It was 1985. Big hair, neon spandex, and synthesizers that sounded like malfunctioning spaceships were everywhere. For Robert Plant, the "Golden God" of Led Zeppelin, this presented a problem. Or maybe an opportunity. He didn't want to be the guy singing about Valhalla anymore. He was 37, rich as a king, and bored of the "hammer of the gods" routine.
So, he made Shaken 'n' Stirred.
If you haven't heard it, honestly, prepare yourself. It is weird. It’s twitchy. It’s an album where the drums sound like they’re falling down a flight of stairs in the best possible way. While his peers were trying to recapture the 1970s, Plant was busy hanging out with post-punk kids and trying to sound like he’d never heard of a blues riff in his life.
The Record That Tried to Kill Led Zeppelin
By the time 1985 rolled around, Plant was three albums deep into a solo career. His first two records, Pictures at Eleven and The Principle of Moments, were hits. They were classy. They had "Big Log." But they still felt, you know, a little safe.
Shaken 'n' Stirred was the sound of a man blowing up his own bridge. He teamed up with guitarist Robbie Blunt, keyboardist Jezz Woodroffe, and the late, great Richie Hayward of Little Feat on drums. They didn't make a rock record. They made a New Wave, art-pop, polyrhythmic experiment.
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Take the track "Too Loud." It’s basically a dare. Plant literally shouts "Too loud!" over a cacophony of jarring synths and jagged rhythms. Years later, he even joked about it, basically saying, "Yeah, what was I thinking?" But that’s the beauty of it. He wasn't trying to please the people in the Zeppelin t-shirts. He was trying to find out who Robert Plant actually was without Jimmy Page standing next to him.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Sound
A lot of critics at the time—and even fans today—dismiss the album as "too 80s." They hear the gated reverb on the drums and the DX7 keyboards and they tune out. But that’s a surface-level take.
If you actually listen to the structures, it’s closer to what Peter Gabriel was doing on his third and fourth albums. It’s experimental. It’s angular.
- The Rhythms: Richie Hayward’s drumming is insane here. It’s not the heavy 4/4 stomp of John Bonham. It’s African-influenced, twitchy, and constantly shifting.
- The Vocals: Plant stopped howling. On tracks like "Little by Little," he’s using a softer, more rhythmic delivery. He's floating over the music rather than trying to punch through it.
- The Atmosphere: It’s "cold" music. Where Zeppelin was warm and earthy, Shaken 'n' Stirred is chrome and glass.
Why "Little by Little" Saved the Project
Despite how weird the rest of the album is, "Little by Little" is a masterpiece. Period. It managed to hit No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and stay there for two weeks. It’s the one moment where the experimental vibes and Plant’s natural pop sensibilities perfectly aligned.
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The song has this drifting, hazy quality. It feels like driving through a desert at night in a car with no headlights. It’s mysterious. It’s also the only song from this era that really survived in his long-term legacy. When you listen to the remastered 2007 version, the depth of the production really pops. Tim Palmer and Benji Le Fevre (who produced it with Plant) managed to create a soundstage that feels massive, even if it is a bit tinny in places.
The Tracks You Probably Skipped
"Hip to Hoo" is a bizarre opener. It sets the tone: "We are not in Kansas anymore." Then you have "Pink and Black," which sounds like Robert Plant trying to join a rockabilly band that accidentally got lost in a synth-pop studio.
And then there's "Sixes and Sevens." It’s six minutes long. It’s dense. It’s arguably the most "Zeppelin-adjacent" thing on the record because of its epic scale, but it’s dressed in 1985's finest digital suits.
The Legacy of Being Different
Is Shaken 'n' Stirred his best album? Probably not. Most people would point to Fate of Nations or his work with Alison Krauss for that. But it might be his most important one.
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Without this album, we don't get the Robert Plant we have today—the guy who refuses to do a reunion tour for $100 million because he’d rather play Moroccan folk music or Delta blues. This was the moment he proved to himself that he could fail on his own terms. He wasn't a "legacy act." He was a working musician.
The album peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200. It did okay. But the "Zeppelin or Bust" crowd hated it. They wanted "Black Dog" part two, and instead, they got "Kallalou Kallalou." Honestly, can you blame them for being confused?
How to Listen to It Today
If you’re going to revisit this, don't look for the "Rock God." Look for the art student. Listen to it on a good pair of headphones because the panning and the synth layers are actually pretty sophisticated for the era.
Actionable Insights for the Curious Listener:
- Start with the 2007 Remaster: The original vinyl and early CDs can sound a bit thin. The remaster fills out the bottom end, which Richie Hayward’s drumming desperately needs.
- Focus on the Bass: Paul Martinez does some incredible work here that gets buried if you aren't paying attention.
- Forget the 70s: If you go in expecting "Stairway," you’re going to have a bad time. Treat it like a lost New Wave record from a guy who happens to have the greatest voice in rock history.
- Watch the Videos: The music videos for "Pink and Black" and "Little by Little" are peak 80s aesthetic. They explain the "vibe" better than words ever could.
Robert Plant has spent forty years running away from his own shadow. Shaken 'n' Stirred was the fastest he ever ran. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s occasionally brilliant. It’s the sound of a man finding his voice by losing his mind for a little while in a studio full of synthesizers.