Led Zeppelin Presents "Presence"

Presence is Led Zeppelin's most underrated album. It is rarely given any recognition on the radio. Its' sales were quite poor for a Zeppelin album. Its' reputation is very mixed. But, in some ways, this oft overlooked album is one of their best. It is their most unapologetic, in your face, hard rocking album. There are no acoustic ballads. No keyboards or organs. Just guitars, bass, and drums (and the occasional harmonica).

The album was made when the band was at their peak, or, in some ways, just past it. For the drugs and the lifestyles were catching up as the members were getting older. The band was the top live act, but that came to a sudden halt when Plant was in a serious car accident, that left him confined temporarily to a wheelchair. His physical condition is a great image to accompany the psychological stress and pain the band was in. It is in that condition that Page and Plant wrote the songs, and then got with Jones and Bonham to record the album (in a session that barely ran for a week, although Page made use of the time, claiming to have stayed awake for days overdubbing guitar.)

The title "Presence" refers to the bands presence on stage, the power that they possess. It turned out that stage presence was so strong, that fans flocked to the live document, "The Song Remains The Same," (recorded in '73) over "Presence."

The album opens with "Achilles' Last Stand." The song draws, musically, from the extended arrangements of "Dazed And Confused" that they had used as a centerpiece in concert. Like that song, "Achilles" is an epic. It is full of sprawling imagery and mythical references, sung over John Paul Jones galloping bass, and Jimmy's orchestra of guitars (possibly the most complicated set of guitar overdubs Page ever laid down.)

"Candy Store Rock" and "Royal Orleans" are two songs that fall short of displaying the band's force. The former is an uninspired send-up of fifties era Elvis. The latter is a rather comical retelling of John Paul Jones encounter with a transsexual, that ended in a hotel fire.

"Hots On For Nowhere" is an interesting track, but does not quite live up to its' predecessor, a 1975 jam (from where the basic melody is drawn), that has achieved much notoriety in the bootleg world.

"Nobody's Fault But Mine" and "For Your Life" are two heavy examples of the tension and pain going into the album. The arrangements are stop and go, not at all fluid, while the guitars are liquid, oozing right out of the speakers.

The last track, "Tea For One," is the band tracking their growth by essentially remaking "Since I've Been Loving You." It is a testament to the band that they not only pull it off, but even improve on the earlier song. Musically, it is a reworking, played with experience and maturity. Lyrically, it is completely original. It is a song about homesickness, the most concrete ache on this disc. Plant's conviction is stirring, as he sums up all the pain and anguish in such a personal confession. At the same time, it both a nod to Zeppelin's earlier days, as well as a take on their purest blues influences.

It is not their most accessible album. It is not nearly as varied as their other releases. Instead, it is one big theme, on statement of distress, that the band with such a "Presence" still has aches and woes. In a contradicting way, they use their force and power to show how weak and vunerable and human they can be.