The sixteen version of myself did little other than listen to a lot of Led Zeppelin. A LOT. By that point I had acquired all their studio releases, assimilated every song they put out, and was (still am to some extent) an avid bootleg collector. I was also a moderator on the Achilles Last Stand forum when I was 15 but now I'm just bragging.
There were a few songs of theirs I couldn't quite get into, though. Hot Dog was and is the main offender, and I never quite dug Boogie with Stu, even though I know neither were serious songs. I didn't really care for Tea For One either. I thought Since I've Been Loving You did everything Tea For One tried to and then some, and it was just a slow, dragging letdown after the wonderful opening section that has nothing to do with the rest of the song.
I DO love the opening, though. It's 21 seconds of why they are the greatest band ever to me. That riff. It's more proof of the genius of Jimmy Page.
So anyway, one day I was sitting around the house, depressed and full of angst because the opposite gender was getting me down. I remember wanting to listen to the most depressing song I knew, and I put in Presence and went straight to this song and even though I didn't like it up until that point, I was instantly hooked. I "got" the song, right there. I listened to it over and over in the basement, just laying there in teenage misery.
Soon after, I discovered that it was similar to Since I've Been Loving You because they tried to recreate the vibe, to see how they would approach it differently six years later. I'm really not sure which one I prefer. SIBLY (sorry) has those crazy vocals and one of my favorite solos, but TFO has one of Robert Plant's most personal performances and yet another favorite solo (but for different reasons).
While they were recording Presence, Robert Plant was confined to a wheelchair because of a car crash he and his family were in. The story is that he wrote the lyrics while he was sitting in a hospital bed and his wife was in critical condition in a hospital in another country (Greece?) because she had a rare blood type and had to get it from her sister there or something along those lines. Whether I got the story right or not, Robert Plant has said that this song was the closest he ever got to being a "true" blues singer.
Sitting, looking at the clock
Time moves so slow
I've been watching for the hands to move
Until I just can't look no more
To sing a song for you, I recall you used to say
"Oh baby this one's for we two", which in the end is you anyway
There was a time that I stood tall, in the eyes of other men
But by my own choice I left you, and now I can't get back again
How come twenty-four hours, sometimes seem to slip into days?
A minute seems like a lifetime, baby when I feel this way
I recently (ten minutes ago) read about Jimmy Page's apprehension about recording the guitar solo because it had to be perfect. And it is. It's long and depressing and every note matters. At this point he was hooked on heroin, so they say, but his playing on Presence is as good as ever. Maybe a little sloppier but it fits. The brilliance was still intact.
And as for John Bonham, the whole album is almost like a guide for what made him such a great drummer. He has crazy fills and beats in every song except this one, which shows his masterful restraint with the style. The ghost notes and little triplet hits throughout are great... it would have been cool to hear him play with a jazz band.
This is a recording of a rehearsal jam that was later slowed waaaaayyy down and turned into Tea For One. The music is very similar, just faster and more in-your-face, and it sounds like Robert Plant is just improvising his part. It's only two minutes but better than 99.9% of the rest of the blues in my opinion.
They never played Tea For One live, even though Since I've Been Loving You became very Tea For One-ish at shows from 1977 on, and Jimmy Page played bits of both solos live. However, Page and Plant played it a few times in the mid-90s.
Anyone who thinks Jimmy Page lost it (or Mr. Plant for that matter) should watch this. Also Michael Lee was a really good drummer. Watch him here and then look up the video of Days of the New on Letterman. He looks just like Travis Meeks in that video. Anyway.
Oh. Also Joe Bonamassa did a good cover of this song. You can look it up if you want.
