Pictures at Eleven

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

After Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant embarked on a solo career. Pictures at Eleven was released in the summer of 1982 and is his first solo album. It came out on Swan Song, the label of his old band, and is the only solo album released there. The title comes from American television news, where a story would be trailed in this way for the eleven o'clock news. Phil Collins of Genesis played drums on five of the eight tracks, Cozy Powell on Slow Dancer and Like I've Never Been Gone. On Fat Lip, guitarist Robbie Blunt operated a drum machine, the Roland TR-808.

Critics heard mainly an echo of Led Zeppelin. Kurt Loder wrote in Rolling Stone that nothing new was happening, but found the craftsmanship almost an event. The Boston Phoenix saw the album largely as a derivative of Led Zeppelin. Robert Christgau admired how the singer evoked that sound with lesser musicians, but ultimately found the music unimportant.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Burning Down One Side3:57Apple Music ↗
2. 2Moonlight In Samosa4:02Apple Music ↗
3. 3Pledge Pin4:02Apple Music ↗
4. 4Slow Dancer7:46Apple Music ↗
5. 5Worse Than Detroit5:58Apple Music ↗
6. 6Fat Lip5:05Apple Music ↗
7. 7Like I've Never Been Gone5:59Apple Music ↗
8. 8Mystery Title5:17Apple Music ↗
9. 9Far Post (12" Single)4:42Apple Music ↗
10. 10Like I've Never Been Gone (Live In Houston, Texas, 1983)7:32Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗