Led Zeppelin
Presence
Tracklist:
1. Achilles Last Stand (10:25)
2. For Your Life (6:24)
3. Royal Orleans (2:59)
4. Nobody�s Fault But Mine (6:16)
5. Candy Store Rock (4:11)
6. Hots On For Nowhere (4:44)
7. Tea For One (9:26)
Total: 44:28
Introduction
Following the huge success of Physical Graffiti, the band went and recorded their follow-up, titled Presence. This album only took a mere three weeks to record. Both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wanted to go back to a simple musical arrangement as seen in their early albums, so on Presence, there are no acoustic tracks to be found at all, and John Paul Jones only plays bass on this album, no keyboards. Despite these restrictions, Led Zeppelin has put out a fairly good album, despite it having a few flaws.
Synopsis
The album kicks off with �Achilles Last Stand�, an awesome epic that is actually my favorite Led Zeppelin song ever. Without being too ecstatic, I�ll go ahead and describe the song. It starts off a slow little guitar riff, but then erupts into this remarkable rock song that is just a true classic. Jones plays the bass with a galloping beat, Bonham has some great drum rolls, Page plays some very cool guitar riffs, and Plant�s voice is just perfect here, singing the verses flawlessly and showing his incredible vocal range. Of course, there is also an incredible guitar solo around the middle of the song as well; I�d say it�s one of Page�s most impressive guitar solos ever. This great song comes to a close with the same slow riff that was in the intro, then slowly fades away.
Things slow down just a bit on the next song �For Your Life�. This is a pretty good song. I mostly like the guitar and accompanying bass riffs in the song, both of which are pretty catchy. The drumming goes together with those riffs really well too. Plant vocals here don�t get as high pitched as on �Achilles Last Stand�, but his voice is here is great too. Page provides another great guitar solo around the 4:17 mark.
�Royal Orleans� has a nice beat to it, and I especially like that intro guitar riff, but overall, the song is too short, and isn�t too memorable. Not to say that this is a bad song, but it somewhat feels like a filler song. The guitar solo is pretty decent, though.
Next up is the interesting �Nobody�s Fault But Mine�, a song that is guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Plant�s vocals are somewhat deeper on this song, but his voice still sounds good. Most people will probably remember the stuttering chorus. Anyway, the guitar and bass riffs are really good, and Bonham fails to disappoint with his hard-hitting drumming. Plant brings out the harmonica for a very cool solo that fits in wonderfully with the song, and not to be outdone, Page also provides yet another cool guitar solo.
I can�t say I�m a huge fan of the next song, �Candy Store Rock�. I mean, like with �Royal Orleans�, it�s not a bad song, but it lacks some element that makes it stand out from the rest of the tracks. The song has a funky beat to it, thanks to that bass riff provided by Jones. The lyrics seem somewhat repetitive, with Plant saying �Oh baby, baby� several times throughout the song.
Like the song before it, �Hots On For Nowhere� has a funk-inspired bass riff. This song has a very lighthearted feel to it, much like some of the songs on the Houses of the Holy album. I like how the guitar, bass, and drums stop after Plant says a few lines, and then resume as Plant is about to say the next line. I don�t know why I like that, I just find it too be somewhat cool.
�Tea For One� closes the album. It�s a slow, blues inspired song that most will either love or hate. Some will like this song because it feels like it�s a nod to the blues songs found on the band�s first two albums, and others will loathe this song because it�s so slow, and unnecessarily long, stretching to about 9 and � minutes. Well, I think that the song isn�t bad, but I do think it�s a little too long, and doesn�t have many interesting parts except for the cool instrumental part leading up to the nice guitar solo.
Highlights
�Achilles Last Stand�, �For Your Life�, �Nobody�s Fault But Mine�
Bottom Line
It�s clear that fans may or may not like Presence. It doesn�t have as many interesting songs like their previous albums, but this album is certainly worth picking up for the awesome �Achilles Last Stand� alone, although you�ll probably enjoy a few of the other songs on here as well.
Final Grade: B-
Did You Know�?
- During the recording sessions for this album, Robert Plant was in a wheelchair, after being injured in a car accident.
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Last Updated ::
5/5/2005
Album: Presence
Album line-up:
Jimmy Page - Electric guitars
Robert Plant - Vocals and harmonica
John Paul Jones - Bass guitar
John Bonham - Drums and percussion
Additional Personnel:
N/A
Release Year: 1976
Label: Swan Song
Produced by: Jimmy Page