Customer Reviews

Now & Zen

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

First of all, if you buy a Robert Plant recording and expect it to sound like Led Zepplin, you will be seriously disappointed. Of course, that is exactly the point. Robert Plant wanted to be Robert Plant and not an imitation of his former band. After all, Led Zepplin consists of the creative energy of four individuals, not just one (even if he is the voice)! That having been said you may not know what to expect, that may be good or bad for you.

As for me, I particularly like Robert Plant's solo career. It is different. First of there are synthesizers, not overly domineering like on "Carouselambra" but definetely prominent. Second, the guitar playing is well more subdued and "lite" if you will, but at the same time extremely original, beautiful, and tasteful.

Now and Zen combines these two major elements to make a pleasent record. If you liked "Tall Cool One" don't be misled, the rest of the record does not sound like this song. Many of the songs are pretty atmospheric, with washes of melodic and haunting synths, and marked with tasteful licks of guitar throughout. On this cd are to be found beautiful laments (i.e. "Ship of Fools"), haunting dreamscapes, and even a few upbeat numbers. Yet, the songs on this record are consistently melodic and they pull you in with beautiful melodies.

If you are in the mood for some melodic music, yet not to hard, then you may enjoy this record. I am definitely biased and would like you to take a chance on it, yet what you hear may suprise you.

This album was made in 1988, and you can't help but notice how polished it sounds. Still, Robert Plant's vocals are great, and his breezy attitude comes across nicely on many songs. There's sort of a lightweight, airy sound to this album, and that's not meant in a negative way. Whereas Led Zeppelin had the ever-chugging, in-your-face riffs, everything much denser, "Now and Zen" is unabashedly pop; the only real rocker is the commercialized "Tall Cool One," and even that song is pristine-sounding compared to most of Zeppelin's output. "Dance on My Own" is a top-notch tune, with Plant declaring his independent mindset to the world. Other standouts are the reflective "Way I Feel" and the truly majestic ballad, "Ship of Fools," which used to get frequent and deserved radio airplay. The mystic and quiet ending of that song is one of the better moments on this album. "White, Clean and Neat" is also worth mentioning; between the chugging riff and well-sung backing vocals, playful keyboards sneak in, along with voices that give the song a unique feel. "Now and Zen" is properly closed out by the good "Walking Towards Paradise," a "bonus" track made for CD.

All in all, "Now and Zen" lacks raging guitars, pounding drums and contains a fair amount of vocal restraint from Robert Plant, something he's not always known for. Whatever you think about Led Zepp and Robert Plant, these songs have the potential to grab you. It's a catchy, well-produced, likable album, with songs that display Plant's ability to move on and astutely grow with dignity. This album surely doesn't match up to the mightier Plant album from 1990, Manic Nirvana, but it is still a good buy.

This was a big album for Plant. I remember when it came out. It wasn't popular at my highschool, but there was a crowd of cool kids into music who dug it. It's interesting to note that Jimmy Page (guitarist for Led Zeppelin, Plant's former band for the uninitiated) did the solos for "Heaven Knows" and "Tall Cool One" (including Led Zep-era samples of Page and Plant on the latter). Also, not only does great musician Kirsty MacCall sing back-up, but so does future Curve mastermind Toni Halliday.

The Breakdown:

"Heaven Knows" - I remember how modern this sounded when it first came out. It still sounds great to me. *****

"Dance On My Own" - is a cool, fun song about sexual frustration and what to do about it when you're alone. *****

"Tall Cool One" - I find cheesy, tacky and weak. A big hit. *

"The Way I Feel" - The best on the album . . . you just gotta feel it. *****

"Helen of Troy" - rocks out. Then there's the dreamy choral passage with the words, "The world is waiting here for you/ Don't you feel it anymore?" *****

"Billy's Revenge" - Rocks with old-school strut and features male back-up singers who cover many bases including doo-wop. ****

"Ship of Fools" - excellent guitar from Doug Boyle (as usual) not to mention a typically captivating vocal from Plant. A huge hit, deservedly so. *****

"Why" - is a wimpy synth overdose. **

"White Clean and Neat" - interesting and pretty unique song with more old-school flavor (we're talkin' 50's) including sampled voices and other effects. ****

"Walking Towards Paradise" - a bonus track, more 80's synth shenanigans. Best left off the album, it still could've fit in somewhere but should not occupy the place that belongs to "White Clean and Neat." ***

Now and Zen, Robert Plant's fourth solo album, is an entertaining and cohesive piece of music. The material is appealing and catchy throughout. This disc was released in 1988 and contains ten songs altogether--one of these, "Walking Towards Paradise," is a bonus track. Every tune has something to offer. Overall, the musicianship is skillful, the songwriting is worthy, and the sound quality is nicely polished and crisp. The music is in a pop rock musical vein. When it comes to how the guitar and keyboards are utilized, there's a well-balanced synthesis of both instruments. Plant's former Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page guests on this album and contributes guitar solos on two compositions--"Heaven Knows" and the lively, free-spirited "Tall Cool One." Plant does a nice job with the vocals. Female background vocals are included on most of the songs. "Heaven Knows," "Dance on My Own," "Ship of Fools," and "Walking Towards Paradise" are examples of cuts that I like. The album's opening song, the exotic-flavored "Heaven Knows," is majestic in mood and features ethereal-sounding background vocals. The sunny, sleek "Dance on My Own" is a cool one that displays good guitar playing from Doug Boyle and infectious background vocals. The sole ballad of Now and Zen, the enjoyable "Ship of Fools," sports delicate, attractive, and dexterous guitar work from Boyle; undoubtedly, "Ship of Fools" is a nice showcase for his guitar skills. The sprightly "Walking Towards Paradise" is the CD's closing track--it contains an upbeat, engaging chorus. Surprisingly, the CD booklet only contains the song lyrics to five tunes--these being "Heaven Knows," "Tall Cool One," "The Way I Feel," "Ship of Fools," and "White, Clean and Neat." Phil Johnstone does well with the keyboards, and Chris Blackwell's drumming is noticeable and tight. The album cover is also cool. Something that I notice about Now and Zen is that it emanates an element of professional sophistication and feel. This album is just over 47 minutes in length. Now and Zen is worthwhile and solid.

Although I was into this album when it came out, it stll sounds good in 2005. Tall Cool One is a great rocker, Ship of Fools a classic. I think plant is in bloom here (somebody had to say it).

Sounds like some people think well produced is bad. Not me. The whole cd does have that (good kind) of late eighties polished-ness to it. Most songs are very catchy either in a rock way, or a couple almost in a new-age way. If I remember correctly, this is a good headphones cd too. I would say this might not be quite as good as "The Principle of moments", but better than "Fate of nations". Someday Plant will put out a "Best of" and solve the dilemma. Until then this cd is good enough that after 15 years I still listen to it now and zen.

This is the album where you knew for certain that Robert Plant had moved beyond Led Zep. For many, that is cause for a funeral dirge but, that does not mean that this was a bad album. It isn't, it's just different, and not too bad at all. "Now & Zen" came out in my senior year of college when I was finally over 21, so an early CD of this was played nearly to death. It always drove me nuts that "Walking Towards Paradise" wasn't included then but, this release has finally rectified that lapse. The whole album was fully digitally recorded so you get perfect sound, unlike all of our old Zep records! The band sounds great with Doug Boyle guitaring at the forefront and three women singing fine backing vocals. Everyone involved in this project are clearly veterans based on the perfect production. The first three songs are absolute classics with "Ship of Fools" taking the part of the killer Plant ballad reminding me some of "Big Log" from his earlier classic "The Principle of Moments".

The bottom line: Pick it up, new or used! The five songs I've mentioned earlier are indispensable and the rest are very listenable. The whole album has held up very well over the last 13 years.

This album marks a departure from his the kind of music Plant was putting forth on his first two solo discs. It is very cleanly recorded with very restrained, almost fragile, instrumentation in parts. The poppier direction of some of the tunes and the increased use of atmospherics via keyboards may not please all the fans of his earlier solo pieces but the quality of the backing musicians means that, for me at least, things still hang together quite well.

In terms of actual songs, personal faves would be Heaven Knows, Ship of Fools and the stop/start Helen of Troy. This record is a testament to Plants refusal to stand still and his evolution as an artist with integrity and the ability to come up with consistently good material.

A worthy release any Plant fan should get themselves acquanted with.

There is some good tracks on this one, but I think that ealier solo material was better than this. This one won't make history.
"Ship of fools" is great for sure, "Heaven Knows" is not bad also, but we are light years from the rocking gems of the seventies !

Released in 1988, this was Robert Plant's fourth solo album (not including the Honeydrippers). The original is 47 minutes long and these new bonus tracks bring it close to an hour.

The sound quality of the original CD was very good, especially for a CD released in the late eighties. There were many poor quality CD's released during that time, like Peter Gabriel's So, for example. Although the sound quality of the original Now & Zen was very good, it wasn't as good as today's standards. The sound could be muted and muddy at times. So, on this remastered recording, I don't know how much better the sound would be, or if it is just more of a different mix.

When this was released, it received rave reviews from the music press, especially Rolling Stone. While his earlier albums sold well, they did not get much respect. Now and Zen was the best received album both critically and in sales, hitting number 6 on the Billboard 200.

On this album, Plant partnered with keyboardist Phil Johnstone for the first. Johnstone has a very heavy influence on the sound.

This CD sounds very much like it came from the late eighties. It is as if you crossed Led Zepplin with later day disco, new wave and punk.

It is lively, energetic and has a crystal clear sound. It has that clean digital sound that most of the best sounding CD's had in the early days of the technology. It reminds me of Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms or Pete Townshend's White City.

The CD has some great songs on it, like Tall Cool One, Heaven Knows and the bluesy Ship of Fools.

However, the CD does have that late eighties sound, and it can sound a little dated now. You listen to it, and you know right off it was a product of the eighties. It does not have a timeless sound like old Led Zepplin. But, it is still very entertaining and one of the good things to come out of the eighties, before Grunge took over.