Title: Presence
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Label: Swan Song/Atlantic
Released: 1976
Songs: Achilles Last Stand/For Your Life/Royal Orleans*/Nobody’s Fault But Mine/Candy Store Rock/Hot On For Nowhere/Tea For One
Written by: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, except *by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones & John Bonham
Produced by: Jimmy Page
Thoughts: I really like the last two Led Zeppelin albums, and you can tell how much I loved In Through The Outdoor if you go back to my review on that. Presence is a pretty good, fun LP, where you can just hear how loose the group was. After the obvious indulgence of Physical Graffiti and the over-abundance of experimentation on Houses Of The Holy, it’s nice to hear the group return to their loose, free-form roots that made Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II so much fun.
My main gripe with it is that, as amazing and powerful as “Achilles Last Stand” and “Tea For One” are, these two ten-minute book enders really feel like they go on forever. Especially “Tea For One”, which is really just one long blues groove that goes go on throughout. “Achilles Last Stand” is a little more varied and a great album opener. The stuff in between are mostly quick, sort of forgettable tracks. However, “For Your Life” is pretty cool.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Album of the Day #114: PRESENCE - Led Zeppelin
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Album of the Day #73: HOUSES OF THE HOLY - Led Zeppelin
Title: Houses Of The Holy
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1973
Songs: The Song Remains The Same*/The Rain Song*/Over The Hills And Faraway*/The Crunge**/Dancing Days*/D'Yer Mak'Er**/No Quarter***/The Ocean**
Written by: *Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, **Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones & John Bonham and ***Jimmy Page, Robert Plant & John Paul Jones
Produced by: Jimmy Page
Executive Producer: Peter Grant
Thoughts: I have to say I really like this album and it's probably my favorite Led Zep album, despite my insistence that Physical Graffitti, Presence, and In Through The Out Door are their best. I mostly say that because I like to be different. Anyway, Houses Of The Holy is tight, probably the tightest Zep LP, with only one song that barely goes over seven minutes. I know a lot of people love to hate on "The Crunge", but it's got this infectious groove and Plant's rambling, nonsensical lyrics are hilarious. "D'Yer Mak'Er" is probably the only song in their cannon that you could possibly mistake as not being a Led Zep song, but still is quite engaging, like most of this album. I'm not really sure I like "No Quarter", though. Still, great album...and of course necessary for all collections.
Rating: 9/10
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Album Of The Day #35: IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR - Led Zeppelin
Title: In Through The Out Door
Songs: In The Evening*/South Bound Suarez**/Fool In The Rain*/Hot Dog***/Carouselambra*/All My Love**/I'm Gonna Crawl*
Friday, August 01, 2008
Album Of The Day #13: LED ZEPPELIN IV - Led Zeppelin
Title(s): Led Zeppelin IV, The Fourth Album, Four Symbols, etc. 
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Why I Hate Greatest Hits Compilations
List time!
WHY I HATE GREATEST HITS COMPLATIONS
1. They Make People Not Want To Look At An Entire Piece Of Work
I’ve always had a strong belief that an album is piece of artwork. You don’t take a look at Washington Crossing The Delaware an
d only look at the visage of our first president. You need to look at the whole thing to get the idea of these men working through the rough winter to cross the river. It gives you a sense of what the American colonists had to go through to gain independence. If you only look at Washington, it’s like only listening to “Band on the Run” and “Jet” from Wings’ Band On The 
Run and thinking you got the whole thing, just because those were the hit singles. You didn’t. You missed the beauty of “Bluebird”, the interwoven pieces of “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink To Me)” and the great piano-driven rocker “Nineteen-Hundred And Eighty-Five”. You missed the fact that those two singles were only a PART of the BOTR album.
2. They Almost Are Never Really An Artist’s Greatest Songs
You are stupid if you think for a second that The Beatles 1 is all you need. Stupid. I’m completely serious. 1 is a great example of a ‘hits’ compilation that misses nearly all of the artist’s best songs. Now, 1 does not claim to be a greatest hits set, but a compilation of The Beatles’ #1 
singles. Still, there are people who walk this earth and think they can buy 1 and say the hell with it. “I’ve got 1, so now I know all of the Beatles’ best work.” Are you nuts? Insane? Look at what is missing! “Please Please Me” (which was a #1, but we won’t get into that argument now), “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “Michelle”, “Here Comes The Sun”… just to name a few, are nowhere to be found. Then, there’s the fact that NOT A SINGLE SONG from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Rubber Soul, and The Beatles are on 1. Think about that for a second before believing that 1 is really all you need.
3. The Fact That One-Hit Wonders Think They Can Release A ‘Greatest Hits’.
That’s obvious…and silly.
4. ‘Greatest Hits’ That Lean On One Album.
By 1984, Meat Loaf had released three albums on Columbia/Cleveland/Epic/whatever. Of those three, the only one that had any success was, of course, the first one: Bat Out Of Hell.
Still, the company figured they could put out a ‘Best Of…’ set (charmingly titled Hits Out Of Hell) with ten tracks on it. FIVE of those ten tracks came from Bat
Out Of Hell. Obviously, this compilation leaned on five tracks from a SEVEN track album! That’s stupid. Another example of this (and there are many, but these are the ones off the top of my head) practice is The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Smash Hits. Considering that very little of Jimi’s songs could be considered hits (in the US, only “All Along The Watchtower” had any true success), his record companies at the time still felt the need for a compilation on both sides of the Atlantic. The UK album leans almost entirely on Are You Experienced and the US album, released after Electric Ladyland in 1969 leaned on both albums, completely glossing over the excellent (and brutally mind-blowing) 
Axis: Bold As Love. (Other Examples: Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1 &2 [leans strictly on The Stranger, with 7 of the 9 songs, despite only 2 being singles] and any Led Zeppelin compilation [the latest, Mothership, has 4 from LZI, IV, and Houses of the Holy and some contain as much as five from the 8-song LP IV.])
5. They Sell Better Than Albums
I hate this fact about the music business, but it’s true. People would rather buy a record chock full of songs they know by heart than an album with one song they might know and a bunch of others they have no clue about. This is a shame, but it’s human nature. We like familiarity and don’t like to leave a comfort zone. As I said in point #1, it means people don’t like to look at a whole piece, but rather what everyone else says is the best part. Half the time, the single isn’t even the best part of a record. “Desolation Row” is certainly the best part of Highway 61 Revisited, but was that the single? No. Look at the previously mentioned Sgt. Pepper's… None of those songs were single or hits. Does that mean it’s a bad record? No way! It’s one of the most influential pieces of music in the world.
6. People Buy Greatest Hits And Read The Essay And Think They Know All
No, you don’t. You don’t know anything about anyone until you LISTEN to the artist’s body of work as a WHOLE.
7. Artists Make Fans Buy Them
The record companies work with the artists to make a compilation that includes rarities so die-hard fans will gobble them up. I’ve fallen in the trap and boy, has it pissed me off many a time. Please, just put out a rarities set…we hate to buy the same song twice.
I could go on forever, but that’s what I’ve got now. So, just think of my points the next time you want to get a ‘hits’ compilation.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Review #31: Physical Graffiti
Today, I posted a new podcast episode, so I figured I should have the blog be coordinated with the podcast named after it!
Every now and then, they would get up and say ‘Hey, maybe we should make an album.’ Then, they quickly went into the studio and bam…another #1 on the charts. However, the album of today’s discussion was not just another one of those albums. This one was HUGE! It had a whopping total of fifteen tracks on it, far surpassing the previous record for tracks on a Led Zep album (which was ten, on LZIII). However, when you look at the liner notes, you realize that just eight of these tracks were specifically recorded for this album and some of the older recordings were nearly five years old at the time!
The album I’m talking about is, of course, the lead balloon’s only studio double album. [Yes, I know no one calls them the ‘lead balloon’ but I think it’s funny, so go with it!] It carries the title of PHYSICAL GRAFFITI…and here’s the review….The Rover is a severely underrated track that appears on no compilation. If they didn’t come up with ‘Custard Pie’, this would have been a suitable opener. Even as the first ‘archival track’ on the album (it was recorded in 1972), it does seem a little weird. Still, it shows there versatility (especially Plant’s excellent, winding vocals) and that they hadn’t really changed in three years.
In My Time Of Dying, the band’s longest track (stretching on to an incredible 11:04), follows to close the first side. It is a strange workout of the old blues tune ‘Jesus Make Up My Dyin’ Bed’ by Blind Willie Johnson that bears almost no resemblance to the original. Dylan also covered it on his debut album in a more traditional manner (plus, he dropped the ‘g’ from the title). As with all of LZ’s long songs (this being the longest) it is absolutely fascinating how they keep us interested. They never feel like jam tracks because Page is always keeping the band moving and doing different things. I think this is probably one of the strong points of Zeppelin. Around three and a half minutes in, the song completely shifts gears and we desire to hear where the guitar will take us next. Then, listen to Bonham’s drumming at 4:44 and then right behind Page’s guitar at around five minutes. Now, that’s the stuff that makes this band special.
To start side two, there is Houses Of The Holy, another archival number that carries the title to their previous album. It sounds like it should have been there and definitely sounds like it would have been more welcome on that platter than this one. Can you imagine this ending side one of Houses… instead of ‘The Crunge’? (Granted, I like that song, but this one is much better!)
Trampled Under Foot, the single, is next. This is another great one, showcasing Jones keyboard work. It is not a leftover from anything and I love it. It’s easily one of my favorite tracks on the set and was definitely worthy of being the single.
Next is Kashmir. This is one of the Led Zep songs played to death, although nowhere near the status of ‘Stairway To Heaven’ (probably the most overrated song of all time). If there is any irony to the song, it’s that is sort of seems similar to the synthesizer-heavy stuff on the (wonderful) In Through The Out Door and that though Jones seems to be a driving force of the track, he is the one band member not to get writing credit on the song. Although Bonham does get credit, I don’t think he has much of a presence in the song. Granted, he is a key part, but still, it’s nowhere near the power and grace we hear in ‘In My Time Of Dying’.
Whether you have to open the sleeve and put on another record or open up your CD player, it doesn’t matter because the second disc still opens with In The Light. This is definitely the strangest opening for a Led Zep track. By the time we finally get going, which is around two minutes in, we’re pretty much ready to get on with it! Still, you have to admit, the keyboard work by Jones is incredible. I love the ending sequence and Plant’s vocals are really mind-blowing here.
Following that is the quick Bron – Yr – Aur. It is a simple guitar piece by Page and is just as beautiful as it gets. It’s a wonderful piece, but learning that it had been in the vaults since 1970 is a little disheartening.
Down By The Seaside is a fun, laid-back track, with a wobbly-sounding guitar that perfectly fits the mood of this archival track (it was recorded in 1971). It’s nothing really to go nuts about, but the tempo change for the break in the middle is nifty and shows the incredibly versatility of the group.
Next is Ten Years Gone that closes out the third side and is the last of the long songs. (Although, compared to Led Zep standards, is 6:31 really long?) This is a lovely track, highlighted by a great guitar part (aren’t they all?) and some fantastic drumming (isn’t there fantastic drumming on all the tracks?). I really like the second half of the song, particularly Plant’s clear vocals and that moment when they melt into Page’s guitar at about the 3:50 mark.Night Flight opens the final side and I love this track! It just sums up everything that’s cool about Led Zep to me. Plant’s vocals are engaging and Page’s guitar is winding and circular to the point of making you dizzy. Jones’s bass is clearer here than on any other track and his keyboard doesn’t seem to take too much away from his other instrument! Of course, Bonzo’s drumming is incredible, especially in the opening and throughout the song. Still…there’s something unsettling about it…Oh! I know…it was recorded in 1971!
Another track from 1971, The Wanton Song is next. It features a wonderfully humorous backwards guitar part.
Next is the throwaway Boogie With Stu, yet another track from 1971! There’s really no point to it, with Plant’s vocal echo-drenched and although it is a nice ode to the rock of old, it doesn’t really fit.
Black Country Woman, the b-side to the ‘Trampled Under Foot’ 45, is a fun, stomping (literally; listen to Bonham’s drumming!) acoustic track. I’m not really sure it was such a good idea to make this the flip-side, considering there are a hell of a lot of stronger tracks, but whatever. They never cared about singles, so why should we? (Especially thirty-odd years later.)
Sick Again is a fun closer, and was actually recorded for the album. Plant’s vocals are barely discernible and it feels like Page’s guitar is the lead vocalist! Bonham’s drumming is in-your face and could easily give you head trauma if your volume is up loud enough! It is a great closer to a great album…right?
Wrong…this is nowhere near a great album…it doesn’t even touch the plateau that LZ4, and Houses occupy like China and Russia’s permanent chair on the UN security
council. Great albums are great albums because they are great albums, not simply a great set of great songs. Now, say if Jimmy Page made an album of just the eight songs they recorded for this album. You’d have there one hell of an album, but he went above and beyond here for some reason. Then, you might say ‘Well, Dan, obviously you can’t have an album of only eight songs.’ Then, I’d say ‘Uh, look at more than half of Led Zep’s other LPs. Most of them were only eight tracks and the last two only had seven tracks!’Still, if Page didn’t do what he did, we wouldn’t get ‘Night Flight’, ‘Bron – Yr – Aur’ and ‘Houses of the Holy’.
The artwork is intricate, but Atlantic/Swan Song’s CD issue carries none of that over. It just has the outer-cover and shots of the covers for each record in black and white! How cheap!
So, in conclusion, would Led Zep history be any different if he went for a single disc? No, because the set was still a number one seller and still moves units today. It’s just that they would have one more great album on the list of ‘great albums’.
7/10
