Presence by Led Zeppelin (CD, Aug-2003, Atlantic USA)

First off I'd like to state that I have even heard die hard Zeppelin fans trash this cd as their "least favorite" of all the Zeppelin studio releases...what I say to that (repeatedly) is poo-poo, and here is why: Presence kicks off with an over 10 min. epic song steeped in mythological undertones called "Achilles Last Stand" telling a great story about the hero and Greek legend Achilles leaving home and taking the journey to battle (and eventually a death by a sword slice to his achilles tendon on the field of battle), with great guitar work by Jimmy Page and outstanding wailing lyrics by Robert Plant the story unfolds. As the cd plays on your led through tales of sex, intrigue, relationships with women and a general feeling of having a great time living, partying and loving life. I must say the guitar work by Page is perhaps the best part of the whole cd (and truly my favorite, especially on "Nobody's Fault But Mine". This cd really is unlike any other Zeppelin release, but then again if you really know Led Zeppelin you've come to appreciate that all of their albums sounded different and progressed through the years into different areas.