Hello. It has often been stated by historians and fans alike that Mr. Page only used his famous "Dragon" 1959 Rosewood Neck Telecaster, aided along with Sola Sound MKII Tonebender (modified with three OC81Ds by the legendary Roger Mayer) and a 1690T Surpo Corando Amplifier (modded from a 2x12 to a 1x12 by a roadie) for the FIRST 2 LED ZEPPELIN STUDIO ALBUMS. My ears do not agree with such statements. Page acquired a 1958 Gibson Les Paul from Joe Walsh during late April of 1969, since his "Dragon" Telecaster supposedly malfunctioned. So naturally, we would assume here that: "Case closed: Page never owned or used a Telecaster after April of 1969, since he was always seen around this period with that 1958 Les Paul he bought from Joe Walsh." But then, again, many of those same sources state that Page recorded the famous "Stairway To Heaven" guitar solo with his "Dragon" Telecaster. The same one which was supposedly not in use after late April of 1969. So, maybe Page did use the Telecaster longer than we would all assume. Yes, that is very much so. At least my ears say so. When I hear: Immigrant Song, Celebration Day (In breif sections, like the lead guitar solo), Out On The Tiles (again, in brief sections, like on the closing riff), Rock and Roll (the lead guitar solo), Stairway to Heaven (The six string part and lead solo), When The Levee Breaks (the six string overdubs, and the regularly tuned slide parts), The Song Remains The Same (the six string lead guitar solos), The Rain Song (in breif sections, like the "heavy" section), Over The Hills and Far Away (the six string electric rhythm guitar, because the solo sounds awfully like a Les Paul), Dancing Days (most of it), D'yer M'aker, No Quarter (the rhythm part sounds like a fuzzed-up Tele, and the solo sounds like a Fender Stratocaster, but CAN be a potential Telecaster), The Ocean, Houses of The Holy, In The Light (Lead part), Down by The Seaside, Achilles Last Stand (in brief sections), Royal Orleans (in brief sections), Nobody's Fault But Mine (In brief lead parts), Candy Store Rock (in a lot of brief moments), Hots on Nowhere (in brief sections), Tea For One (in brief moments), and most of In Through The Outdoor, I tend to feel that the 1959 Telecaster>Surpo>Tonebender combo was being in use, instead of the much talked about Les Paul. Could anybody confrim these to be true?

You heard me. I am not at all assuming I am the ONLY one who has deep respect for Presence (I KNOW that I am not), but over the years I have been astounded by the wide-spread hate for this record. Yes, the album was recorded during a tense time in the band's history. Yes, there was a complete lack of keyboards and acoustic guitar (aside from the fabled 'lost' acoustic dub) And yes, it had less 'variety' than their previous albums. (I may have missed a few points, but forgive me) BUT SERIOUSLY? They intentionally wrote the album in a particular style (harder-hitting - aiming back towards their I / II days). I seriously do not find the songs to be that unusual for Zeppelin. Tea for One (one of my favorite Zep tracks) for instance, is essentially the spiritual successor to SIBLY. I think that the whole band is in amazing form (Page goes without saying, Bozo's power is unbridled, and we get to hear some of JPJ's most impressive bass playing.) Some people say that Plant's vocals sound strained (he was in a wheel-chair, after all), but I think he sounds amazing - tinted with a new emotional power. Anyways, I could go on, but I wanted to open this topic up so that ANYONE could share their opinions of the album (both positive & negative). Despite the undeniably one-sided tone of my opinion, don't be afraid to voice your own. Start Ramblin!