Robert Plant - Digging Deep : Subterranea

From 1968 to September 25, 1980 this man was an inaccessible legend. He, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones were flying in the firmament of the gods. And then it all fell apart. Another god, surely jealous of the shadow that made him, made them descend violently on Earth. Robert Plant struggled to recover. Too many hard knocks, his car accident with his wife in Rhodes in 1975, the death of his son Karac in 77, had deeply marked him.

But in 1982, he decided to embark on a solo career, much to the delight of inconsolable Led Zeppelin fans. Some are disappointed by the turn taken by the one who was the singer of the greatest rock band of all time. Robert Plant no longer plays the diva, he surrounds himself with artists who will help him shape his music, or rather the styles of music he has always loved : blues, world music, rhythm'n ' blues, soul, rock'n'roll, folk and all kinds of African music.

Official video of Ship of Fools

Admittedly, a compilation was released in 2003, Sixty Six To Timbuktu, which contained six tracks that can be found on this Digging Deep: Subterranea. Namely Ship of Fools, Darkness, Darkness, I Believe, 29 Palms, Big Log and Promised Land. These are staples in Robert's solo career. So it is natural to find them among these thirty titles on this double CD.

But what is striking when listening to all these songs is this musical coherence in the solo career of the ex-Zeppelin. The different musical styles fit together perfectly and we move happily from luminous world music Rainbow (Lullaby and The Ceaseless Roar, 2014) to wild hard rock Hurting Kind (Manic Nivana, 1990).

Video of Hurting Kind

The 2005 masterpiece Mighty ReArranger is well represented with the excellent Shine It All Around and Takamba. The ballads are still there: the sublime Ship of Fools, Big Log, Like I've Never Been Gone, among others. Three unreleased tracks are also walking around: Nothing Takes The Place of You, Too Much Alike and Charlie Patton Highway (Turn It Up - Part 1).

Video of Shine It All Around live

The opportunity is given to us to rediscover fabulous titles like Darkness, Darkness (Dreamland, 2002) and its aerial guitars, Heaven Knows (Now And Zen, 1988) with Jimmy Page solo, I Believe, 29 Palms, both from Fate of Nations of 1993.

Video of Darkness, Darkness live

The blues is also present with the traditional Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down (Band of Joy, 2010) and Great Spirit (Fate of Nations, 1993). We fall or fall again under the spell of Anniversary (Manic Nirvana, 1990), Silver Rider (Band of Joy, 2010), Arabists and world music, Wreckless Love (Principle of Moments, 1983) and White, Clean And Neat (Now And Zen, 1988).

Video of Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down live

We have not forgotten the very nice Fat Lip (Pictures of Eleven, 1982), the sumptuous Embrace Another Fall (Lullaby And The Ceaseless Roar, 2014), the rock Memory Song (Fate of Nations, 1993), and the zeppelinien Promised Land also resulting from the inevitable Fate of Nations of 1993.

Video of Silver Rider

Robert Plant knew how to renew himself after the fall of the airship. He was able to get back on his feet and become more human. Unlike a Jimmy Page who got stuck in the shadows of his bandwhen he had the means to embark on a career solo or even in a band. Robert Plant knew how to surround himself, he knew how to look forward and no longer back and he has this gift of renewing himself and being curious about all kinds of music. And he knows how to compose. That's why he is and always will be a human legend. A mortal god.

Official video of Big Log