In the late 60s and early 70s three bands vied for the title “the world’s greatest rock and roll band”; The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Led Zeppelin. For me, it was a no-brainer; The Who were unarguably the best.

In those days there was almost a gang culture around the music scene, inasmuch as we developed allegiances that were absolute; who do you like, The Beatles or The Stones? Clapton or Hendrix? Led Zep or The Who? In my view Hendrix was so far ahead of Clapton that it simply wasn’t debatable, but the tussle for the title of best rock and roll band was another matter.

The Who had been my favourite band since 1965 when I Can’t Explain leapt out of our tiny black and white 425 lines TV and I wasn’t about to brook any challenge to their unassailable position at the top of the rock tree; this lead to me dismissing all pretenders such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. For years I wouldn’t even listen to their records, unless round at a mate’s house and being obligated to hear them out of politeness.

When Presence was released in 1976 I heard Achilles Last Stand on the Old Grey Whistle Test; I began to think that maybe I’d been missing out on something……

A friend then lent me a copy of Physical Graffiti and the redefinition of my musical taste began. I played it to death in my small bedroom in Stoke Newington, where, as a member of Dead Fingers Talk, I was then living. It led to me investigating more of the Zep back catalogue and gradually admitting to myself that these guys were pretty good!

Physical Graffiti is now remastered and reissued on its fortieth anniversary with some revealing early mixes and alternate versions and it continues to stand as a monumental achievement, and certainly one of the best “double albums” ever released.

Some people will say that there are “filler” tracks and that the quality isn’t consistent; heck, there are even a handful of songs which were already several years old when the album was released. I disagree; I think it stands as a cohesive piece of work in the same way that Electric Ladyland does. Both these double albums display a wide stylistic sweep, with “experimental” pieces, dynamite ensemble playing, outstanding songcraft and virtuoso performances.

Physical Graffiti explodes from the speakers with the double whammy of Custard Pie followed by the majestic The Rover, surely one of the most under-appreciated tracks in the Zep canon. The Rover is a megalith slice of raw rock, full of killer riffs propelled by Bonzo’s drums and JPJ’s brilliant pedal notes; Jones shows just how devastating playing one note can sound!

The original vinyl side one is rounded off with In My Time Of Dying, the longest track on the album, which shows the band mining and then mangling their blues heritage with utter verve and aplomb.

The original side two follows with a sequence of three songs which bear comparison in terms of quality and sheer impact with any other single side of music, including the original side D of Electric Ladyland. Houses Of The Holy into Trampled Underfoot into Kashmir is one of the most sublime sequences of songs I can imagine in rock. By the time Kashmir fades away you are left feeling exhausted and elated in equal measure, as if you’ve just landed in an oasis after a magic carpet ride over the desert sands.

The mystical theme continues with In The Light, another tour-de-force of creativity, composition and sheer power, then we are taken back to the Welsh countryside with Page’s acoustic guitar. Completing the original side three are two pearls in the shape of Down By The Seaside and Ten Years Gone, each full of wistful charm, yearning and longing, painting sonic pictures that linger long after the album is finished.

Side four is where some people think the quality begins to slip, but no! We have more killer songs, like Night Flight, The Wanton Song and Sick Again, where the rock blueprint is twisted slightly out of shape to reveal more facets. Black Country Woman and Boogie With Stu serve as counterpoints to the heavier tracks and again show the dazzling versatility and stylistic breadth for which the band had become noted.

This album still sounds as vital as it did back in 76 when I first heard it and deserves a place in any music lover’s collection. As to the debate about the world’s greatest rock and roll band? Led Zeppelin certainly have a strong claim to the title, as do the Stones and The Who; but if you watch the performances of The Song Remains The Same and Rain Song from the film TSRTS, you will see a band who at the time were, I believe,  completely peerless, and who have rarely been seriously challenged since.