Presence

Long out-of-print Zep LP in very good condition! Nice NZ pressing in gatefold cover showing minor shelf wear. Includes inner sleeve.

Presence is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Swan Song Records on 31 March 1976. While the album was a commercial success, reaching the top of both the British and American album charts, and achieving a triple-platinum certification in the United States, it received mixed reviews from critics and was the lowest-selling studio album by the band while they were still active.

The album was written and recorded during a difficult time in the band's history, as singer Robert Plant was recuperating from serious injuries he had sustained earlier that year in a car accident. This led to tours being cancelled and the band booking studio time to record Presence instead. The entire album was completed in a few weeks, with guitarist and producer Jimmy Page putting in several long shifts to complete recording and mixing. The title came from the strong presence the group felt working together, and the album's artwork from Hipgnosis featured several photographs centred round a mysterious black object, called "The Object".

The album is dominated by Page and Plant compositions, with only one track credited to the entire group, and unlike other Zeppelin albums features no keyboards and little acoustic guitar. Because Plant was still recuperating, the band could not tour to capitalise on the album's release and only two tracks, including ten-minute opener "Achilles Last Stand", were performed live. However, the album has been re-appraised in retrospective reviews for its hard rock dynamics and simplicity compared to the group's other work.