Robert Plant 4: Now And Zen

By 1988, hair metal had started to rear its ugly head and many young bands were unabashedly either proclaiming their love for Led Zeppelin or copping their sound outright. One of the key players in this was Whitesnake, whose leader David Coverdale would soon play a part in the Zeppelin story. Robert Plant took no flattery from Coverdale’s imitation, and said so in the various interviews he gave supporting his first album in almost three years.

Now And Zen was a hair better (sorry) than his last album. For one, he’d started writing actual songs again. He also picked up a young, hungry band willing to cross technique and technology, going so far as to digitally sample some of his old band’s riffs with finesse and affection on “Tall Call One”. A quarter-century later it just seems silly (and the uninitiated should avoid the video) but hearing those samples collide all over the ending is still pretty funny.

A few of the tunes even rock. The first single was the album opener; “Heaven Knows” was brought to Robert by the writers, and was the catalyst at getting the album rolling. “The Way I Feel” is a good driving song, with tasty Strat leads that sound like former bandmaster Robbie Blunt but aren’t. The inscrutable “Helen Of Troy” doesn’t offend, while “Ship Of Fools” is quiet enough for crowds to get out their lighters.

Not everything in between holds up. One of the better tracks is “Why”, which might have been a pop radio hit for anyone else, but here it just doesn’t sound like him. “Billy’s Revenge” is a rockabilly concoction that needs to go one way or the other instead of too long. “White, Clean And Neat” is failed attempt to evoke early-‘50s nostalgia via modern sounds, but personal enough for Robert to close the LP with it; the CD added the B-side “Walking Towards Paradise”. (The current CD adds three live “bootleg” tracks, recorded on subsequent tours. “Billy’s Revenge” and “Tall Cool One” are fairly straight, but the 1993 performance of “Ship Of Fools” is longer and moodier, showing his return to more exotic sounds.)

Now And Zen was a lot of fun at the time, and sales were helped by Jimmy Page on two tracks, prompting some anticipation for Jimmy’s own solo album later that year. And in addition to the Zeppelin references on the album, Robert even added some of his old band’s songs—and not even the obvious ones—to his repertoire on his tour.

Robert Plant Now And Zen (1988)—3
2007 remastered CD: same as 1988 CD, plus 3 extra tracks