In Retrospect: "Presence"-Led Zeppelin

Could be, but I referred not only to initial reaction, but also to how many people sang it along.

 

What does that mean? I can sing along to any mindless current day pop song. Doesn't mean I like it.

 

Presence has its moments but I sorely miss acoustic songs mixed in with the electric songs such as on IV. I think it is rated a notch or two below their other, earlier albums for good reason.

Scott

 

That comparison between the pretty much "acousticless" nature of P (on one song, I think), and the dynamic of most of the other albums is accurate and common, and arguably one might say that the band was not exhibiting as diverse a set of creativity by omission of what we had come to expect. I see therein why some may see it as a lesser effort, and one cannot help comparison and contrast with the rest of the canon, but taken on its own it is quite awesome, IMHO. Try this: Listen to I in a dark and quiet room, then immediately play P. In I, LZ had not started the folksy and the Lord of the Rings stuff, and I am not pitting that material down because it was and is awesome, and see how the band of young guns weathered into the same general concept in P.

 

Love Presence!

Plus Percy drops an F-Bomb on HOFN.

 

I always loved it. I consider it their best album and the one I still listen to the most.

 

I can see why some consider it their favorite LZ album and some consider it their least favorite. It has its own "Presence" in their catalogue by being unlike any of the others. I listen to it every now and then and still always enjoy it. Then again, I love all of their albums.

 

To me, it's not their best or worst. I was thinking earlier, I couldn't say what was their best album, but really, for me it's Physical Graffiti. As for Presence, when it came out, I realized that they had been eclectic all along and no two albums sounded the same. As I listened to Presence, it was the next logical step for a great band that was just as different as most of their other albums, and I enjoyed it and loved it just as much. My friends and I listened to it many, many times.

 

Yes...and throw in the facts that it's a very funky album and very lean in approach and sound (except for the mammothness of Achilles), and you've got a great album. There is a ton of hellacious guitar on it and Bonzo, IMO, is at his all-time best on this album. It may lack in some areas a little, but it's still a brute. No other band could have made an album like it.

 

Along with LZIII, I play Presence more than any other Zep album. My all time fave is still Houses, but there's such great grooves on this one!

And it's true: the lack of overplay helps!

 

I love PRESENCE. Bought it the day it was released. Those Jones/Bonham syncopation show-off moments kill me every time.

 

It's not very good. The only good song is Nobody's Fault, the rest is just bleh. Their worst album by a mile.

 

It seems that Page was sleeping in the studio along with the engineer and worked on the songs whenever they woke up. Normal time schedules didn't apply! Page was not happy with the progress being made and phoned up Mick Jagger and asked if he would hold on the Rolling Stones coming in to record. Jagger agreed and Page worked on time origionally pencilled in for the Rolling Stones sessions.

 

The first 6 Zep studio albums are near perfect, above and beyond the quality as a lot of their peers' releases at the time. The last two (Presence and ITTOD) are on the same par as other A-list classic rock bands of the time. Some great songs, some not so great. Presence is "grower" and does not stick with you as instantly as the first 6 do.

 

The first time I heard Presence back in the seventies I fell asleep. Achilles and Nobody's Fault were the only high spots for me back then. With time a couple more of the tracks (For Your Life and Tea For One) have gained appeal, but I still consider Presence to be what it is: an album that was rushed. It's a good half album, and maybe it could have been more if the band hadn't been in such a hurry to put something out.

In fact, I think they should have revisited Poor Tom and Walter's Walk and used them instead of two of the three (what I consider) weak tracks (Royal Orleans, Candy Store Rock and Hots On For Nowhere).

 

I remember (as a kid) awaiting this album release. I eagerly went to my local record store (which also happened to be a "head shop" you know what I'm saying - but I only bought records) and when it came out I remember being excited by the strange cover and anticipating the "Physical Grafitti/HOTH - pt 2". ALS blew me away - then - the rest of it didn't.

I do like the album quite a lot and it has grown on me even more thru the years. It is well played and I do like the songs more now, than I did then. But, admittedly then, it did (still does) sound as if it was"phoned-in".

 

It was one of the first Zeppelin records I bought. Tea For One is one of their best pure blues tunes.

 

I remember the day I bought it--it cost 3.99 and it was a new release. I've always loved it. I was let down by In Through The Ot Door, as I want Zeppelin to kick a$$, not play pop or novelty numbers. Presence has a dry resiny sound that feels evil, almost.

 

Can the next album in your series be Metal Machine Music please?

 

I think then you would be the best to do a shoot and tell us which one is the best of the three pressings you have. You seem to be the best qualified right? What is your opinion?

 

When i first heard the album as as 14 year old, it was nowhere near my favorite. I liked Achilles, NFBM, Hots. I considered Candy Store Rock to be my least favorite of all Zep songs; i could barely stand it! 30 years later, with broadened horizons, i think it's one of the best all-around classic rock albums...and Candy Store Rock is a rockabilly monster! Just listen to it, man!

 

not my favorite led zeppelin album, actually it's probably at the bottom of the list right before "coda".

i think they wanted "achilles last stand" to be another "kashmir" and it just didn't work that way.

 

I like it a lot.

Nobody's fault but mine is a barnburner

 

Love Presence.Its one LZ record I never get tired of.This and PG.
The others seem to be more of a nostalgia trip these days when I listen to them.
Like Pink Floyd's Animals I have always hoped for new remasters,unreleased cuts,live stuff etc. from these two masterpieces.

 

I'll add that I've always really liked the sleeve art too - intriguing and mysterious, subtly unsettling, slyly humourous in its 2001 homage, and, despite its sparseness, conducive to detailed examination for clues and stuff while listening to the album.