By the end of the 1970s, Led Zeppelin had evolved beyond a typical hard rock outfit. By their fourth album, they had become something different, and by Physical Graffiti, they had transformed into a rock institution, with Jimmy Page as the grand master behind their classic licks. While Robert Plant typically crafted the melodies for nearly every song, he recalled being blown away when they first presented ‘Achilles’ Last Stand’ to him.
If they really wanted to, the group could have quit after Physical Graffiti and probably still be one of the biggest names in music. They had already turned in the most remarkable run of albums of any other group before them, so shutting the door on their legacy could have made for one of the cleanest breaks in rock history.
As they went to produce their next record, though, things already started off shaky when Plant was injured in a car accident before going into the studio. No matter how much he may have wanted to make an excellent record, the idea of performing one’s greatest vocal performances from a wheelchair would never work out all that well.
And it’s not like Presence is the go-to Led Zeppelin record or anything. There are some great moments to be found on them, but a song like ‘Candy Store Rock’ comes off a bit toothless when compared to the other epics that they had in their catalogue. It’s not anyone’s fault for a group to want to mix things up, but ‘Achilles’ Last Stand’ is more in line with what they were known for.
At ten minutes, this is one of the few songs that could have given ‘Kashmir’ a run for its money whenever they played it live. Whereas that track felt like a journey through music, this feels like being thrown onto a battlefield from the first few notes, with John Paul Jones thundering away on an eight-string bass behind Jimmy Page’s licks.
Even before Plant had touched the song, he already knew that he was dealing with musical brilliance here, saying, “‘Achilles’ Last Stand’ was prog rock gone mad, and it was brilliant. I remember when we wrote it, it was such a beautiful bird to release. The music was stunning, and when we did it live, some nights, it would be unbelievable, and other nights, it would be dreadful. But at least it wasn’t ‘Great Balls of Fire’.”
That progressive rock tag isn’t exactly by accident, either. Looking at where progressive music would be going just a few years later, bands like Rush seemed to pick up where Zeppelin left off on this song, only bringing in more characters of fiction into the mix like on ‘The Necromancer’ or telling their own epic tales like ‘Xanadu’.
Despite many claims that Zeppelin were nothing more than a cover band, this is the ultimate example of what they can do with an original composition. Page usually could play a handful of licks that caught your ear for a few seconds, but the minute that those pummeling guitars start on this track, every listener knows that they’re in for one of the most epic tales that the 1970s spat out.
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