No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded

Jimmy Page & Robert Plant

Atlantic/Fontana, 1994

http://www.jimmypage.com

REVIEW BY: Benjamin Ray

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 02/25/2013

Somebody at MTV back in 1994, a person apparently in possession of brass balls, decided that an upcoming episode of the Unplugged series should feature none other than Led Zeppelin. Apparently, the Beatles weren’t available, and so MTV approached Jimmy Page and Robert Plant about doing the show.

Fans had been begging for a reunion ever since the mighty Zep broke up in 1980, but all they ever got were brief snapshots, such as the Honeydrippers EP, Page’s guest spot on Plant’s Now And Zen, and Plant’s vocal spot on Page’s Outrider album, not to mention the terrible Live Aid performance. In 1993, Plant had just released Fate Of Nations and Page Coverdale And Page, neither of which had been warmly received. Most important, Plant had been pretty vocal about not wanting a reunion. Ever, really.

But something changed in 1994, because apparently the time was right for Plant to think about playing some of those old songs; perhaps a big selling point was the unplugged format, which guaranteed this would not become a simple reunion show. Given the adventurous spirit and yearning of Zeppelin’s body of work, Page and Plant decided a) not to invite bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones and b) add an Egyptian ensemble to round out the sound with strings, woodwinds, and percussion on many of the songs, as well as write four new ones with these musicians. Jones was understandably pissed.

The reason No Quarter works is in how it interprets thoseZeppelin tunes and mixes them with the similar-sounding originals, giving the music immediacy and a new-world feel while adhering to the spirit, if not the sound, of Zeppelin’s original mission. You won’t find “Whole Lotta Love,” “Stairway To Heaven,” or “Dazed and Confused” here, but anyone who truly understands the band would not expect as much. my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Instead, the songs are from the acoustic and moody side of the band’s catalog. A handful are treated as straight acoustic readings that vary little from the original, while many feature the Egyptian band to transform the original. Only once does an electric guitar appear.

Granted, part of the rush is in hearing Plant and Page together again, yet the successful songs are brimming with life and spirit in this different setting. The highlights are many: “The Battle Of Evermore” is given more dramatic life with Najma Akhtar’s voice weaving in between Plant’s verses like a sensual snake, while an energetic “Gallows Pole” uses a clarion guitar call to build on the original. Album tracks like “Friends” and “That’s The Way” don’t receive much beyond standard interpretation, but they still sound great.

A couple of the songs are nearly unrecognizable yet remarkable, including the title track, which is simply a bevy of stringed instruments backing up Plant’s usual powerful vocals. Same goes for the opening “Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” which is turned into a hypnotic Middle Eastern drone, stripped of its blues yet still retaining a strange power. Of special note is “Kashmir,” the song most begging for this world music/acoustic treatment, and it is a rousing success.

The harder songs actually work less well in this environment, most notably the electric “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” while the versions of “Thank You” and “Four Sticks” are perfunctory. It should be noted that the 2004 reissue disc adds “The Rain Song” and “Wah Wah” in place of “Thank You,” and neither disc has the versions of “What Is and What Should Never Be” or “When The Levee Breaks,” which are only available on the DVD. The reissue is recommended, but either one is fine. Should you decide to purchase the DVD, skip over "When the Levee Breaks," the only time a great song is ruined by this format. No need to mess with perfection.

As for the originals, “The Truth Explodes” – titled as “Yallah” on the original 1994 CD – is by far the best, an electric Page riff trading with Plant’s moans and some fascinating percussive work by the Egyptian band. “Wonderful One” and “City Don’t Cry” are solid, if very similar to each other, although they help flesh out the picture between Zeppelin songs.

No Quarter ends up as a mostly successful reinvention of the Zeppelin brand and an extension of the musical journeys that characterized the band just as much as the hard rock. Moreover, it proves that a reunion – even a partial one – can be artistically valid while still satisfying fan expectations, provided those fans have open minds. Zeppelin may have seemed like a strange and ballsy choice to approach for an Unplugged show, but damned if they don’t pull it off with creativity, beauty, and signature power.

Rating: B

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