"Achilles' Last Stand"
More from Led Zeppelin
(1969) Led Zeppelin
(1969) Led Zeppelin II
(1970) Led Zeppelin III
(1971) Led Zeppelin IV
(1973) Houses Of The Holy
(1975) Physical Graffiti
(1976) Presence
(1976) The Song Remains The Same
(1979) In Through The Out Door
(1980) Coda
(2003) How The West Was Won
"Achilles' Last Stand"
by Led Zeppelin
From the album Presence (1976)
Written by milindaledzep (2)
The gentle entry of Jimmy Page's guitar almost fools the listener into believing this, the longest track on the CD, to be of mellow substance. Then the thunderous entry of Bonzo's first hit of the drums confirms the track as anything but! Drumming that gathers momentum throughout as only Bonzo can deliver.
Robert Plant comes in with an almost folklore/mystical style lyrically and vocally while Jimmy Page's mini guitar riff adds the awareness of an aloof kind of presence into the listener's mind. This is coupled with Bonzo's double background beat to accompany and compliment the guitar.
Towards the end, Robert Plant comes into his own stating, "I know the way". The way to where? Perhaps another land not visible to the ordinary eye, only accessible through a third eye with Bonzo's marked out beats pointing the way!
This is an upbeat track throughout.
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yestermorrow Mar 8, 2009 8:05 AM Quote ↓
Good review, melindaledzep. I remember a review I read years ago about Presence being the beginning of the end for LZ, and in reference to "Achilles' Last Stand" it said "but at least Page goes down fighting". I've always disagreed — this song is awesome, if not quite as other-worldly, or at least not in the same way, as some of their past work. It's still a natural progression from Houses Of The Holy and strong and inventive as hell.