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Presence Reiusse


Zeppy98

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Is it me or does Jimmy Page have a tendency to come off as tight and overly self-defensive in interviews? Even this bit, with someone as friendly to the band as Dave Lewis, and Jimmy seemingly can't relax and have a little fun. Unless the written transcript reads markedly different than what the actual interview sounded like?

Because it reads like Jimmy wanted to bite Dave Lewis' head off when Dave asked if it was someone other than Robert Plant doing the vocals on the reference mix of "Royal Orleans".

It still sounds like Bonham to me.

Well it could be just how we are reading it.. Like if you read Plantations Plant often comes off sounding like he was angry, but when listening it sounds like he's having a good time, but trying to get the audience to move back or to quiet down. Jimmy could have been laughing a little while explaining that it wasn't Bonzo..

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It may be the changing seasons, but I can't stop listening to the Presence companion, especially great when I'm walking.

- Two Ones are Won - sounds mostly like the original to me, but that's ok because this  is one amazing song, so much to love, each member giving it their all.  This song is the picture of WOW WOW WOW!!! 

- For Your Life - while Robert's vocals are a signature sound to the LZ greatness, I usually find myself paying much more attention to the instruments and not so much to the vocals or lyrics.  But not in this song, I give all of my attention to Robert here, love his voice!

- 10 Ribs - I may have posted more about this song than any other LZ song, cannot say enough how much I love this song, and maybe partly because it was such a surprise. When it plays, I want the whole world to stop and listen to every subtly that to me tells a story of pain, hope and pure joy.

- Royal Orleans - just love the vocals (whoever it is!), love it more than the original.

- Hats On For Nowhere - I listen to this song with due respect, but this is the one song on the companion that is just ok to me.  I don't dislike it, but it doesn't have the same effect on me as other songs. I find my mind wandering on this song, wonder how much farther I have to walk, what will I cook for dinner, what's my dog up to, wish I had some water right now, etc. 

 

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Presence at the moment is my fave Companion disc.

Achilles, even though it's in a close to finished state, illustrates the depth of Jimmy's genius in that anybody else would listen to that and go " Bloody hell that's a masterpiece". But Jimmy saw in amazing detail what was needed to help take it even further, to truly Olympian heights.  He saw the need for additional vocal passages to develop the narrative of the song, and tightening of some overdubs and other minor edits.  Lastly, I finally discovered the magic of the intro and outtro guitar sections, why they sounded so cosmic after all these years.  Jimmy is deliberately playing the passages in random time patterns.  Then overdubbing multiple guitars in odd time signatures to create an disorienting effect, true genius.

 

Foy Your Life is great too, because again, it shows Pages studio mastery and trickery.  Listen closely to the middle "When you blow it babe" part, it's totally different sequencing wise.  Jimmy cut and spliced his way to the version we all know and love.

 

10 Ribs I mean come on, what a treat.  Aren't you glad we have this hidden gem?  I listen to this all the time now.

 

Royal Orleans The more I listen the more I think it COULD be Plant.  It is bizarre, and I think we are lucky Jimmy chose to include such an oddity.   I love it, absolutely priceless and shows their great humor.   Someone needs to pin down Robert and ask him definitely, because Jimmy lies about shit.

 

hots on for nowhere nothing special here, but it's a great frickin song.

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Presence at the moment is my fave Companion disc.

Achilles, even though it's in a close to finished state, illustrates the depth of Jimmy's genius in that anybody else would listen to that and go " Bloody hell that's a masterpiece". But Jimmy saw in amazing detail what was needed to help take it even further, to truly Olympian heights.  He saw the need for additional vocal passages to develop the narrative of the song, and tightening of some overdubs and other minor edits.  Lastly, I finally discovered the magic of the intro and outtro guitar sections, why they sounded so cosmic after all these years.  Jimmy is deliberately playing the passages in random time patterns.  Then overdubbing multiple guitars in odd time signatures to create an disorienting effect, true genius.

 

Foy Your Life is great too, because again, it shows Pages studio mastery and trickery.  Listen closely to the middle "When you blow it babe" part, it's totally different sequencing wise.  Jimmy cut and spliced his way to the version we all know and love.

 

10 Ribs I mean come on, what a treat.  Aren't you glad we have this hidden gem?  I listen to this all the time now.

 

Royal Orleans The more I listen the more I think it COULD be Plant.  It is bizarre, and I think we are lucky Jimmy chose to include such an oddity.   I love it, absolutely priceless and shows their great humor.   Someone needs to pin down Robert and ask him definitely, because Jimmy lies about shit.

 

hots on for nowhere nothing special here, but it's a great frickin song.

Somehow, when I listen to 10 ribs I feel it should have been named St.Tristan's sword and sword should have been 10 ribs.  Ribs is so "mature" and Sword has an OTHAFA feel about it. The first solo reminds me of the solo from june 23rd 77. second part harkens all the way back to Killing floor from 4-27-69.

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Somehow, when I listen to 10 ribs I feel it should have been named St.Tristan's sword and sword should have been 10 ribs.  Ribs is so "mature" and Sword has an OTHAFA feel about it. The first solo reminds me of the solo from june 23rd 77. second part harkens all the way back to Killing floor from 4-27-69.

Totally agree, I wonder if the titles got mixed up like Moby Dick (Backing Track) and La La (Intro/Outro Rough Mix) did. 

Edited by Sathington Willoughby
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  • 3 years later...

How come the last comment is 3yrs ago??? I just listened to the Presence re-issue this morning... Luv the original and luv this... I don't get the lack of respect Presence gets... Every song rocks!  If I have a least fave here its probly NFBM... I know, crazy, right?  Probly just oversaturation when I was 15... Hots on and orleans have always been faves...and Candy Store Rock rocks too!  The only album with no keyboards, no clunkerz in the bunch... Cept the sucotash song

... 10 Ribs with carrots and peas...the title is ad hard to say as the song is to listen to...

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

This is why I love this forum. I had no idea about "10 ribs" until 4:30 AM (as in right now) and got a chance to listen to it. So beautiful and wistful. The piano chords in the intro set such an incredible and effective mood. Hats off to JPJ!

For me, Presence never got much play time. ALS is kind of long, NFBM is one of my favorites, but I listen to it less now than when I was a kid, TFO is pretty good. I saw Get The Led Out a few years ago and they did HOFN and it was awesome! I couldn't believe how great it sounded. Since then, I've been listening to it more often and I also developed a liking for RO. I used to think this was a very sub par album. I hated CSR and still do. TFO is a bit long and bores me. It's like a poor man's SIBLY, but it's still okay.

When I was a kid, I'd listen to ALS and NFBM and maybe, just maybe FYL. Now my go to songs on that album are HOFN, RO and FYL.

It's weird how tastes change.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

My Critique of the bonus photos in the 2-CD package. And please, if you don't care one way or the other about these photos, just pass this post by....

The Booklet:

Page 3 has the classic picture of the band before the LA premiere of TSRTS. For the most part, I am disappointed with the photos chosen, considering the amount of photos taken in 1977. The RP on p.4 has his arm rising, hiding his face. Bonzo on p.5 with a baseball cap on. Really?? The best and classic pictures of Bonzo from the '77 tour were with the bowler hat on. Jimmy, on p.5 - what the hell is this revisionist photo?? The hat has been airbrushed. Here's the original as posted on Jimmy's site:

1977_04-07_OnThisDay_LedZeppelin_Chicago

But even with the original photo, the classic photos of Jimmy from the '77 tour are with the white dragon suit.

P. 6-7 - Seem blurry and color altered. Like this is what I was wanting.

P. 10-11-12-13 - Just more of the sometimes out of focus and color treatments I don't like. How about one of Jimmy playing the bow in the green laser pyramid...

The CD sleeve - Why is the live picture so grainy? Does Bob Gruen take anything but grainy pictures??

The Pennie Smith one from the rehearsals is rare, but it also appears grainy and out of focus.

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  • 1 month later...
On ‎2‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 9:33 PM, The Rover said:

My Critique of the bonus photos in the 2-CD package. And please, if you don't care one way or the other about these photos, just pass this post by....

The Booklet:

Page 3 has the classic picture of the band before the LA premiere of TSRTS. For the most part, I am disappointed with the photos chosen, considering the amount of photos taken in 1977. The RP on p.4 has his arm rising, hiding his face. Bonzo on p.5 with a baseball cap on. Really?? The best and classic pictures of Bonzo from the '77 tour were with the bowler hat on. Jimmy, on p.5 - what the hell is this revisionist photo?? The hat has been airbrushed. Here's the original as posted on Jimmy's site:

1977_04-07_OnThisDay_LedZeppelin_Chicago

But even with the original photo, the classic photos of Jimmy from the '77 tour are with the white dragon suit.

P. 6-7 - Seem blurry and color altered. Like this is what I was wanting.

P. 10-11-12-13 - Just more of the sometimes out of focus and color treatments I don't like. How about one of Jimmy playing the bow in the green laser pyramid...

The CD sleeve - Why is the live picture so grainy? Does Bob Gruen take anything but grainy pictures??

The Pennie Smith one from the rehearsals is rare, but it also appears grainy and out of focus.

Bowler hat? I don't recall Bonzo ever wearing a bowler hat on the 77' tour. I thought he only wore the bowler hat on the 75' tour??? If memory serves Bonzo wore the fishing hat off and on but that is the only hat I recall him wearing in 77'. Then there was the weird druid clown outfit he wore at Oakland but that was the exception.

BTW can't blame you for linking the white dragon suit with Jimmy in 77' as that was his classic look for that tour. However, I hate that stupid suit. White was the LAST color Jimmy should have worn in 77' as he was so pale and it just exemplified his emaciated state. The stormtrooper gear he wore in Chicago was different and funky. TBH I never liked the glam rock costumes jimmy wore from 73' - 77' but that's just my preference. 

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1 hour ago, PeaceFrogYum said:

Bowler hat? I don't recall Bonzo ever wearing a bowler hat on the 77' tour. I thought he only wore the bowler hat on the 75' tour??? If memory serves Bonzo wore the fishing hat off and on but that is the only hat I recall him wearing in 77'. Then there was the weird druid clown outfit he wore at Oakland but that was the exception.

BTW can't blame you for linking the white dragon suit with Jimmy in 77' as that was his classic look for that tour. However, I hate that stupid suit. White was the LAST color Jimmy should have worn in 77' as he was so pale and it just exemplified his emaciated state. The stormtrooper gear he wore in Chicago was different and funky. TBH I never liked the glam rock costumes jimmy wore from 73' - 77' but that's just my preference. 

Maybe you're right about the bowler hat being '75. But sunglasses were cool in '77. I prefer the white dragon suit. Jimmy never wore the black dragon suit at any of the shows I attended, and that's okay...

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  • 3 months later...
On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 10:28 AM, Christopher Lees said:

This is why I love this forum. I had no idea about "10 ribs" until 4:30 AM (as in right now) and got a chance to listen to it. So beautiful and wistful. The piano chords in the intro set such an incredible and effective mood. Hats off to JPJ!

For me, Presence never got much play time. ALS is kind of long, NFBM is one of my favorites, but I listen to it less now than when I was a kid, TFO is pretty good. I saw Get The Led Out a few years ago and they did HOFN and it was awesome! I couldn't believe how great it sounded. Since then, I've been listening to it more often and I also developed a liking for RO. I used to think this was a very sub par album. I hated CSR and still do. TFO is a bit long and bores me. It's like a poor man's SIBLY, but it's still okay.

When I was a kid, I'd listen to ALS and NFBM and maybe, just maybe FYL. Now my go to songs on that album are HOFN, RO and FYL.

It's weird how tastes change.

In retrospect I think they would have been better off putting 10 ribs on the album, maybe on side one instead of RO, shift that to side two and drop CSR entirely(or as a B-side in the US).

Besides being IMHO up their with the bands best work(can't think of any other "lost" tracks as good, maybe Dennis Wilson's Holy Man) I think it would actually fit the album better. Its obviously very different in sound to the hard rock of much of the rest of it but it does have the same epic atmosphere as ALS, FYL and TFO plus I think diversity of sound was always a big part of Zep's appeal.

As mentioned 10 ribs was almost certainly an attempt to record something along the lines of the later 75 versions of NQ, the versions from Earls Court on the 2nd and 3rd night especially.

Edited by greenman
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