Now and Zen

Last updated

Now and Zen
RobertPlantNowAndZen.jpg
Studio album by
Released29 February 1988
RecordedNovember and December 1987
StudioSwanyard Studios and Marcus Studios (London, UK).
Genre Rock
Length47:03 (CD)
42:19 (vinyl)
Label Es Paranza
Producer
Robert Plant chronology
Shaken 'n' Stirred
(1985)
Now and Zen
(1988)
Manic Nirvana
(1990)
Singles from Now and Zen
  1. "Heaven Knows"
    Released: January 1988
  2. "Tall Cool One"
    Released: April 1988
  3. "Ship of Fools"
    Released: August 1988 [1]

Now and Zen is the fourth solo album by Robert Plant, released 29 February 1988 by Es Paranza Records, Plant's own label. The album made the top 10 in the US (No. 6) and UK (No. 10). It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on 7 September 2001. The album was produced by Tim Palmer, Robert Plant, and Phil Johnstone.

Contents

Background and recording

With a new band and a new perspective on his music, Plant returned in late 1987 with more of the sound that had previously defined him in Led Zeppelin. Although Plant continued to utilize computerized audio technology in a similar fashion to his previous solo albums, for this album Plant integrated the blues that had all but been abandoned on his most recent album Shaken 'n' Stirred (1985). A prominent guitar sound and an exotic feel to the recordings also marked another change in direction for the artist, who now added Middle Eastern tones in songs like "Heaven Knows". This is a direction that he would eventually follow in the 1990s with Page and Plant.

The tracks "Heaven Knows" and "Tall Cool One" feature Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. (On the liner notes, Page's participation on the songs is noted with a Zoso symbol.) In response[ citation needed ] to the Beastie Boys' unauthorized sampling of some Led Zeppelin songs on their 1986 album Licensed to Ill , Plant also used samples from Led Zeppelin songs ("Whole Lotta Love", "Dazed and Confused", "Black Dog", "Custard Pie", and "The Ocean") on "Tall Cool One", additionally singing words from "When the Levee Breaks".

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 9/10 [3]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [5]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Village Voice B [7]

The original released copies of the CD and Album version contained a wolf motif mini-flag in satin red. This is a tribute to his favorite association football team, the Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves by fans). This mini-flag is also a rare collector's item. "Walking Towards Paradise" was originally as a bonus track available only on CD versions of the album and as the B-side of the single "Heaven Knows". Rhino Entertainment released a remastered edition of the album, with bonus tracks, on 3 April 2007.

Now and Zen was received positively by both Plant's fans and professional music critics. [8] In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone , Kurt Loder hailed Now and Zen as "some kind of stylistic event: a seamless pop fusion of hard guitar rock, gorgeous computerization and sharp, startling songcraft." [6] Robert Christgau found it superior to his previous two attractive but forgettable solo albums, writing in The Village Voice that "at its best, it's far from forgettable. Overall effect is a cross between his former band and the Cars." [7]

In an interview he gave to Uncut magazine in 2005, Plant commented that "by the time Now and Zen came out in '88, it looked like I was big again. It was a Top 10 album on both sides of the Atlantic. But if I listen to it now, I can hear that a lot of the songs got lost in the technology of the time." [9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Robert Plant and Phil Johnstone, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heaven Knows"Johnstone, David Barratt4:06
2."Dance on My Own"Plant, Johnstone, Robert Crash4:30
3."Tall Cool One" 4:40
4."The Way I Feel"Plant, Johnstone, Doug Boyle 5:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Helen of Troy" 5:06
6."Billy's Revenge" 3:34
7."Ship of Fools" 5:01
8."Why"Plant, Crash4:14
9."White, Clean and Neat" 5:28
10."Walking Towards Paradise" (CD edition bonus track) Jerry Lynn Williams 4:40
2007 remaster bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Billy's Revenge" (Live)6:00
12."Ship of Fools" (Live)10:35
13."Tall Cool One" (Live)5:07

Appearances in other media

Personnel

Musicians

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Now and Zen
Chart (1988)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Australian Music Report) [10] 11
Canadian RPM100 Chart [11] 4
German Albums Chart [12] 48
New Zealand Albums Chart [13] 7
Norwegian Albums Chart [14] 12
Swedish Albums Chart [15] 18
UK Albums Chart 10
US Billboard 200 6

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  7. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (30 August 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
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