Rock may have reached a new and heavier height thanks to Robert Plant, but he hated what it turned into. Led Zeppelin appeared from Wolverhampton’s smoke stacks. There was no shortage of literal heavy metal in this area. By the middle of the 1960s, even that was faltering. The band thus realised that rock ‘n’ roll needed a counterbalance to all the flower power, and so they turned to the mystery and darkness of the blues.
But they always had to raise the stakes because they were up against it. Around the end of our first US tour, Plant once recalled, “I realised what Led Zeppelin was all about”. They had started out as unknown entities, chosen not to follow the traditional British invasion tactic of taking over the UK before venturing abroad, and travelled to the United States following a trip through Scandinavia.
He goes on, “In Denver, we didn’t even make the bill at first, and by the time we arrived in New York, we were trailing Iron Butterfly, and they didn’t want to continue.” Vanilla Fudge, who asserted that Led Zep was the only band capable of matching them, further validated this terrifying nature. But this combination of dark and shocking prowess also gave rise to shock rock and a lot of leather.
Plant has come to detest the heavy metal label as a result, but they remain as the pioneers. Billy Corgan famously quipped, “It’s hard to call Zep’ metal, but they did create different blueprints that are still in use in Riffland.” The reason I adore this record [Physical Graffiti] is its extreme darkness.
However, when bands realised there was money to be made from the satanic panic, that darkness alone became the blueprint. Thus, one day in an interview under an opportunely situated band poster, Plant pointed to a camp Judas Priest poster and declared, “I’m really, really embarrassed if I’m responsible for this.”
Plant went on to say, “These days, hard rock and heavy metal are just saying, ‘Come and buy me.'” I’m in league with the Devil, but only in this image. After that, I’m going to be really nice, and I’ll grow up and become a pop group manager. Plant is the only one who believes the genre has devolved into a “jaded” parody of its past splendour. For that reason alone, Jimmy Page declined to appear on Eddie Trunk’s That Metal Show in 2015.
Favourite songs of Robert plant:
- ‘Love Me’ – The Phantom
- ‘Introduce Yourself’ – Faith No More
- ‘What I’d Say’ – Ray Charles
- ‘Swift as the Wind’ – The Incredible String Band
- ‘Goin’ Down Slow’ – Howlin’ Wolf
- ‘Song to the Siren’ – This Mortal Coil
- ‘Travelling Riverside Blues’ – Robert Johnson
- ‘Lullaby’ – The Cure
- ‘A Big Hunk O’Love’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘Kashmir’ – Led Zeppelin
