Robert Plant

When I listen to Zep these days I tend to listen to the less popular stuff. Stuff that typically didn't get radio time back in the day. I still like their hits but I think their genius is seen best in the deeper cuts.

@tomic601 Thanks. Merry Christmas.

A lot of the available footage and recorded stuff from Zeppelin's live stuff is sloppy. Often off tempo too. But like the "Minnesota Blues" (mess of the blues) medley on this BBC album, even amongst the sloppy stuff there are jewels to be found.

By the way, I am assuming this double album I have is bootleg. It does have the record company info on it but the album cover is basically a cartoonish picture of a cassette tape recorder. I'm also assuming it was recorded on cassette from the BBC broadcast and then cut onto vinyl. The sound quality isn't great.

Both times that I saw Plant the shows were incredible. What struck me more than anything else was that he seemed to be having the time of his life....playing for a crowd in Columbia, SC. I could not, and still don't understand how the god of rock and roll was having fun playing yet another show on the road in my humble home town. I came to the conclusion that he is either an incredible actor/showman or he was actually enjoying himself. I suspect it was probably both.

Either way, when the performer is performing well AND having a good time, well, that makes for a great show.

The second time I saw him he played several Zep songs. Brought the house down.

@au_lait  I think Big Log is one of, if not THE best Plant solo song of all. Takes me back to my college days while courting my first and current wife.

@re-lar-kvothe I was also devastated. I was a sophomore or junior in high school in the football locker room when one of the other football players told me. He did not like Zeppelin and thought I was weird for liking them so much and he told me in a mean spirited way. What's worse, is that my parents had tentatively given me permission to drive up to Greensboro, NC with a friend to see Zeppelin. It would have been my first solo overnight car trip.

Wonderful story about meeting Plant. I'm always a little leery of meeting my heroes. It can be disappointing. So glad Plant was cool.

@dmguaragno Agree. I've always been a bit disappointed at the sound quality of most of their stuff. Glad Plant sorted that out in his solo stuff for the most part.

@willy-t Yes! The Honeydripper's EP is excellent. My CD seems well recorded. Plant tackles these old standbys with aplomb but also with respect. Sea of Love got lots of radio time and is superb but my favorite track is Young Boy Blues. And talk about a star-studded line-up: Page, Plant, Nile Rodgers, Jeff Beck, Brian Setzer, Robbie Blunt, Dave Weckl (!) on drums, Paul Schaffer. Unbelievable really.

It was the 80s. It was Utah. What can I say?

@cycles2 said:

"As to Plant being the greatest Rock & Roll singer, I’ve seen him in Led Zepp several time in S, Florida in the late 60’s and 70’s in small and large venues and he’s nowhere close to Freddie Mercury, Roger Daltry, Rod Stewart or Paul Rodgers."

Of course there is no right or wrong in these types of comparisons. It is always a matter of opinion of course.

Of those you’ve listed I would only agree with Freddy Mercury. For pure chops and range he was hard to top. Roger Daltry wouldn’t make my top ten list even though he’s one of my top 4 or 5 favorite singers. Rod Stewart, also one of my favorites has a distinctive and soulful voice but he’s pretty much a one trick pony. Paul Rodgers is the real deal. Right on up there of course but then there is the matter of his body of work. Its pretty small. Awesome stuff but not a ton of it.

And that brings me to why I put Plant at or near the top: not only did he have the range and the power (he no longer does by his own admission), the soul, the timing, the bravado (like Mercury) but he also has a massive body of work and is still going strong. Mercury has a stellar but fairly small body of work and, alas, he’s been gone a long time. Daltry has done very little of note since the Who’s heyday. Stewart does a little bit from time to time. Rodgers is in terrible health.

So when you put the nature of his voice, how it suited and still suits his work and the fact that Plant is still touring AND putting out new work I see him at or near the top.

That is why I would always list the Stones as the best band in history and I’m not even a fan. But they were there at the beginning and are still here now. Touring and new music. And that has to count for something.