Presence [Deluxe Edition]

Received early and is in excellent condition

The seventh album by Led Zeppelin, 'Presence' tends to suffer from being the one straight after the masterpiece that was 'Physical Graffiti'. While it doesn't match up to that album it is still an essential listen. Known to be the favourite of Jimmy Page, it's important to recognize the circumstances in which it was made. Recorded during a particularly difficult time for the band, and for Robert Plant especially, it is for this reason that Page in particular regards this album as a triumph against adversity. The production is deliberately hard and loud and is Zeppelin going back to basics. No keyboards or orchestras on the final track listing, just guitar, bass and drums played by musicians at the top of their game. The new deluxe edition continues the good work done by Jimmy Page and John Davis, with the welcome return of the longer mix of 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' that appeared in 1990 and was then ditched for all subsequent re-issues which reverted the track back to it's original vinyl length. Note also a longer fade out on the monumental opener 'Achilles Last Stand'. As for the bonus disc, it must be said that for an album with so little outtake material there is actually some essential stuff here. Zeppelin forums are already full of discussion about the alternate mix of 'Royal Orleans', containing as it does a bizarre vocal that appears to be John Bonham (Jimmy Page has said it's Plant but that can't be the case) and the mysterious '10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod). This latter track is a huge surprise - A beautiful, piano-led instrumental that sounds like it belongs on the end credits of a movie (If it isn't used soon I'd be very surprised) it's worth the price of the deluxe edition alone. The other alternate mixes are interesting but not radically different. Still great to have though. As pointed out earlier, some Zeppelin fans find 'Presence' a tough listen and tend to dismiss it rather too easily. It deserves better. Certainly, John Bonham drums superbly throughout, John Paul Jones uses his newly-acquired 8 string bass to great effect and Jimmy Page gives possibly his best ever solo's in 'Achilles Last Stand' and 'Tea For One'. Of course, Robert Plants' vocals are rather strained at times but then again he was confined to a wheelchair for the sessions and his anger and unhappiness are clearly evident - Emotional on 'Tea For One', railing against the whole LA drug/groupie scene in 'For Your Life' and having a pop at some of his fellow band members and management in 'Hots On For Nowhere'. ("Now I got friends who will give me their shoulder/ When I should happen to fall/ With time and his bride growing older/ I got friends who will give me f*** all"). The only expletive ever used in the whole of the bands recorded output, it shows just how low he had sunk. Of course, further tragedy and trouble would strike Plant personally and he continued his diatribe on the groups final album 'In Through The Out Door'. (the track 'Carouselambra' is widely believed to be a bitter attack on Jimmy Page). That's not to say there isn't some lighter moments here. 'Candy Store Rock' features Page pulling out as many rockabilly licks as he can muster, complete with 50's style slapback echo and although the track doesn't really go anywhere it's not that bad. Elsewhere, 'Royal Orleans' is a short and snappy groove that's said to be about a true-life incident involving the normally reticent John Paul Jones and a 'female' conquest who wasn't all 'she' appeared to be! To sum up, I regard this album as a fantastic statement and the companion disc and improved sound are the icing on the cake. Don't leave this out of your Zeppelin library.

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2 CD DELUXE EDITION RELESED IN 2015. There has been much written about this penultimate Led Zeppelin album so the review is concentrating on ther sound quality. This is an album I first bought back in 1980 and had always been blown away with the sheer energy and dynamism contained I’m very pleased to say there ain’t a single bad track on the album. Anyway, this was of course available on vinyl back in 1976, I had a so-so version in 1980 from WH Smith’s . Then of course it was released on CD with little consideration to the finished sound making it a near sonic disaster. Jimmy Page was not impressed and back in the 1990s it was remastered by the man himself with a huge jump in sound quality and a lot of the more subtle sound audible on the vinyl release being restored. Still, technology marched on and there’s been some exceptional audiophile vinyl releases including a 45rpm Super Analogue Master which I’ve been informed is the ultimate version. However many of us mere mortals won’t have a 2 grand turntable based hifi system. Nor will we have days to track down this version with hundreds of pounds to spend on it. so we have to rely on a Cd. But what a CD though. This has easily got to be the ultimate remaster ever obtained via Mr Page or anyone else for that matter. The level of detail presentedis simply a quantum leap over and above anything available. I’ve listened to lots of different versions of various Led Zeppelin albums on CD, first CD’s ,remasteres, Japanese CD, Japanese SHM-CD and this version trumps the lot. If you want to hear Led Zeppelin at their very best on the CD format look no further. Utterly recommended !

After the release of Physical Graffiti, the band were at the peak of their commercial powers, but a series of unfortunate events and run of bad luck meant that their final two studio albums would be a mixed bag of quality. With little planning compared to what the band were used to, and an incredibly rushed recording schedule, many of the ideas present were forged in the studio, and with Plant in a wheelchair recovering from a serious car crash, there was notable angst, anger, and depression during the process. With all of this going on, the band were still able to record a hit record which saw them returning to a more straightforward rock approach, although one which presents all of the tricks and gifts which the band had picked up in the last few years. Presence sees moments of genius, moments of spontaneity, and moments which will be forgotten by all but the most hardened fans. ‘Achilles Last Stand’ is, for my money, the best opening track the band ever wrote, and may be my favourite Led Zep song. It is a maddening, utterly brilliant epic, with machine gun drumming and guitar duels which would go on to inspire essentially every metal band who came after, with seemingly hundreds of intricate overlaying parts, and with so many ideas and stunning moments that you’ll be finding something new for years after your first listen. At almost 10 and a half minutes, not a second goes to waste, and the song never drags or slows – it’s played with fury from almost the first second, and it never lets up. Wonderful poetic lyrics, more expressive, but with no less mystique than those on Stairway To Heaven, a superb performance by all four members, it is the most quintessential Led Zep song that no-one outside of the main fanbase knows. ‘For Your Life’ starts like a regular blues rock song, heavy drums, and clanging guitars in a simple sequence. Plant’s vocals are strained here, but if anything it adds to the anger of the lyrics as the band vented about the way drugs had ruined a number of their peers. More overdubbing is the order of the day, there’s a lot of string bending and tremolo action which is rare for the band, but there isn’t too much which makes it standout. ‘Royal Orleans’ is a funky, short track led by yet another Page riff. Bonzo pops about on bongs as well as the standard drums, and the song has plenty of funny lyrics surrounding an incident which took place in a hotel room with JPJ and a ‘friend’. It’s a simple enough, fun track, but not one that many will remember or hold in particularly high regard. ‘Nobody's Fault But Mine’ is probably the most famous track from the album, one which the band played live on many occasions. The song’s famous primary riff is a fine example of how the band worked together to compliment each other, Plant has an epic harmonica solo, and the lyrics subvert the Gospel, blues origins with Plant making them reflect his personal turmoil at the time, believing the negative energy and furor surrounding the band, attempting to exorcise them through song. A catchy song, mainly thanks to that riff, it’s not one of my favourites, but it’s one you can’t help but sing and tap along to. ‘Candy Store Rock’ is a straight-forward rock song – Page riff, bluesy vocals, and thunderous rhythm work from Bonzo and JPJ. Plant’s vocals again sound strained, yelping rather than his usual dragon-like shrieks – another decent song, but not one which is likely to be high on many ‘favourites lists. ‘Hots On For Nowhere’ contains the word ‘fluck’. That’s a bonus. A stuttering song which replaces a standard chorus with some ‘la la la’ sounds from Plant – an angry lyric, decent rhythm work, and some okay riffs from Page, mean this sounds more like a rehearsal exercise than a full song. It’s an average rock song ‘Tea For One’ opens with almost a slower version of the riff from the previous song. It seems like it’s going to be another basic rock song, but it suddenly shifts and slows and turns into Since I’ve Been Loving You Part Two. The verses are deliberately dreary, but I feel they would have been strengthened by more pieces by Page – it’s more of a vocal piece, followed by chord, instead of the band playing over each other. There are also moments which sound like Achilles Last Stand where the band chaotically come together. A fine epic, there are memorable moments, but too much empty space for my liking – you’re on edge, waiting for some huge Plant vocal or Page blast which never comes. Page though, always admitted that this was the point. After the size of Physical Graffiti, and the experimentation and high quality of previous albums, this can seem a little underwhelming on first listen. On further listens it’s much easier to find those qualities, but also becomes easier to find faults, or at least things you may not like. It’s Led Zep at their most stripped-back, but also at their most tired. It shows Page arguably pushing his guitar orchestration to the limits, but also shows that those riffs, while still coming, were not as impactful, while the rest of the band are frustrated by feelings of isolation. The band had become that foreign object on a table, that thing which was stared at from all corners and comers. It is an unusual album, not due to any shift in approach or sound, but because of its many contradictions. It would be three years before the band released their next, and final studio album.

Led Zeppelin's another masterpiece. Their 7th studio album. Beautiful gatefold cover by Hipgnosis with the famous 'object'. Wonderful sounding 180 gm vinyl remastered. With songs like 'Achilles Last Stand', 'Nobody's Fault But Mine', 'For Your Life', this isn't to be missed.

何を言えばいい？

Presence es el séptimo álbum de Led Zeppelin, grabado en tan sólo 18 días en los Estudios Musicland de Munich (Alemania). El grupo venía atravesando problemas personales y de salud de varios de sus integrantes. Robert Plant tuvo un terrible accidente automovilístico en Grecia que lo llevó a la silla de ruedas por un largo período; John Bonham recayó en sus problemas de alcoholismo y Jimmy Page lidiaba una dura batalla contra la heroína. Quizás debido a esa problemática, el resultado final no está a la altura de los seis discos anteriores de la banda, de gran calidad todos ellos. Fue sumamente complicado grabar el disco, Plant lo hizo sentado en su silla de ruedas y los demás integrantes de igual modo tuvieron que grabar por separado, complicado panorama. A pesar de lo anterior, el álbum alcanzó el “número uno” tanto en EE UU como en Reino Unido y contiene clásicos imperecederos como “Achilles Last Stand”, un tema de diez minutos y medio que se cuenta entre los mejores de la banda. En el segundo disco de esta nueva edición remasterizada consta de cinco canciones entre las que destaca la instrumental inédita “10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)” y algunas versiones curiosas y alternativas de de “For Your Life” y “Royal Orleans”. Un material que vale mucho la pena tener para verdaderos fans además que la remasterización hace justicia al sonido del disco.

Este junto con el 1 el 2 el 4 para mi los mejores.

Achilles Last Stand is one of Zeppelin’s greatest songs but the rest of this album pales compared to all their previous albums.