Questions of Style and Lateness in Led Zeppelin’s Presence

ABSTRACT

Guitarist Jimmy Page described Presence as Led Zeppelin’s best work and a response to the group’s circumstances in late 1975, while afflicted by personal trauma and collective apprehension for their future. The reflection of these tensions in the music of Presence, through introspection, difficulty, and complexity, resulting in a stylistic departure from the group’s previous albums, forms the focus of this article. The concept of late style provides a prism for interpreting musical characteristics in the context of external concerns and a means of interpreting the album within its historical moment, illuminating the uniqueness of Presence in Led Zeppelin’s catalog.

KEYWORDS:

• Led Zeppelin
• Presence
• late style
• difficulty
• complexity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Led Zeppelin’s at times uncredited use of material from existing blues songs has precipitated both criticism and legal proceedings. While the omission of attribution for borrowed material is unjustifiable, Headlam’s consideration of authorship in several songs presents a more complex perspective on the group’s use of borrowed material, arguing that in some cases Led Zeppelin’s songs may be considered recompositions rather than simply being derivative (362-63).

2. “Candy Store Rock” includes an acoustic guitar, but buried in the mix. “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” incorporates a harmonica solo, which is amplified such that it approaches the timbre of an electric guitar.

3. The performance of “For Your Life” at the O2 Arena (10 December 2007), released on Celebration Day (2012), demonstrates this.