March 31, 1976 - Presence
Just 5 days after my last release and a year after "Physical Graffiti", Led Zeppelin released their seventh album "Presence" on March 31, 1976. This album was recorded during a difficult time for the band as Robert Plant was injured in a car accident in 1975 and needed a lot of time to recover. They cancelled several tours and instead focused on writing this new album where Plant did all his vocal parts in a wheelchair. It took the band only 18 days to record this whole album which has no keyboards at all; a stark change from Zeppelin's most recent albums. John Paul Jones would only play bass on this record and it also has little acoustics, giving it a very hard rock style similar to their early work. The name "Presence" came from the aura that surrounded Led Zeppelin when they played and I think they do have a commanding presence. Let's check out some new Led Zeppelin!
Side two begins with "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and Page plays a nifty guitar riff that gets louder every time he plays it. Plant joins in with some wordless vocals that mimic the riff and it sounds pretty good. Jones and Bonham finally join in and now we've got a nice beat going! I love how everyone else stops while Plant sings the name of the song, the loud-quiet-loud formula sounds quite good as Jones' cool bass riff brings it back to the main beat. It should be just a given that Bonham is playing some great drums as everything he does sounds so crisp and perfect. They return to the opening riff but with Bonham and Jones playing this time as it sounds great. Plant plays harmonica on this song and he plays a long, mean-sounding note that kicks off some pretty cool stuff. I'm usually not a big harmonica fan but man that sounds pretty good! We're back to the verse as they continue to play some great stuff, then it's Page's time to shine. He plays a pretty awesome guitar solo before they return to the opening riff one last time. Plant's vocals are one of a kind and he finishes the song off with a cool little "na-na-na-na-na-na nobody's fault". As great as the last couple albums were, I'm not missing the keyboards yet as Zeppelin continue to produce fantastic music no matter what! The next song is "Candy Store Rock" as Page plays some twang-y guitar to kick it off and the rest of the band comes in quickly to form a quick riff. Plant's quick "oh baby baby" sounds pretty sweet as Jones and Bonham play a great rhythm section. Page goes off for a short, but pretty good solo and they move nicely into a new bouncing riff. It's brief though as we're back for another verse. Both these parts sound pretty good as they alternate between them. This song has a nice beat carried by some great drumming from Bonham as they play it out to the finish. I thought the solo was either too short, or they needed another one as it kind of dragged towards the end though. Track 6 is called "Hots On For Nowhere" and once again Jones and Bonham are so in sync with one another as they play a different cool stop-and-start riff. Page plays some catchy guitar along with them as Plant's high voice sounds so good. The chorus is a fun little "la da da" bit that Plant delivers well then it's on to another verse. It's another fantastic rock riff from Led Zeppelin and it leads into a new part with Plant "oh-woah" ing along. Page goes off for a fitting guitar solo that sounds sweet and he segues nicely back to the main riff. As usual Bonham plays some great drums and Plant rambles a bit in his classic style before Page wraps up this song with a final riff. The record closer is " Tea For One", a 9 and a half minute blues song in the same vein as older material like "I Can't Quit You Babe" and "Since I've Been Loving You". It starts with a quick riff with some cool guitar by Page but shortly it enters the slow, blues-y riff carried by some soulful bass by Jones. The landscape is set for Page as this whole song is basically an extended solo by the amazing guitarist. Plant sings the blues very well and Page's guitar sounds pretty damn epic. After a few verses Page takes center stage and words don't do justice folks. He knows exactly what will sound amazing next, all the time and whether he's playing slow or fast, it sounds so fucking good. He is a master and one of a kind and he is certainly in the spotlight on this one. Plant returns for some more great blues verses as Page continues to play some fantastic stuff. When the song finally does come to a close, it hardly felt like a near 10 minute song as I don't think it ever got stale. A wonderful finish to yet another wonderful album!
That is the end of "Presence" and I thought it was another fantastic album by Led Zeppelin. "Achilles Last Stand" was my favourite and an excellent song, but the whole album was really well done. Their past couple albums were much more experimental and features keyboards heavily and don't get me wrong, they were both fantastic albums as well. But I didn't miss them on this album honestly as I think Zeppelin are at their best in the hard rock and blues style. So where does this rank in the almighty Led Zeppelin catalogue? In my opinion it does very well, and when I say it's easily better than "III", "IV", and "Physical Graffiti", then you know how much I really loved this throwback to their roots. I think it's also better than "Houses Of The Holy" but I don't think they quite reached the level of awesomeness of "Led Zeppelin" or "II". Still, a magnificent achievement as Led Zeppelin show time and time again that they are at the top of their game.
The album kicks off with "Achilles Last Stand" which opens with some layered guitars by Jimmy Page as he overdubbed six guitar tracks onto this song. Jones and John Bonham carry the beat with with some solid bass and drums as Page plays some epic stuff on top. Plant's voice is soft as he sings the first verse along to this catchy main riff. Jones plays an 8-string bass on this song and it sounds pretty good keeping the pace. Bonham throws in some nice fills as these guys know how to properly rock! Page adds a nice little solo overtop of the main riff and his playing gets higher and higher in this short little part between verses. After another well-sung verse Page goes off for a full guitar solo that isn't blistering fast, but he hits all the right notes and makes it sound just amazing. Bonham and Jones sync up for a cool stop-and-start bit as Page continues his solo. After some more sweet stuff they repeat the same bit and the guitar solo even extends to playing overtop of his earlier escalating bit. So many guitar overdubs, and Page makes it sound brilliant. They seamlessly connect this solo back to the main riff as Plant delivers another cool verse. Page overdubs another cool guitar riff that adds another layer to this already great part. Plant does some of his classic oohing and ahhing and it sounds really great with this new quick guitar riff. Page is playing some wicked stuff and Bonham continues to provide the best drumming you could ask for. Plant hits some pretty high notes and he is one of a small group of singers who can sing wordless vocals just as well as lyrics. It ends with the same trippy guitar riff that started it off and it's a great way to end this fantastic opening song! Track 2 is "For Your Life" and it's driven by a slow blues-y riff with great contributions from everyone. Plant's vocals sound wonderful as usual as he certainly commands a presence with his awesome voice. He leads this cool jam while Jones plays some solid bass, then Page takes over with a new guitar riff that really grabs you and it sounds pretty sweet. They move beautifully into a new part led by another great Page guitar riff as Bonham is playing some great drums throughout. Plant rejoins for another verse and he is just such a great singer! I'm loving this throwback to their early blues stuff and Page makes it even better with a fantastic guitar solo! Every one of these guys is so good at their respective instrument and it means Led Zeppelin continue to make some of the best music around. This riff is really catchy and it never gets old as it closes out this 6 and a half minute song. The side is ending already with "Royal Orleans", the only song on the album credited to all 4 members (everything else is written by Page and Plant). Page opens it with a cool guitar riff before they settle into the main beat. Jones and Bonham combine for another cool stop-and-start riff as Page plays overtop. Plant's vocals sound great as always on this shortest track on the record at 3 minutes. Page delivers a short but pretty sweet solo and the verse after that has some nice bass by Jones. Bonham's drums are tight and perfect throughout as this song may not be a face melter, but it's a solid tune that closes out this first side.
Side two begins with "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and Page plays a nifty guitar riff that gets louder every time he plays it. Plant joins in with some wordless vocals that mimic the riff and it sounds pretty good. Jones and Bonham finally join in and now we've got a nice beat going! I love how everyone else stops while Plant sings the name of the song, the loud-quiet-loud formula sounds quite good as Jones' cool bass riff brings it back to the main beat. It should be just a given that Bonham is playing some great drums as everything he does sounds so crisp and perfect. They return to the opening riff but with Bonham and Jones playing this time as it sounds great. Plant plays harmonica on this song and he plays a long, mean-sounding note that kicks off some pretty cool stuff. I'm usually not a big harmonica fan but man that sounds pretty good! We're back to the verse as they continue to play some great stuff, then it's Page's time to shine. He plays a pretty awesome guitar solo before they return to the opening riff one last time. Plant's vocals are one of a kind and he finishes the song off with a cool little "na-na-na-na-na-na nobody's fault". As great as the last couple albums were, I'm not missing the keyboards yet as Zeppelin continue to produce fantastic music no matter what! The next song is "Candy Store Rock" as Page plays some twang-y guitar to kick it off and the rest of the band comes in quickly to form a quick riff. Plant's quick "oh baby baby" sounds pretty sweet as Jones and Bonham play a great rhythm section. Page goes off for a short, but pretty good solo and they move nicely into a new bouncing riff. It's brief though as we're back for another verse. Both these parts sound pretty good as they alternate between them. This song has a nice beat carried by some great drumming from Bonham as they play it out to the finish. I thought the solo was either too short, or they needed another one as it kind of dragged towards the end though. Track 6 is called "Hots On For Nowhere" and once again Jones and Bonham are so in sync with one another as they play a different cool stop-and-start riff. Page plays some catchy guitar along with them as Plant's high voice sounds so good. The chorus is a fun little "la da da" bit that Plant delivers well then it's on to another verse. It's another fantastic rock riff from Led Zeppelin and it leads into a new part with Plant "oh-woah" ing along. Page goes off for a fitting guitar solo that sounds sweet and he segues nicely back to the main riff. As usual Bonham plays some great drums and Plant rambles a bit in his classic style before Page wraps up this song with a final riff. The record closer is " Tea For One", a 9 and a half minute blues song in the same vein as older material like "I Can't Quit You Babe" and "Since I've Been Loving You". It starts with a quick riff with some cool guitar by Page but shortly it enters the slow, blues-y riff carried by some soulful bass by Jones. The landscape is set for Page as this whole song is basically an extended solo by the amazing guitarist. Plant sings the blues very well and Page's guitar sounds pretty damn epic. After a few verses Page takes center stage and words don't do justice folks. He knows exactly what will sound amazing next, all the time and whether he's playing slow or fast, it sounds so fucking good. He is a master and one of a kind and he is certainly in the spotlight on this one. Plant returns for some more great blues verses as Page continues to play some fantastic stuff. When the song finally does come to a close, it hardly felt like a near 10 minute song as I don't think it ever got stale. A wonderful finish to yet another wonderful album!
That is the end of "Presence" and I thought it was another fantastic album by Led Zeppelin. "Achilles Last Stand" was my favourite and an excellent song, but the whole album was really well done. Their past couple albums were much more experimental and features keyboards heavily and don't get me wrong, they were both fantastic albums as well. But I didn't miss them on this album honestly as I think Zeppelin are at their best in the hard rock and blues style. So where does this rank in the almighty Led Zeppelin catalogue? In my opinion it does very well, and when I say it's easily better than "III", "IV", and "Physical Graffiti", then you know how much I really loved this throwback to their roots. I think it's also better than "Houses Of The Holy" but I don't think they quite reached the level of awesomeness of "Led Zeppelin" or "II". Still, a magnificent achievement as Led Zeppelin show time and time again that they are at the top of their game.
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