Led Zep Earl’s Court 1975 poster, Led Zeppelin wall art print 23-24-25 May 1975 – Aged Condition

Led Zep Earl’s Court 1975 poster – Aged version

There’s obviously a Whole Lotta Love out there amongst Zeppelin fans for this reproduction Led Zeppelin Earl’s Court 1975 Concert Poster. It was originally created to promote the series of concerts initially booked for three nights, the 23, 24 and 25 May, 1975.

With the band returning from their 1975 North American tour, it’s not really a surprise that the Earl’s Court poster has a flavour of the Wild West about it. It bold, red and yellow, cowboy-style font announces the name of the band. Ornate Victorian acanthus scroll images form the corners of the border. Slap bang in the middle of the poster is a Victorian image of a locomotive and its open carriage carrying four well-heeled gentlemen, intended no doubt to represent the four members of the band. The loco looks like an incarnation of Robert Stephenson’s Rocket. In fact, it has been given the moniker’ Physical Rocket’, after the name of the album the band were touring to promote.

Part of the poster’s requirement was to provide the details of how fans could get to the event. In 1975, Led Zeppelin had become so huge that special trains were chartered to cater for the number of people pouring into the capital city from all over the country. The poster showed Led Zep fans they could catch the ‘Zeppelin Express’ from Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton or Bournemouth. It also suggests that fans travelling from Newcastle, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol and other main line stations will need to check with British Rail for new timetable details. The poster lists the Zeppelin Express’s timetable for the Friday, Saturday & Sunday journeys.

Below the Victorian train are a series of swirling railway tracks converging at London. The tracks denote which London railway stations each Express train will arrive at in London. It shows Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester trains will pull in at Euston Station. Cardiff, Bristol and Swansea trains will arrive at Paddington Station. Bournemouth and Brighton at Waterloo and Newcastle at King’s Cross. On the right hand side of the poster the venue, dates and opening times are shown.

In the centre of the footer panel are the prices of the tickets that were made available. Tickets for the gig started at £1 and were tiered into four price bands up to a whopping £2.50. To the left and right of the ticket prices is a list of box offices and phone numbers that the tickets could be bought from.

We have two versions of this poster listed on the website. The reproduction print listed on this page will be supplied printed on 300gsm silk art paper and has an faded, yellowed background to present the poster in an aged condition, in keeping with the age of the poster. We have a second version on a white paper background to appear more like the poster would have done straight off the printer’s press. Click here to view the new condition version.

Led Zeppelin’s legendary Earl’s Court 1975 shows.

Zep had stepped up the ante for their American shows. They made use of high powered fog machines, lazer machines and overhead lighting help to fill the venues with an eerie, luminous array of colors. The shows were filmed, and captured the group in action while they played. The live footage was transmitted onto a large screen above the stage that offered fans inside the vast stadiums a close-up of the action. The American audiences were treated to a 40-ton stage and light show. Peter Grant and the band were keen to give the English fans the same experience the American audiences had received. A few months before the Earl’s Court shows went ahead Robert Plant is reported as saying ‘What we want to do is find somewhere we can make it into a bit of an event. And if we can find the right venue, possibly in early summer, then we’ll go to town in true style”. The Earl’s Court Arena fitted the bill and the London dates were booked.

Tickets for all three dates towards the end of May went on release and sold out within just four hours. This was a time before the easy accessibility of the internet. Instead, fans physically had to go to a venue’s box office or a participating record shop and buy concert tickets over the counter. In the case of the bigger bands, fans often had to wait in line, queuing for hours to try to assure getting hold of tickets! The five sell-out shows meant total sales of 85,000 tickets. This may not seem that impressive given today’s arena-sized concerts but in 1975 this was unprecedented. No group in history had ever attracted such an audience in Britain.

Less than two month’s before the Earl’s Court gigs, Led Zeppelin were bringing their 37 date, North American Tour to a close. The final three dates were played at the Los Angeles Inglewood Forum. Listening to bootlegs of the final show, it sounds as though the band was looking forward to getting back to dear old Blightly. As the band return to the stage for the encores, Plant makes a reference to the forthcoming Earl’s Court shows, saying, “We’d like to thank California for being such good hosts to us while we’ve been here, and if anybody can hear us in England, we’re coming back baby!” The full March 27 show can be heard on the unofficial bootleg ‘We’re playing our balls out!’. The full three and three quarter hour long Forum show can currently (2022) be heard here. Well worth a listen!

Grant and the band were true to their word. The entire 40-ton stage and light show was flown over to England. The entire run of shows exceeded three hours in length. The final show on 25 May clocked in at an impressive three hours, 43 minutes and 50 seconds. The setlists are similar in content to those played on the American tour but British fans are also treated to the addition of a four-song acoustic set. A part of the show that always emphasised the band’s light and shade musical ethic and one that had been a regular element to their live shows until late 1972. The acoustic section consisted of the rarely played Tangerine, Going to California, That’s the Way and Bron Yr Aur. The dates saw immense versions of No Quarter and Dazed and Confused being performed. Some of the longest versions the band ever played. The shows were a huge success. The Legendary Earls Court concerts are now considered by many people to be the best ever performed by the band.

How much an original Led Zeppelin Earls Court 1975 poster worth?

In its original form the Led Zeppelin Earls Court 1975 poster may not be the holy grail of rock n roll posters but it is certainly up there and there’s obviously a whole lotta love out there amongst Zeppelin fans for it. The original versions were not only pasted up on venue walls and put up in record shop windows to advertise the gig, they were also sold to concert-goers at the concerts as well. It’s certainly been a long time since these posters rock and rolled. Over 45 years in fact. But during that time the poster has come to epitomise what were, to many, the ultimate series of Led Zeppelin live shows. The original posters are now among the most collectible posters in rock history. It’s a superb poster design that has become an iconic image amongst fans of the band. It was designed by Martine Grainey whilst working for Peter Grainey Graphics in Birmingham.

During good times, bad times, the value of these Led Zep Earls Court posters varies on condition. I guess it’s a matter of what is and what should never be. After all, people are less likely to want to buy a copy that was trampled underfoot at Earl’s Court or shows signs of wearing and tearing because it was ripped off a concert venue wall. C’mon everybody let’s face it this poster is somethin’ else. This is why even in relatively poor condition it can fetch over £500. Hey! Hey! what can I do. I’m only telling it like it is. The good news is that if you’re lucky enough to own one in near mint condition it could fetch over £3,000 at auction.

There’s no argument from us, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment, even at the entry-level prices of the collectible poster isn’t even close to being a possibility. This is where our stunning high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and they look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall.

Come on, get on board the Zeppelin Express. There ain’t no denying, that our reproduction Led Zeppelin print will look great. hung on your wall, especially in the light where you’ll be able to look at it in the evening. If there’s a birthday or other celebration day coming up this would make a great gift idea for your Zep friends.

There should be no communication breakdown and I don’t want to be a heartbreaker, but how many more times are you going to promise to treat yourself to an LZ Earls Court concert poster? Your time is gonna come. No, it’s here, it’s now. order yours today and bring it on home. Well, it’s time for me to ramble on. Thank You and Good night”