Presence (album)

Presence
Studio album by Led Zeppelin
Released	31 March 1976 (1976-03-31)
Recorded	November 1975
Studio	Musicland, Munich, West Germany
Genre	Hard rock blues rock
Length	44:19
Label	Swan Song
Producer	Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin chronology
Physical Graffiti (1975) Presence (1976) The Song Remains the Same (1976)
Singles from Presence
"Candy Store Rock" / "Royal Orleans" Released: 18 June 1976 (US)

Presence is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by their own label Swan Song Records on 31 March 1976 in the United States and on 2 April 1976 in the United Kingdom.^[1][2] While the record was commercially successful, reaching the top of both the British and American album charts, and achieving a triple-platinum certification in the United States by the RIAA, it received mixed reviews from critics and is the lowest-selling album by the band.

The album was written and recorded in the last months of 1975, during a difficult time in the band's history. 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 as they worked together. The LP's artwork from Hipgnosis featured several photographs focused on a mysterious black object, called "The Object".

Presence is dominated by compositions by Page and Plant, with only one track credited to the entire group; unlike other Zeppelin albums, it features no keyboards and little acoustic guitar. Because Plant was still recuperating, the band could not tour to capitalise on the release, and only two tracks, including the 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.