The subjective nature of music is vividly demonstrated by how what one person dislikes about an album may be exactly what another person enjoys. For example, while some may dismiss a record as being too heavy, others may see that heaviness as essential to its brilliance. This phenomenon goes beyond just listening experiences. In the case of a Led Zeppelin album, what satisfied Jimmy Page was exactly what made Robert Plant resent it.
One of the most notable aspects of Led Zeppelin is the variety of approaches they took to album production. They were willing to travel and interact with different cultures in order to better understand sound. They also used a variety of recording techniques when creating a record. However, this attitude of accepting multiple styles of music and the different ways of putting it together was often a double-edged sword.
The band heavily reflected their varied tastes in their live performances. They would frequently change the setlist, as popular songs like ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and ‘Stairway To Heaven’ were dropped from their sets as soon as the band had had enough of them. Differences in taste also meant that when albums were produced, friction was caused by the sound some members desired and how that sound was created.
The creation of Presence beautifully reflects this aspect. After releasing Physical Graffiti in 1975, critics lauded the band’s experimental spirit and musical expansion. Led Zeppelin wanted to continue on this path, so they dived headfirst into the creation of the album Presence.
Before recording could begin, a serious car accident in Rhodes involved Robert Plant. Doctors didn’t think he’d be able to walk again, so he had to record the entire album from a wheelchair. However, Jimmy Page did not let the accident interfere with the recording too much. Soon, the band was on its way to California, and the creative process began in earnest. It was an intense period that Plant and Page viewed differently.
Plant was unhappy throughout the recording process. The intense days that Page and his manager implemented, combined with being away from his family for such an extended period of time, resulted in bitterness. So much so that Plant included lyrics criticising the band’s behaviour. In ‘Hots on for Nowhere‘, he says, ‘Now I’ve got friends who will give their shoulder. When I should happen to fall / I’ve got friends who will give me fuck all’.
Page, on the other hand, enjoyed the intensity of the creative process. He was proud of the band’s effort on the album. “That was the ultimate test of that whole… lifestyle,” he went on to say. “I mean, it was 18 hours a day at a high intensity every day. You just dive in and don’t start worrying about three meals a day.”
He goes on to say that Presence is the band’s best album, or at least the one that, looking back on the sessions, I consider the most fulfilling. I mean, but that may not be the best way to determine one’s favourite album. “Every record has had its moments.”
The creator’s views frequently permeate the consumer’s thoughts. While we have different perspectives on the same piece of music, so do the people who put it together. Presence is a prime example of this, as while the process was frustrating for Robert Plant, Jimmy Page has never felt more fulfilled while writing an album.
