Scorpions’ Return to Forever (No. 20) and UFO’s A Conspiracy of Stars (No. 26), while the previous week saw a Top 10 debut for the latest LP from Thunder.
Former Zeppelin guitarist and remaster sherpa Jimmy Page spoke with the magazine about his work on the expanded Graffiti this week, sharing his satisfaction with the album 40 years later. "Going through all these mixes that I had, it's undeniable," he said. "The power of the band, the conviction of the band, and the honesty of the band. It was ahead of its time, musically, that's for sure."
While the report doesn't mention anything about U.S. sales projections, Fortune notes that Led Zeppelin IV notched a Top 10 debut when it returned to stores last October, and quotes Princeton Record Exchange GM Jon Lambert as saying that while Super Deluxe editions tend to sell mainly to middle-aged men, the single-disc versions of the reissues are doing well with a much younger demographic.
"Led Zeppelin has transferred generations," said Lambert. "It’s still selling. Younger people are still buying those artists. Jack White sells well too, but classic artists are going to sell well, like Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd the Rolling Stones."
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