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Led Zeppelin - Presence Audio CD

A fair review of the Led Zeppelin "Presence" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Led Zeppelin reviews here, or go back to the Led Zeppelin tabs.

Led Zeppelin Band: Led Zeppelin
Title: Presence
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Achilles Last Stand 2: For Your Life 3: Royal Orleans 4: Nobody's Fault But Mine 5: Candy Store Rock 6: Hots on for Nowhere 7: Tea for One

Harder to access, well worth the effort - it's become my favorite, and that's saying something
Now that I've listened to it probably between 200 and 300 times, it is undoubtedly my favorite in the LZ canon. From a band that has, arguably, never produced a bad album, Presence was the one that I had the hardest time appreciating for years. Perhaps this is due to the fact that over the decades it has received the least airplay, but I think it goes deeper. Don't miss this one, it's a gem.


It's a good album
This album was recorded while singer Robert Plant was recovering from injuries he sustained in a 1975 car accident. Led Zeppelin's Presence (1976) is an often overlooked gem of an album with seven songs that vary a lot from each other, but all of them rock.

The album begins with my all time favorite Zep song ever, Achilles Last Stand. This song is fast, furious, heavy, and hard hitting. Great drumming, guitar and vocals. Plant uses his voice as a sort of instrument in the middle of the song. A ten minute-plus classic. The next song is a change of pace, the slow rocking For Your Life. The next song, Royal Orleans, features a great guitar riff by Jimmy Page. The classic Nobody's Fault But Mine features, in my opinion, some of Page's best guitar playing ever. Plant once again uses his voice as a sort of instrument, which is one of his trademarks. The band throws listeners a changeup with Candy Store Rock, a popish Elvis-type song. Speaking of popish, the next song falls into this category, Hots On For Nowhere. Plant provides another great performance on vocals. This song is very upbeat, as are Plant's vocals. The album closer, Tea For One, is a slower song that kind of sets a low key mood with its lower volume level. Good bass playing by John Paul Jones.

If you're only familiar with the usual classic Led Zeppelin songs you hear over and over on the radio and want to listen to some of Zeppelin's more obscure (and great) songs, then buy this album. I think you'll like it. .


Bluesy, album orientated rock. 7/10 ish.

Best song:


Nobody's fault but mine - I gave this song a tick in my notes, which means I quite like it. . it's unusual for me to like their songs enough to give them a tick. . . their fourth album got more than one tick, which is why I rank it as one of the all time great albums. IF this song isn't on a compilation, it really should be! The lead guitar wails like a banshee in this track, and lead singer Robert Plant nicely harmonises with it. It then turns into a bluesy, boogie rock song. I like the low-down sound of the guitar here. Song also features the harmonica.


Next best song:


Tea for one - running at 9:26 minutes in length, this song has a Moody Blues vibe to it. Languid, with long, bluesy notes on the lead guitar. The guitar has a ringing sound on this track.




Not a bad song:


For your life - a bluesy, boogie rock track, which is bassy. Did find this rootsy kind of song more engaging than their earlier forays into those kind of genres.




The rest:


Achilles last stand - another monster length track. . . 10:24. Has a driving rhythm to it, which is vaguely "Barracuda" ish. . . i. e. the classic hard rock song by Heart. Bonham's drumming is fast and as tough as nails in the middle of this track. Lead guitar is bluesy at times.

Royal Orleans - a quirky track which has some bongos.

Candy store rock - a bluesy, 1950's style rock'n'roll song. Robert Plant seems to be channeling Elvis Presley when he sings. Bassy, with a grumbling guitar sound to it. I think that one of the lines in this song is "Inside your jaw", which sounds quite suss!

Hots on for nowhere - a bluesy, bassy track with a solo. Lyrics feature the words "la la la la".



Recommendations:


Led Zeppelin IV - their greatest album and an all time great album.

Led Zeppelin III - a rootsy album which works well for me where other albums of theirs don't.

Led Zeppelin: Houses of the holy - not a bad album.

The Heartbreakers: L. A. M. F. Early punk stylings from this American punk/rock band. Lots of 1950s influences and boogie rock.

The New York Dolls: The New York Dolls. Rock'n'roll, boogie rock, featuring Johnny Thunders, who would later go on to form The Heartbreakers.

The Stooges: The Stooges. Influential rock band which influenced the pioneers of punk.

Radio Birdman: Radios Appear. Australian punk pioneers, with The Saints. The Stooges were one of their influences.

Blue Cheer: Vincebus Eruptum. The first heavy metal album, influenced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The Damned: Damned, damned, damned. The first English punk album. Also had 50s influence on them.


Trust me, buy it
The negative reviews are a complete surprise to me. This has always been one of my favorite albums, (I have ten favorite Led Zeppelin albums).


Just LISTEN to it, man!
No accounting for taste - "Candy Store Rock" is brilliant. Page just tears this up! And Bonham is a MONSTER on even the "Lesser" tracks. Its so different then anything I've ever heard from any other band or even Zep, but its a classic rock n roll tribute. I used to hear it all the time on the jukebox at the "Canteen", my high school burger shop hangout joint. Felt like "Happy Days" on acid. It totally boosted my pinball game. Presence is a sonic shock wave. Its not corny.


You can see a complete list of all Led Zeppelin discography, or go back to the Led Zeppelin tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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