Released 50 years ago, Physical Graffiti isn’t part of the rock continuum. It didn’t especially pave the way for anything, but it isn’t a mere marker of its era. It hasn’t dated. It’s outside of the rock timeline, a gigantic, impermeable, orbital black achievement, which has intensified with age.
Certainly, that’s the verdict on the first disc of the original double album. The second disc is less mountainous, ranging from the wistful acoustic fragment of Bron-Y-Aur to the saloon bar knees-up Boogie With Stu featuring Rolling Stones piano player Ian Stewart.
