February 24th marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin’s sixth album, Physical Graffiti. Often considered one of their best albums, Physical Graffiti is the culmination of every sound Zeppelin had dabbled in up to that point. From hard-rocking epics to heart-wrenching ballads, there’s something on this album for every listener.

By 1973, Led Zeppelin had conquered the planet. The group had five straight smash hit albums, millions of screaming fans, and everything that comes with the rockstar lifestyle. In the eyes of the world, Led Zeppelin were about as close as one could get to godhood.

After their record-breaking US tour in mid-’73, Zeppelin took a break from playing live for a while. They launched their own record label, Swan Song, and began working on a new record that promised to be bigger than anything they’d done before.

Much of the material on Physical Graffiti had been workshopped long before sessions for the album began. The riff from “The Rover” showed up in a live rendition of “Whole Lotta Love” in February 1972. “Bron-Yr-Aur,” a beautiful solo acoustic guitar piece, had been performed live and recorded as far back as 1970. “Down By The Seaside” and “Boogie With Stu” were both outtakes from Led Zeppelin IV.

This blending of Zeppelin’s past and present makes Physical Graffiti feel like a celebration of the band’s success and influences. The decision to make it a double album allowed the band to truly explore the depths of their musicianship.

Towards the end of 1973 and going into 1974, Led Zeppelin gathered at Headley Grange, a former workhouse turned rehearsal space and recording studio in Hampshire, England.

Zeppelin had previously used Headley Grange to record Led Zeppelin IV, an album widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time and the album that truly launched them into the stratosphere, and hoped to recapture that magic for the new album. 

The new material on Physical Graffiti shows Led Zeppelin at their peak. The new songs are bigger and more bombastic than ever before.

Tracks like “Custard Pie,” “The Wanton Song,” and “Sick Again” prove that Zeppelin can rock just as hard on this album as ever before. “Ten Years Gone” is a beautiful ballad of lost love. “Trampled Under Foot” is a super-groove romp that’s sure to get even the squarest of squares stomping their feet.

Physical Graffiti’s three heaviest hitters come in the form of “In My Time of Dying,” an acoustic folk-blues song turned 11-minute ultra-heavy monster, “In The Light,” a shining example of Zeppelin’s wizardly vibe, and “Kashmir.”

“Kashmir” is more than a song. It’s a journey across some cosmic desert in the farthest reaches of outer space. It’s an acid trip through the Middle East, putting you on the back of a camel in a raging sandstorm. John Bonham’s thunderous drums, Jimmy Page’s heavy and ceaseless guitar, John Paul Jones’s winding keyboard playing, and Robert Plant’s wailing vocals leave a crater the size of the moon in your mind.

Physical Graffiti is a masterpiece. On this album, Led Zeppelin boldly went places they’d never been before while simultaneously revisiting and reviving their past. Physical Graffiti showed that the band were just as explosive and innovative as they’d ever been. Led Zeppelin weren’t slowing down anytime soon.