The hard rock vocal performance of Robert Plant is incomparable to any other frontman of the era. As rock and roll started to turn towards heavy music, the howl that came whenever a Led Zeppelin record came out rewrote the rulebook on modern rock singing, with every vocalist later trying to out-high-note each other. Although Plant could hold down the vocals on his own most of the time, only one song required another voice behind the microphone.
For the first few years of Zeppelin’s development, it looked like Plant wouldn’t be the lead singer. When combing through the English music scene in search of new talent, Jimmy Page wasn’t even thinking of Plant as a potential frontman, initially believing that famed blues vocalist Terry Reid would have been a much better bet to deliver their unique take on rock and roll.
By the time Plant came into the fold with drummer John Bonham in tow, though, the chemistry could not be denied on the band’s debut album. Fitting like a glove delivering songs like ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’, what Plant was doing seemed to come from another planet, channelling the sounds of old bluesmen as well as the free-spirited screams of Janis Joplin.
While Plant would blossom as a singer throughout their career, it wouldn’t be until the following few records that he settled in as a songwriter. Working alongside Page, Plant would deliver some of the most incredible pieces of poetry in the rock canon, whether they were loving odes to his woman back home on ‘Thank You’ or bold tales of mythology on ‘Immigrant Song’.
For all of the records the band had sold, they didn’t hit nearly as well with the critics, who thought that most of their popularity was all hype compared to their technical ability. Calling their bluff, the band’s next album would be untitled and sold with little promotion, only to become one of the most celebrated records of their career.
While songs like ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ would remain standard for years, Plant would have a singing partner in Sandy Denny on the track ‘The Battle of Evermore’. Telling the story ripped straight from the Middle Ages; Plant talks about the different sides preparing for battle while Denny sings different stabs in the song to hear the opposing perspective.
Although Plant may not have been used to working with a different singer, he admitted that it was a better artistic experience to hear both sides of the story. When talking about the track later, Plant admired what Denny did with her section, saying, “I found it very satisfying to sing with someone who has a completely different style to my own. Sandy was the town crier, urging the people to lay down their weapons”.
Despite not having other guest vocalists on any other tracks, Plant would thrive off of working with other singers for the rest of his career, even having a career renaissance when teaming up with Alisson Krauss for the rootsy record Raising Sand. As much as Plant may be applauded for his vocal prowess, even ‘The Golden God’ can benefit from a vocal partner now and again.
