By 1988, Robert Plant was tired of being a ghost. For nearly a decade, he’d been sprinting away from the towering shadow of Led Zeppelin, desperate to prove he wasn't just "the guy with the hair" from the seventies. He made weird, experimental records. He messed with synthesizers. He pointedly refused to play the old hits. But then came the robert plant now and zen album, and suddenly, the Golden God decided it was okay to look in the rearview mirror without crashing the car.
It’s a weird, glossy, and remarkably confident record. Released on February 29, 1988—Leap Day, fittingly enough—it was the moment Plant realized he could be a modern pop star and a rock legend at the exact same time.
Why Now and Zen Felt Like a Comeback (Even Though He Never Left)
Before this record, Plant was arguably "adrift." His previous effort, Shaken ‘n’ Stirred, was... let’s be honest, it was a lot. It was dense, quirky, and purposefully avoided anything resembling a blues riff. If you were a Zeppelin fan in 1985, you were probably confused.
Then came the "Now" and the "Zen." The title itself is a pun, a play on "now and then," signaling that he was ready to bridge the gap between his current 1980s obsession with technology and his massive heritage. He stopped fighting the inevitable. He stopped pretending he hadn't written "Stairway to Heaven."
The secret sauce here wasn't just Plant's change of heart. It was a young keyboardist named Phil Johnstone.
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Plant found Johnstone and engineer Dave Barrett through a demo tape, and for some reason, the chemistry just clicked. Johnstone became the foil Plant needed—someone who understood the '80s "technobilly" sound but wasn't afraid to let the guitars actually crunch.
The Jimmy Page Factor
You can't talk about the robert plant now and zen album without mentioning the "Zoso" in the room. Jimmy Page shows up on two tracks: "Heaven Knows" and "Tall Cool One."
It wasn't a full-blown reunion, but it felt like a peace treaty. On "Tall Cool One," they didn't just play together; they sampled the past. In a cheeky move aimed squarely at the Beastie Boys (who had sampled Zeppelin without permission on Licensed to Ill), Plant decided to sample himself. You hear the iconic riffs from "Whole Lotta Love," "Black Dog," and "The Ocean" swirling around a heavy, computerized beat. It was Plant saying, "If anyone's going to profit off my history, it's going to be me."
A Track-by-Track Reality Check
A lot of 1988 production sounds like it was recorded inside a tin can filled with hairspray. Some of that definitely haunts this album. The drums are big, gated, and very "digital." But beneath the polish, the songwriting on Now and Zen is some of the strongest of his solo career.
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- "Heaven Knows": This was the lead single, and it’s a mood. It has this driving, almost Middle Eastern-inflected rhythm that Plant would explore more deeply later in his career. It hit #1 on the Mainstream Rock tracks for a reason.
- "Ship of Fools": This is arguably the masterpiece of the record. It’s a sweeping, atmospheric ballad that rivals "Big Log" for sheer "staring out a rainy window" vibes. If you want to hear Plant’s voice at its most controlled and emotive, this is the track.
- "Tall Cool One": This is the "fun" one. It’s a bit kitschy now, but at the time, hearing those Zep samples mixed with a 1980s dance beat was revolutionary. It’s basically the bridge between his "Rock God" era and his "MTV Pop" era.
- "Billy’s Revenge": A fast, frantic rockabilly number. It shows off Plant’s love for 1950s rock and roll, a theme he revisited often with The Honeydrippers.
The record isn't perfect. "Why" feels a bit like filler, and "White, Clean and Neat" has some spoken-word bits that might make you cringe if you aren't in the right headspace. But as a whole? It’s remarkably cohesive.
The 1988 Tour: Breaking the Rule
The robert plant now and zen album didn't just change his recording style; it changed his live show. For the first time, Plant allowed himself to perform Led Zeppelin songs on tour.
Imagine being in the audience in 1988. You’d spent years watching him refuse to acknowledge "In the Light" or "Trampled Under Foot." Suddenly, he’s on stage, and he’s doing "Misty Mountain Hop." The "Non Stop Go" tour was a massive success because it finally gave the fans what they wanted, but on Plant's own terms. He wasn't a nostalgia act; he was a contemporary artist who happened to have the coolest back catalog in history.
Critical Reception and Legacy
Rolling Stone called it a "stylistic event." It reached #6 in the US and #10 in the UK. By 2001, it was triple platinum. People really liked this version of Robert Plant.
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It also proved that Plant didn't need the other members of Zeppelin to be successful, even if he invited Jimmy Page over for a few solos. He had found a new band—Doug Boyle on guitar, Chris Blackwell on drums, Phil Scragg on bass, and of course, Johnstone on keys—that could actually keep up with his evolving tastes.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Listener
If you’re just discovering the robert plant now and zen album or revisiting it after thirty years, here’s how to get the most out of it:
- Listen to "Ship of Fools" on good headphones. The layering of the synthesizers and Doug Boyle’s subtle guitar work is much more complex than the "cheesy 80s" label suggests.
- Compare "Tall Cool One" to the Beastie Boys' "She's Crafty." It’s a fascinating look at the "sampling wars" of the late eighties.
- Watch the "Heaven Knows" music video. It is peak 1988 aesthetic—industrial sets, dramatic lighting, and Plant’s legendary "pre-Raphaelite" hair in full glory.
- Look for the "Wolf" motif. The original vinyl and CD copies came with a little red wolf flag, a nod to Plant's obsession with the Wolverhampton Wanderers football club. If you find one with the flag intact, hold onto it; it's a collector's item.
The robert plant now and zen album was a bridge. It allowed him to stop running and start walking—straight toward the eclectic, world-music-influenced artist he is today. It’s the sound of a man finding his balance, and honestly, it still rocks.
To truly understand the evolution, your next step should be listening to the 2007 remastered version. It includes live versions of "Billy’s Revenge" and "Ship of Fools" that strip away some of the studio gloss and show just how tight that 1988 touring band really was.