Led Zeppelin icon Robert Plant reflected on his early career with the band during a recent interview with Uncut. According to the frontman, he relied on the material he had with the band, which turned him into a ‘rock ‘n’ roll cliche,’ especially during the beginning of his career.
As many of you know, Robert Plant performed Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Somebody to Love’ in front of Jimmy Page, who was searching for a lead singer for his new band, New Yardbirds, in 1968. Although Page was initially turned down by his first choice, Terry Reid, the outcome was better with Plant as the two immediately developed a strong bond.
For 12 years, the duo ruled the rock music scene with countless iconic studio albums such as ‘Led Zeppelin IV,’ ‘Physical Graffiti,’ and ‘Led Zeppelin II.’ Throughout these years, Robert Plant turned into the charismatic rock and roll frontman with his long blond curly hair and powerful, bare-chested appearance and his undeniable vocal performances.
However, the musician revealed in a recent interview that he isn’t satisfied with the music he made during those times. According to Robert Plant, he learned so much from his recent collaborator Alison Krauss. The musician used to create songs that resembled the classic rock and roll songs, similar to Led Zeppelin’s.
In fact, the rocker stated that he was a rock and roll cliche during the early years of his career with Led Zeppelin, especially when it came to his music. Krauss, on the other hand, showed Plant how to embellish a melody, and he’s happy to be her student nowadays.
During the interview, Plant said:
“As an English singer, I usually reach for the normal pop/rock stuff that I might have done with Zep on ‘Thank You’ or ‘Little Drops Of Rain but Alison comes from a different world. She is always at pains to tell me that while I was flying my kite in the back of a van she was seven years into fiddle competitions. She never went to prom because she was in the corner harmonizing when I was already becoming a rock ‘n’ roll cliche at a very early age.
She coaches me and gives me alternatives to bolster her vocal. She hears the way you can embellish a melody. I was learning all that Chitlin’ Circuit phrasing in the mid-’60s, so I never knew about strict melodies. I was very happy to put myself into the position of being a student to see if I could do it.”
It appears that the-73-year old legend is still eager to learn after spending decades as one of the greatest frontmen in the history of rock music. His statement shows what a humble and honest person he is as he criticized his most fruitful days as a musician.
