JIMMY PAGE, DAVID COVERDALE AND ROBERT PLANT / LED ZEPPELIN IN 1993

Anyone with the slightest interest in this subject knows that LED ZEPPELIN were already history when 1993 began. JOHN BONHAM's untimely demise (September, 1980) ruined any chance of going on for a band whose complete and unusual musical chemistry among its four members was, perhaps, its most valued asset. They just could not survive without any of them. And yet, there was a short debate about the suitabiliy of Led Zeppelin staying together and how, and some names to replace Bonham were on the table. But that was not bound to happen. Soon after (on the fourth of December of that same year), the three remaining members, simply signing as Led Zeppelin, put the legendary outfit to rest.

But almost everyone also knows that, regardless of all the gossip concerning an increasingly unlikely reunion, one-off events and posthumous musical releases, Led Zeppelin will never cease to be. One way or another. And I'm not just talking about the memories or the degree of fondness towards the band that each of us could have. That is something which is taken for granted: Led Zeppelin disbanded a long time ago, but they never left.

In this regard, this assertion has never been truer than during some specific years. In 1985, they played as Led Zeppelin with the famed (due to his solo career as a pop rock singer, but also because of his involvement, before going solo, with the british band GENESIS, first as the drummer and later on as the singer) PHIL COLLINS on drums at the LIVE AID festival. ROBERT PLANT and JIMMY PAGE recorded together in the nineties, and the two of them, together with JOHN PAUL JONES, brought Led Zeppelin back to life once again at the show they played in London (with JASON BONHAM, John's son, on drums) by the end of 2007, paying tribute to producer AHMET ERTEGÜN. This concert was later released as a live album with the name of CELEBRATION DAY (2012). There have been a few more examples.

Well, 1993 was one of those years in which the presence of the unforgettable english band became more evident than ever. But not only because of the myriad bands (from Zep's active years, give or take, or later) that were flying the Zeppelin flag their own way back in those days (and which were experiencing much better times than those they would after the arrival of the grunge scene and its subsequent aftermath), but because of the work of the three above mentioned gentlemen.







That year, Jimmy Page (born in Heston, England, nine January 1944) and Robert Plant (twenty August 1948, West Bromwich, England) released one album each.


Both their respective musical careers followed different paths, past the Zeppelin days, and it's only fair to say that was the singer the one who adapted much better to the new situation and had the least trouble keeping himself busy and finding something new to do with his musical life after Bonham's passing. Even if at the expense of his previous band's legacy, from which he tried to stay away as much as possible, although something like that seems like a gigantic task for someone like him. With the help of the already mentioned Collins (who also played with him on some records and tours), Plant embarked himself on what would turn out to be a successful solo career.

Throughout that career, Plant and Page ran into each other from time to time (even before they began to work together as a fully fledged band), but as far as the former is concerned, he moved away at first from hard rock, folk rock and all those patterns which made him famous thanks to his time in Led Zeppelin, to dive deep into all the possibilities that the new decade had on offer. Maybe good old Collins played his part in this change of direction, but it's also true that he not only became someone very important for Plant, when it came to the music, but was also happy to play a supporting role as a musician, despite the enormous success he himself was experiencing as a solo artist and with Genesis.



An early shot of Led Zeppelin.
Page, bottom left together with Jones,
 and Plant, beside Bonham, top right




In any case, I don't think said change was that drastic for him or his audience, given what Zeppelin had perpetrated with IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR (1979), their last studio effort while still active. Thus, he released four studio albums on which he devoted himself to do whatever he wanted, exploring new ideas and clearly wishing not to be known as Led Zeppelin's former singer. Until he came back to rock and hard rock music on MANIC NIRVANA (1990), his fifth record, something he had already hinted at on NOW AND ZEN (1988), the fourth. The other three were PICTURES AT ELEVEN, THE PRINCIPLE OF MOMENTS and SHAKEN & STIRRED, from 1982, 1983 and 1985, respectively.



Iconic picture of Plant on stage,
with Led Zeppelin.




I'm no scholar when it comes to Plant's solo career and I haven't even listened to most of those records in full (or many later ones for that matter). They are a big departure from what I usually listen to and I'm mostly not very fond of them, although Plant's charismatic presence is one hell of a commanding reason to devote some time to them. But as much as this entry is focused on another one of his albums, there is a bunch of songs on those records that I like a lot, regardless of the style, and which I can't help myself remembering here. And it needs to be said that even COZY POWELL himself (one of the names that had already been mentioned as unlikely replacements for John Bonham, had Led Zeppelin been kept alive), one of the best drummers ever, played drums for him in some tracks of Pictures At Eleven.













Come 1993, the year we were looking forward to. That's when Robert Plant released FATE OF NATIONS, an album which led him to unintentionally split his solo career into that first phase and a second which, due to the circumstances, would have to wait a few years.



A more or less current picture of Plant




Let's forget about the great vocalist for now to focus on Jimmy Page, his partner in crime during so many years of music, and also of a usual and complete debauchery back in the day.



The guitarrist, a former restless and well known musical mercenary (a session musician they call it) like few before or since, spent many years paying his dues during the sixties and, of course, during the over the top seventies thanks to the juggernaut Led Zeppelin grew into, but despite not exactly becoming an unemployed musician, once his former band disapperared, he went on to keep a much lower profile and a more relaxed musical life that that of his singing friend. His addictions and a poorer dealing with his post Zeppelin life than Plant's, most likely had something to do with this as well.

He started several bands, basically what we all know as supergroups, together with some other famed musicians, but only one of them became something: THE FIRM, with another legend like PAUL RODGERS, vocalist in FREE first and BAD COMPANY later, no less. But even this affair was short-lived (two records, THE FIRM and MEAN BUSINESS, in 1985 and 1986, and little more) and, the way I see it, little successful. He wrote music for soundtracks as well (DEATH WISH II, 1982, by MICHAEL WINNER, for instance) and showed up, like some kind of traveling deity, at some well chosen shows of some of the most respected artists of the time. Two good examples would be his appearance with AEROSMITH for a couple of songs during the bostonians show at Donington Park's festival in 1990, and that same year, together with Plant at another festival, Knebworth's. He even joined the singer and Jones to play at Jason's (the aforementioned Bonham's son) wedding party. It was like he was everywhere but without actually being there or completely relevant. A more erratic story than Plant's. no doubt.

He also released his only solo album, OUTRIDER, in 1988, without too much of a fuss in any sense. Robert Plant sang in THE ONLY ONE.



Jimmy Page en los setenta, con Zeppelin




Same as I said about Plant, this strecht (and some others) of Page's career is mostly alien to me, and even more so than Plant's. And even if it's safe to say that the axeman deviated much less than Plant from what Zeppelin had been, music wise, I think there is less that stands out from his music. And besides, Plant's singing (whom I deem the genre's best singer ever, pretty much the ROB HALFORD of rock and hard rock) and his mere presence, are important and charismatic enough to make me more eager to listen to his sonic experiments from the eighties than Page's attempt to remain more faithful to Zeppelin, but with much worse songs and inferior singers.






El guitarrista, en una imagen
relativamente reciente




Until circa the end of 1991, when he teamed up with DAVID COVERDALE, WHITESNAKE's leading man and former DEEP PURPLE vocalist, who is also one of the most important individuals in all english hard rock. Apparently, Coverdale (twentysecond September 1951, Saltburn By The Sea, England) wanted to take a break from his band, weighed down by a personal rough patch, and put Whitesnake on ice for a while. I believe he even was on the verge of calling it a day due to exhaustion and how poorly their last studio record had performed, commercially wise.Whitesnake had been huge during the second half of the eighties, thanks mostly to a record like 1987 and the change in musical direction, from the usual blue collar british hard rock (what is known as guitarrists MICK MOODY and BENNIE MARSDEN era) to glam-oriented heavy metal, completely aiming at the american market. Paramount in that second version was the work of the great late guitar player JOHN SYKES, and Whitesnake grew so big that they even recruited ADRIAN VANDENBERG and STEVE VAI himself as six-stringers. But they went from that to the commercial flop that SLIP OF THE TONGUE, their 1989 album, was, despite said solid lineup. And I think Coverdale not only ended up physically exhausted after all the hard work, but also fed up of that that Whitesnake had become: a kinda fake and over the top glam parody of themselves.



Whitesnake during their most glamorous days. Coverdale
is first from the right, and Vandenberg and Vai are both
 on the left. But there's more, for Tommy Aldridge (drums)
 can be seen on top of the picture and Rudy Sarzo (bass)
 is beside the singer. The last two played, among many others,
 for Ozzy Osbourne when he released Diary Of A Madman




Page, on the other side, was eager to get even after Plant's first (if I am correct) refusal to refloat Led Zeppelin. Both him and Coverdale were then part of the GEFFEN roster, and producer JOHN KALODNER told them about the possibility to work together, to which they both were receptive, despite hardly knowing each other. But they decided to take it easy, to find out whether they could still get along with each other well after a while or not, and if they were capable of writing songs together. Because there is no need to comment on the enormous musical pedigree of them both, and the ego trip was most likely something to take into account. No one was expecting one of the halves to have the upper hand while the other one stood happily and discreetly in the shade.

The funny thing is that back in 1991, Coverdale just wanted to stay away from, or even get out of the music business, and Page was dying to get back to it. And yet, they got together.


A little bit of David Coverdale's past, prior to 1993:











David Coverdale now




This adventure did not last long, and this fact could lead us to think this was just another one of Page's post Zeppelin musical whims, but it turned out to be much more relevant on all fronts than anything the guitarrist had done since 1980. But the arrival of the grunge movement, which led to a certain indifference concerning touring in support of the album (it wasn't expected a huge demand of tickets by the hypothetical audience on par with the attention these two giants would have attracted a few years prior, which meant that just a handful of japanese shows were booked, and those took place in theatres and smaller venues than expected), and the odd misunderstanding or meddling on the management's front condemned this chapter to be areally short one, and it was over by the end of 1993, give or take.



A very young David Coverdale




But the most important thing about this thing called COVERDALE / PAGE was that its namesake album was born. And what a record that was. Not every one was all that enthusiastic about it as I was and, as I will elaborate further on, even Plant himself had his say about it, but it was warmly welcome overall (and this is something that has gotten better with every passing year). I really do think this is a great album and, in fact, I consider it the best one out of all those that Page have been part of outside Led Zeppelin. Far superior, if you ask me, than any of the two he would later on released with Robert Plant.



Coverdale / Page's promo picture




So, come the spring of 1993 and, in just a couple of months, the world of classic hard rock had once again Robert Plant and Jimmy Page each releasing an album of their own. The two of them having each a new album during the same year was something that had already happened before, but the feeling that I have is that this time, some kind of serious competition between both was in the air, no matter how involuntary it was. So far, Plant was doing his thing and Page was stumbling around, but in 1993 the guitarrist seemed to finally have all the weapons (good company and, above all, good songs) for us all to think this could be a turning point in his career, and Plant, on the other hand, released what could most likely be his most zeppelinesque album as a solo artist. In addition, and keeping in mind the memories I have from some reviews I read back in the day, I recall some interest by the media to engage both artists in some kind of rivalry (so to speak) between the two of them. It all was fed by what Plant had to say about Page's chosen partner. And all this with Mr. Coverdale as a high profile third party.



Before reviewing the music itself, I have to say that I have a very good memory. This means that I keep memories about things that I wish I had forgotten, but it also means that I can relive all the good stuff with ease. I mention this because I really have the fondest of memories of that summer of 1993, when my biggest and, most likely, sole concern was doing well at school during the winter so I could spend the whole summer without thinking about books and subjects. Anything on top of that, like attending a concert, playing sports as much as I could, or getting some girl that I found pretty to like me, were that kind of stuff which made one summer to be ranked from good to amazing. I've said some other times that nostalgia plays its part and, as much as it is something I usually try to avoid, I have no problem admitting than in this case I like to fully embrace it, for that was, for the most part, a glorious summer. This makes sense because that summer is linked in my mind to the music I'm about to review, and all the things I remember have helped me to create the opinion that I have of these two records.



I am a golden god! Plant at the Andaz West Hollywood Hotel, on Sunset Boulevard,
where he allegedly screamed that famous line from one of its balconies, in 1975.
Said place, home to many more rock tall tales and debauchery, was rechristened
 by Led Zeppelin (and not without a reason) as Riot House. They went as far as booking
 as many as six whole floors, for them and all their entourage, during the seventies




I remember, way into that summer, reading I very good review of Fate Of Nations, Plant's album, in which the new path followed by the singer, much more in vein with his Zeppelin past, was praised. The writer (and this is what I meant before) seemed interested in promoting some kind of rivalry between Page and Plant, given they both had new albums in 1993. He did not have anything bad to say about Coverdale and Page's album, and, in fact, he said he thought both this album and Plant's were going to be sold by the million during that year, but he was positive when rooting for Plant's before Page's, due to Fate Of Nations being, according to his own words, more elegant. This writer not only was way too optimistic, because if the source I've checked is to be trusted (and I guess it is) both albums remained far away from selling those figures (only Coverdale and Page sold more than one million, and by a close margin), but also was the couple who won the contest when it came to album sellings: that alleged extra  elegance found on Plant's album wasn't enough and it sold, more or less, half as many copies as the other record did.

I have my doubts, and there are times when I can pick one of the two over the other, and the other way around. And it's weird, for Coverdale and Page's should be the winner, given that it is something much more in vein with what I usually enjoy the most. It is a hard rock album through and through and, without a doubt, the closest Page has ever got to heavy metal territory. While Fate Of Nations is a much more diverse affair which, as much as it does some nods to hard rock here and there, is safer to say that it can be tagged as an adult rock album, very elegant indeed (the other one too), with its fair share of folk rock, something that is far from being that obvious on Coverdale and Page's. As for the songs themselves, there are a few on Fate Of Nations which are below par, quality wise, concerning the best ones, and this does not happen on COVERDALE / PAGE.



Bad boy Coverdale a very long time ago




In this regard, I should be positive about this, and even more so if something which rocks harder is what I'm looking for. And yet, I'm very fond of Plant's album. I love them both and they remind me of places and moments I hold dear, but Fate Of Nations excels at that even if I did not begin listening to it in full until a few years after its release and after those times that I can so easily recall when listening to it. I purchased Coverdale & Page (on vinyl, when that format had not left yet, only to come back later on and stronger than ever, my money was little and CDs much more expensive) that summer and I listened to it for hours on end. It's been a,long time (no pun intended) since I'm mostly into extreme metal and also traditional metal, but when I was much younger, I barely knew about those genres and the music that I listened to the most was (leaving aside albums by IRON MAIDEN, ACCEPT, HELLOWEEN, MANOWAR and METALLICA that I was beginning to borrow) music more akin to that on this record. You name it, THUNDER, Led Zeppelin or Whitesnake themselves, something by AC/DC and stuff by THE BLACK CROWES, THE CULT, GUNS & ROSES, MR. BIG or DEF LEPPARD, only to name some of my top bands of the moment. Coverdale and Page were just another healthy dose of the usual hard rock I was so much in love with back in those days.

At the same time, I was able to listen to some of Plant's songs thanks to a radio program which was broadcast on CADENA 100, once a week if memory serves, and which was called EMISIÓN PIRATA. I had tapes prepared to record everything on air that I might like. Those were the days. In addition, Robert Plant toured Spain that same summer and played a short but brilliant acoustic set in that station's facilities (it was on June, the 19th, if I'm not mistaken) that this same program aired soon after. I taped it, of course. You could tell the singer was in the best of moods and I remember the host's laughter every time Plant cracked a joke. He played a couple of tunes from Fate Of Nations and I mostly remember what I deem the best version of THANK YOU, from Zeppelin's second album, that I recall having listened to. I played that recording so many times it probably wore down completely.



Robert Plant, back to his usual looks




But I did not buy the album. And I'm pretty sure I never had the intention to. As I said, the money was scarce and my priorities, most likely, different. But three years later, in 1996, and after two different failures at college, I found myself working on the outskirts of Belfast. On my off days, I took the bus to Belfast city itself or visited nearby places, like a beautiful little village called Hollywood which was within walking distance, or another also coastal bigger city named Bangor. I recall spending my time overthere visiting record stores in which you could find stuff that could not be easily found in Spain, and I also remember buying, little by little, the then small discography of England's CATHEDRAL (my heavy metal taste was expanding itself). Once I was in Bangor I saw Plant's album (a second hand tape) and I did not hesitate. As time has gone by I've been able to have both records on CD (and they have to be difficult to find nowadays), but owning a tape wasn't an issue back then. I bought it drawn by the songs I had already listened to and all the things I had read about the record, and began listening to it very often while in Northern Ireland. I had my doubts, but I loved it and it helped me through a rough patch. I was still very young and scared because of being away from home, but mostly because of having no clue concerning what my future would be and where, after I had quitted college for the second time. Given the involuntary connection between the place I was born in and all things Led Zeppelin, Plant's record not only helped me, but also earned a great deal of fondness from myself, and that could be the distinctive factor which makes me rank it above Coverdale & Page very often, despite the fact that, according to my usual musical habits, it cannot be the superior album.



Belfast's City Hall. Countless hours were
spent by its surroundings




Be it as it may, both albums still have my attention and they are played from time to time, despite all the records that surround me and the endless current possibilities to listen to music. And that speaks volumes of these two records.


As for the already mentioned rivalry, I believe there was no such thing, actually. Not between Page and Plant, at least. I'm almost certain that the two of them had their tugs of war when they both shared leadership in Led Zeppelin, which is understandable, but I am also sure they have always remained friendly to one another. Otherwise, none of the ventures they have shared after 1980 could have ever taken place, and they are not few. And what's more, I remember one picture of Plant, from when he came to Spain in the summer of 1993, to open for that traveling, yawn-inducing borefest that LENNY KRAVITZ is, in which he could be seen performing, sporting a Jimmy Page shirt. I think that says it all.



Jimmy Page's number one fan




If any, there was some animosity (which I do not understand and I don't think it was fair of Plant) from the singer to Coverdale, something which wasn't a novelty. Comparisons between Zeppelin and the early british incarnation of Whitesnake had always been commonplace, which was inevitable for both bands come from the same place. And I'm not even talking about their country of origin. Even one hit like the very famous STILL OF THE NIGHT, from Whitesnake's american era, was just another reworking of the BLACK DOG riff. If we also add that said song features section played with a violin bow, just like Page had already done many tears prior with Zeppelin, you got food for thought there. It all led to both singer being also compared, but those comparisons made David proud (at least at first) while they made Robert laugh. The latter always made jokes with David's surname, implying that he was (or tried to be) a cover of Robert Plant himself (David Coverversion, he called him).

When Plant knew that Page was going to join forces with Coverdale, he wasn't enthused about it. He always praised Page's playing on the record, but he admitted not being able to understand the reason why he had teamed up with Coverdale. The media said he was jealous, and David Coverdale took offence at Plant's criticism, saying it all had felt like being stabbed in the back. He explained he felt that those comments were unnecessary, and even more coming from Plant, someone he had met a few times prior, he respected a lot as an artist and thought he shared some kind of bond with. Page, as expected, wasn't happy either, and he fired back saying it had been Plant the one who had refused to reunite Led Zeppelin so his own solo career wasn't put at risk. The gossip also brought news of Page only wanting to start this collaboration with Coverdale to make Plant jealous, which he denied. And that was all, as far as I know.




COVERDALE / PAGE


The album (to which some different names, like LEGENDS or NORTH & SOUTH, were considered) was released on the 15th of March in Europe (EMI), one day after in the States (Geffen) and on the 18th, by SONY, in Japan. It was produced by both Page and Coverdale, in collaboration with famed producer from Canada MIKE FRASER, and the front cover, who was handled by a certain HUGH SYME, featured a not very inventive idea consisting in a yellow traffic sign on which two lines met in the same direction. That sign was also present within the booklet, in several pictures taken in different locations, as if stating the union and ubiquity of the main characters. I guess.



A somehow dull artwork




The recording process was very long and took place at no less than four different studios: Vancouver's LITTLE MOUNTAIN, CRITERIA in Miami, ABBEY ROAD in London and HIGHBROW PRODUCTIONS in Nevada (the last one owned by David Coverdale). Several session musicians were used (apart from Page and Coverdale themselves) and they were distributed among the songs, with drummer DENNY CARMASSI, just to name one, standing out, for he played the entire record.


The mystery of the whole thing was finding out who, between the two leaders, was going to be the driving force. Would it sound like Zeppelin or Whitesnale? The answer to that is easy, for this album screams Zeppelin all over. Even Coverdale sound like Plant sometimes, and this fact brought some criticism towards the record, focused on the singer's alleged indecision concerning either impersonating Plant or being himself. But I don't think that's a problem, for Coverdale is such a recognizable singer. And he puts his pipes to good use on this record. That, as far as the music is concerned, because when it comes to the lyrics, is Whitesnake the band they mostly remind you of. They are mostly about Coverdale's usual stories about dangerous women, femme fatales and more women everywhere. Not that Led Zeppelin had been alien to those cliches, of course, but they dealt with them in a much more subtle fashion (the aforementioned Black Dog, about someone obsessed with a woman), even during more explicit ans sexually charged lyrics (as in the line You can squeeze my lemon, till the juice runs down my leg, taken from THE LEMON SONG, on LED ZEPPELIN II, which most likely wasn't theirs, anyway). However Coverdale always seemed to struggle with women, who mistreat him, abandon him and leave him in a state of neverending anxiety.



In Through The Out Door, the album that finished Zeppelin's studio output (their eighth) before the band's ending, was a weird record and a difficult one to stomach for every fan of the band. It means the nadir of the band's career to me, and it's an album I do not get. Even the three songs on it which I enjoy (Led Zeppelin could do something good in their sleep) have little of nothing to do with their usual sound. The remaining four are boring and completely forgettable. That's why I was surprised when I learnt that the opening riff in SHAKE MY TREE, the album's first song, is an unused idea from those days. I guess is the first semiacoustic riff what we are talking about here, anyway, instead of the other, harder hitting section of the song. But it doesn't matter, for this song is so raw, blunt and removed from any kind of instrumental ostentation, that is weird to know it has anything to do with that album or the time it was released, during which it was said that, while Page and Bonham wished to go on with the sound delivered on the great PRESENCE (the band's seventh record and much more similar to Coverdale & Page), they just could not do it because their addictions prevent them from being consistent in their studio duties, something that Plant and Jones (and his new synthetizer) unintentionally took adavntage of for In Through The Out Door to have their own more diverse and accesible mark and, why not say it, to become the flop that it mostly is (three songs, not great, but just good, out of seven, is not good for anyone and prohibitive for Led Zeppelin).

As for the music, not much else to be said. Hard rocking song with one of those riffs which start, stop and start again, and which is interwoven with that previous semiacoustic riff. Coverdale sings about Coverdale's stuff and there's some harmonica, courtesy of JOHN HARRIS, after which the song goes back to square one. No guitar solo whatsoever, no matter how strange that may seem. This was the album's second single.

I told you once and I told you twice, I ain't no schoolboy you can sacrifice.



Hard rock's new big pairing




WAITING ON YOU follows a similar pattern. I love the main riff and how the bass and the drums join later on, together with the tension that Coverdale brings with his voice, but this song gets weaker during the bridge which goes before the refrain and that's a shame because this is the part the song abuses the most of, mostly at the end. The brief guitar solo is nothing to write home about either, and neither is the subsequent and a little bit anticlimatic mellower section. The lyrics? No comment. But it's agreat song anyway, at least when it shows its best weapons.

Ever since I started drinking, my ship's been slowly sinking, so tell me what's a man supposed to do.



TAKE ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE is one of the two slow numbers on the record. When I say slow I mean a ballad of something of the sort, and this one, while is true that it never disappointed me, it has gotten better and better with the years, as time makes you feel much more identified with the subject it is about. Coverdale finds something different to sing about and this song deals with longing for better times and with those things that went bad or turned out to be tragic. He seems to be willing to hold on to someone who makes him feel better. While the two previous songs were, music-wise, much simpler, consisting only in guitar, bass and drums, this is much more sophisticated and features acoustic guitar, keyboards (courtesy of LESTER MENDEZ) and some orchestration, by someone called DOUGLAS FISCHER (this fact was known much later, and it's just Mendez and his keyboards the ones to be shown on the credits), which help reaching an amazing chorus which might be the most moving moment on the entire record. The emotional side of the band is very well channeled here and Page's solo is nice as well. Great song and third single.

Why don't you take me for a little while? Sing me songs you know will make me smile.



PRIDE AND JOY became the first single off the album and is a noisy track with some remarkable trivia about it: the main riff was written by Coverdale, who also plays the acoustic guitar, and as for Page, he plays harmonica here for the first time in almost thirty years,as I have read, plus a dulcimer, which apparently is a very exaggerated stringed instrument which he had already played, back in the day, in the great THAT'S THE WAY (LED ZEPPELIN III, 1970). All this apparent instrumental abuse could make the reader think this is a very elaborate song, but is a very simple and heavy song actually, and also the shortest one of the bunch. It simply features some acoustic moments when there's room for everything I mentioned. Carmassi's pounding on the drums is to be remarked, as on the rest of the album, and the expected guitar solos are replaced by two different ones on harmonica. The lyrics are forgettable, again, but that doesn't devalue the outcome.

Oh child, you act so wild, I'll name a hurricane after you.



OVER NOW starts with an isolated riff which shows Page as his heaviest. Soon after, the whole band joins, but although I like this song very much, I think it would have been better had it been shorter and had it dropped the acoustic guitars which come and go during the verses, for they get in the way of the aforementioned main riff. The keyboards bring a progressive flair to the track and there's a really heavy  middle section. One of the fiercest to have been played by the english guitar god, once again. He also uses the wah wah pedal, or that is what it sounds like, but that is the closest he gets to playing an actual proper guitar solo in this song. Coverdale sings in a much more restrained way, barring that middle section, and the song seems to deal with his recent divorce from the late actress TAWNY KITAEN (that one who danced in the clip of the 1987's version of the song HERE I GO AGAIN, among others). This song was the fifth and last single to be released.

You talked to me of virtue and sang a song so sweet, but all I know is I could smell the perfume of deceit.



Page and his violin bow, during Led
Zeppelin early years




As much as the previous song showed a heavier side of Page, FEELING HOT has to be one of the wildest songs he's ever taken part in. It's not only fast, but it also leaves the sensation of being in a hurry to reach somewhere as fast as it can, thanks to one riff which Page plays during the verses and which feels like a stampede. The bass gets more room to shine (JORGE CASAS) and there are some nods to the old rock & roll sound, like in the solo, which happens to be the least remarkable aspect of the song. This track reminds me somehow of WEARING AND TEARING (CODA, 1982), a very frantic song by Led Zeppelin which, funnily enough, was an outtake from the In Through The Out Door era.

Women galore is what the subject is about, and the lyrics could easily make the heads of the most stale feminists explode. They, most likely, would be the target of a big controversy, were them to be featured in something more radio friendly nowadays. Truth is, the song is spicy and sexist, for it points out at women (groupies, I guess) like mere fun objects. Dirty Coverdale...

Women to the left, women to the right, the boys are feeling hot tonight.



EASY DOES IT is one of the songs I like the least, mostly because of the long, acoustic build up of the beginning. The good thing is that I like the track anyway, because the change which the song experiences after two and a half minutes is drastic, for the better, and everything gets better from then on. You can also listen to some interesting bass lines, courtesy of a bassist called RICKY PHILLIPS, and occasional keyboards. I think this is the first time that I've noticed this, but, in all truth, you just can't accuse Page of stealing the spotlight, for there are no guitar solos in this song either. Again. Coverdale goes from the partying mood of the previous song to a softer and servile one in this one, but the lyrics are completely dull.

I'll take you anywhere the four winds blow.



Not as much as in Take Me For A Little While, but both musicians come closer to convey a truthful message with their lyrics in TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF, the other slow number on the record. Although the song cannot get totally rid of some of Coverdale's more usual and forgettable lines, the overall outcome is more accomplished and the singer manages to come across as someone sincere about what he's singing. Regarding the music, I think you can call this a ballad, with keys, acoustic guitars, a few wildest outbursts and a relaxed guitar solo by Page. More Whitesnake than Zeppelin, I guess. Fourth single.

Your smile, like a summer sun, can brighten my day, and when I'm feelin' down you chase the dark clouds away.



There could have been more music, but the
 friendship remained, at least




Coverdale & Page faces its brilliant final stretch with the outstanding DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY, one of my favourite songs on the album and its longest. This is one gigantic blues which I've always considered some sort of distant cousin of the magnificent TEA FOR ONE, by Zeppelin (Presence), although the funny thing is that it seems like the opening guitar line had been written by Coverdale, and not Page, years prior, and it had remain unused. Be it as it may, this song is much less dramatic in tone than Zeppelin's, because while Tea For One deals with loneliness, this one is about Coverdale's usual traumas. Most of the times I do not care about the lyrics, to be honest, as long as the music is good enough to keep my attention, as is the case here. But I find worthy of credit, if I come to think of it, the fact that this guy has gotten a career (and not a short one, mind you) off the ground by singing almost all the time about his usually insane relationship with women.

That main riff is wonderful and I just love how the whole thing escalates little by little until it reaches the heavy part. Same goes for an amazing guitar solo which lasta around a minute and a half. A song within a song.

Just thinking about you baby takes all my night and day.



Another long track which has an extended beginning, like Easy Does It does, is ABSOLUTION BLUES. They are also similar because they both change abruptly, but this song is heavier and better, although you can also listen to some keyboards. The chorus is great and the whole thing is filled with some details here and there which remind you of Led Zeppelin. That happens with almost the entire record. Coverdale goes back to his very own black sheep of the family role, but somehow he gets back on the good track, as the name of the song indicates.

Bless me father, I have sinned. I've broken hearts, got drunk on gin.



WHISPER A PRAYER FOR THE DYING closes the record on a high and another departure from the usual subject, for the chosen one here is the Gulf War, which had taken place a few years earlier. This song is quite long and there's room for everything, from a sombre acoustic intro to some orchestral keyboards which add a progressive flair, going through Page's brutal main riff and the high notes hit by a frenzied Coverdale. A sometimes sophisticated, sometimes heavy song, and one of the best on the album.

As trivia stuff, I remember how I thought, back in the day and half serious, half joking, which, besides the obvious musical similarities between the already mentioned Thunder (also english) and Coverdale and Page, that resemblance could be even bigger when I realized that this song began with the line I hear the sound of distant thunder echo all around, and Thunder themselves had one song, called DISTANT THUNDER (an extra track on their debut album, BACKSTREET SYMPHONY, from 1990) who se refrain said I hear the sound of distant thunder, it's coming closer every day. Both tracks also shared some sort of social criticism. The weird thing was that, soon after, and having in mind a future for the band that never came to be, David Coverdale somehow contacted LUKE MORLEY, main axeman and songwriter in Thunder (Whitesnake had headlined the Donington festival in 1990, in which Thunder had opened and, according to the media, musically belittled all the remaining bands on the bill, Whitesnake and Aerosmith themselves included, so their reputation went before them and probably both musicians first met on that day) to convince him to become Coverdale and Page's second guitarrist. As I said, none of that ever happened, but those rumours, calls or whatever they were, brought a severe crisis to the ranks of the humble band from London, due to the alleged jealousy of the band's other leader, the one and only DANNY BOWES (as another funny fact, I must admit he has to be, in my opinion, the one and only frontman within the entire hard rock spectrum who comes close to outshine Plant. He really is that good). Time after, when asked about it, Coverdale said he loved Thunder and that he could never think about jeopardizing the good health of a great english band, but the truth is that Thunder were on the brink of splitting up during those times.

The soothing words of politicians, those bodyguards of lies.












This is as far as the album, and pretty much the whole thing, went. The pair, as expected, wrote more songs than those on the record, but little is known of them (there's this one song called SACCHARINE and some unused ideas which were later on taken advantage of by Coverdale) and have never surfaced, for there was no second chapter. The many singles the album spawned had, as B sides, edited or acoustic versions of the same songs, plus some deeper cuts from the proper record. There has been talk of a reissue, but nothing has been set yet. We'll see.

As explained, the original idea of touring Europe and North America was considerably cut short to just a handful of shows in Japan, by the end of 1993, and all this caused some conflict, not between the two musicians, but in terms of management, which, together with the obvious lack of interest to see the two legnds on a stage, were decisive to call this project quits. But at least there were seven shows in the land of the rising sun, to which Carmassi remained as the drummer while some other musicians were brought on board, and during which the band its own songs, plus, of course, some Zeppelin and Whitesnake classics. It is told that, despite what happened with that tour (or lack of touring), both main men wanted to go on with the Coverdale & Page thing, but according to Coverdale, Page's manager (the same one who had not shown any interest in touring) insisted on this thing to be over. And that is what happened (also prompted by a phone call, previous to that small japanese tour, that Page's camp received from Plant's for the two of them to play one of those unplugged shows which seemed to be the coolest thing ever, back then), although I do not get how or why a manager's wishes were more important than the will to continue of both main characters. And even more so when they both remember this part of their respective careers with fondness, and there have even been rumours concerning a potential reunion. I think it is all about the money, at least to a large extent.





The reviews were mostly positive, although not always. It wasn't said this was some kind of Led Zeppelin second coming, but it was indeed said that it was as close to it as it could have been, and also that it was the best thing Plant had been involved in (not very difficult) since the end of his more than famous former band. Overall, the guitarrist's playing was praised, although Coverdale's singing was too. as if he had gone back to his previous best. On the con side, some people said it was just some sort of Zeppelin impersonation or something to big for Coverdale (who had to deal with the tough end of this criticism), who was just a Robert Plant wannabe. It was even said that Coverdale & Page was a good album if Whitesnake was kept in mind, but it was also far from being a decent Led Zeppelin record. Praising has grown bigger, like I said, with the passing of the years.





FATE OF NATIONS


Robert Plant had devoted himself to experiment with new ideas and do whatever he wanted to during the eighties, but, as such an excessive decade like that was began to fade, he seemed to grow weary of all that and chose to go back to his usual tough guy looks and to a sound much more in line with that of his former band. Manic Nirvana made that clear, in my opinion, only by taking a look at its cover. Fate Of Nations confirmed it, having many things in common with Led Zeppelin and being very organic, sound-wise. All those trends of the eighties which had reigned supreme on his first solo records were nowhere to be found. On the contrary, this is an album more focused on the folk and traditional side (and the same goes for the things he sings about, more personal and thoughtful) of the music the singer had lived with, and is a very diverse one too (with its fair share of what is known as world music, which is something that I guess has to do with the ethnic facet addressed by some songs), much more than any of those he released with Zeppelin, which is quite something, for albums like HOUSES OF THE HOLY (1973) or PHYSICAL GRAFFITI (1975) had a little bit of almost everything. And this is, pretty much, what he's done of his solo career ever since, moving away from those out of date sounds which plagued its first stage.



Strange artwork




If we had to compare this record with Coverdale and Page's, Fate Of Nations would already have a headstart by only looking at their respective front covers. Not that Plant's (courtesy of someone called MARTIN CALLOMON) is an unprecedented masterwork, mind you, but at least is more colourful and eloquent than the other one. However, there's something both albums share and which I have to remark, but this time not for all the good reasons, and that is the vast list of musicians on the payroll. On Plant's, which is the one to be reviewed, this got a little bit out of control (many more musicians and a much more diverse instrumentation) and I do not like that for, as much as it doesn't have to be detrimental to the final outcome (you are supposed to be in search of what's best for a specific song), it doesn't give the cohesive sensation which a band of four or five people does. At least, canadian guitarrist KEVIN MACMICHAEL (deceased in 2002) and bassist CHARLIE JONES took part in almost every song, and it also needs to be said that drummer MICHAEL LEE (who also passed away, still very young), who had already played with LITTLE ANGELS and The Cult, being later on part of the reformed THIN LIZZY, among others, played in two songs and was also the drummer in Page and Plant's subsequent band. Charlie Jones, who is also Plant's son in law, has played with the singer again and is now with the ubiquitous The Cult.


Fate Of Nations hit the shelves on the 24th of May, 1993, and was released by FONTANA RECORDS, although distributed by a label named ES PARANZA RECORDS (an ATLANTIC subsidiary, if I'm correct) across the pond. It was produced by the singer himself and producer CHRIS HUGHES. As with Coverdale & Page, several studios were used: London's RAK, the also english SAWMILLS and MONNOW VALLEY, in Wales.



The beginning of CALLING TO YOU introduces an acoustic guitar with an oriental flair to it (something which is a feature of the rest of the song and some other moments along the album), which is an indication of Plant's ideas when it comes to his new music, and of the adventurous nature of the album. But, before you begin to think about those considerations, the powerful main riff comes out of the blue to leave you with the feeling of having been hit by something you were not expecting. The first time I listened to this song (through the headphones of an old walkman) I even got scared due to the sudden shock. I remember it was said, back in those days, that this song was the new WHOLE LOTTA LOVE (how many times could one song or specific riff have been compared to one of hard rock's most enduring staples), a cross between KASHMIR and I don't know what, and an endless array of comparisons. It's been a long time and I never got any of those, but who cares? Calling To You doesn't need them. And what's more, the overall opinion about it has always been very enthusiastic, regardless of them. It even got a Grammy award nomination. It was the third out of the four singles this album spawned.

Great overall song and the one that gets Fate Of Nations the closest to hard rock territory (I love the guitars during the solo), but if I have to be completely honest, it drags a little at the end and, to no one's surprise, I can do without NIGEL KENNEDY's violin parts. Robert Plant himself admits that the lyrics are not easy to understand, and they seem to be about humanity's greed, as if it was a wake up call.

Calling To You has also some interesting trivia to be told. Kennedy's input happened after Plant had hired some indian musicians for them to create some kind of discordant drone below the music. But he did not like what they had achieved. A videoclip was shot as well, and there is a pendular wrecking ball constantly coming and going above the musicians. Did Plant wish to dramatize the wake up call the song seems to be about with it? But the most remarkable thing is that you can listen to him screaming Oh, Jimmy at the very end, which made people think the title's calling could be for Page, regarding his work with Coverdale. But it is Plant who should explain it, for something like that would betray his previous explanation.

Out in the blue now, just waiting to feed. A little breath of selflessness adrift in all the greed.



Music-wise, I find more difficult to comment this album than Coverdale & Page. The latter is a bunch of songs more akin to the comfort zone I am better prepared to talk about, while Plant's palette has many more colours and he seems to be willing to use them all. For example in the hardly classifiable DOWN TO THE SEA, which has little to do with the previous song. Electric guitars come and go amidst a percussion and some other instruments (whose name I do not know and that Charlie Jones is in charge of) that make clear Plant's fondness for bringing the sound of Middle East to his own music. Not that I think this song is an outstanding one, but it works in its very own strange way and, despite being far removed from the record's best moments, is also far from annoying me. And the good thing is that it brings to mind the time of the year when summer is about to begin, the sun, the sea and allthat, and that cannot be a bad sign. This summertime atmosphere is what the lyrics seem to deal with, together with the personal reflection that Plant does, as he says, with his head in the sand.

Life is a big tambourine, the more that you shake it, the better it seems.



His head is in the sand




There's no need to say that Robert Plant plays in a league which is mostly his own. That is something he already earned when he was the singer of what I deem the most relevant musical ensemble ever (at least as far as my musical tastes are concerned), but that he has also kept on showing with songs as brilliant as COME INTO MY LIFE. This track has little to do with the first two and not only is one of the best songs on the record (if not the best), but also fosters even more powerfully the special connection that Fate Of Nations has with so many good memories and some of my favourite places. It is a sombre display of complete elegance by the vocalist, partly thanks to the involvement of three different axemen (MacMichael, FRANCIS DUNNERY and  RICHARD THOMPSON), who do what they have to in a very crafty fashion, and with contributions which range from energetic to subtle, which lead into an otherwordly refrain that mixes both electric and acoustic guitars. All the nuances the guitarrists contribute the song with are simplu spectacular, and this stands out even more during the guitars solos. In addition, this song says goodbye reprising that previous refrain, but only on acoustics, as if emphasizing said farewell.

This track also features some powerful drum fills, when needed, courtesy of PETE THOMPSON, and the exotic contribution of a hurdy-gurdy (NIGEL EATON) and some sort of organ called harmonium (by the also deceased PHIL JOHNSTONE). But, as superlative as all this may sound, there's an extra something to be explained which improves the whole thing to the point that it takes the song to a new level. A stratospheric one. And that is no other than the amazing vocal input from irish singer MÁIRE BRENNAN (of CLANNAD fame). She alone, even without singing a single word, reinforces that already mentioned sombre aspect of the song and provides it with a mysterious flair which turns out to be evocative and insultingly perfect. In fact, taking into account what kind of album, as a whole, Fate Of Nations is, Come Into My Life happens to be an almost perfect song. Spectacular. Congrats to Plant for the idea and for such a well rounded outcome. I've managed to find, by chance, a demo version of this song (according to how great it sounds it could pass for an already finished alternative version) and, even if it cannot touch the one on the album, is also quite good, without such a dark tone. Although without Brennan either.

The lyrics might be about someone who is a safe haven for the singer. That kind of person who chases the bad stuff away and makes everything worth living. I guess.

Among the hollow of faces I know you're there, it must be soon.



Fate Of Nations remains almost flawless with the two songs that probably are its best known ones. They both were its two fisrt singles as well, and Plant sang them in the acoustic concert I mentioned, so they also were two of the reasons that led me to buy this album three years after. The first one is I BELIEVE (second single), Plant's new remembrance of his son KARAC (he died in 1977, aged only five, due to a stomach virus), whose demise not only devastated the singer, as expected, but also made him lose his interest in Led Zeppelin and his life as a rock star, and reconsider his entire existence. In fact, it was known that he went as far as to be willing to leave the band to become a teacher, and only Page could talk him out of that idea. Led Zeppelin wouldn't last much longer, but Plant had enough time to slip one song dedicated to Karac on In Through The Out Door, the atypical ALL MY LOVE. However, I Believe distances itself a lot from that song, for instead of mourning a loss, it celebrates the person that's gone in a manner that provides the song with an intimate and thoughtful touch, no doubt, but also with an optimistic and even joyful one, depending on the moment.

It may be the album's lightest and most accesible track, when it comes to the music, and perhaps the most radio friendly one. There are some background vocals, a chorus who aims at remaining in your head with ease and a tad hippie atmosphere, but what I like best are the verses, when Plant has more room to breath, only surrounded by guitar, bass, drums and, apparently, his own memories. It did not drive me crazy back in 1993, although I liked it, and its hit single status is evident (I do not know if it was deliberate, though), but it's been very long since I just love it. SIXTY SIX TO TIMBUKTU, a comprehensive compilation of Plant's work out of Zeppelin, was released in 2003, and it included an alternative version of I Believe (it's not noted as such, but it definitely is different from the one on Fate Of Nations), but the original one is better.

Tears of your mother, from the pits of her soul. Look at your father, see his blood run cold.



Some things stay with you to the grave




Everything said about the hit single nature of I Believe could also be said, to a great extent, of 29 PALMS (first single), only for this song to be even better and more energetic. As a novelty, it has to be noted that this is the only track on the record which does not feature any ornament or trace of the diverse insrumentation to be found on most of the songs. It's just Plant, guitar (MacMichael and DOUG BOYLE), bass (Jones) and drums (producer Chris Hughes). 29 Palms is a lively and straightforward rock number with a huge prominence of the acoustic guitars and another sentimental refrain destined to glory, both critical and commercial. Reality had different ideas, of course, although this song really was a successful single, as far as Plant's solo career is concerned. This is another proof of the singer's pure class, commanding with ease a song which is suitable for almost everyone.

The funny thing is that, despite its apparent musical simplicity, this song has much more to talk about regarding the message it conveys, and this is something which I must admit I had no idea of (even if it seems to be something much talked about in the past) until I did some recent googling. There is what is obvious about the song, which is no other than the town of Twentynine Palms, the specific place the titles refers to. It is located in the Mojave Desert and is one of the most important gateways to the Joshua Tree National Park. This is a place of unmistaken rock & roll tradition, beyond the evident connectionel that the name of the park brings to mind and which I believe needs no explanation.

But there's much more, apparently. Anyone who was old enough to be aware of what they were listening to on the radio by the end of the eighties, will most likely remember ALANNAH MYLES, the canadian singer who shook the world with her hit BLACK VELVET (a tribute to ELVIS PRESLEY), found on her namesake debut album from 1989. If, for some strange reason, the name of the song does not ring any bells, it just needs to be listened to. To imply this is a famous song, means doing little justice to it, and it even won the singer a Grammy award, in addition to many other accomplishments, to the point that, as far as my knowledge reaches, Alannah Myles became Canada's big female artist until the even noisier apparition of the soon after omnipresent ALANIS MORISSETTE. But that's another story. I, for one, listened a lot to Myles' great second album, ROCKINGHORSE (1992), during the time when the records by Page, Coverdale and Plant were released (Alannah's first one, oddly enough, was also purchased by myself when I found that Fate Of Nations tape in Northern Ireland, and I'd dare to say that it happened on the very same day I bought said tape; as strange as it gets), before her fame soon began to fade. It seems like Myles and her band opened for Plant on Manic Nirvana's tour and, given what I've read, is crystal clear that both characters shared much more than just a few shows. That's why she could very well be the woman the words in 29 Palms refer to, amidst the scorching atmosphere of the desert which surrounds the town this song is named after. This assumption is backed by the line of the song which says her velvet glove. Robert Plant remained ambiguous about this, but he always made clear his enormous respect for Myles on all fronts.

But we're not done yet. It was also said that those statements could have been aimed, either to prevent his situation with another woman from worsening, or that, perhaps, 29 Palms was simply about that very same woman. We are talking about SHIRLEY WILSON. This person not only was his significant other, more or less around this time (or up until then), but also was her ex MAUREEN's (Karac's mum and the subject of the wonderful Thank You) sister, therefore all the gossip which links such a sentimental somersault with lines like A fool in love, a crazy situation or strange infatuation. But, as I said, it could also be that Plant just did not want to openly admit his involvement with Alannah Myles to protect and respect Wilson, with whom his time was over.

Be it as it may, we're talking about someone who, apparently, managed to date the female rock singer of the moment (stunningly beautiful, by the way), while he was ending his relationship with another woman who also happened to be the sister of his ex wife. Step aside Coverdale, please, you apprentice.

The heat and the dust increase my desolation.









Alannah Myles, todo terciopelo negro




After all the gossip and extra-musical stuff, is time for the next song, MEMORY SONG (HELLO, HELLO). It opens a stretch of the album which lowers its musical quality level a little, and the least good songs on Fate Of Nations are in it (to which I'd add Down To The Sea). This is one of the main differences with Coverdale & Page, for nothing of the sort happens on that other record. Having said that, neither this entry is only about the music, nor what I've just said means I dislike these songs. They are simply a notch or two below the best ones. Memory Song is kind of weird, because it goes from the melancholy of the main riff to happier and even a little bit trippy moments, which remind me of more peculiar stuff by Led Zeppelin, like those strange parts in FOUR STICKS, or something similar. Truth is, this is not a go-to song for me and I never listen to it on its own (only when I play the whole record in its entirety), but it's not bad. It has its moments, like the unexpected bit around the third minute (when Plant says you touch my soul and starts singing hello, hello), which is good. In fact, that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about this track. I find the lyrics quite hippie and psychedelic and I have no clue what they are about.

In my dreams you've come to call. You are my friend. You touch my soul.



IF I WERE A CARPENTER is a cover of the folk song by american singer TIM HARDIN. It became the fourth and last single off Fate Of Nations. It feels a little bit long, to be honest, although it's not (it's the shortest track on the record), and it only works for me in the beginning, when the song is commanded by Plant's voice and the acoustic guitar only. The rest is a tad boring, with some strings and more instruments. The outcome is pleasant though, but that is not enough to prevent it from being the song I like the least on the whole album. A woman's interest and devotion for the narrator is put to the test in the lyrics through several humble trades which come and go and symbolize the ebb and flow of life itself.

If I worked my hands in wood, would you still love me?



In 2021, famed english heavy metal band Iron Maiden released SENJUTSU, its last studio output for now. As the first single, Maiden chose a song called THE WRITING ON THE WALL. The isolated and mysterious acoustic guitar at the start, together with the howling of the wind on the background, make the listener feel they are about to witness some kind of duel in a western movie. When I first listened to it I thought it reminded me of something familiar. Exactly. Because, after thirty seconds, Maiden's song gives way to the electric heavy riffing and both songs stop having something in common, but that acoustic intro is very similar to the beginning of COLOURS OF A SHADE, the next track on Fate Of Nations. As much as this song suffers from, in my opinion, the same fault which damages the previous one, when it distants itself from its glorious acoustic beginning to add more instrumentation (mostly courtesy of english multi-instrumentalist MARTIN ALLCOCK), it is also true that this is a track so good that it cannot be counted among the least remarkable songs on the album. In this regard, it feels out of place within the aforementioned less good stretch. In fact, its first two minutes are gold, although it loses steam afterwards, when the mandolin and the bagpipe enter. But it is a great song anyway, and it excels at accomplishing a very evocative atmosphere, mostly at the beginning. The lyrics are, once again, too cryptic for me to understand, but perhaps they are about someone who is saying their goodby before facing adversity, shaped as a long journey or something like that. I believe this song is not present on every edition of the album, for I've read some reviews which do not even mention it, despite going into detail over the rest of the tracks.

I face the wind, I have no choice, but you must guard the hearth.



PROMISED LAND reminds me more of Zeppelin, but slightly. And only because of its starting riff (the celebrated WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS comes to mind, also because an harmonica is featured; I guess this instrument is taken care of by Charlie Jones, because I find nothing concerning this within the credits and he usually handles most of the instruments, but is weird, for Plant uses to play the harmonica) and some of the harder rocking parts, because this track also entangles itself with some other details which remove it from the usual patterns of the legendary band. As a novelty, Plant plays guitar in this one. And little else. Good, but far from the awesomeness of many other moments on the album. Same as 29 Palms, the subject enters Coverdale territory somehow, but only because that promised land the song is named after seems to be a woman. Apart from that, Plant doesn't seem to suffer from Coverdale's regular issues with the opposite sex.

I go crazy, my head won't quit as I crawl inside your love groove.



On stage




Promised Land's ending joins the first moments of THE GREATEST GIFT, which opens the album's  amazing last quarter. This song, the longest one on the album and a proper ballad through and through, brings to the table (and this time in a spectacular fashion) all the at instrumental excess which I could do without in some other songs, although if I have to be honest, said excess shortens to a piano and a fine usage of some string arrangements. This is not your average tear-inducing ballad, and someone in a suit and a tie singing this kind of song is what comes to mind first, but Plant makes this track his own as if he had only been born to sing stuff like this. It's not a perfect song, of course, and in spite of admitting the good taste and everything else which the strings provide the song with, I'd rather have a smaller prominence on that front. But the refrain is quite good, Plant sings like the god he is, and the guitar solo and the ending are just great. I'd be hard pressed to find a song with all these elements that I could enjoy this much. This is about the singer's sincere display of devotion for a woman, but apart from that, who knows?

And if I should dream, I could dream of no other.



Time for the last two tracks on Fate Of Nations. Two songs with little in common, music-wise (apart from the two of them being quite lengthy), but which share musical quality and, somehow, a subject to deal with (in their lyrics) and some kind of status when compared to the rest of the tracks as well. As for the lyrics of the two tracks, the similarities between them summarize themselves in the fact that both songs are the only ones with some sort of social awareness. Regarding their higher status over the other songs, that's something that came to mind when I realized that these are the only songs whose lyrics can be found inside the album's booklet, next to the credits. And what's more, all the physical space within that booklet, that you could think it was supposed to be destined to make room for the texts of the remaining songs, is occupied by several pictures which, having the kids on the front cover as the main characters, develop what is seen on said cover (global warning, apparently), together with the remembrance of some events (much more up to date during those days) which document the deterioration, mostly environmental and human, of the planet. I've read something about Plant wishing to leave behind himself any link between his then current self and that of the singer who, twenty years earlier, had sung stuff like the one which can be listened to in the already mentioned The Lemon Song, just to name one example. I guess you can say he achieved his goal.

The first one is GREAT SPIRIT, a song I like very much, but whose musical contents I could not tag or define if I had to. It's laid back, very slow (or at least that is the sensation you get when listening to it) and not for everyone, definitely, but it has many nuances by the guitarists to be remarked and which bring this track closer to what I said about Come Into My Life. It's the kind of song that you usually envision yourself driving through an amazing landscape, windows open on a sunny day, when listened to. This idea is reinforced by the environmental message of the lyrics.

Who hears the Earth that cries beneath the burning rain?



NETWORK NEWS closes the album and is another long track with some details that, same as some previous songs, leave me with the sensation of being listening to something which would not be out of place in some moments of Led Zeppelin's career, even if those were some of the most experimental ones (the main riff, for instance, reminds me again of that one in Four Sticks), but which, at least within this specific context, still feel far removed from Plant's former band. It is weird, as if Zeppelin's ghost had been hovering over the recording process, but Plant would have been very busy keeping it at bay, only for it to be allowed to get closer and pervade the album with its more innovative nuances and with a different sound, far from that of Led Zeppelin. In any case, Network News is a great track with lots of standing out details. and is also one of my favourites, although it took it very long to achieve that status. I believe that Fate Of Nations is a grower, at least for those who are not used to such variety, and this song is a good example of that.

There are backing vocals and hallelujah chants (Plant does all that, I think), as exotic features, and more important than those, we do have the involvement of three musicians whose names and instruments suggest a distant origin from Plant's usual environment, but which expose the singer's interest in the music of different cultures. We are talking about GURDEV SINGH (dilruba and sarod), SURGE SINGH (sarangi) and NAVAZISH ALI KHAN (violin). And as another trivia fact, the sociopolitical contents of the lyrics are remarkable, just like happened with Whisper A Prayer For The Dying, Coverdale & Page's closing track, with oil and the first Gulf War once again as the backdrop.

But the best thing about this song is what MacMichael and Doug Boyle both do on the six strings, mostly during the amazing instrumental part which takes up almost the entire third minute, and which gives way to a change of mood within the song. It finishes in a calmer way while making its criticism clear. Awesome.

Guns, death and noise, sand, oil and blood.



Plant, some years ago




Subsequent reissues come with some extra tracks, among which Colours Of A Shade can be found, together with an acoustic mix of Great Spirit (nothing to write home about) and the demo version of a song called ROLLERCOASTER (I've listened to it, without paying too much attention, for I like to listen to the final product, but it could have a few good ideas). The rest of the extra stuff is made up of 8:05, a cover version of the short song by american band MOBY GRAPE, and DARK MOON, an acoustic song written with the deceased german guitarrist RAINER PTACEK. The first one has its charm and I think it connects with some musical interests that Plant had back in the day (and he still has, if I'm correct), but its hypothetical place on the album had already been taken by If I Were A Carpenter. Dark Moon is good as a curiosity. Apparently, Ptacek wrote music with Plant with regard to Fate Of Nations extra tracks, because as the B side on the 29 Palms single, another song written by both, 21 YEARS, composed in a very similar fashion, can also be listened to. And that's the very same single where Dark Moon first appeared on, together with a very peculiar version of Whole Lotta Love (renamed with the additional sentence YOU NEED LOVE) performed by both musicians.

Some other songs to mention are HEY JAYNE and NAKED IF I WANT TO. The former is a relaxed number which made it to I Believe's B side, and the latter, another version of a Moby Grape song included as a B side on Calling To You. These two, together with 21 Years, can be found on the second disc, the rarities one, of the 2003 above mentioned compilation. On I Believe there were the acoustic versions of Great Spirit and Whole Lotta Love as well, while 8:05 was featured on Calling To You. On the other hand, the If I Were A Carpenter single came with live versions of some older songs (SHIP OF FOOLS y TALL COOL ONE).

In 1993, Plant also taped a cover of the famed LOUIE, LOUIE, by RICHARD BERRY, which was included on the soundtrack of WAYNE'S WORLD's sequel (STEPHEN SURJIK, 1993). It's also on Sixty Six To Timbuktu's second disc.
















The only thing yet to be done is just to talk, although loosely, about what's happened to the remainder of the respective musical careers of the three main characters.



DAVID COVERDALE


As expected, Coverdale reformed Whitesnake (RESTLESS HEART was released in 1997) after his work with Jimmy Page, and he even wrote the final chapter of his strange solo career (which had begun as a bridge between his tenure in Deep Purple and the beginnings of Whitesnake) with the release of INTO THE LIGHT (2000).

Whitesnake came back with another studio album, GOOD TO BE BAD, in 2008, eleven years after the previous one, and five years after the singer decided to go back on the road with them again. After said record, Coverdale has released three more, all of them with Whitesnake (FOREVERMORE, from 2011, THE PURPLE ALBUM, 2015, with covers of songs he recorded on his three albums with Purple, and FLESH & BLOOD, released in 2019). As is the case with the vast majority of Whitesnake's discography in particular, and Coverdale's as a whole, there's not much I can say about those records, for I haven't listened to them.

Some health issues with several members of the band led Whitesnake to cancel a farewell tour in 2022, but all the hard work had already been done, and then some, for the status of both band and singer is well cemented as true legends in all hard rock.

David Coverdale was inducted into the famous ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME in 2016. But as a Deep Purple member.



Talented, charismatic and, in equal parts,
 lordly and humble. A huglely likeable figure.
 All this, according to journo William Pinfold




JIMMY PAGE


Once his days with Coverdale came to an end, the career of the guitar legend got mixed with Plant's one more time, due to a phone call he got from Plant's camp while rehearsing with Coverdale for those few japanese dates by the end of 1993. The first idea was playing together one of those unplugged shows which were the trendiest thing back in the nineties, and that was one of the reasons which prompted the end of his collaboration with Coverdale.

But that show became such a hit that it ended up being released, in October, 1994, as a live album with the name of NO QUARTER. This, by the way, did not make John Paul Jones happy, because he wasn't informed about it and, to add insult to injury, his former bandmates chose as the album's main title (the rest of it was JIMMY PAGE & ROBERT PLANT UNLEDDED) the name of a song by Led Zeppelin in which Jones had put so much effort. The thing is that the subsequent success of that record led both men to tour together in its support, and to release, already in 1998, another record with new stuff (the live album had already included some new songs). That record was WALKING INTO CLARKSDALE, which translated into more success, some Grammy awards and more shows, until they disbanded before the end of that very same year.

I have both albums, but I don't hold either of them in the highest of esteems, and the two of them were purchased years after their release date. In fact, I find No Quarter just boring, to be honest. It's always a good thing to listen to Led Zeppelin tunes, but the multicultural treatment chosen for them in this occasion, with a lot of african musicians and traditional instruments from eastern cultures, is not for me. I gave it a spin a few weeks ago and there's little to be praised, in my opinion. As for the songs which were created for this record, I don't even remember them.





Walking Into Clarksdale turned out to be much better. I listened to it quite often in its day, before I bought it, but despite its merits, it loses steam little by little and its second half just goes in a blur in my memory when compared to the first. So, I guess it is no surprise to say that this record does not come close to either of the two albums reviewed on this entry, although it's a good album. But it was said to be the album that, most likely, Led Zeppelin would have done had they been still active, and that is something I can't buy. It is too slow and intimate from time to time, and what's more important, it lacks a decent amount of good enough songs to back such a statement. The band was completed with the addition of the already well known Michael Lee and Charlie Jones, and the song MOST HIGH (probably the most boring on the entire record, again with ethnic instrumentation) won the band a Grammy in 1999.






As a funny thing, I have to say that Page and Plant performed live at least one song off the album that the guitarist recorded with David Coverdale.





I do not think this is going to last very long...




It only makes sense to think that Page's collaboration with Plant (the two of them reunited again in 2001, for one last show at Montreux Jazz Festival, and to tape a cover of a HANK WILLIAMS song called MY BUCKET'S GOT A HOLE IN IT for a tribute album) has been the highest profile job (at least music-related) the guitarist has had since the late nineties until today, but our hero hasn't been precisely unoccupied.

He's taken part in soundtracks and documentaries, has toured and recorded a live album with The Black Crowes, and he's also worked with some other musicians, one way or another. He was also decorated with the prestigious Order Of The British Empire, among other honours, and he has been involved with welfare organizations and a lot more. He even participated at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.

But the most remarkable thing of his personal and musical life since Led Zeppelin finished, even beyond his work with Plant, has had to do with, exactly, Led Zeppelin. It could not be otherwise. From the remastering of the band's entire body of work, to all three surviving members being awarded with the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012, through the band's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (1995) and at the UK MUSIC HALL OF FAME (2006). But the most important thing was when Led Zeppelin came back to life, at least for a couple of hours, with Jason Bonham, by the end of 2007, at that concert which was already mentioned at the very beginning. That, and the neverending gossip concerning an unlikely actual comeback of the band. Plant has never been prone to something like that, despite some conflicting comments.


Jimmy Page is regarded as one of the best and most influential guitar players ever.



Riff master




ROBERT PLANT


Everything that's been said about Page, Plant and Led Zeppelin, mostly applies here. Plant has also worked with several other musicians and done tons of different stuff, charitable work included, but I'll stick to what's the most important. After his time with Page, he created a folk rock band called PRIORY OF BRION, with which he played covers of songs he had been influenced by as a kid. This gave him the idea of releasing an album comprised only of covers, DREAMLAND (2002), which featured many of those songs and was a stepping stone for him to restart his solo career, already with a new supporting band named STRANGE SENSATION. That album was well regarded by the critics and the same happened with the next one, MIGHTY REARRANGER (2005). During subsequent tours, and contrary to what he had chosen to do when his solo career began in the eighties, he decided to play some songs by his old band, although his very own, personal way. I like what I've listened to from Dreamland, and I bought Mighty Rearranger years ago. I like it too.

Both records were the last ones to be included on the ambitious box set titled NINE LIVES, released in 2006, which was made up of Plant's entire discography (plus extra tracks) so far.






After that, it was time for his successful collaboration with ALISON KRAUSS, an american violinist and country singer way younger than himself. RAISING SAND was released in 2007 and included covers of artists from the country, blues and folk spectrums, plus PLEASE READ THE LETTER, a song that Page and Plant had written for Walking Into Clarksdale, and which won Krauss and Plant one of the several Grammies awarded in 2009. This record was a hit and they toured in its support.

Many years later, Krauss and Plant resumed their work together with the release in 2021 of RAISE THE ROOF. I haven't listened to this second album, but I did listen to the first one and I can say is fun as a rarity.





Plant and Krauss, by the time they released Raising Sand




In the meantime, Plant started another band, called BAND OF JOY (after a band he was part of in the sisxties), in 2010, and from this affair, and also during that same year, an album of the same name saw the light of day, before the restless Robert created another different band in 2012 to support him in his career. That was THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS, with which he has released LULLABY AND THE CEASELESS ROAR (2014) and CARRY FIRE (2017), his last album to date. I do not mention songs or say anything for I haven't listened to them. He's kept on touring and recently (2019) he's been involved with yet another band, SAVING GRACE, with which he's played shows.


Robert Plant's status as a rock icon and a singer who has influenced many others, is undeniable.



I believe that, looking in hindsight, Plant and Page both have reasons to smile




That's all folks. If you made it this far, I just hope that the time invested has been worthy. Thanks a million. If, in addition, serves for someone to get to know or rediscover the music which has been reviewed, that's even better.

See ya!





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