What The Hell Happened To... 08.25.08: Led Zeppelin - Presence

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 08.25.2008

This week, Dan Marsicano looks at an underrated Led Zeppelin album and another progressive metal band is given the attention it deserves!

The Introduction

Hola, all my music lovers. It is I, Dan Marsicano, your host and journeyman, leading you into another edition of What The Hell Happened To, the column that looks deep into the soul of classic albums and pulls out a bunch of crap.

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This week, we got Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone, Motorhead's Motorizer, and Dragonforce's Sonic Beatdown. Guess which one I'm not going to review!



The Big Announcement

I always respect the opinion of the readers of 411 and to thank all of you for reading my column since its start last November, I have decided to make September "Fan Appreciation Month!"

What this entails is that YOU, the 411 readers, will pick the albums I will highlight in September. That's right, you guys get to choose what albums I write about. They have to underrated, but that doesn't mean they need to be good. I love to bash albums as much as I love to praise them.

Not only can you pick the album, but if you want, you can write up an article about it that will be reprinted on my column. Any up-and-coming writers wanting to make their next big break can show off their talents by writing their own "What The Hell Happened To!."

So far, I've gotten a few great responses, and there will be a guest writer as well! It's not too late though; get involved and send me your requests! You readers have until August 31st, so hurry up. Make your fingers heard!





The Band

Robert Plant-Vocals
Jimmy Page-Guitar
John Paul Jones-Bass
John Bonham-Drums


The Track Listing

1. Achilles Last Stand-10:25
2. For Your Life-6:20
3. New Orleans-2:58
4. Nobody's Fault But Mine-6:27
5. Candy Store Rock-4:07
6. Hots On For Nowhere-4:43
7. Tea For One-9:27


The History

Led Zeppelin formed from the ashes of The Yardbirds, an influential rock group that included guitarists Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Burk in its ranks. The Yardbirds had broken up, but had some shows to still play. So Page got together Plant and Bonham to replace vocalist Relf and drummer McCarty, respectively. Jones came in after bassist Chris Dreja left to become a photographer.

The band got a huge signing deal with Atlantic Records, thanks to manager Peter Grant, which included free creative control over their albums, singles, and tours. Led Zeppelin quickly went into the studio in 1969 to begin work on their debut album, aptly titled Led Zeppelin I. The album was a huge success, even with negative reviews from critics. Songs like "Dazed and Confused" and "Good Times, Bad Times" were labeled as innovative tracks and would catapult the band into success.

Led Zeppelin II, also released in 1969, would only make the band even bigger superstars, with the whole album being a staple of the rock stations to this day (more "classic rock" stations today, but you get the point). From there, the band would only get more successful, with four more classics (1970's III, 1971's IV, 1973's Houses Of The Holy, 1975's Physical Graffiti) churned out.


"Heartbreaker" Live Earl's Court 1975

Throughout this time period, Led Zeppelin became famous for their three-plus hour live shows, which would include extended jams that would go on for almost 30 minutes. However, tragedy struck the hard rockers in 1975 when frontman Robert Plant got into a car accident, critically injuring himself and his wife Maureen. Plant spent a few months recuperating, which is how Presence was written…


The Analysis

In 1975, Led Zeppelin was on the top of the world. With six consecutive successful albums, the band looked towards the future with brightly colored sunglasses. However, that all changed with the late 70's, where the band would begin their slow downfall from greatness. With an ever-increasing drug problem in the band, Plant's near-fatal accident/death of his son, and the eventual demise of drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin was heading straight into a brick wall called 1980.

That's for another column though; today, the focus is on 1976's Presence. The album was finished in a little over two weeks, due to the fact that the band didn't have enough studio time at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany. Why is that? Well, The Rolling Stones booking the studio around the same time. While Presence would go platinum, the fans and critics were split about the album. Some said that the songs sounded sloppy and other praised the return to a more simplified hard rock sound.

I have been a Led Zeppelin fan since I was a kid. Their first four albums were the beginning of my love of classic rock. After that, it's a bit hazy for me. I enjoyed House Of The Holy and Physical Graffiti, but I find myself always turning back to the "original" Zeppelin, if you want to call it that. I purchased Presence a while back, but like the other two albums I mentioned above, Presence took a back seat and sat in my collection, slowly collecting dust.

Thank god for the power of What The Hell Happened To. I randomly pulled out Presence about two weeks ago and found myself deep enthralled with the album. Led Zeppelin took everything people knew about their sound and stripped it down to the bone. No acoustic tracks, no crazy experimentations, and no full orchestras. Just a guitar, bass, and drums. That type of simplicity was shocking to fans back in the day, as Led Zeppelin had pushed their sound to the brink of the edge by 1976.

Presence became well-known for two tracks, "Achilles Last Stand" and "Nobody's Fault But Mine," and for good reason. Both of these tracks are arguably the best tracks that came out of later-day Zeppelin (I'm talking after 1975). The former is the third longest song the band has ever put on a studio album and is quoted as guitarist Jimmy Page's favorite Led Zeppelin song. While I can't agree with that statement, I can agree that it is a great way to open Presence. The galloping bass line by Jones caught me off guard the first time, almost being a precursor to the NWOBHM, or more specifically, Iron Maiden. Bonham pulls off a magnificent performance, his drums power-marching through the ten plus minutes with an intensity not heard on Physical Graffiti, and Page is…well Page, what else needs to be said? He pulls out one of his most memorable solos of his career, one that still sends chills up my spine to this day.



"Achilles Last Stand" Live 1979


"Nobody's Fault But Mine" is a bluesy track that sounds like it could have been on their debut album. Plant croons and wails as only Plant can, even throwing in a harmonica solo, which is pretty revolutionary considering how the rest of the album sounds. These two tracks were staples of Zeppelin's live show in 1976 and '77, with the latter track even played when the band re-united back in December of last year for the one-off show in London.

Believe it or not, there are five other tracks on Presence. Since I am looking at the album as a whole, I guess it would be appropriate to look at the other tracks that make up the majority of Presence. A lot of fans were up-in-arms over the shorter tracks on the album, which had some funk tendencies to them. Don't forget though that back in the mid-1970's, all the hard rock bands were experimenting with a funkier sound. Deep Purple had 1975's Come Taste The Band and Black Sabbath had 1978's Never Say Die!. Thankfully, Led Zeppelin doesn't turn into Earth, Wind, and Fire on us.

That doesn't mean that the tracks are a success though. Personally, the second half is the weaker side of the album. Single "Candy Store Rock" and "Hots On For Nowhere" are some of the weaker tracks of the band's catalog, with the single being too 1950's rock-and-roll for my liking. I love Robert Plant as much as the next person, but intimidating Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly is not his forte. "Hots On For Nowhere" goes…nowhere in its almost five minutes. The track just meanders along, ruining the flow of the album, alongside "Candy Store Rock." It's no wonder the band never played these tracks live; I don't think anybody would want to hear them. It'll be like Megadeth playing anything from Risk or Iron Butterfly playing anything other than "In A Gadda Da Vida."


"Nobody's Fault But Mine" Live 1979


Presence does end on a high note though with the slow burning, bluesy epic closer "Tea For One." The nine minute track is quite overlooked, as much of this album is. The song is one long jam session, with Page pulling out some fantastic riffs and the rhythm section keeping things to a minimum. Plant puts in his best vocal performance of Presence and the band gets the album back on track. Some have complained of its droning pace, but I find it to be one of the more appealing qualities of "Tea For One."

Presence was the beginning of the end for the Led Zeppelin we all know and love. While their fan base was strong and loyal, the quality of the material was declining. That doesn't mean that they later albums sucked; it was just that the band was being influenced by their personal problems. While an underrated album, Presence does have "Achilles Last Stand," which more than makes up for crap like "Candy Store Rock." Presence can't be compared to their early masterpieces, but with a little bit more time, it could have been a special album. Instead, it's just a decent album that is bookended by two great tracks.



Who The Hell Is…Dark Suns?

Official Site: Dark Suns.


MySpace Page: Dark Suns.


Germany dark progressive metal band Dark Suns is carving a name for themselves among the underground metal community with their unique blend of calm, acoustic melodies and brutal death/black metal. It's a strange combination, one that will jolt the listener the first time. Keyboards are used as well, but only to heighten the mood. The most surprising thing about the band is the use of mostly clean vocals, something many metal bands strive away from. His monotonous, yet soaring, tone, coupled with the bleak atmosphere, only serve to enhance the music.

Dark Suns was formed in the late 90's, starting out as a doom/death metal band. Once vocalist/drummer Niko Knappe dropped the death metal vocals, and went all clean on us, the band's sound evolved as well. Along with guitarists Maik Knappe and Torsten Wenzel, Dark Suns has been a revolving door of musicians, with those three being the only consistent.

Anybody looking for some darker progressive metal would be wise to check Dark Suns out. They have a lot of potential and talent, and while their MySpace helps to show that, they sound much better on a studio album (as do most bands). Here are some live videos to show them at their best…


"The Chameleon Conflict" Official Video (Creepy as hell)



"Her and the Element" Live 2006


The Conclusion

Well, well, well, another edition is in the books. With that comes September and the beginning of "Fan Appreciation Month" here at What The Hell Happened To. Next week, I have a special guest writer to help me look at Shadows Fall's The Art of Balance, an album that has us both divided. It's going to be a great start to the month, so make sure to get your ass back here on Monday to ring in a special "Labor Day Beginning of Fan Appreciation Month" edition of What The Hell Happened To!