이 앨범이 녹음된 뮤직랜드 스튜디오는 독일 뮌헨의 오래 된 호텔 지하에 위치해 있었는데, 교통사고의 부상에서 완치되지 않았던 로버트 플랜트는 휠체어에 앉은 채 모든 작업을 마쳐야 했다(그는 앨범 작업 내내 밀실공포증에 시달렸다고 한다). 그래서인지 이 앨범에서의 그의 목소리는 다른 작품들에 비해 다소 취약한 면모를 드러내고 있으며, 어떤 이들은 그런 이유로 이 앨범을 밴드의 가장 떨어지는 작품으로 평가하기도 한다. 하지만 앨범 자체의 음악적인 양식미와 짜임새 있는 구성은 충분히 뛰어나다. 대체로 전작의 스타일과 분위기를 잇고 있는 이 앨범은 여러 곡들의 구성 면에서 보다 세련된 형식을 취하고 있다. 영국 차트 1위에 오른 10분 여의 대곡 `Achilles Last Stand`는 그 동안 볼 수 없었던 화려한 역동성으로 무장된 작품이다.
스트레이트한 기타와 드럼 사운드가 조화롭게 펼쳐지는 빼어난 전개와 로버트 플랜트의 다채로운 보컬로 인해 이 곡은 밴드의 후반기 최고의 명곡으로 자리할 만하다. 대부분의 수록곡들은 보다 직선적이고 강한 하드 록 사운드를 담고 있는데, 넘쳐나는 에너지를 절제된 미학으로 표출해내는 `For Your Life`나 블루스를 바탕으로 한 또 하나의 대곡 `Tea For One` 역시 자주 듣게 되는 곡들이다. 또 다시 힙노시스가 담당한 커버에는 겉면과 안쪽에 총 10장의 사진이 나열돼 있는데, 각 사진마다에 등장하는 실루엣 처리된 정체불명의 `물건`은 많은 팬들의 호기심을 자극시키기도 했다. .... ....
It was an April morning when they told us we should go As I turn to you you smiled at me How could we say no all the fun to have to live the dreams we always had Oh the songs to sing when we at last return again
Sending off a glancing kiss to those who claim they know Below the streets that steam and hiss The devil's in his hole Oh to sail away To sandy lands and other days Oh to touch the dream Hides inside and never seen
Into the sun the south the north at last the birds have flown The shackles of commitment fell In pieces on the ground Oh to ride the wind To tread the air above the din Oh to laugh aloud Dancing as we fought the crowd
To seek the man whose pointing hand The giant step unfolds With guidance from the curving path That churns up into stone If one bell should ring in celebration for a king So fast the heart should beat As proud the head with heavy feet
Days went by when you and I bathed in eternal summers glow As far away and distant Our mutual child did grow Oh the sweet refrain Soothes the soul and calms the pain Oh Albion remains sleeping now to rise again
Wandering & wandering What place to rest the search The mighty arms of Atlas Hold the heavens from the earth
The mighty arms of Atlas Hold the heavens from the earth From the earth
I know the way know the way know the way know the way I know the way know the way know the way know the way
Oh the mighty arms of Atlas Hold the heavens from the earth
You said I was the only, With my lemon in your hand Exhibition is your habit, Emotions second hand. Had to pull away to save me, Maybe next time around And she said, don't you wannit? Don't you want coca coca cocaine? Hadn't planned to, could not stand to try it, friend, yeah.
Heard a cry for mercy, In the city of the damned Oh oh babe, damned Impossible to go lower, the next stop's on the ground Oh, low on the ground You want to know is it quite over, To fame and tears and losing hair And I said: didn't mean to... did not mean to fail You didn't plan it, you overran it
You wanna do it, you wanna You wanna do it when you wanna You wanna do it, do it when you wanna
When you blow it, babe, You got to blow it right Oh baby, if you fake it, mama, Baby, fake with all your might When you fake it, mama, Please fake it right
For yourself, babe, will you fake it? You're fakin' it for your life For your life, For your life, For your life Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, Do it when you wanna Do it, do it, do it, Do it when you wanna
Oh, I can have you, baby, But I don't know what to do, yeah Sometime, baby, nothin' I could do Wanna find myself a crystal, Payin' through the nose And when they couldn't resist you, I said "Just go with the flow"
And now your stage is empty and now the curtain, baby please. Fold up your show Hadn't planned to, Could not stand to, (fryin...) Hadn't planned it, I over-ran it, (fryin) For your life, For your life.
Walk the town alone, you better take care how you use it Try to make it last all night, And if you take your pick Be careful how you choose it, Sometimes its hard to feel it bite Feel it bite A man I know, went down to Louisiana, Had himself a bad, bad fight, And when the sun peeks through John Cameron he sees (sandy???) He kissed the whiskers and left and right, Whiskers! Now, now, now, A fight subsides Out at a hotel in the quarter, A friendship took a bash tonight Now love gets hot, Look far for a sea with water Grew whiskers sittin' there through the night Whiskers! Down on Bourbon street, You know it's right You can see my friend When they run around us in the night Most everywhere, Until the closet's bare Run for the razor, fun, Doin' up my hair New Orleans queens, Sure know how to schmooz it Maybe for some that seems alright, When I step out I'm struck down with my sugar She wears my cloak like fairy white Now, one town love, Take care how you use it And try to make it last all night, Take your pick Be careful how you choose it Sometimes it's hard to feel it bite.
Well... Oh baby baby. Don't you want a man like me? Oh baby baby, I'm just as sweet as anybody could be Oh baby baby, I want to look to your eyes, of blue Oh baby baby, It's more than anybody else could do
Well... Oh baby baby. You know when I see you walkin down the street Oh baby baby, Well you lookin good enough to eat Oh baby baby, I dont believe I've tasted this before Oh baby baby, I want it now And every mouthfull more of you.
Talk about you, Yeah.
Oh baby baby, You know that I wanted it more Oh baby baby, I'm about to kiss goodbye to this store Oh baby baby, It ain't the wrapping that sells the goods Oh baby baby, I got a sweet tooth when my mouth is full of you.
Ooh baby oh baby its alright, its alright Ohh baby its alright...its alright
Oh baby baby, Well now you sting me like a bee oh baby baby, I like your honey; it sure does me Oh baby baby, I got the spoon inside your jar Oh baby baby, Dont give me too much, don't make me starve
Oh baby baby, Sugar sittin on a silver plate Oh baby baby, I'll eat 'em up, I just cant wait you know Oh baby baby, You see me shakin my head Oh baby baby, Dont give me (clover?) 'cause it tastes so bad Tastes so bad...
I was burned in the heat of the moment, Oh, it could've been the heat of the day When I learned how my time had been wasted, Dear fellows I turned away Now I've got friends who will give me their shoulder, When I should happen to fall Time and his bride growing older I've got friends who will give me fuck all
Corner of Bleeker and nowhere In the land of not quite day A shiver runs down my backbone Face in the mirror turns grey So, I looked around for a hitch from a reindeer Said you oughta find him out in the day I turned around to look for the snowman To my surprise he'd melted away.
The moon and the stars out of order As the tide tends to ebb and sway The sun in my soul's sinking lower While the hope in my hands turns to clay I don't ask that my feet fall on clover I don't roam at opportunity's door Why don't you ask my advice, take it slowerv Then your story'd be your finest reward.
Lost on the path to attainment Search in the eyes of the wise When I bled from the heart of the matter I started bleeding without a disguise Now everything's finally happened Now and then you've got to take time to pause When you're down on the ground, don't be messin' around Or you'll land in a boat without oars Hey babe, Hey babe, Hey babe, I lost my way.
Hey babe, Hey babe, I don't know where I'm gonna find it.
Hey babe, Hey babe, Do you wanna know, Do you really, really, wanna help me, yeah?
Let me tell you now, babe Let me tell you That it feels so good that it must be right
Now my babe, Let me tell you That it feels so good that it must be right...
How come twenty four hours, Baby sometimes seem to slip into days? Oh twenty-four hours, Baby sometimes seem to slip into days A minute seems like a lifetime, baby when I feel this way Sittin, lookin at the clock, time moves so slow I've been watchin for the hands to move Until I just can't look no more How come twenty four hours, Baby sometimes seems to slip into days? A minute seems like a lifetime, Baby when I feel this way.
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
How come twenty four hours, Baby sometimes slip into days? A minute seems like a lifetime, baby when I feel this way.
There was a time that I stood tall, In the eyes of other men But by my own choice I left you woman, And now I can't get back again
How come twenty-four hours, sometimes slip into days? A minute seems like a lifetime, Baby when I feel this way A minute seems like a lifetime When I feel this way...I feel this way