Robert Plant, the former front man for Led Zeppelin who on Monday released his ninth solo LP “Band of Joy,” credits a good portion of his long-term career success to Elvis, and says good timing as well as a helping of luck factored into his discovery of rock music.
The 62-year-old Plant told CNN that the success of Elvis Presley in the 1950s and 1960s gave him the inspiration to delve into the world of rock ‘n’ roll.
“I was looking for a way out as I was a grammar school boy and doing three hours of homework a night and at that time it was 1961,” he told CNN.
“On the one hand, you had Eddie Cochran and Elvis telling us of another world and on the other hand I was doing trigonometry and Latin and algebra,” he added.
“I thought, well, I was very interested in history and foreign languages. But ... Could I have sung any other way? I don’t know how much more expressive you can get than being a rock and roll singer.”
In 1968, Plant formed Led Zeppelin with guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band dissolved in 1980 after releasing a slew of hit albums and influencing a generation of musicians.
Plant says that it a simple process to record his latest album, “Band of Joy.”
“It was probably the easiest record I’ve made since I was a child,” he said.
Chicago Tribune reviewer Greg Kot gave the album three out of four stars, saying that it has many high points, as well as a few shortfalls.
He wrote, “But at its best, the mix of drone and melody, electric shimmy and acoustic simplicity, can be intoxicating, particularly on haunting versions of Low’s ‘Silver Rider’ and ‘Monkey.’”
The 62-year-old Plant told CNN that the success of Elvis Presley in the 1950s and 1960s gave him the inspiration to delve into the world of rock ‘n’ roll.
“I was looking for a way out as I was a grammar school boy and doing three hours of homework a night and at that time it was 1961,” he told CNN.
“On the one hand, you had Eddie Cochran and Elvis telling us of another world and on the other hand I was doing trigonometry and Latin and algebra,” he added.
“I thought, well, I was very interested in history and foreign languages. But ... Could I have sung any other way? I don’t know how much more expressive you can get than being a rock and roll singer.”
In 1968, Plant formed Led Zeppelin with guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band dissolved in 1980 after releasing a slew of hit albums and influencing a generation of musicians.
Plant says that it a simple process to record his latest album, “Band of Joy.”
“It was probably the easiest record I’ve made since I was a child,” he said.
Chicago Tribune reviewer Greg Kot gave the album three out of four stars, saying that it has many high points, as well as a few shortfalls.
He wrote, “But at its best, the mix of drone and melody, electric shimmy and acoustic simplicity, can be intoxicating, particularly on haunting versions of Low’s ‘Silver Rider’ and ‘Monkey.’”
