Album Of The Month For February: Now And Zen

In 1985, Robert Plant reached a crossroads in his career.  His album Shaken 'N' Stirred tanked and he needed to bolster his sets on its supporting tour with songs from his 1984 project The Honeydrippers.  After a one off at Live Aid with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Phil Collins as Led Zeppelin, he briefly considered a comeback, however plans were nixed after a failed post-Live Aid appearance.  Robert took a few years off, only contributing to Jimmy Page's solo effort Outrider with vocals on one track "The Only One".  Finally in 1988, he returned to the spotlight as he released his first album in three years.  Although his songs still kept much of the computerized sound of his early work, this album sounded more natural than his first three releases.  He also brought back more of the bluesy sound from his Zeppelin years and introduced a middle eastern influence.  With this album, Robert resurrected his career and found a new sound for the next few years.

Release Date: February 28, 1988
Highest Billboard Chart Position: 6

Track Listing
1. Heaven Knows
One of two #1 hits on the record, "Heaven Knows" starts with a computerized sound leading to a hard drum beat.  It showcases Robert's rediscovered love of middle eastern music and also returns to a more natural format, although synthesized sounds still dominate the song.  Jimmy Page plays guitar on this one and helps Robert get back on track.

2. Dance On My Own
Another synth beat starts out this track, however the songwriting sounds more like Robert.  With a touch of rockabilly, Robert crafts a fairly standard rock song with a 1980s sound.

3. Tall Cool One
The other #1 song from this album included pieces that Zeppelin fans waited for years to hear: Robert accepting his previous work.  It includes samples of "Whole Lotta Love", "The Ocean", and "Custard Pie" along with Jimmy on guitar.  Before this album, he never played Zeppelin songs on tour and all but denied his existence in the band.  "Tall Cool One" signaled a return to old Robert, again writing a song with a little bit of rockabilly and blues involved.  The song was featured in a Coke ad based off of the music video.

4. The Way I Feel
At this point in the album, Robert pretty much combines his newer (well, kind of original) songwriting techniques with those of his previous solo efforts.  This sounds like a song that could easily appear on In Through The Out Door, although it is a bit more synthesized.

5. Helen Of Troy
This song is trapped by the sound of the era.  With all the new technologies and the preference for the high screeching guitar, this song sounds a little too much like hair metal.  Robert hated that term and certainly wouldn't want to create a hair metal song.  The synthesizer kills what could be an excellent piece of the album.

6. Billy's Revenge
The only track on the album void of heavy synths gets much of its influence from rockabilly like much of Roberts work in the late 1980s/early 1990s.  The guitar sounds good with Roberts voice without the computer sound and his songwriting really shines through.  He slowly moved toward making more songs that sounded like this over the next couple of albums.

7. Ship Of Fools
A standard Plant ballad, "Ship Of Fools" is almost a poor man's "In The Mood" and sounds awfully similar to "Like I've Never Been Gone" off of his first album Pictures At Eleven.  With a easy guitar guiding the song, Robert goes into his usual Western cultural reference that he had all but abandoned in his early solo work.  It was featured on the final two hour episode of Miami Vice, which gives it some 80's culture props.

8. Why
The most computer driven sound comes from this song and seems almost like a throwaway.  The lyrics aren't too complicated and the music seems fairly standard.  Not much to say about this one.

9. White Clean And Neat
Another very computerized track, Robert flexed his "I'm still not that connected to Led Zeppelin" muscles and produced another ho hum track.  It included an odd sample that just doesn't make sense so Robert didn't really finish off the original album strong.

10. Walking Towards Paradise (Bonus CD track)
This track, found on CD versions and the Nine Lives box set, is under the same vein of "The Way I Feel", except a little bit more upbeat and original.  It includes a lot of synthesized sounds, however the songwriting seems to be highlighting Robert's strengths rather than being too outside of the box.

Interesting Fact: Even though the album revived Robert's struggling career, he does not really seem to like it today.  He said in an interview with Uncut in 2005 that he could "hear that a lot of the songs got lost in the technology of the time."

Achilles Last Stand 2/18

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Down By The Seaside", Physical Graffiti
- Sonny Boy Williamson, "Bring It On Home"
- Them Crooked Vultures, "New Fang", Them Crooked Vultures
- Afro Celt Sound System ft. Robert Plant, "Let Life Begin Again", Sixty-Six To Timbuktu
- Led Zeppelin, "Rock And Roll", How The West Was Won
- Robert Plant, "All The Money In The World", Mighty Rearranger (Nine Lives Bonus Track)
- The Firm, "Spirit Of Love", Mean Business
- Led Zeppelin, "Four Sticks", IV
- Led Zeppelin, "The Rain Song", The Song Remains The Same (1976)
- Bob Dylan, "Levee's Gonna Break", Modern Times
- Led Zeppelin, "Immigrant Song", Led Zeppelin III
- The Jeff Beck Group, "Beck's Bolero", Truth
- Robert Plant, "Heaven Knows", Now And Zen
- Led Zeppelin, "Walter's Walk", Coda
- Led Zeppelin, "The Ocean", Houses Of The Holy
- Howlin' Wolf, "Killing Floor"
- Led Zeppelin, "Black Dog", How The West Was Won
- Robert Plant, "Worse Than Detroit", Pictures At Eleven
- The Yardbirds, "Train Kept A Rollin'", Ultimate!
- Led Zeppelin, "All Of My Love", In Through The Out Door

It's week two back on-air and the show is in full swing.  The album of the month review Robert Plant's Now And Zen will be up in the next couple of day.  Again gave you a taste of Them Crooked Vultures.  Check out the album review for more info on the release and check out their Youtube channel.  They not only posted the entire release, they continue to add new videos.  Here's part 1 of a series describing how the band got together:



Here's a video of the band preparing the album in the studio posted a little before the album release:



I'm still keeping my eye on new Plant solo album rumors, mostly coming from Lemon Squeezings, who says it will be called It's Rude To Say No.  Also I promise to put my breaks by Monday.  Honest.  Just got a little busy last week.  So until next time, keep reading and don't forget to listen every Thursday 4-6pm on WECB, the Underground Sound of Emerson College.

Them Crooked Vultures Review

 

After months of speculation of a Led Zeppelin comeback, all of the rumors were quieted when Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones couldn't find a good enough lead singer.  So that meant they could go back to previous projects.  Although there were some rumblings of Jones working with other stars of the hard rock world, this project came a little out of left field.  Josh Homme fronts the group on vocals and guitar, Dave Grohl moves back behind the drums, and Jones takes his familiar place on bass and keyboards.

When you first catch wind of this project, the first thought is "will this just be Queens Of The Stone Age+Foo Fighters+Led Zeppelin?"  Well, yes and no.  Josh Homme certainly brings the QOTSA sound to the group with a sprinkling of Foo Fighters from Grohl, however Jones brings a different sound than expected.  His contributions seem to follow his solo projects Zooma and The Thundertheif more than his Zeppelin work.

Overall, the album sounds very dark and dirty.  It steps outside of the hard rock idea box with a little more blues than you hear these days.  Homme sticks with his normal vocals for most of the album and doesn't really change up his style.  Grohl drops the hammer on the drums, especially on "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "Scumbag Blues".  Jones stays in the background like his normal self, however his contibutions are felt throughout.  He glues together the band much like he needed to during his day in Led Zeppelin with great bass lines in "No One Loves Me And Neither Do I" and "Elephants".  He also sneaks in a nice keyboard groove in "Scumbag Blues".

It's a good but not spectacular output from the trio.  The album seems a bit repetitive at times and no one song really shines through.  You should still pick it up if you have a chance, especially if you want to rock out.

Catch Up Time

It's been 9 months since the last time Achilles Last Stand hit the internet airwaves and much has
happened since then. Well, one really really big event occurred and the rest is mostly rumors.

The actual news: Them Crooked Vultures
After the obligatory Led Zeppelin reunion rumors for the decade, a new project quickly emerged. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame combined with Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones for a new album. They played the social media game like pros and did an excellent job of getting fans excited for the new release and tour. Although the band takes much of its influence from Homme, much of their sound comes from John Paul Jones' previous solo projects Zooma and The Thunderthief. Jones' multi-instrumental abilities shine through. The band's life span is up for question due to Homme and Grohl, however if they wanted to release another album they certainly could based off of the success of their self titled effort.

The rumor: Jimmy Page album and tour

As a fan of Zeppelin starting in 2002, I missed his last tour with Plant in 1998. He has kept a low profile since then with a few appearances here and there, including the one-off Ahmet Ertegun reunion in 2007 and joining Jack White and the Edge for the It Might Get Loud documentary. Not surprisingly he cannot keep up with the demanding schedule of a major recording artist. Even before he ravaged his body with elicit substances he had a history of health problems. At 66 he's the oldest member of Led Zeppelin and he started touring with various groups a half decade before Jones or Plant ever hit the road for the first time. He's been saying for the past few years he has songs ready to go and he received plenty of rest after three and a half decades of heavy touring. I think he'll actually get something out, however I'm not sure how long he can tour. Expect him to hit the major stops but not much more.

And the rest: Plant news
After a highly successful 2008 tour with Alison Krauss after releasing Raising Sand, Plant took it easy in 2009. He did his usual charity gigs and even received Commander of the Order Of The British Empire. Current news on him says he's recording but I've heard two stories.  Lemon Squeezings says he's working alone but rumor was that he was working with Krauss again.. Knowing Plant, he would move onto a brand new project quickly since he usually changes his image and sound every 2-3 albums. He could still break and sing for a Zeppelin reunion again, but I still don't see that happening as outlined in the past.

Achilles Last Stand 2/11

Playlist:
- Led Zeppelin, "Black Dog", IV
- Led Zeppelin, "Hot Dog", In Through The Out Door
- Robert Plant, "29 Palms", Fate Of Nations
- Howlin' Wolf, "How Many More Years", Complete Chess Recordings
- Led Zeppelin, "Over The Hills And Far Away", The Song Remains The Same (2007)
- Robert Plant And Jimmy Page, "Please Read The Letter", Walking Into Clarksdale
- Led Zeppelin, "Stairway To Heaven", How The West Was Won
- Led Zeppelin, "No Quarter", Houses Of The Holy
- Led Zeppelin, "Travelling Riverside Blues", BBC Sessions
- Robert Johnson, "Traveling Riverside Blues"
- Led Zeppelin, "Heartbreaker" into "Livin' Lovin Maid (She's Just A Woman), Led Zeppelin II
- Robert Plant, "Little By Little (Remix)", Pink And Black
- Them Crooked Vultures, "No One Loves Me And Neither Do I", Them Crooked Vultures
- Led Zeppelin, "The Rover", Physical Graffiti
- Led Zeppelin, "Baby Come On Home"
- The Rolling Stones, "She's A Rainbow", Forty Licks
- Led Zeppelin, "Good Times, Bad Times", Led Zeppelin
- The Firm, "Closer", The Firm

I'm back and the show's better than ever with a new addition to the music library Them Crooked Vultures!  So much news needed to be discussed, including the rumored releases from Jimmy and Robert.  I'll post up a wrap up of the news tomorrow in case you missed it and keep you posted of any new developments.  Album of the month should be selected by next week since there's so much to choose from. Break will be posted up in the next couple of days if you want to go back for any missed information.  I'll be back next week, same time, same place for another Achilles Last Stand, only on WECB The Underground Sound of Emerson College.

Correction

Achilles Last Stand is on 4-6pm, not 2-4.  That was the old time.  Old habits die hard I guess.  So listen in 4-6pm on WECB the Underground Sound of Emerson College.

First Show Back Tomorrow!!! Listen 2-4pm

 

Achilles Last Stand is back tomorrow!!! Wooooo!!!  Listen 2-4pm tomorrow for the best from Zeppelin along with forgotten tracks, outtakes, influences, and influencees (is that a word?).  Only on WECB The Underground Sound of Emerson College

This Month in Zeppelin for February

So every month I will have a monthly update on what happened in Zeppelin history. The first show of the month will include a This Month in Zeppelin feature where all of the important events of the month are announced. If there's an extremely important date (i.e. big album releases, deaths, births, ect.), I will talk about it as close to the date as possible as well. The list will end up on the blog. So, without further ado, this month in Led Zeppelin...

• 1969, the band had their first foray into the Billboard Top 40. They would not leave until well after their breakup.
• Feb. 28 1970, their name changes for one night in Copenhagen to "The Nobs" so that Countess Von Zeppelin, upset about the band's first album cover, doesn't sue them for using her name.
• Feb. 14, 1971, the band's long hair prevents them from being allowed into Singapore.
• Feb. 16, 1972, the release date of Houses of the Holy is pushed back due to album sleeve issues.
• Feb. 24, 1975, Physical Graffiti is released and sells incredibly well with over 1 million pre-orders already in place.
• Feb. 16, 1978, John Bonham, Richard Cole, and Peter Grant face a judge for their roles in a brawl during a show in Oakland. They all receive commuted prison sentences and a fine.
• Feb. 15, 1982, Death Wish II, the soundtrack that Jimmy Page recorded for the Charles Bronson film of the same name, is released.
• Feb. 11, 1985, Jimmy Page's new band The Firm release their self-titled album.
• Feb. 29, 1988, Robert Plant releases his 4th solo album (and 5th since Led Zeppelin broke up) Now and Zen
• Feb. 24, 1999, Jimmy and Robert win their first Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for their song "Most High"
  
• Feb. 13, 2005, Led Zeppelin receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.
• Feb. 8, 2009, Robert Plant wins Album of the Year with Alison Krauss at the Grammys for Raising Sand. They also win Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (for "Rich Woman"), Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album, Record of the Year (for "Please Read The Letter"), and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals (for "Killing The Blues"). They also performed songs from the album during the show with T-Bone Burnett.
  

It's Back....

It's been a long time since I rock and rolled (apologies for the bad pun) so it's about time Achilles Last Stand returns to WECB! You can hear the best of Led Zeppelin and more every Thursday 4-6pm. Unfortunately I have previous commitments the first week WECB returns to the internet airwaves, but listen on Thursday, February 11th for your favorite Zeppelin tunes, missed cuts, and the influences that made them great. There's much to discuss, like Them Crooked Vultures, a second Plant and Krauss album, and the supposed Jimmy Page album coming out this year. So listen in for the latest Zeppelin news, notes, and of course to let the led out only on WECB, the Underground Sound of Emerson College.