but in November, after Plant had sufficiently recovered, Led Zeppelin began rehearsing for an American tour. "Achilles Last Stand" was one of the first songs they attempted. Since their studio recording relied heavily on overdubs, they needed an arrangement which would work for a three-piece-plus vocal ensemble. Page recalled: The song and "Nobody's Fault but Mine" were the only tracks from Presence that the group added to their repertoire. Led Zeppelin performed it at most of their concertsoften late in the set, before "Stairway to Heaven". A live performance of the song at the Knebworth Festival 1979 was filmed, and was later released on the Led Zeppelin DVD in 2003. When Presence was remastered for the 2015 deluxe-album editions, a reference mix of "Achilles Last Stand" entitled "Two Ones Are Won" was included. Reception The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. In a 1976 review of Presence, Rolling Stone journalist Stephen Davis wrote: Achilles Last Stand' could be the Yardbirds, 12 years down the road. The format is familiar: John Bonham's furiously attacking drum is really the lead instrument, until Jimmy Page tires of chording under Plant and takes over." In a more negative view, Jon Young of Spin lambasted the song in his 1991 Led Zeppelin Boxed Set review: "Nothing could be less satisfying than ten minutes of 'Achilles Last Stand,' a simultaneously abrasive and boring ordeal." Music journalist Andrew Earles described it in a retrospective review of Presence as "a galloping, dour yet exhilarating onslaught of genuine heavy metal... 'Achilles Last Stand' can be seen as a precursor to the new wave of British heavy metal that would soon explode all over Europe". In a 2011 review of Presence published by Classic Rock Review, "Achilles Last Stand" was called the album's "tour de force" and "a true journey", though the reviewer felt that the song was somewhat long and repetitive. In a retrospective review of Presence (Deluxe Edition), Andrew Doscas of PopMatters described "Achilles Last Stand" as the band's "last true epic". AllMusic's Brian Downing called it the album's "most ambitious song... the only one that resembles the layered masterpieces from Physical Graffiti." See also List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs – "Achilles Last Stand" entries Notes Footnotes Citations References External links "Achilles Last Stand" (Live 1977) video at ledzeppelin.com (official website) 1976 songs Led Zeppelin songs Songs written by Robert Plant Songs written