Pictures at Eleven by Robert Plant
Pictures at Eleven is the debut solo album by former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, released in 1982. Genesis drummer Phil Collins played drums for six of the album's eight songs. Ex-Rainbow drummer Cozy Powell handled drums on "Slow Dancer" and "Like I've Never Been Gone". The title is an often-heard phrase in U.S. television news[citation needed] that would follow a brief announcement of a story of interest to be shown later during a station's 11 p.m. news program. Pictures at Eleven is the only one of Plant's solo albums to appear on Led Zeppelin's record label Swan Song. By the time of Plant's next release, 1983's The Principle of Moments, Swan Song had ceased to function and Plant had started his own label titled Es Paranza, which would also be distributed by Atlantic Records. Rhino Entertainment released a remastered edition of the album, with bonus tracks, on 20 March 2007.
After the storm and fury of Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant’s debut solo album is light and clean, with sharp New Wave guitars (“Fat Lip”) and angular Police-style rhythms (“Pledge Pin”) largely replacing the bludgeoning riffola of yore, “Mystery Title” aside. His voice retains its pleading edge, sobbing against the flamenco guitar of “Moonlight In Samosa” and bolshy and confident against the funky blues of “Worse Than Detroit”. And in the opening seconds of “Slow Dancer”, there’s still room for the odd blood-curdling scream.
