UAWIL #105: Robert Plant - Pictures at Eleven
Robert Plant strikes out as a solo artist after the disbanding of Led Zeppelin. Were Zep fans disappointed or treated to a true artist forging a new sound?
The world had changed for Robert Plant in 1982. Led Zeppelin had broken up following the death of John Bonham in 1980. Big riff, classic rock had been replaced by punk, the new romantics, new wave and MTV was now the one place folks went to get their new music. Many of his peers from the 1970s had broken up, retired or were trying new things. So Robert put together a new band and released his first solo effort, Pictures at Eleven.
But Robert didn't want to trade on his past so he did not perform any Led Zeppelin songs for the first few years as a solo artist. He wanted to forge ahead, make new music and not have to be a jukebox for those big Zep fans. And he got a lot of help from friends like Phil Collins and Cozy Powell on the drums, new writing partner and guitar player Robbie Blunt and more folks to help him forge his new sound.
It may not be my favorite Robert Plant album but it set the tone for him as a solo artist and helped create his own sound, which was different from Led Zeppelin, and set him up for great success for decades to come.
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