Slough Feg - Hardworlder

Details :

• Year of release : 2007
• Label : Cruz Del Sur
• Review format : CD

My interest was peaked with this one when it was released back in July of this year, however it’s taken a while for me to get hold of it thanks to a reason I’ll come to in a while. Why did I have to get hold of a copy though? Well, firstly Bob at rock ‘n’ roll nonsense stated that the band “borrow heavily from nwobhm” and recognised a love of Iron Maiden within the music whilst the ever reliable “Marchman” over at peacedogman challenged readers to “Go find a fortysomething WISHBONE ASH or THIN LIZZY fan, tie them to a chair, and make them listen to SLOUGH FEG for three straight hours.” Further claiming that “he’ll be so captivated, he may not even press charges.”

Well there is enough there to get me salivating and whilst I hasten to point out that I’m not fortysomething for a few years yet everything else adds up superbly and charges will not be pressed.

Amazingly this is Slough Feg’s sixth album and quite why they’re not better known worldwide is beyond comprehension, at least on the evidence provided with this release. There is plenty of Maiden style twin guitar melodies within their music with subtle Celtic tones too on occasion not unlike that classic Gorham/Robertson attack Thin Lizzy boasted in the classic years. There’s thunderous bass lines, thumping rhythms and a gloriously heavy, distorted backline rumbling away behind the soaring lead guitar, there’s a singer in the shape of Michael Scalzi who possesses a superb, made for metal voice, yet in the UK this band and indeed their label do not even possess a distribution deal. This is a shocking oversight on the part of UK record companies as this band nod heavily toward the British rock and metal sound of the seventies and early eighties so much, whilst adding there own touch to update and make it relevant still today.

I enquired about this album in HMV and even the resident rocker had a blank look. Their computer search system failed dismally and ultimately, following a conversation with Bob, it was the label themselves who despite being based in Italy were kind enough to provide me with a copy.

There honestly isn’t a bad track on this album. True, three instrumentals appear in the shape of opener The Return Of Dr. Universe, the Lizzy style Galactic Nomad and the all too short Whirling Vortex, and even a couple of well selected obscure covers in the shape of the folk metal Horslips track Dearg Doom and the Manilla Road cover Street Jammer that closes the album in some style, but these just serve to accentuate the positives as in a similar way to many old album the surprising structure of the album, outside out the usual 12 tracks of about 4 minutes each, makes for an interesting listen.

The real treats though are in discovering the full glory of songs like title track Hardworlder, an epic soundscape merging bits of Maiden, Lizzy and Sabbath into four an a half glorious minutes, or the Motorhead style head-banger Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues and the superb latter disc cut of Insomnia. All excellent songs yet still beaten in the best track stakes by the literally explosive Karma-Kazee, the number where everything, all the influences, original ideas and individual abilities merge into something immensely impressive. And there’s still another four excellent tracks that I’ve not mentioned!

If Wolfmother with their obvious nods to the 70s can attract widespread, even mainstream play in this country then there is no reason why Slough Feg cannot achieve similar or even greater success.

Summary : A superb album, quite possibly the best head on, traditional heavy metal album of the year. They take their sound from the greats but have produced a fine album that really deserves a release in the true home of heavy metal. Without doubt, I know now that this is an album I’ll return to for years and the fact that no-one has come forward yet with the vision and ambition to get these Americans known over here is a crime, one that someone, somewhere will hopefully correct before it’s too late.

If You Listen To One Track Listen To : Karma-Kazee

Score : 4/5

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Not convinced? Well click here to hear the whole album streaming in full….

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Suitably impressed? Well given that this is a bugger to get hold of in the UK click the graphic below to go directly to the labels Online Store…

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BL

Halloween Compilation

My concept of Halloween is perhaps a little different to some of the other blogs running with this theme today and if I come across as something of a grumpy old man on this one then so be it!

When I was a kid, here in the UK, Halloween didn’t seem to mean as much as it does nowadays. The concept of trick or treat was a purely American thing the night just seemed to pass without comment. Nowadays of course, thanks to the likes of Tesco’s sensing another cash-in opportunity and dedicating two bloody aisles to flogging sweets, costumes and God knows what, your up and down to the door all night handing out piles of sweets to bloody kids who, if not piled up with E numbers, will gladly redecorate the front of your house with 2 dozen eggs (or worse) or happily apply a much needed coat of paint stripper to whatever happens to be parked in your drive.

However, in an attempt to enter into the spirit here’s 10 tracks for consideration for your Halloween mix-tape (compilation rules apply - one track per artist or group!)….

1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

the mother of all scary songs. The opening alone sets the scene perfectly.

2. Helloween -Halloween

clocking in at a little over 13 minutes make the little beggars listen to this epic before handing over the Haribo.

3. Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark

after the scarily off-form No Prayer For The Dying album, Maiden return with this stalking classic

4. Judas Priest - Night Crawler

beware the beast in black… awesome Painkiller track.

5. Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London

older, mainstream, cheesy and scary yet still played regularly on Planet Rock!

6. Ten - Spellbound

classic melodic rock as Gary Hughes finds his “supernatural love” materialising at the foot of his bed

7. Alice Cooper - I Love The Dead

from the man who thinks everyday is Halloween. Have you thought how this guy looks scarier as he gets older?

8. Blue Oyster Cult - Don’t Fear The Reaper

even the group’s name is scary as was the guitarist hair-do!

9. The Kinks - Wicked Arabella

unusual lyrical matter for Ray Davies but as usual it’s superbly observed.

10. Tygers Of Pan Tang - Love Potion No.9

you won’t find this is many lists! Don’t ask a gypsy for advice….

Of course, for full effect you must intersperse each track with Bruce shouting “Scream For Me….”

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More Halloween mix-tape suggestions needed? Then try….

Hard Rock Hideout , Heavy Metal Time Machine , Heavy Metal Addiction , The Metal Minute and Bring Back Glam

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HALLOWEEN HELLOWEEN COMPETITION……

So what have I missed then? Add a track in the comments that I think “yep - should have included that one” and a sealed copy of “Gambling With The Devil” could be yours…

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BL

Gillan - The Singles (Box Set)

Details :

• Year of release : 2007
• Label : Edsel Records
• Review format : CD/DVD

I mentioned this a couple of weeks back when the announcement of it’s imminent release was first made and have since managed to get a hold of a set, which in itself is no mean feat given that I’ve heard this is limited to something like just 3000 copies so you may have to move fast to secure your own copy.

And is it worth securing? Most definitely!

Housed in a glossy, top opening cardboard box you get 11 CD singles complete with reproduction sleeves, for the first time seven of the Gillan promo videos are also made available on a bonus DVD, and the detailed booklet includes a page of memories from Ian Gillan himself. All this and a list price of just £19.99.

Looking past the packaging, its also fine reminder once more of just what a fine body of work Gillan assembled before he chose to put his solo band on hold to first join Black Sabbath, then reunite with Deep Purple. Indeed in these days of seemingly continuous Deep Purple world tours and the likes of Planet Rock playing something by them every couple of hours it’s easy to forget the major role Gillan the band played in the re-emergence of hard rock at the end of the 70s and the early 80s.

Perhaps the best thing about this box-set though is the memories of afternoons spent spinning single after single that you get playing each disc in turn. It would have been easier, and probably cheaper for the record company to simply assembled the tracks onto one or two discs and release it as a regular compilation but the care and attention to detail here is what makes it special. Take for example the cover to the excellent 1980 release “Trouble”. On the cover they’ve even reproduced the effect of the sticker declaring the inclusion of a free Live In Reading single… and included those tracks on the said disc making it a five track effort. Likewise, the superb “No Laughing In Heaven” has the declaration that it’s a “Four Track EP” that retailed at £1.15. To a collector like me this is superb stuff and it’s almost churlish for me to point out that “Mutually Assured Destruction” was released with a booklet cover that sadly isn’t reproduced.

Musically of course it’s excellent stuff all the way through. From the opening single of “Vengeance” from the excellent Mr. Universe, through the superb, saucy cover adorned “Sleeping On The Job” to the excellent rendition of the Stevie Wonder song “Living For The City”. Promo video wise its mainly “live performance” type affairs with the odd bit of dated video trickery but look out for the bigger budget efforts for the aforementioned “No Laughing In Heaven” with bass-player John McCoy playing God and the job centre pastiche on “Living For The City” with Ian Gillan transforming from suited business man to Rock God before your very eyes.

Summary : Try as I might, I struggle to fault this set. The concept, the attention to detail and the presentation are all top notch and the music is excellent too, as is the fair price set for the release. To a collector and Gillan fan like me this is an essential addition to my collection and is a hugely enjoyable journey through an important phase in a rock legends career.

Score : 5/5

Here’s the full run-down on what you get in the set….

1. Vengeance / Smoke On The Water (live at Kingsway Recorders)

2. Sleeping On The Job / Higher And Higher

3. No Easy Way (single edit) / Handles On Her Hips / I Might As Well Go Home (Mystic)

4. Trouble / Your Sister’s On My List / Mr. Universe (live) / Vengeance (live) / Smoke On The Water (live)

5. Mutually Assured Destruction / The Maelstrom

6. New Orleans / Take A Hold Of Yourself

7. No Laughing In Heaven (single edit) / One For The Road / Lucille / Bad News

8. Nightmare / Bite The Bullet (live)

9. Restless / On The Rocks (live)

10. Living For The City / Breaking Chains / Purple Sky

11. Long Gone / Fiji

Bonus DVD tracks are….

Sleeping On The Job / No Laughing In Heaven / Lucille / Nightmare / Restless / Living For The City / Long Gone

and for the record here’s a good indication, through the chart position, of just what appeal Gillan the band had in the UK at the time as eight of these singles reached decent positions….

No. 55 - Sleeping On The Job

No. 14 - Trouble

No. 32 - Mutually Assured Destruction

No. 17 - New Orleans

No. 31 - No Laughing In Heaven

No. 36 - Nightmare

No. 25 - Restless

No. 50 - Living For The City

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And your probably in the mood for a little Gillan now so here’s a You Tube upload of “Sleeping On The Job“, the track that opens the promo DVD collection but is re-produced, I’m pleased to say, on that DVD in much better quality and minus the captions….

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BL

Bryan Adams - Into The Fire

Details :

• Year of release : 1987
• Label : A&M
• Review format : vinyl

Much maligned these days for his big soundtrack successes, collaborations with Spice Girls and over reliance on ballads, the trio of albums Bryan Adams released in the mid 1980s are essential FM rock albums that are still well worth a listen today. “Cuts Like A Knife” and especially of course the mega-selling “Reckless” get the most attention yet this underrated, difficult follow-up to “Reckless” has a lot going for it too, simply perhaps because it doesn’t try to be “Reckless II”.

Heat Of The Night is a good, solid mid-tempo rocker to start things off in a recognisable style but the title track Into The Fire follows and with it’s ZZ Top style sequencer rhythm is the first hint that Adams wasn’t content to stick rigidly to the formula that brought him huge success. Indeed where Reckless seemed a celebration of life, love and youthfulness the lyrical themes on this album are often darker, more serious, certainly more melancholic and reflective. Victim of Love being a fine example of this mature outlook in many ways concentrating not on a sweet celebration but instead focuses on the aftermath of a split. The albums first slower track finds Adams’ voice sounding superbly raw at times and the guitar work of the oft-forgotten Keith Scott outstanding.

If he had chosen the “Reckless II” route though I’d bet Another Day would have been in there still. A three minute rock ‘n’ roller in a similar vein to Long Gone it’s a decent track but sounds surprisingly lightweight compared to the three tracks preceding it. Native Son though, soon returns the album to the reflective, serious and observant lyric and really is a world away from the likes of Summer Of ‘69 and Run To You.

Clever sequencing again as the trademark rocker The Strong Survive opens side two once more in typical Adams style only for the excellent The Rebel to take that unbridled positivity and hastily temper it for what to my mind is one of Bryan Adams best tracks. A sombre tale of a man returning to his home town after years away its a perfect opposite to Summer Of ‘69 and with it’s stirring vocal, dominant piano, melodic guitar and descriptive words marks for me the albums highlight.

Remembrance Day tackles the theme of war from the point of view of a soldier in the trenches, and whilst the words lack the impact of, for example Magnum’s “Soldier Of The Line” or Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” its another good indication of a desire to branch out lyrically with this release. It’s also perhaps the starkest example of why this album wouldn’t gain the widespread appeal of it’s predecessor. Once more though there is a return to the more expected style on Hearts On Fire which is closer to Reckless and indeed the Mutt Lange accosted follow-up album Waking Up The Neighbours which emerged a few years later but there is a nice ending to the album as Home Again, a big anthemic number with similarities to John Farnham’s “You’re The Voice” sits closer to the themes more prevalent in this album whilst capturing a nice melodic rock sounds thanks to some nice organ swathes and once again fine lead guitar work from Scott.

Summary : A world-weary Adams delivers an album that whilst not the commercial success it’s predecessor was, probably can be considered an artistic success as he branches out from the blue-collar, boy meets girl stories and shares some of his more mature lyrics. Darker in theme and somewhat more subdued in style its still a fine album that I play often even if the tracks have been long overlooked by the artist himself in concert. I’d score this lower than Reckless for sure, and possibly lower than or equal to Cuts Like A Knife but I reckon it’s definitely superior to anything he’s released since.

If You Listen To One Track Listen To : The Rebel

Score : 3.5/5

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Promo clip for opening track “Heat Of The Night“…

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BL

ARTCH - Another Return

Details:

• Year of release : 1988
• Label : Active Records
• Review format : Vinyl

One of those records I picked up from a bargain bin trawl based solely on the fact that I liked the look of the cover and the band themselves looked like a metal band! And metal band of the traditional variety they most certainly turned out to be despite hailing from a bit of a heavy rock backwater; Norway.

Having never heard of them before there was some trepidation as I placed the needle of the side one but I needn’t have worried as Conversis Prelude turned out to be just the kind of pompous, overblown, cod-symphonic build-up that gets me interested. The kind you today find on many power metal albums and it leads nicely into the bands signature tune, Another Return To Church Hill, a fine piece of music that owes a bit to Iron Maiden, a little to Judas Priest and even a bit to Spinal Tap with it’s Stonehenge style spoken interlude part way through the song.

Power To The Man cranks things up with a double-kick drum beat rattling away behind some frantic, heavy riffing yet the vocals are sung rather than growled, which suits me just fine, marking this another another decent track despite a badly dated “bar-room” interlude pre-solo and some lyrics that would be better suited to the Twisted Sister mock-rock style. Happily though Loaded is worth every penny and more of the couple of quid I paid for this album, with a main riff echoing the mighty Heaven And Hell and a vocal that is itself not unlike something Dio would have offered up at any point in his long career. Fortunately singer Eric Hawk actually has a decent enough voice to carry it off too.

Indeed the accomplished twin guitar introduction to side one’s final song, a slower number that transforms into a thumping hard rocker half way through, entitled Where I Go, again marks a fine number and although the production sounds a bit weak by today’s standards it’s a good opening side to a record I’ve taken a chance on.

Side two gets under way with more Maiden like riffery in a song called Metal Life. Okay, the lyrics might be a bit clichéd with the chorus decreeing “nowhere to hide or get away / loving the life, it makes you stay / you must be ready for the fight / we’ll bring you metal life tonight” but it’s an enjoyable enough escape with a cracking solo and let’s face it, over the years us rock fans have had our share of banal lyrics yet still found the songs enjoyable. The Promised Land returns to the heavier speed metal style and again is so much better than I was expecting from this album, whilst Shoot To Kill (not an AC/DC cover) boasts more excellent guitars and again hints at influence from the likes of Dio-era Sabbath and Judas Priest.

Living In The Past isanother real stand-out track and reminds me a lot of Bruce Dickinson in his solo guise, although it’s not as strong lyrically. Even this though is topped by another superb riff-heavy piece of speed metal entitled Reincarnation which again despite some dated, terrace chant backing vocals displays a band that despite offering little in the way of ground breaking promise produced an album of more than decent, if derivative, traditional metal.

Summary : Nine more than decent, band written, old school metal tracks and a nice overblown intro on an album I picked up on the cheap and on a whim is a nice return I think. It’s always pleasing when a chance buy turns out to be a keeper and this is more than worth the occasional listen. It’s also got me wondering how much other ARTCH material is out there and what happened to Eric Hawk (v), Gill Neil (g), Cat Andrew (g), Brent Jansen (b) and Jack Jamies (d)?

If You Listen To One Track Listen To : Loaded

Score : 3/5

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And a “You Tube” search turns up trumps again as here’s the band performing “A Return To Church Hill” on a 1989 Norwegian TV broadcast…

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BL

Helloween - Gambling With The Devil

Details:

• Year of release : 2007
• Label : SPV
• Review format : CD

There have been a couple of times when I’ve honestly thought that Helloween had blown it, never to recover. Pink Bubbles Go Ape stands out as one mistake but the decision taken last studio album to return to the Seven Keys saga seemed a final desperate act when announced. As a huge fan of The Dark Ride and Rabbit Don’t Come Easy it seemed a retrograde step but with that idea turning out nowhere near as desperate as I envisaged, and an admittedly excellent live album from the accompanying tour behind them as well, it’s nice to see the German veterans return with an all new, loosely conceptual album where, even though the tracks are unrelated each share the theme of Gambling With The Devil.

Saxon’s Biff Byford provides the voice on the spoken introduction Crack The Riddle before Kill It launches the album in some seriously heavy style. Andy Deris, now very much the focal point of the band, delivers the verses initially with a Halford like screech at times, although the choruses are very much typical of that distinctive, much loved Helloween sound. The guitar breaks bring back those age old comparisons to Iron Maiden but without Kiske on vocals the resemblance is merely passing these days. After all, with Helloween now delivering their twelfth studio album they must be doing something more than copying others; what they do they simply continue to do bloody well in the main.

The Saints is somewhat surprising being the only track to top the seven minute mark from a band with a reputation for the epic yet here is a fine example of why Helloween boast longevity. Fast and heavy yet maintaining melody and memorable vocal hooks, it’s an excellent number that allows the twin guitar attack of stalwart Michael Weikath and relative newcomer Sascha Gerstner to cut loose, whilst also providing a timely reminder to younger metal fans of just where the likes of Dragonforce are finding their influences. Conversely, the chosen lead off single, As Long As I Fall, itself draws from the modern metal scene, employing a hypnotic piano part that will appeal perhaps to goth-metal Evanescence followers. To my ears though the excellent Paint A New World is a better Helloween flag bearer being another typically upbeat slice of power metal perfection that eclipses the strong tracks it follows. It’s a cracker of a song with another huge, catchy chorus, great guitar work that stands tall and along with its successor, Final Fortune, a Stratovarius soundalike (although I think Helloween probably found the sound first!), it brings the first half of the disc to a more than satisfactory conclusion.

Much is made of the “three part epos consisting of the chapters The Bells Of The 7 Hells, Fallen To Pieces and I.M.E.” in the notes accompanying this album and together they make up what I guess would normally be the albums epic. Clocking in at around thirteen minutes collectively The 7 Hells set off as a storming, heavy number riffled with sharp time changes and boasting a supremely melodic chorus whilst the defiant I.M.E., sung as “I Am Me” is a stirring, fist punching rocker. The middle piece though, Fallen To Pieces, is arguably the album’s most interesting track as the band drift into the progressive-metal arena with a song that is stripped back and softened considerably on the versus yet retains a huge chorusthat again complements the musical style change extremely well. All in all I’d say the “three part epos” works successfully!

I guess there had to be a disappointment somewhere in the piece and Can Do It is a shocker, some way short of the high standard of the album up to this point. An ill judged attempt to marry what sounds like a Gary Glitter backing track to the power metal band’s sound it’s throwaway at best, and a new entry into the “songs that the skip button was designed for” category. Fortunately the thunderous introduction and the superb guitar work on Dreambound heralds a swift return to form and this coupled with the superb closer Heaven Tells No Lies goes a long way to erasing the memories of the one bad track, leaving the conclusion to be that Helloween are on the whole very much on form with this album.

Summary : One exception aside, Helloween stick to type and deliver an album of trademark high quality Euro power-metal . Neil Jeffries, in his review in this months Classic Rock somewhat negatively comments that this album is “good news for Helloween fans, but nothing here to touch the unconverted”, and whilst I agree with this to some extent sticking to what you’re good at and doing it this well (Can Do It aside obviously) is no crime. Mind you CR subtitle the album as “power metal four piece give the wheel a twelfth spin” which will come as a surprise perhaps one one of the five members in the band. It’s Helloween still sounding like Helloween, and for me, converted years ago, it’s so nearly everything I hoped it would be.

If You Listen To One Track Listen To : Paint A New World

Score : 4/5

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Promo clip for “As Long As I Fall”…

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BL

Wishbone Ash - Pontardawe Arts Centre, 18th Oct 07

Too many ‘name’ bands seem to have forgotten where Wales is on the map when planning a tour of the UK so it was nice to see the veteran outfit Wishbone Ash return “by popular demand” to the small Welsh town of Pontadawe following a well received performance on their last tour. It also gave me an opportunity to finally witness a band I’d never seen in concert before, one who I missed at this summer’s Cambridge Rock Festival where they took second place on the sunday night main stage bill.

Much is made of the fact that so many bands are today touring with just one member of the ‘classic’ line-up, and whilst its true that lead singer and guitarist Andy Powell is the only survivor from the early 70s, Wishbone Ash aren’t just trading on former glories. Whilst a good percentage of the set consisted of well known and certainly loudly applauded numbers it was interesting that two of the songs that ranked amongst the most memorable of the night were drawn from their current release, “Power Of Eternity”. Indeed, the impressive “The Power” and “In Crisis” were only really eclipsed for me by the oldie “Sometime World” drawn from the legendary “Argus” release and a simply stunning, main set closing version, of “Pheonix” which showcased the bands trademark twin-guitar sound in all it’s glory.

Bass player Bob Skeat (merely a nine year band member!) seemed particularly delighted with the reception from a 350ish strong Welsh crowd, and whilst Andy Powell proved his status as one of classic rock’s better frontmen, star of the night was undoubtedly his guitar wielding compadre “Muddy” Manninen, whose display not only stole the spotlight but made a £16 ticket price that initially seemed a little steep, unquestionable value for money.

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BL

New Generation Superstars - Crash Course In Rock ‘n’ Roll

Details:

• Year of release : 2007
• Label: Underdog Records
• Review format : CD

This debut album from these Nottingham based sleaze rockers is gaining quite a few well-deserved accolades. Hailed as “serious hope for British rock” by Kerrang! magazine, whilst awarding them a maximum 5K’s for a gig earlier this year, before they had even released this album, is nothing to be sniffed at. Having witnessed a recent performance of theirs, I wholeheartedly agree, they certainly do produce the goods in a live setting, though do they live up to their hype where it counts?

Twelve thundering tracks kick off at a hell of a pace, which they are destined, to keep up throughout this, no room for cheesy ballads or slow numbers here! Come Over and its mini guitar solo over a dirty rumbling bass at the beginning, immediately bringing comparisons to Motorhead. Though, I must add A.J’s vocals bear no resemblance whatsoever to Lemmy’s growling, with a style more in common with say, Phil Lewis of LA Guns. A special mention must go to the backing vocals on here, which are of a quality you wouldn’t normally associate with rock, never mind sleaze! The punching the air “hey, hey, hey” of Own Sweet Hell punctuates a rather fine slab of infectious choruses and catchy guitars. Both Overload and Dopefiend are definitely in the hook-laden territory of the Wildhearts. The former, being pretty much the bands signature tune, declaring rock and roll overload with a snot-laden attitude. Late 70’s punk influenced Done Before, boasts plenty of the album main features, whilst highlighting the fact that all subjects for lyrics have already been covered, ironically creating a new topic. Closer, Do It Cus I Can is another fine example of punk meets thrash, again incorporating a “hey man, hey man” hook to break up the thrash assault.

Summary : Well, what we have here is a top notch meshing of punk, thrash and glam, pretty much a full on celebration of everything that’s great in Sleaze! So many influences can be heard throughout, with Backyard Babies, The Wildhearts, Ramones and Sex Pistols amongst them, that it’s hard not to love just about everything on offer. Not a genre defining album, rather another great example that Sleaze is alive and kicking, ready to stake its claim on a new generation. These guys could quite easily go on to be the superstars they’re so confident of becoming.

If You Listen To One Track Listen To : Overload

Score : 4/5

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DH

Metal That Sounds Like Other Metal

We’ve got some technical problems at Rock Of Ages at the moment - Dave can’t get his scanner to work so the planned “New Generation Superstars” review is delayed. I’ve not got anything written either due to a combination of shiftwork, tiredness, bone idleness and listening to little other than “Man” this weekend. During the meanwhile (it’s not a grammar error, it’s from Monty Python!) here’s an excellent set of YouTube clips that you may or may not have seen. How many of these have you spotted before?

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

I wonder what will make Part Five?

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Bill

Led Zeppelin - Presence

Details:

• Year of release : 1976
• Label : Swan Song SSK 59402
• Review format : Vinyl

I’ll guarantee I’m not the only one reaching a little more regularly for their Led Zeppelin collection given the current resurgence of interest in the band following the reunion gig announcement however I’ll wager that not too many people will be picking Presence to refresh their memory of Zeppelin’s glory days.

Following the mighty Physical Graffiti in the Zeppelin studio catalogue and of course too late for it’s songs to have lived on through the The Song Remains The Same video release in the eighties it is in many ways a forgotten Led Zeppelin release yet its only perhaps marginally less impressive than many of the revered albums that preceded it.

Achilles Last Stand is the epic ten minute opener that would be the highlight of a career in many other bands arsenal. A stunning display of guitar work by Jimmy Page supported ably by the impressive drum battery of John Bonham, especially in those machine gun like bursts that penetrate the song periodically, and topped off with a great Plant vocal where he once more not only provides an excellent lead but also employs his voice as something of an additional instrument on occasion. A flawless masterpiece to introduce an album in typical Zeppelin form on a release encased in the strangest cover art they had yet unleashed, with that now famous obelisk adorning a number of seemingly random photographs across all four sides of the gatefold sleeve. The only thing that identified it clearly as a Led Zeppelin album was the spine, although the bands name and album title were embossed onto the front cover of the sleeve.

The rolling groove of For Your Life, itself clocking in at over six minutes, is another superb, quite laid back blues number where again Robert Plant proves to be in fine form. It’s a great example again of how a song can get lost in good company as it’s often overlooked when discussing Zeppelin finery yet deserves to be right up there. Of course in the vinyl era of the 1970s a couple of lengthy opening numbers doesn’t leave a lot of space but Zeppelin squeeze the three minute funky bluster of Royal Orleans in which provides something a bit different to the familiar sound so far and demonstrates as well as any track not just the versatility of the players but also the tight-but-loose sound Zeppelin strived for.

Like the first side, side two opens with another song that would be a classic if it didn’t have to stand comparison to the bands earlier greats. Nobody’s Fault But Mine was one of the better re-interpretations on the Jimmy Page / Robert Plant Un-led-ed project but here in its original, heavier guise it’s simply outstanding and remains one of my favourite Zep tracks. Candy Store Rock follows it and although not anywhere near as impressive, it does capture the rock ‘n’ roll influence, especially on Plant and isn’t too far away from some of his more recent solo work. Hots On For Nowhere is another track often derided as being filler, but to me just sounds like a band having fun : a stark contrast to the deep, intense numbers such as Stairway To Heaven.

In much the same way as it opens, presence closes with another epic number, this time in the guise of Tea For One, which also clocks in over nine minutes in length. It’s a superb blues number with Page and Plant again impressive on a song very much in a similar vein to the earlier blues monster Since I’ve Been Loving You. In fact this song appears so attuned to the earlier blues based albums that it may be a clue to why Presence is so overlooked. You listen to this and it just urges you to follow it up with one of the first three albums!

Summary : In any other discography listing this album would be the shining light yet when looking at Zeppelin’s overall output it clocks in someway down the pecking order. That’s not to say it should be overlooked though as in Achilles Last Stand, For Your Life, Nobody’s Fault But Mine and Tea For One it boasts four absolute classic tracks whilst even the other, somewhat lesser numbers, do their bit in demonstrating the versatility and widespread influences of this mighty band.

If You Listen To One Track Listen To : Achilles Last Stand

Score : 4.5/5

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The mighty “Achilles Last Stand” performed at Knebworth in 1979 on what was to be (it seems) Zeppelin’s final tour…

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BL