Robert Plant

This really is a great record. Like another reviewer said, it gets better with every listen. Great albums are usually like that, the more you play them the better they get.

This bluesy, twangy, folksy, swampy.......all in the right places. The production enhances the music too instead of getting in the way of it. The backing band are seriously good musicians as well. T Bone Burnett deserves a lot of credit for shaping this record.

Kudos to Robert Plant for turning down the Zeppelin reunion and touring with Alison Krauss instead. If anyone has heard live recordings of this tour then you'll understand my statement.

I only hope they issue a live album of that tour in time.

This is a truly great album on all levels. Make the purchase if you're on the fence.

The product arrived on date that was promissed. I will continue to purchase from this supplier
Denise Falko

what a bunch of off key songs. Maybe one track is worth listening to; the rest is a waste of good money.

Pretty good stuff! I have really enjoyed listening to this CD - the more times, the better it gets.

Do NOT expect this to be rock or bluegrass. BUY IT ANYWAY because both Plant and Krauss bring their very best to the table and the combination is haunting.

Great CD. I bought it for my husband, he's always been a Fats fan and he loves it. All the artists did a wonderful job. Worth every penney.

If you are a fan of Fat's or the New Orleans sound you gotta purchase this CD. This is a veritable lovefest of the Fat man and it shows in the music. You can certainly tell these folks really cared about this man, his music and the City of New Orleans. The songs keep sounding better and better. The coolest thing, is the proceeds from the sale of this CD go toward buying new musical instruments for the students from N.O. public schools and also benefit other community programs. This is a win, win propostion.

LOVE THIS ALBUM - It is packed full of Fats Domino classics performed by some wonderful new artists and some legends of our own time. This CD brings back many memories of when I used to ride around in my first car with my Fats Domino 8 track. One of the best CDs I now own.

Diversified cast performs a lovely tribute one of the fathers of American music. Must have

The reason for this CD and the status of the man in the history of his city and rock 'n roll and the plight of New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina are not in doubt but judged on the musical content alone, this double CD offering does come across as a mixed bag overall I fear.

While some of the new recordings are great interpretations (Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams and Randy Newman) some are frankly disappointments (Elton John, Paul McCartney, Los Lobos and Lennie Kravitz), but given two discs worth the chances of getting a high level of consistency was always going to be a high goal. What is the real gem however is the existence of a number of alternative interpretations which come across as real finds - my own surprises being the two Robert Plant contributions (each very different and a precursor to his more recent work with Alsion Krause and T Bone Burnett) and Taj Mahal, Toots and the Maytals and Willie Nelson in putting their own personal stamp on their interpretations.

I was left feeling after several plays that judicious choice would have produced a killer single CD rather than a variable double such as we have here.

I might be so bold as to say that 'Big Log' is one of the best songs of the 20th century. Within it there is the desperation of existence, of finding and losing love, tranquility, and restlessness, bookended by Plant's lyrics and vocal and the sublime guitar work of Blunt. It is one of the finer creative efforts I've ever experienced in any medium. If you are one of those people like me, it's not a pop song, it's a song that reverberates up and down your spine and stays with you, and haunts you a little bit.

Robert Plant hits a ultra-smooth groove with this collection of songs that wail and croon in turns. Such suaveness and hip-cool delivery frimly spike this set into a deep part of your psyche. So mellow.

i recieved pictures at eleven as a gift and was blown away by how many times i still listen to it. robbie blunt is almost as good as page.
this album is a bit longer but still just as good retaining the same elements. in all his other albums he changed his style.

a classic plant album!

Robert Plant's follow-up to Pictures at Eleven places much of his debut's style and vocal meandering into a new and more exciting bunch of songs. The mysteriousness of "Big Log," the album's first single, reached the Top 20 in the United States and in the U.K., while "In the Mood" is The Principle of Moments' finest offering, proving that Plant could roam freely with his voice and still have it work effectively. But Plant doesn't stop here, as he gives tracks like "Wreckless Love," "Stranger Here...Than Over There," and "Other Arms" an equal amount of curt abstractness and rock appeal. Because Plant's voice is so compelling in any state, the convolution of his writing tends to take a back seat to his singing in most of his solo work, which is definitely the case in most of the songs here. Plant went on tour with the Honeydrippers within the same year as The Principle of Moments' release, adding another facet to his already diverse solo repertoire. [The 2007 reissue includes live versions of three songs from the album ("In the Mood," "Thru' With the Two Step" and "Lively Up Yourself') and the previously unreleased "Turnaround" as bonus tracks.]

Originally released in 1983, this is the re-issued version from Rhino Records. There are 4 bonus tracks, and the booklet contains a small forward about Robert Plant, and the album.

I've always enjoyed an artist who will evolve, and this is what you see here. Robert Plant continued his solo career distinguishing himself from Led Zeppelin. I don't enjoy this disc quite as much as his first solo release 'Pictures At Eleven', but that's not to say that it is not an enjoyable disc.

Plant remains one of the most identifiable voices in rock history, and that is true here as well. The tracks do not hit as hard, or as raw as Zeppelin tracks, sounding a bit more studio polished, but still hold up nicely. Robbie Blunt's guitar is haunting and beautiful, especially on the hit track 'Big Log', and Phil Collins odd syncopated patterns on drums really make for a unique sound, blending hard rock with blues, and perhaps a dash of 80s synth pop.

Fave cuts for me; Other Arms, In The Mood, and Big Log. There first two bonus cuts are live versions of studio songs on the album, which don't do much for me,, but the third is a keeper,, a live version of Bob Marley's Lively Up Yourself (proving Robert Plant can be FUN!) and the fourth (Turnaround) is nice to hear because it's a studio song that was cut from the original album and really fits in.

Worthwhile!

I really liked this CD. I love classical crossover, and wish there were more bands like these girls. The only thing I don't like about them is..they seem to be about their image, and just showing off their bodies with their instruments. I just ignore it and listen to the awesome music.

My favorite tracks are 4, 6, and basically the whole CD.

I also wish these girls would hurry up and make another CD!

I own two albums by Bond including this one. Of the two, this one comes across as very fast and original w/ lively fusions of ethnic-Indi, latin mixes, and classical violin strings. A majority of their hits were featured in our famous American Diamond commercials.

Excellent album. Had I known that Bond began performing in early 2000, I would've rather much love to see them perform LIVE in concert. Hope to hear more of their unique, beautiful, classical sounds in the future.

I first discovered Bond on a cable tv several years ago and was automatically hooked on their fusion of pop and classical music. Their debut album BORN is one of my all time favorite cds. The music has a lot of energy. When the group released their follow up SHINE, I was a bit let down because the music was lacking the raw energy and enthusiasm for music that I could hear on BORN. SHINE isn't terrible or a sophomore jinx to me but I think it could have been a lot better. I think one of the problems with this cd is that the band begins to tread more into the pop territory by covering the James Bond theme and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir". The Bond theme was boring as heck but I did like "Kashmir". Hopefully the group will be able to re-capture the energy that made me fall in love with their music in the first place.

Bought this CD after reading the rave reviews. Not what I look for in music. This group seems to be more about sex appeal than music. More about production than real music--one can barely notice that there is a string quartet playing. Could only stand to listen to this once-could find nothing of interest. One heck of a photo shoot, though. SOmeone must have had a field day with that. This CD seems to be more for the sake of some sexy pictures than its music. A real turn-off.

Fans only had to wait two years for Bond to punch out another Classical/Pop/Dance album. The finished product is some of the string quartet's best work. With the return of violins, a viola, and a cello, these instruments provided the basis of Bond's Classical music sound. But to acheive the full sound of Bond, the electronic instrumention for Pop/Dance music returned as well. This time around, Bond dove further into the Classical genre and arranged pieces to match their own sound. With a name like Bond, the string quartet also performed their version of a James Bond Theme entitled "Bond On Bond", and it landed them a spot to the score and soundtrack for the film The World Is Not Enough. With the release of this remarkable record, it was clear that Bond and their new form of Classical music would not diminish.

Stand out tracks include:
"Allegretto"
"Shine"
"Fuego"
"Speed"
"Gypsy Rhapsady"
"Bond On Bond"

I had this record back when it was issued in the mid-80's. I remember Robert Plant took a lot of flak from his Led Zepplin base of fans for making a recording that deviated from the Led Zep formula. God forbid those fans ever listen to any other genre of rock.

I bought the CD for the recording of "There's Good Rockin" which has a driving rhythm, Jeff Beck on lead guitar and a fantastic horn section. There's an added bonus track of "There's Good Rockin" live.

The other tunes are pleasant enough to listen too. There's some nostalgia in this record for me too. my girlfriend, who is not my wife of 15 years, used to screw our brains out while this song was playing. Gonna give it another try on CD.

A telling thing about Robert Plant at his peak is how he would sneak on-stage with Rockpile and sing Elvis songs, or how Swan Song signed Dave Edmunds when his retro-rock was about the furthest thing from the monolithic Zeppelin of Physical Graffiti. Plant always harbored deep, abiding love for early rock & roll, a fact that was often obscured by his restlessness, too, a side that he indulged on his first two post-Zep solo albums -- glistening, modern albums with a heavier debt to Robert Fripp than Little Richard. Two albums in, he switched tactics for the EP detour The Honeydrippers, Vol. 1, an unabashedly retro-rock project that hauled out five golden oldies from the pre-Beatles era and served them up authentically, or at least as authentic nostalgia. There is a certain sense of pastiche here, particularly in how "Sea of Love" is drenched in oceans of strings, far more than on the Phil Phillips original, which manages to evoke the era of lily white pop covers in a way that no straightforward cover could, but that's part of the charm of the record. Some may find this kind of pastiche a bit distancing, even campy, but there's a genuine warmth in Plant's performance, and his ad-hoc group of Honeydrippers -- including Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page in uncredited cameos -- have a great time running through these handful of oldies, particularly "Rockin' at Midnight." It may not be much more than a lark, but it's truly fun, even if it might have been slightly more fun making it than it is listening to it. [A remastered expanded version of The Honeydrippers, Vol. 1 was reissued as part of the 2006 box set Nine Lives and was then reissued as a separate disc the following year with an extra live version of "Rockin' at Midnight."]

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page,late of Led Zeppelin,mellow out with some R&B/swing numbers like the Top 10 hit SEA OF LOVE and the Top 20 hit ROCKIN' AT MIDNIGHT. Joining Plant and Page in this ensemble is Nile Rodgers,who himself had chart success with his R&B band Chic. Rodgers had quite a workload with this album and Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN. It's understandable that Plant and Page declined to carry on with Led Zeppelin after the 1980 death of drummer John Bonham. SOL was made famous originally by Phil Phillips in 1959. The differences between Phillips' recording and the cover are no "buh-buh-buh-bum" in the cover,a key change in the cover and Plant's accenting of some of the lyrics differently than how Phillips did it. I guess that's because Plant is English(as is Page) and Phillips is American(as is Rodgers). ROCKIN' AT MIDNIGHT really swings. It got the lively 1940's sound that the fighting men of World War II were dancing to at clubs. After this album,Plant,whose solo career began in or around 1982,continued going solo. Page formed his third band THE FIRM and released an album in 1985. Recently,the surviving Led Zeppelin members re-formed with a new drummer and are currently on tour.

I bought this EP when it came out in the 80's for many it was a surprize hit. The CD remaster is great. You can hear everything very clearly. Jeff Beck's guitar solo at the end of "rockin at midnight" is vibrant. On the Ep it was faded out. Just a warning, Robbie Blunt is only on the live version and, this is not his first collab' with Mr. Plant despite what it says above. Hey, who ever thought old stuff could sound relevent?

I bought this when it first came out (in the days when I pretended to like Led Zeppelin) and I was stunned at just how bad this was. I wrote a review earlier for Shaken & Stirred which sums up this album as well - it's another slab of terrible 80s pop as well- but consider lyrics which go;

Laahten up beebee ahm in luuuv with yoo!!!
Laahten up beebee ahm in luuuv with yoo!!!
Laahten up beebee ahm in luuuv with yoo!!!
Laahten up beebee ahm in luuuv with yoo!!!

(Translation; "lighten up baby I'm in love with you")

Worst of all the main 3 note riff to White Clean and Neat is a complete rip off of the Spencer Davis Groups Keep On Running, not exactly an obscure song.

Avoid.

This is a great recording. Perhaps even one of Plants best. It also sounds great. I don't have this version, I have the original release. The original release is an all digital recording "DDD". So why I ask would there be a need to remaster? If you already own it you will not need to upgrade. Beware of marketing, Remastered...my *^%!

Released in 1988, this was Robert Plant's fourth solo album (not including the Honeydrippers). The original is 47 minutes long and these new bonus tracks bring it close to an hour.

The sound quality of the original CD was very good, especially for a CD released in the late eighties. There were many poor quality CD's released during that time, like Peter Gabriel's So, for example. Although the sound quality of the original Now & Zen was very good, it wasn't as good as today's standards. The sound could be muted and muddy at times. So, on this remastered recording, I don't know how much better the sound would be, or if it is just more of a different mix.

When this was released, it received rave reviews from the music press, especially Rolling Stone. While his earlier albums sold well, they did not get much respect. Now and Zen was the best received album both critically and in sales, hitting number 6 on the Billboard 200.

On this album, Plant partnered with keyboardist Phil Johnstone for the first. Johnstone has a very heavy influence on the sound.

This CD sounds very much like it came from the late eighties. It is as if you crossed Led Zepplin with later day disco, new wave and punk.

It is lively, energetic and has a crystal clear sound. It has that clean digital sound that most of the best sounding CD's had in the early days of the technology. It reminds me of Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms or Pete Townshend's White City.

The CD has some great songs on it, like Tall Cool One, Heaven Knows and the bluesy Ship of Fools.

However, the CD does have that late eighties sound, and it can sound a little dated now. You listen to it, and you know right off it was a product of the eighties. It does not have a timeless sound like old Led Zepplin. But, it is still very entertaining and one of the good things to come out of the eighties, before Grunge took over.

Once upon a time, rock radio programmers had the freedom and the fortitude to do and program as they pleased. And in 1988, Robert Plant's "Now and Zen" was played close to 10 tracks deep on mainstream rock stations all over this great country. This is not recycled Zep, even though "Tall Cool One" boasts of samples from Plant's youth. "Zen" represents something distinctly different from prior solo efforts. In the mix is a progressive tinge. And it was recorded all digital, making it sound like Donald Fagen meets Deep Purple at times. The painstaking production, the lack of a true zep immitation, and Plant's own ability to spin and weave a quirky narrative, make "Now and Zen" the best and most interesting work for the solo Plant. "Ship of Fools" haunts the emotions long after it's notes fade away. Doug Boyle's shameless parody of Mark Knopler's plucking make for a near perfect execution on "Fools". And even though old horse Jimmy Page solos away on "Tall Cool One" and the opening "Heaven Knows", it's Boyle who steals the proverbial show.
You also get the sense that Plant is beginning to mellow and is okay with "Dance On My Own" and "Billy's Revenge" complete with a flicker of jazz, new wave and pop all lumped in a ball. Not to worry though, Plant knows where to fill with catchy hooks and progressive tangents. "Zen" steals no pages. It expands the mystical, magical ride started on "Shaken and Stirred" and flickered a bit on "The Principle of Moments". Plant is no longer a Zep mimmicker here, he has cleverly morphed into a melting pot of past and present with new style thrown in for good measure. "The Way I Feel" sums up the theme of this collection. Plant feels less constrained by the past, but okay with it at the same time. Now and Zen is one of the most complete recordings I've ever heard. It makes sense as a collection. It finds a new niche. And it won't be duplicated any time soon. This is Robert Plant's best work to date.

This Robert Plant solo CD was good when it first came out in 1988, but is it just me? Has any one else ever considered that after those two Page & Plant reunion tours and CD releases we got in the later '90's that most of Plant's solo works were like more or less a conciliation record? Don't get me wrong, 'Now & Zen' is okay - just nothing to get all that excited about. Tunes I can still get some enjoyment out of are "Heaven Knows", the awesome middle age rocker "Tall Cool One" and "Billy's Revenge". Personally, I think "Ship Of Fools" is simply one of those all too many over-played songs that I'm burned out on. A decent catalog pick.

Originally reviewed for my blog
http://zepcowboy.blogspot.com/2005/05/mighty-rearranger-review.html

All I can say is that the album is very, very good. I'm not sure I can gush over it like some of the critics have, specifically the ones that say it is his greatest work since mid-period Zeppelin, or since Physical Graffiti, mainly because I love Presence and In Through the Out Door. However, I can safely say that it is better than Dreamland and it approaches the greatness of 1993's Fate of Nations. I don't necessarily like to compare works by the same artist. It's really purely subjective. I'm sure that 1983's Principle of Moments was very good for its time, but it may not possess the same resonance today as it might have then, especially among younger listeners. I guess I can say that virtually all Zeppelin sounds timeless to me, while some of the group's former members have produced albums that now sound somewhat dated, even if I can still appreciate them. On some songs, Mighty Rearranger has been infused with some electronica in addition to its rock and African rhythms, and in time the electronica may sound to us the same way 80s synthesizers sound to us today. For an album of this time, it's really good. Lyrically, I believe it's just as good as his best, on Fate of Nations, if not better.

"Another Tribe" starts the album. The vocals are definitely mixed to the front. The main instrument is the percussion, with some string accompaniment. The lyrics may refer to tolerance for other people's beliefs and/or culture:

"I think there may be a war in heaven
Paradise beneath the smoking gun
As every saint and small town saviour
Race to justify their chosen one
I wonder, as our world collides
I want to reach out there
Across the great divide"

"Shine It All Around" is the first single, and it's been out for a while. It features the big, pronounced drum beat and great bass line. The vocals are echoed in some places, and the guitar is nice and crunchy. This is a great pop song, and probably the wisest choice for the first single. The lyrics pertain to famine relief ("break a little bread now, share it all around..."). There's a nice short solo about three minutes in.

"Freedom Fries" - a pretty funky number, North African drum intro with the vocals coming in next, and then the bass and guitar. The lyrics are just great to this one. There's an excellent guitar solo on the "outro." Here are some of the lyrics again:

"Billy the Kid told the Prince of Thieves,
A little give and take to satisfy my needs
You can give me lots but I'll take some more
I got my eyes on your treasure beneath the desert floor
Freedom fries and burns and scars
The liberator goes too far"

"Tin Pan Valley" is next. This song has an electronica-flavored introduction with almost whispered vocals, bass and drum accompaniment. There's just a great rhythm to this track with excellent phrasing. There's a degree of irony to the lyrics given Mr. Plant's appearance on two late-night shows this week [May 2005] ...It is not until Robert yells, "Like THIS!" that the guitar really kicks in and he unleashes some of those trademark wails. Then the understated vocals return for another round until..."like THIS" everything explodes again.

Again, some lyrics:

"I come from Tin Pan Valley and I'm moving right along
I live on former glory, so long ago and gone
I'm turning down the talk shows, the humour and the couch
I'm moving up to higher ground, I've found a new way out.
There's parasols and barbeques and loungers by the pool
The late night conversations filled with 20th century cool
My peers may flirt with cabaret, some fake the rebel yell
Me - I'm moving up to higher ground, I must escape this hell..."

Next up is a really nice acoustic ballad called "All The King's Horses" that features some great picking from Skin Tyson. There's an electric guitar in the background. Sounds like Plant's vocals are doubled on the repetition of the song's title in a couple spots, which has a nice effect. There's a very fluid solo in the middle portion. This is a good campfire kind of love song.

"All the Kings horses, all the Kings men
I'll weave a circle round the sun
Throw down my arms and give my all
I'll be your soldier of love"

Track six is "The Enchanter" that has a very sensual groove to it. The drum and bass work very well together, and the guitar is serpentine in nature. There are some electronic effects, but they're in the background and do not compete with the huge backbeat and swirling guitar. If it was up to me, I would have made this song the first single. There is what some have described as a "rave-like fade out," and this is true to a certain extent, but I think it works within the song. In addition to the effects, there's Justin Adams on the bongo and a simple keyboard line repeated over again with a little bass. This is one of the best tracks, and it's undoubtedly about a provocative female. If the last song was wholesome, this one hints at the passion underneath.

"Takamba" follows, and this begins with some muted guitar and some clapping before the rest of the band enters and blows everything up. This has one of the best introductions. Plant declares, "Sing a song of freedom, write it in the sky. Pocket full of secrets, belly-full of lies...tricks and mirrors, sleight of hand - promised land." The lyrics look to be a bash of Prime Minister Blair's decision to lead the UK to war alongside the US in Iraq. A very strong song.

"Dancing in Heaven" sounds like a corny title, but this song is really quite good. Prominently featured is Skin's acoustic guitar once again, gently supported by the rest of the band and strong vocals from Robert. Nice solo, likely from Skin - and good bass work from Billy Fuller. There's a nice groove to this track.

"Somebody Knocking" - if you read my blog regularly, you'll realize that I already panned this song more than a month ago. I've tried to listen to it since then, and while it has grown on me a bit, it's still not my favorite. In the context of the album, it fits well enough. The instrumentation is somewhat rambling, but Plant's vocals definitely sound better on the CD than they did in the mp3 I've had for weeks now. The lyrics on this song are the weakest of the whole album, mostly blues cliches and variations on that theme set incongruously to North African instrumentation.

"Let the Four Winds Blow" made its live debut at the Myrtle Beach show I saw in late March [2005]. This track is similar to "Tin Pan Valley" in a way, there is a good rhythm and groove coupled with great phrasing on Plant's part. The vocals may be stronger on this track. The whole song has a kind of sauntering stride to it, a mixture of quiet confidence and with just a little bit of aggression that removes any doubt that the song rocks. More great work from the whole band and standout guitar from both Skin and Justin Adams. There is quite a bit that sounds similar to "If I Ever Get Lucky" from Dreamland and from Justin Adams' solo CD, Desert Road.

"Mighty Rearranger": The title track has a lot of the swing of the last track. The vocals are mixed a bit oddly here, with the effect of having them sound somewhat hollow with a bit of echo. The song sounds a bit tinny before the rhythm section steps in, and even then, there's something not quite right. The live version from Texas I've heard sounded superior to the album version. That said, there's some nice harmonica here from Plant.

"Brother Ray" is not much of a song. It's more like a piece of a jam that was somewhat obviously tacked on to the album as an afterthought, or as a hastily-arranged tribute to Ray Charles, or both. It sounds like everyone in the band picked up whatever instrument happened to be around them and started playing. There are no actual lyrics, just a series of "ooh" and "ahhh, yeah" repetitions from Plant. The whole thing lasts just over a minute before a few seconds of silence and then the remix of "Shine it All Around." I've heard the bonus track on the Japanese pressing, "Red, White, and Blue" and would have preferred that, either in place of the remix or "Brother Ray." I think RWB is really good. Remixes are for singles, not for albums, in my opinion.

I love the zep. Favorite band ever. As a teen I fought for Plant when all my buddies said his new stuff was terrible and in the late eighties it was terrible (Now and Zen, Manic Nirvana). But his early stuff was damn good e.g., Pictures at eleven and Principles of Moments. Fate of nations was great and then it was of course a beautiful day when he got back together with Pagey (although Page lost his mojo in...1979?) But with this record he owns it. Fifty something years old and I mean he owns it on this record. The band smokes, the production is killin, songs are great and Plant shows up and schools you. Of course he doesn't scream like a banshee -hasn't done that since 1975 for Pete's sake. But he makes a great record here for sure -much, much better than Dreamland. Highly recommended.

At first, this album struck me as an oddity. I found it entertaining, but not necessarily all that impressive. But, with repeated listens, I must admit that it's really grown on me a great deal. It definitely has its own charms, found in a combination of sounds, acoustic and electric, traditional and otherwise, that create an absolutely unique and innovative album.

There are some really top notch tracks, here. "Tin Pan Valley," "All the King's Horses," and "The Enchanter" are a strong trio and a very impressive middle of the album, which bleeds right into an incredible groove on "Takamba," perhaps the most Zeppelin-like of all the tracks on the album, and it's this great middle that really carries the entire album.

Very impressive!

This is the best CD I've heard in a long time after growing up with classic rock and of course Led Zeppelin! It is a very spiritual journey through life and love and hits home with me big time. The music has the sound of the 70's and the wisdom of today. If you like 'Fate of the Nations' or message of other Zeppelin - I highly recommend to take a listen to this one. EXCELLENT STUFF!

MIGHTY REARRANGER is a great Robert Plant CD, his second with Strange Sensation, which, unlike the musicians who backed him on his 80s/90s solo CDs, is a genuine band, much like Led Zeppelin was. This CD, like his five solo CDs of the 80s and 90s, continues to go where Led Zeppelin might have gone had drummer John Bonham been able to overcome his alcoholism. Anyone who loves Led Zeppelin will want this CD.

If you love Led Zeppelin, this album is worth having - mostly for the song "Most High" which is musically very similar to a lot of the stuff on "No Quarter," which is a much better album. The rest of the tracks are listenable, but you won't be screaming for them at a reunion concert.

"Walking into Clarksdale" has several great songs on it..."Most high"...."Heart in your Hand"....."Blue Train".....But the Sound is horrific! Where were Jimmys ears during this creation? Steve Albini should be hung by his balls.....There is so much bottom, you can`t here the drums or the bass....they come across as if you are listening to it under water!!! Take Page/plants.."No Quarter/Unledded"....Crank it up, listen....And then, without changing the volume or bass/treble...put on this cd....blagh! This needs to be Remastered right away!

I was pretty fearful about first hearing this album, since I really hated most post-Zeppelin releases, but was excited to hear this as it was engineered by Steve Albini, a recordist who I had always wished was around to help make a Led Zep reunion album.
Albini is very adept at recreating a Zeppelin-like sound for the album, and it's no wonder he was chosen as engineer, despite his dark horse status -- the drums and guitars sound terrific, and there are many details of Robert Plant's voice that were not captured on his earlier solo efforts. Jimmy Page shows off a great arsenal of different guitar sounds, and while he plays no really blistering solos, the work bears his unmistakable signature, expertly recorded to boot. The mixes have almost 3-D depth, and when turned up loud they will kick you right in the guts.

The songs here must be applauded simply for not trying to make it sound like they are young again. These are middle-aged men, with a stock of tunes that tend to favor ballads (with loud bridges, of course); the lyrics often seem to reflect on loss and aging, rather than describing elves, fairies, and cavorting with Los Angeles groupies. They sound older, but all the wiser. On "Blue Train", there is obvious and very affecting sincerity in such lines as "love's true flame dies without the warmth of your sun," -- something that would sound ridiculous coming from a younger band, but here Plant gives it an earnest quality that makes it totally believable.

It's not a perfect record. The single, "Most High", loses me after a few minutes, and the title track lacks focus even though it's based on a pretty good guitar riff. But "Shining In the Light" sounds very new and refreshing, as well "When the World Was Young," which could have sounded quite at-home on an album like "Presence".

This album won't change your life, but more or less, it rocks. Sometimes, conviction is all you need, and there's plenty of it here.

This is the last Led Zeppelin album. The songs grow on you with time and are all really great. Almost a decade after I bought this album I still love listening to it. i wish I could have heard these songs live. Zeppelin should get back together because life is too short and rock n' roll needs them as well as other classic rock bands. I hear rumors of a new album somewhere down the road, and if that's going to happen I hope they'd really do it right and make some bold social statements and offend a lot of people. These days, a lot of people need to be awakened from their spiritual slumbers.

Come on people! I was excited too when they put it out. Prolly bought it on release day, and gazed at the cover until I got it home... but lets not lie to ourselves. This disc didn't even make a good coaster. I sware there was a stain on my coffee table!!!
So many GREAT rock and roll discs, out of print, and poor kids in indonesia are still forced into pressing this peice of crap? I PUKE!

Even Amazon is too embarassed to put up song samples. Stay away.

Robert's first solo album is a must-have. The music still sounds fresh and his band had a definitely unique way of playing. The guitar player Robbie Blunt throws great ideas into the fold with Moonlight In Samosa and Slow Dancer being great achievements. As for Robert he is as passionate as in any Led Zeppelin album and obviously excited by the new soundscapes and possibilities his new music offered him. His singing is still in forward motion true to the spirit of his previous band and to think this was recorded a little more than a year after John Bonham's death makes it even more special and puzzling. I can't help but imagine a great Led Zeppelin album that never was... The remastered version is a definite upgrade and lets Pictures At Eleven show all its brilliance.

If you're looking for something different, thought provoking, inventive, and fun, This is a good album to get. The trick is to listen to it a few times because the sound (or style) is weird. To my ears and soul, this is not Led-Zeppelin's weaker second term. It is completely different than anything that you can find anywhere in music. Robert Plant's love for music and dedication to finding cool new sounds is stamped on every track. You will listen to this for years and love it more every time you listen to it.

led zeppelin is amazing but i never got any of plant's solo stuff except page&plant hehe.
if your a fan of ageless 80's music the album is very beautiful. i doubt i will like any of his other albums like this one.

p.s check out jimmy pages first solo album after zeppelin also! it's called Deathwish II soundtrack.

For his debut solo album, Robert Plant doesn't exactly succumb to everyone's expectations. With a less-potent vocal style, Plant manages to carry out most of the songs in smooth, stylish fashion while rocking out rather convincingly on a couple of others. He gets some pretty good help from guitarist Robbie Blunt, who truly comes to life on "Worse Than Detroit," and both Phil Collins and Cozy Powell give Plant enough of a solid background to lean his sultry yet surging rock voice against. Plant channels his energy quite effectively through songs like "Pledge Pin" and "Moonlight in Samosa," while the single "Burning Down One Side" is a creditable one, even though it failed to crack the Top 50 in either the U.K. and the U.S. The most apparent characteristic about the album's eight tracks is the fact that Plant is able to escape most of his past and still sound motivated. Without depending too much on his Led Zeppelin days, he courses a new direction without changing or disguising his distinct vocal style whatsoever. Pictures at Eleven peaked within the Top Five on both sides of the Atlantic, successfully launching Plant's solo career. [The 2007 reissue adds two bonus tracks including a live version of "Like I've Never Been Gone" that has Phill Collins on drums.]

i was probably 13 or 14 when this came out. so i was still longing for zeppelin. from that standpoint i latched on to this album. i forgot about it for years until i bought the remastered cd recently. now i can really appreciate robert plant away from zeppelin. this is really awesome music and more than just rock and roll. this debut shows him as a true musican and singer. very inspiring.

I can't help but love this album. Robert is in top form throughout and the music sounds big while having a soothing aura to it. Released in 1993, it has also managed to age very well as opposed to his previous solo albums which suffered a bit from a much too polished 80's sound. I would rank Fate Of Nations along with his best solo works, such as Pictures At Eleven and Mighty Rearranger. The direction had become clear and by embracing all those environmental issues Robert went straight back to his spiritual roots and delivered this great masterpiece. Highlights include Memory Song, Colours Of A Shade, Great Spirit, Calling To You and Come Into My Life. This is his last album before he joined forces with Jimmy Page for the amazing No Quarter album in 1994 and what an achievement it is. It had definitely shaped things to come and it's also one to be revisited again and again.

I am not much of a fan of the collection of works from his previous band, but most of Plant's solo albums are nothing shy of wonderful.

FATE OF NATIONS and PRINCIPLE OF MOMENTS are my two favorite albums from Robert Plant. While 'MOMENTS is more of a lush collection of esoteric moodscapes and lyrical ponderings, 'NATIONS is a testimonial to the self-destructive nature of modern man (and who would know better than a member of LED ZEPPELIN?)

Each song resonates as a separate piece with its own sound and own context, yet the album flows near seemlessly, with each song building upon the last. I cherish this album from beginning to end. Please do yourself a musical favor and listen to the FATE OF NATIONS.

At first, Fate of Nations seems so light and airy that it slips away through the layers of acoustic guitars, violins, and keyboards. Upon further listenings, more textures appear, and the album gains a calm sense of tension and reflectiveness. It's also Robert Plant's most personal record ever; he addresses the death of his son in the beautiful "I Believe." Simultaneously, Fate of Nations is a political album -- "Great Spirit" and "Network News" are two of the most socially conscious songs Plant has ever written. Yet, the album is never heavy-handed and doesn't fall into sermonizing or sentimentality. Plant has always had a folkie heart; on Fate of Nations, he wears it on his sleeve. [The 2007 edition features five bonus tracks highlighted by acoustic versions of "Great Spirit" and Dark Moon," along with a demo version of "Rollercoaster".]

Fast shipping, Cd plays fine. I will try to shop with this vende again.

By 1993, former Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant had established himself as a solo artist
That was able to still carry some zep sound and influence while applying his own loving interests with eastern styles that heralded the quality of his smooth, bluesy swooning. The cover art does show the immediate note that there are songs of social consciousness here, but don't think the Earth melting in front of the sun is some kind of global warming project album; Plant also has personal notes here both to his former beloved Zeppelin brother Jimmy Page as well as an ode to his son, who passed away years earlier. Now, after being paid tribute with the song "All of my love" on the Led Zeppelin "In through the out door" album, the loss of his son gets a new song with renewed reflection in "I believe", which is one of the most elegant and beautiful songs one could ever wish for.

The opening track "Call to you" delivers a much needed introduction, in the fact is has a brooding, hard rock feel with a mood of question and anxiety from Plant. The song "Down to the Sea" is a fast little rocker that still has the haunting, ethereal backdrops while concentrating strongly on the meanings within the lyrics. The song "29 Palms" is light and fun, with infectious guitars that create a nice rollicking rhythm.

The song "If I were a carpenter" has that deep, sonic feel to it as Plant's vocals echo throughout, with an extreme indie/folk feel that reminds one immediately of Zep days gone by. The violins and keyboards throughout this album are not always immediately heard, but definitely appreciated when one soaks in all of these timeless tracks. Then the album gears down to a Harmonic and swamp blues boogie with the "Promised Land". The Remastered CD contains five bonus tracks that include a nice acoustical version of "Great Spirit" and also another sweet acoustic song called "8.05" which is a previously unreleased song. Plant fans should relish this album with its personal messages and textured layers of catchy guitar chords and serene sound.