Episode 134 is live, and the wheel has spoken! This week on the Rock Roulette Podcast, we’re diving into Presence by Led Zeppelin. Does this underrated 1976 album stand tall among their classics? Tune in to hear our take!
Presence is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released by the band’s own label Swan Song Records on 31 March 1976 in the United States and on 2 April 1976 in the United Kingdom. While the record was commercially successful, reaching the top of both the British and American album charts, and achieving a triple-platinum certification in the United States by the RIAA, it received mixed reviews from critics and is the lowest-selling album by the band, but received more positive reviews in years after its release.
The album was written and recorded in the last months of 1975, during a difficult time in the band’s history. Singer Robert Plant was recovering from serious injuries he had sustained earlier that year in a car accident; this led to tours being cancelled and the band booking studio time to record Presence instead. The entire album was completed in a few weeks, with guitarist Jimmy Page putting in several long shifts to complete recording and mixing. The title came from the strong presence the group felt as they worked together. The LP’s artwork from Hipgnosis featured several photographs focused on a mysterious black object, called “The Object“.
Presence is dominated by compositions by Page and Plant, with only one track credited to the entire group; unlike other Zeppelin albums, it features no keyboards and little acoustic guitar. Because Plant was still ill, the band could not tour to promote the release, and only two tracks, including the ten-minute opener “Achilles Last Stand“, were performed live. However, the album has been re-appraised in retrospective reviews for its hard rock dynamics and simplicity compared to the group’s other work.
Led Zeppelin
John Bonham – drums
John Paul Jones – bass
Jimmy Page – guitars, production
Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica
Production
Peter Grant – executive producer
Keith Harwood – engineering, mixing
Reinhold Mack – assistant engineer (uncredited)[51]
Jeremy Gee – tape engineering
George Marino – remastered CD release
Artwork
George Hardie – sleeve design
Hipgnosis – sleeve design
Intro Music/Wheel Spin Music by LiteSaturation from Pixabay
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