Rock music has been greatly influenced by Robert Plant, the late leader of Led Zeppelin. He is considered one of the all-time great rock vocalists and his distinctive vocal style and stage presence have influenced innumerable bands. Hard rock has come to be associated with Plant’s shrill, high-pitched vocals, and his charismatic stage presence has encouraged subsequent generations of musicians to push the limits of live performance.
With age, Plant has become more daring; he isn’t afraid to express his view on certain fresh bands. Robert Plant has made it clear which bands he despises over the years, whether it’s because they sound similar to his former band or just because he doesn’t like them.
Although each act’s career contains a few standout tracks, Robert Plant would rather not listen to them because he believes that either they are uninteresting or aren’t doing anything that another band is doing anywhere more effectively.
From emerging names on the rock scene to some of the heavyweights of the old guard, none of these acts will be getting any support from Plant. Although Plant’s time with Led Zeppelin may have come and gone, his witty comments to the media have persisted.
Early Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin’s detractors made their feelings known to the public. Over the years, Zep members have openly criticized their own work. Listening to vintage records is often like glancing at old baby pictures for artists. Although it might be entertaining to listen to right now, true artists always seek to improve upon what they’ve done. Plant, however, can’t help but quiver a little as he remembers his former band.
Plant believed that he didn’t know what he was doing when singing on the first few Led Zeppelin albums when he was questioned about some of his early singing attempts. While discussing their debut album. Plant said, “I realized that tough, manly approach to singing I’d begun on [Listen’s] ‘You Better Run’ wasn’t really what it was all about. Songs like [Zeppelin’s] ‘Babe I’m Going to Leave You’ … I find my vocals on there horrific now. I really should have shut the fuck up!”
Greta Van Fleet
Greta Van Fleet was not genuinely hated by Robert Plant. In fact, he called the band’s lead singer “a gorgeous little singer” and showed admiration for both his vocal range and the band as a whole. Plant even gave the group his support, referring to them as “Led Zeppelin I”.
However, during an interview with Loudwire, Plant was unreserved in his bias. He said, “He borrowed his voice from somebody I know very well, but what are you going to do? At least he’s got a bit of style because he’s said he based his whole style on Aerosmith”
Plant was never happy about them becoming famous for a look he helped create. They may be skilled musicians, but in Plant’s opinion, the classic Zeppelin albums haven’t changed and are still excellent.
David Coverdale
Due to David Coverdale’s involvement with Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin to produce the album “Coverdale-Page,” Robert Plant and David Coverdale got into a fight. Plant referred to the joint effort as the “David Cover-version” and criticized Coverdale for being insincere. Also, Plant chastised Coverdale for copying his appearance and performance mannerisms rather than developing his own.
When he talked about Coverdale, he said, “I find him a good man, but I feel that his integrity is now questionable. If Whitesnake was a real young band who had just seen The Song Remains the Same and decided, ‘OK, this is it, let’s imitate them,’ I could understand it”.
Older Rock Bands
There will be a time in every great artist’s career when they must gently part ways. Nobody can continue to do what they’re doing for all eternity, and during his career, Plant has adapted by working in many musical genres.
Plant became increasingly irritated with bands that chose to travel the nostalgia circuit as he talked about his most recent album. Plant enjoyed experimenting in new artistic areas but detested musicians who wanted to keep their band from their 20s together, and explained, “The good thing about Alison and I is that we’re a couple of kindred spirits. Most musicians form a band, then they stay in the band until it’s over — 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, whatever it is — and it starts to look sadly decrepit. It’s like people hanging onto a life raft or staying in a comfortable place.”
Robert Plant has chosen to follow his muse instead of settling for a comfortable life for most of his career, even though it will never reach Led Zeppelin’s heights. This attitude demonstrates why Plant doesn’t want to tour with Led Zeppelin ever again, even if his contemporaries are banding together for reunion tours.
The Who
Plant told Rolling Stone that he was disappointed in the most recent iteration of The Who when questioned about some of his contemporaries.
He told Rolling Stone, “I saw the Who trundled around the stadiums of America, and I found it so dull, obvious and sad. The fact that they carried on without Keith Moon was always a mystery to me, but the fact that they did it again and again, augmenting it with more and more musicians … I don’t want to be a part of that aspect of entertainment. I’ve played Vegas already.”
