Anyone who’s found themselves enjoying rock and roll over the past six decades has likely pointed to a favourite Led Zeppelin record. While die-hard fans may have their own preferences, the most popular choices tend to be the usual suspects: Physical Graffiti and Led Zeppelin IV. However, the band’s later work is often overlooked, and for one album in particular, Jimmy Page feels it deserves more recognition.

Following the release of Physical Graffiti in 1975, people questioned where Zeppelin could go from there, doubting that they had the nouse to eclipse its greatness. Expectations were mightily high, but time was of the essence, and the group returned to the studio to work on the follow-up that same year.

In an ideal world, Led Zep would have taken time off from recording and toured their most recent album. However, Robert Plant suffered a broken leg that scuppered their plans to hit the road in the States, and they retreated to the studio. The sonic space had always remained a safe one for the quartet of Plant, Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. A spot where they could be cocooned in the warmth of their creativity and allowed to thrive away from the public spotlight.

The new record presented a chance for them to recover both physically and mentally from a wild few years. Due to Plant’s injury, Page took the lead on the project, and they went to Germany to record what became Presence. In terms of sales, the album was a success and topped the charts internationally, but the general response to the record was rather lukewarm.

Despite the mixed reaction, Page still believes it stands up and is proud of the creation. “I certainly really like it. It’s a bit of a Muso’s album, though, isn’t it? So many times, I speak to people, and they say that Presence is their favourite, and it always surprises me, because you’ve got to really listen to what’s going on,” he told Louder Sound.

The guitarist discussed the conditions that were less than desirable when they made their seventh LP, but he also noted that this adversity helped influence the powerful sound of Presence. “Robert had had his accident [a car crash in Rhodes in August 1975], so his leg was in plaster in the studio. So that was a set of circumstances right there that wasn’t in script,” he added.

Adding: “So Presence was very reflective of what was going on – a lot of darkness and intensity.” But it wasn’t just the mood that seemed to have enraptured Page; it was the quality of their work too, “There’s some extraordinary stuff on there: from my point of view, ‘Achilles Last Stand’, but also ‘Tea For One’, where Robert is singing his heart out.”

It’s perhaps some of Page’s finest work as he unleashes a flurry of incredible grooves and searing riffs. However, it is easy to call this LP Bonahm’s triumphant moment as he rages across his kit like a stampede of warhorses. Typically loved for ‘Achilles Last Stand’, another Bonham moment of brilliance comes on ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’. By this point, the band were nearing ten years in the business, and the decadence of the decade was starting to creep up on them

Presence represents the end of the line for Led Zeppelin, and following the tragedy of losing his son Karac in 1977, Plant felt compelled for the band to change their musical direction for their final album, In Through the Out Door.

For Page, Presence is one of his highlights from their entire career. Additionally, the fact that it remains somewhat of a secret compared to their more notable work seems only to endear the guitarist to the record further, and he takes pleasure in it coyly flying under the radar.