•
Rating: The recent reunion of Led Zeppelin prompted me to listen again, after a few years of guilty neglect, to their albums, revisiting their work with different attention, perhaps cooling the passion I had for the band a decade ago, but allowing me to reflect more fairly on their contribution to the growth of rock music and its very development. Hence the need for my review of "Presence" (1976), fully aware that it is yet another contribution on the subject present on Debaser.
Probably their least known album, certainly the one least considered by critics along with the last "In Through the Outdoor," "Presence" shows us a band now devoid of the experimental and propulsive drive of the late '60s, forgetful of the soft hard of maturity, and at the same time seeking their roots, through a sort of palingenesis of sound, now dilated now even pompous, of the previous "Physical Graffiti".
Produced in just eighteen days, the album is probably the most direct and immediate of the four by the Zeppelins, characterized by an expressive urgency and a roughness of sound that had been rarely heard in their previous works, and which was completely abandoned in the ephemeral end of the English band's career.
It is, therefore, the authentic sonic testament of the band, a concluding reflection on the relationship between blues, hard rock, and ethnic influences of Zeppelin's sound, almost a compendium, hasty perhaps, certainly sincere, of their art.
At the same time, we cannot define it as an entirely successful work, given that the album features four standout songs, alongside entirely minor works, simple fillers. Forgoing the track by track, I thus leave a few essential notes - as essential as "Presence" is - on the three tracks I consider most interesting, just as the majority of the more authoritative critics on the subject have done.
The initial "Achilles Last Stand" opens the work optimally, constituting one of the best tracks in the career of the four. The song's interest lies entirely in Jimmy Page's guitar work, almost like an architecture that supports Robert Plant's declamatory singing: an arpeggio composed of few, hypnotic notes entwines into a crescendo of drama and unease, exploding after supporting the vocals into a solo of great sonic clarity, re-twisting the melody upon itself, and letting the (long) song fade into the diluted return of the initial theme. What strikes most about Page's guitar style is the ability to construct a song on extremely synthetic phrases, not pyrotechnic or characterized by the purely virtuoso showmanship of many rock guitarists, but closely functional to the compactness of the track: in the song's structure, Page's guitar occupies rhythmic and solo spaces, as well as harmonic ones sometimes attributed to the bass, allowing the bassist to focus on interplay with the drums, enhancing the percussive nervousness of the rhythm section. From this perspective, "Achilles..." reveals in watermark a maturation of Zeppelin's language and Page's assimilation of certain musical expressive forms from the African and Asian worlds, already explored especially in "Physical Graffiti": rhythm and harmony intertwine in hypnotic and repetitive textures, with a disorienting effect for the listener.
The subsequent "For Your Life" is a résumé of a career, the revisitation of the hard blues of the origins, with all its typical stop and go and its elephantine progression, well supported by Bonham and Jones on drums and bass. Here Plant's voice becomes devilish - perhaps the best vocal performance on the record - declaiming verses now amused, now decadent. In this piece too, Page's guitar gives a full-bodied sound to the whole song, with continuous rhythmic and harmonic variations and an extremely precise solo.
It is certainly a mannered piece, neither original in its insights nor developments, yet Page demonstrates his qualities as a producer and probably a sound engineer: he shows us, in particular, how the sonic violence, the emotional impact of a track can be achieved through a mix aimed at emphasizing the sound of each individual instrument, almost dissecting it, rather than through the construction of a compact and uniform wall.
The last noteworthy track of the album is "Nobody's Fault But Mine", another revisitation of a traditional blues, with the addition of a sonic violence, of an irritating impact never heard in the band's tracks since the attack of "Led Zeppelin I".
Curiously, the sonic violence pairs with a track structure still dilated and varied, which starts with a distorted guitar, feeds on awkward rhythms almost like a bass and especially drum hiccup, to explode into the devilish singing that tells us about the perdition of the old bluesmen. The peak of the track is, however, in Page's two short hammering and concise guitar solos, where the guitar distorts almost to mimic a harmonica, yet reminds us, almost imperceptibly, of its almost metallic presence. Never had a Zeppelin track in the '70s been so straightforward, almost like an attack on the listener's hearing, never so direct, until it seemed the work of a debut group, well masked by veteran competence and craft.
As previously noted, the other tracks from the album are in my view irrelevant, and in any case well described in other reviews of "Presence" available on this and other sites, to which I obviously refer.
One last consideration: revisiting images of the three remaining Zeppelins in their recent reunion, I was struck by the stage presence of the three, the composure and clarity of musicians now over sixty: almost like a black obelisk on a dining table, our band still represents the benchmark for anyone wishing to innovate the rock blues musical language, an impassible and immobile presence in an eternal present.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Achilles Last Stand (10:28)
It was an April morning when they told us we should go.
As I turned to you, you smiled at me; how could we say no?
Whoa, the fun to have! To live the dreams we always had.
Whoa, the songs to sing! When we at last return again.
Sending off a glancing kiss to those who claim they know
Below the streets that steam and hiss, the devil's in his home.
Whoa, to sail away! Sandy lands and other days.
Whoa, to touch the dream! That hides inside and is never seen, yeah.
Into the sun of south and north at last the birds have flown.
The shackles of commitment fell in pieces on the ground.
Whoa, to ride the wind! To tread the air above the din.
Whoa, to laugh aloud! Dancing high above the crowd.
Seek the man whose pointing hand the giant step unfolds.
With guidance from the curving path that churns up into stone!
If one bell should ring, celebration for a king.
So fast the heart should beat, as proud the head with heavy feet, yeah.
[Solo]
Days went by when you and I made an eternal summer's glow
As far away and distant, our mutual time to grow.
Whoa, the sweet refrain! It soothes the soul and calms the pain.
Oh, Albion remains! Sleeping now to rise again.
Wandering the wanderings. What place to rest the search?
Where the mighty arms of Atlas hold the heavens from the earth!
Where the mighty arms of Atlas hold the heavens from the earth!
From the earth!
I know the way, know the way, know the way, know the way.
I know the way, know the way, know the way, know the way.
Where the mighty arms of Atlas hold the heavens from the earth!
02 For Your Life (06:24)
Well, well, oh, hoh, hoh
You said I was the only, with my lemon in your hand
Uh-oh, uh-oh-hoh
Exhibition is your habit, emotion second-hand
Uh-oh, uh-oh
Had to pull away to save me
Well, maybe next time around-a, oh
And she said
"Don'tcha want, a-don'tcha want cocaine, cocaine, cocaine"
Hadn't planned to, could not stand'a try it, fry it, ow
Now, now, now, now, yeah
Wooo-oooh-oooh-oooh-ooh-ooh
Heard a cry for mercy, uh, in the city of the damned-a
Uh-oh, baby, damn...
In the pits you go no lower, the next stop's underground
A-ho, how low underground
You wanna know, is it quite over
To fame it deals a losin' hand
And I said, "Didn't mean to, did not a-mean to fluff it
You didn't plan it, you overran it, aah-ha-ha-how, yeah"
Do you wanna, do you want, do ya, d-do
Do you, would you wanna
Do you wanna, do you wanna, do you, d-do
Do you, would you wanna
When you blow it, babe, you got to blow it right
Baby, if you fake it, mama, baby, fake with all your might
When you fake it, mama
please-a, a-fake it right for yourself, babe
When ya fa-fa-fa-fake it, baby
You're fakin' it for your life, for your life
for your life, for your life
Do you, do you, do you, do you, do you
Do you, would you wanna
Do you, do you, do you, do you, do you
Do you, would you wanna
Oh, like to help ya, baby
but I don't know what to do-ooh-ooh, yeah
Sometime, baby
Nothin' I can do-ooh-ooh, yeah
With the fine lines of the crystal payin' through your nose
And when they couldn't resist ya
I said, "Just go with the flow"
And now your stage is empty
Pull down the curtain, baby, please
Fold up your show
Hadn't planned to, could not stand to fry in it
I hadn't planned it, I overran it
Fry it for your life, for your life
03 Royal Orleans (02:59)
One time love, take care how you use it
Try to make it last all night, And if you take your pick
Be careful how you choose it, Sometimes its hard to feel it bite
Feel it bite.
A man I know, went down to Louisiana,
had himself a bad, bad fight
And when the sun peeked through
John Cameron with Suzanna,
He kissed the whiskers, left & right
Whiskers!
Now, now, now, fright subsides
Out at a hotel in the quarter, our friends check in to pass the night
Now love gets hot, but fire preceded water
Poor whiskers set the room alight.
Whiskers!
Down on Bourbon street, You know it's right
You can see my friend, they run around all through the night
Most everywhere, Until the closet's bare
Run for the razor, Doin' up my hair
New Orleans queens, Sure know how to schmooze it
Maybe for some that seems alright
When I step out, strut down with my sugar
She'd best not talk like Barry White!
One time love, take care how you use it
Try to make it last all night, And if you take your pick
Be careful how you choose it, Sometimes its hard to feel it bite
Feel it bite.
07 Tea for One (09:23)
How come twenty four hours, Baby sometimes seem to slip into days?
Oh twenty-four hours, Baby sometimes seem to slip into days
A minute seems like a lifetime, baby when I feel this way
Sittin, lookin at the clock, time moves so slow
I've been watchin for the hands to move
Until I just can't look no more
How come twenty four hours, Baby sometimes seems to slip into days?
A minute seems like a lifetime, Baby when I feel this way.
To sing a song for you, I recall you used to say
"Oh baby this one's for we two", Which in the end is you anyway
How come twenty four hours, Baby sometimes slip into days?
A minute seems like a lifetime, baby when I feel this way.
There was a time that I stood tall, In the eyes of other men
But by my own choice I left you woman, And now I can't get back again
How come twenty-four hours, sometimes slip into days?
A minute seems like a lifetime, Baby when I feel this way
A minute seems like a lifetime
When I feel this way...I feel this way
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Antonino91
'Achilles Last Stand' is a masterpiece with perfectly balanced instruments and breathtaking drumming.
'Candy Store Rock' is the most negligible episode of the album, almost nauseating.
By Miki Page
'Achilles Last Stand' is a phenomenal hard-rock track that hits with intensity and power.
'Presence' is a good album, but not a masterpiece like the group’s previous 6 works.
By Cimbarello132
'Achilles Last Stand' surpasses 'Stairway to Heaven' but remains hidden in its shadow.
One of the many reasons why Led are my absolute favorite band.
By claudio carpentieri
"Achilles Last Stand throws us with the power of a tornado into this sonic monument where Page's heroic guitar leads the rest."
"Presence reflects a period far from happy for the band, with Plant’s presence in the studio in a wheelchair confirming its difficult gestation."
By Rax
"There will never be another album like this. Here it’s me facing despair and telling it: I am stronger than you."
If 'Presence' is the funeral of the Zeppelin, the terrible next album will be its tomb.
