In Retrospect: "Presence"-Led Zeppelin

I had been a major Zeppelin fan for 3 years when this one came out, and I loved it. Still have fond memories. The only drawback, having the 8-track, was the long silence after Achilles Last Stand, waiting to change to track 2, to apparently avoid splitting For Your Life in two.

 

Achillest last stand is a super,epic song.
Maybe pages best guitar solo ever.
But it really doesnt fit on the album in my opinion.
Its hard to listen to a song after that.
Imagine Physical Graffiti would kick of with Kashmir...
The rover would be lost.
Maybe thats the main problem why most people dont like this album as it woul deserve....

 

The acoustic comes in during the part where Plant sings "Ooh...Baby, it's all right". It's barely audible in the mix but you can pick it out using headphones.

 

That box set is the one with the crop circles on the cover?
My dad had that and it was my first serious deep-dive into Zep (and classic rock, blues rock, etc). I think I benefited in a way from not having any idea of what albums any of the songs were on, when they came out in relation to each other, what was going in in the band members' lives or any of that, it was just a bunch of songs I liked, and I pretty much liked them all. For Your Life and Ramble On were two of a kind to me, I didn't know one was obscure and one was a classic or any of that stuff.

Certainly the heavy riffage or Nobody's Fault But Mine and Achilles Last Stand appealed to the young metal-head. The slidy swing of For Your Life and the double guitar leads of Tea For Two was perfect fodder for guitar groupies.

Now that I know the albums, I must say I really love Presence for those songs alone, and they are most of the album. The shorter ones are slighter efforts that are fine but kind of forgettable, minor entries in the catalogue. Sure I like acoustic Zep but they are first and foremost about guitars and drums and loudness and kicking butt, and they do that on Presence just fine.

 

Favorite and most played Zep album. In Through The Out Door is my second favorite so what do I know.

 

Well put.

 

It kinda rocks, doesn't it. Kinda funky too, isn't it.
Great album.

 

I finally heard it. As I was driving at the time, I just panned across to the right-hand speaker and there it was. It still somewhat buried even just coming through one speaker, but now at least I know it's there, my ears do work. Sort of. It's only taken me the best part of thirty years to notice it! Thanks.

 

Interesting this thread is on its 6th page while the same discussion for ITTOD has broken a page yet.

 

They did hide it. What I find interesting that, if I am right, it is the only LZ from the run through ITTOD that absolutely lacks any keyboards-though they made up for that on ITTOD.

 

I always wonder "then why put it in if you're gonna hide it?" I was in a recording studio with a band in the '90s and the sheer number of unnecessary guitar overdubs was ridiculous.

 

There are some synths at beginning of tea for one if im right

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the case. If there are keyboards on Presence, then they're completely unnoticeable to human ears. There isn't even any piano. Unfortunately, the Zep did go a bit too far the other way on ITTOD.

 

yeah youre right!!!

Just remember the overproduced coverdale/page album...
Really senseless overdubbs

 

Take a close listen to Tea for one.
You will notice the synths

 

When I first got the album, I didn't know the background of it (Plant being in a wheelchair, etc.), so I was a bit disappointed. I still liked Achilles, For Your Life and Nobody's Fault But Mine, though. When I purchased the Classic Records vinyl, it's like I finally 'got' the album. Now I love it! I listen to it a lot more now than I did when I got it at age 13. As a bass player, the bass tone is just awesome in every song! JPJ knows what to do!

 

Nicely replaced by a string section when Page/Plant finally did it live. I'd have killed to have been at one of those shows.

 

My ears must be more damaged than I thought! I'll listen through the headphones this time.

 

I think some of you are mistaking guitar dubs for synths at the beginning of Tea For One.

 

[QUOT



E="Say, post: 10836176, member: 45045"]I think some of you are mistaking guitar dubs for synths at the beginning of Tea for one (Quote)

Interesting thought...It is possible that it s page.
He effected with guitar synths at the time.

But i strongly Believe its Jonesy....

 

Where are you hearing synths?

 

Take a close listen..... The deep thundering notes.....
A bit buried in the mix but its clear audible

 

Love, love, love this album. Also saw them perform at the Pontiac Silverdome (Pontiac, MI) around this time.

I dig how this album is chock full of interesting, engaging and challenging pieces of music. Aint Nobody's Fault But Mine alone is worth the price of admission.

 

Nobody's Fault and For Your Life are great. Achilles needs some editing. The rest, meh.

 

Lets review the album:

For your life is a great hard rock blues with perhabs the most brutally lyrics plant ever wrote. Very thrilling!
Royal Orleans is a follow up to the crunge James brown-type of song.
Nobodys fault but mine is a classic with its start and stop which is for me the musical signature of the lp.
Its half minute too long - but an superb performance.
Candy Store is somewhat of an Elvis type of a song-fantastic drumming and again flavored with interesting breaks.
I didnt like "Hots on..." when i first heard it-now i think its one of the trickiest and most interesting songs from zep.
Achilles last stand,as i posted before,is super and epic but its the only song that seems not too fit right on the lp.
Tea for one is a breathtaking remake of Since ive been loving you-very very good.

Presence in all is a compact,tight interesting album. Its even better than some of the Four Zeps more loved lps.