Finished with this set

Presence. Four and a half stars.

For the public and critics alike, every Zeppelin album from I to VI are looked upon as golden, essential works from a band at their peak. And then...

Presence, from '76, is the first to fail at capturing enthusiasm. I can't speak for the ones to follow, as I don't have them. But I think what made this a forgotten album is its subtlety. Unlike prior records, there is little in the way of big riffs or other classic Zeppelin tricks of getting attention.

The opener is the strongest moment, bar none. Achille's Last Stand is a rock epic, stretching to ten minutes, and gaining a powerhouse performance from everyone. Plant is more of an accent than usual. Bonham's drums are very noticable. It keeps your interest all the way, and bears no excess that I noticed. Surprising, after their last record.

Its strength does put the rest of the songs at a disadvantage. None of it is as likely to blow you away. But For Your Life does pretty well. It draws you in as it goes. It's quite impressive, though it takes awhile to realise that. No chorus or catchy bits. Nothing obvious.

Royal Orleans is a three minute piece, and though high quality, it doesn't last long enough to really make an impression. It just skates on by.

Nobody's Fault but Mine is our customary blues track. Big theatrical pauses for the main line, placed inbetween some great musical jams. This tends to be most people's favorite Presence track.

Candy Store Rock was apparantly a flop single. It makes for an unlikely Zeppelin tune, I'll admit. Sort of a tribute to the long ago early days of rock and roll. Plant does a good impression of... whoever he's affecting. It's the light moment, and a good change of pace. I wish it had been shorter, which is more in keeping with oldies.

Hots on for Nowhere is a casual rocker, with Plant taking his usual center stage role. It carries on very nicely.

Tea for One wraps the album very well. It returns to the long gone "late night bar" atmosphere of Since I've Been Loving You, only as the title points out out, you don't need coffee or whiskey to feel this bad. Alright, I do prefer their previous forays in this direction, but as my last Led Zeppelin record, this is a fitting closer.

I am of the opinion that this carefully thought out product trounces the bountiful Physical Graffiti, which was too much of a good thing. It ranks alongside their debut in my eyes. Severely underrated, and yet without a drop in quality. I must put its lack of popularity down to it being a rather difficult set of songs to immediately grasp.

And did I mention how good it sounds on headphones?