There are classic rock stars, and then there is Robert Plant. He might have had a significant hand in establishing the frontman archetype with his flowing golden locks, otherworldly vocal range, and tipping his head back before belting out choruses, but when he emerged with Led Zeppelin, he was the first to put such a spin on being a rock lead. What he achieved by doing so made it such a popular blueprint for those who followed in his wake.
If making such bold moves in an age where only a handful of frontmen stood out before him aren’t strong enough indicators of Plant’s unique nature, then his lyrical content should suffice. Conjuring poetical palettes that augmented the metaphysical nature of Led Zeppelin’s music, the Black Country native drew upon a variety of national mythologies, as well as the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and other literary heroes to create a world that fans could get lost in when sober, high, or that strange liminal space between both states.
While most traditional ‘rock stars’ are known for being somewhat outspoken, with John Lennon, Mick Jagger and Roger Daltrey coming to mind, Plant also stands out from the crowd in that while he is undoubtedly unafraid of airing his opinions, it’s the lucidity, and indeed wry comedy with which he does so, which stands him out from the crowd, just like his music and pretty much everything he’s committed himself to. He is acutely aware that he’s travelling on a unique path and wouldn’t have it any other way.
While Plant’s takes on the world are regularly eye-opening, how he reflects on Led Zeppelin takes the crown for stoking interest, offering insight into their complex inner workings. He was remarkably frank about the quartet in the 1980s, a decade when the death of his best friend and their drummer, John Bonham, was still fresh in his mind. Back then, he was concentrating on his new solo career, fully committed to forgetting the heartbreaking past and displaying his aptitude as a singular entity with records such as his debut Pictures at Eleven and its debut The Principle of Moments.
When speaking to Rolling Stone in 1988, Plant reflected on how Led Zeppelin’s tremendous popularity had continued nearly a decade after their end. He called his band’s actions “neat little moves” and said that from his present position, he didn’t get any real sense of achievement out of the fact that people still liked the music; what actually satisfied him was that “it was good”.
Delving into a more theoretical area, Plant said that the ironic thing about adoration is that it is somewhat responsible for what he dubbed “the malaise in current pop and rock”. He said that bands were looking back on his old outfit and others of their generation for a clue to how to move forward. Casting off the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ group’s cloak of star-studded mystery, he said: “But we were, too. Everybody looks back, glances sideways, peeps over shoulders. It’s like cheating during examinations.”
Inferring how he managed to stay relevant as a solo artist during an era where the musical landscape was changing markedly, Plant revealed the contemporary act he believed was the finest Led Zeppelin rip-off. This was the somewhat forgotten 1980s band Let’s Active, headed by frontman and songwriter Mitch Easter. The frontman is perhaps better known as the producer of R.E.M.’s early work, including their debut Murmur and its follow-up Reckoning. After the power pop group called it a day, he continued to find success at the mixing desk, including co-producing Pavement’s 1997 effort, Brighten the Corners.
Plant praised Let’s Active for looking back to the past but extracting ideas from it with “gentility and taste”.
He said: “So when I listen to Mitch Easter’s work, I hear a bit of Zeppelin. I heard a steel-guitar bit on the Let’s Active album Big Plans for Everybody that sounds just like “In My Time of Dying.” And I was flattered, even though I didn’t play the guitar part. That’s looking backwards. But it’s looking backwards with such gentility and taste.”
Apart from both groups having a ‘big’ sound, I can’t personally see any tangible connection between Led Zeppelin and Let’s Active. You’ll have to explore their work to make your mind up, though.