Led Zeppelin: Presence

I figured I should just get it over with and get to one of my favorite bands in history.  I have four copies of Led Zeppelin I,III and IV, five copies of LZII, three copies of Houses of the Holy and In Through the Out Door and yet, while looking through my collection I noticed that I have only one copy of

Led Zeppelin: Presence

It got me thinking... is this album just not good?  No, on the contrary, this is a great album, most underrated of Zep's career and is a great listen all the way through.  The track listing on here most certainly derived from the time when vinyl ruled. 

Side A starts off with the very bombastic, in-your-face track Achilles Last Stand.  This is one of Zeps longer tunes but unlike the others it really keeps up the pace, there's no real languishing half-time breakdown and yet it doesn't feel forced but completely rock, completely organic. 

Side B starts off with Nobody's Fault But Mine, probably my favorite track on this album if I had to pick one.  There's so much diversity of sound on this album that you really gotta sit and listen to it all the way through.  If there was a track on here that I would consider the weakest of the bunch it would have to be Candy Store Rock.  Apparently it was written in an hour and the lyrics sound it.  It's not a terrible track mind you, just not the strongest on this album.  For some people it's their favorite track on this album, including Robert Plant apparently.

The last track, Tea For One, sees the band return to their slow burning blues-rock roots though a little heavier and more riff laden.  Much like SRV's In Step ending with the slower, more introspective Riviera Paradise, so does Zeppelin sit back and enjoy a slow groove to end a rather energetic, well done album.  It makes me want to pull out my other Zeppelin albums and give them a listen today.  But since Aria has an orthodontist appointment, I guess I'll have to save those for another day.