Presence
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- This article is about an album by Led Zeppelin. For the computing sense, see Presence information.
| Presence | ||
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| Studio album by Led Zeppelin | ||
| Released | March 31, 1976 | |
| Recorded | November-December, 1975 at Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany | |
| Genre | Hard rock | |
| Length | 44:24 | |
| Label | Swan Song | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin chronology | ||
| Physical Graffiti (1975) |
Presence (1976) |
The Song Remains the Same (1976) |
Presence is a studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Swan Song Records on March 31, 1976 (see 1976 in music). This album was conceived after Robert Plant sustained serious injuries from a car accident on the Greek island of Rhodes on August 5, 1975, which postponed a planned 1975/1976 world tour by Led Zeppelin. During his convalescent period in Malibu, California, Plant, with Jimmy Page, had written enough material for rehearsals to begin at Hollywood's SIR Studio. The album was recorded within three weeks at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany, with Plant in a wheelchair. The rushed recording sessions were in part a result of having booked the studio immediately prior to The Rolling Stones, who were amazed upon their arrival that the album had indeed been completed (both recorded and mixed) in a mere seventeen days. Jimmy Page had simply stayed awake for two days straight to perform all of the guitar overdubs.
Both Page and Plant had planned this album's recording session as a return to hard rock, much like their debut album, except at a new level of complexity. It is Led Zeppelin's only studio album that features neither acoustic tracks nor keyboards (almost buried in the mix, a lone acoustic guitar can be heard on "Candy Store Rock").
The album peaked at #1 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart. Its catalogue numbers were (US) Swan Song SS 8416 (UK) Swan Song SSK59402, before being changed to 92439-2 for when the remastered version was released.
The cover and inside sleeve of this album, created by Hipgnosis, features various images of people interacting with a black obelisk-shaped object. Inside the album sleeve, the item is referred to simply as "The Object". It was intended to represent the "force and presence" of Led Zeppelin. In the liner notes of the Led Zeppelin Remasters, Jimmy Page explained:
"There was no working title for the album. The record-jacket designer said `When I think of the group, I always think of power and force. There's a definite presence there.' That was it. He wanted to call it `Obelisk'. To me, it was more important what was behind the obelisk. The cover is very tongue-in-cheek, to be quite honest. Sort of a joke on [the film] 2001. I think it's quite amusing."
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page except where noted
- "Achilles Last Stand" – 10:25
- "For Your Life" – 6:20
- "Royal Orleans" (Robert Plant/Jimmy Page/John Paul Jones/John Bonham) – 2:58
- "Nobody's Fault But Mine" – 6:27
- "Candy Store Rock" – 4:07
- "Hots on for Nowhere" – 4:43
- "Tea for One" – 9:27
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Pop Albums (Billboard 200) | 1 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Candy Store Rock" | Pop Singles (Billboard Hot 100) | 50 |
| 1976 | "Royal Orleans" | Pop Singles (Billboard Hot 100) | 50 |
[edit] Personnel
- Jimmy Page - Electric guitars, producer
- Robert Plant - Vocals and harmonica
- John Paul Jones - 4,5 and 8 string Bass guitars.
- John Bonham - Drums and percussion
- Peter Grant - Executive producer
- Keith Harwood - Engineer, mixing
- Jeremy Gee - Tape engineer
- George Hardie - Sleeve design
- Hipgnosis - Sleeve design
[edit] External links
| Led Zeppelin |
|---|
| Jimmy Page · Robert Plant · John Paul Jones · John Bonham |
| Discography - (Category) |
Studio albums: Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin II · Led Zeppelin III ·  (Led Zeppelin IV) · Houses of the Holy · Physical Graffiti · Presence · In Through the Out DoorLive albums: The Song Remains the Same · BBC Sessions · How the West Was Won |
| Films |
| The Song Remains the Same · Led Zeppelin DVD |
| Other |
| Peter Grant · Richard Cole · Swan Song Records · The Yardbirds · XYZ · The Firm · Page and Plant · Strange Sensation · Bootlegs ∙ Concerts ∙ Songs |
