The one band Robert Plant always wanted to join: “I’d love to play bass”
There are very few bands who command rock music in the same way that Led Zeppelin did. Throughout their career, they were the subjects of a plethora of rumours and accusations, ones that said they drank blood, took part in devilish orgies and sold their soul to the devil. Why? Because no mortal mind could comprehend that four people could ever rock that hard. And yet, they did.
When Led Zeppelin first played together, they described it as a magical moment. No genre of music was off-limits. Soft rock, hard rock, blues, R&B, acoustic—it was all there to be tampered with, contorted, and twisted to create a unique sound unlike anything any band was doing at the time.
While they won’t have been the first band who wanted to incorporate a range of different genres into one unique sound, it’s a challenging thing to do, and anyone who had tried before will have either made something not bold enough or so bold that it became completely incohesive. Led Zeppelin combined these different styles of music and ended up with something equal parts experimental and accessible, leading to huge commercial success.
Now, over six decades later, the band is still regarded as one of the greatest rock bands to ever walk the Earth. Their style is untouchable, and anybody coming close to their sound is dubbed a rip-off and called out almost immediately. Who would ever want to be in a band other than Led Zeppelin? Well, as it turns out, Robert Plant.
Despite first making music in the ‘60s, Robert Plant is always listening to new artists to find new and exciting sounds. When asked about new bands he had an affinity for, he admitted he was a huge fan of the blues rock duo The Black Keys. Their infectious blend of contemporary music with old blues stylings appealed to the Led Zeppelin frontman.
“I’m very happy listening to The Black Keys,” he said, “They’re Akron’s most feted sons, and they owe a lot to Skip James, as do I. So I listen to a lot of decent stuff, some very old blues like Lemon Jefferson, and the Black Keys.”
Plant didn’t just stop at praising the band, though. Not many people know that, as well as being an exceptional vocalist, Plant was also an avid bass player. When reflecting on his history with the instrument and how it was incorporated ever so slightly into Led Zeppelin’s work, he admitted he would love the chance to play bass for a band like The Black Keys.
“I’d love to play bass with them for a bit,” he admitted, “In truth, I was an occasional bass player. It says so on Zeppelin I, next to my name: vocals, harmonica, and occasional bass. Very occasionally — once, I think, since 1968. How in God’s name that ended up on the cover is so funny. I’m sure Jonesy [John Paul Jones] didn’t like it [laughs]. But I suppose every time he fucked up, he could say it was me.”
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