Robert Plant has a 'huge arsenal' of 'remarkable' unreleased music on his phone
But will it ever see the light of day?
by Scott Colothan
Robert Plant on stage in 2019. Getty Image
Robert Plant has told Planet Rock he has "two albums' worth" of "remarkable" unreleased music on his phone that's yet to see the light of day.
The music legend is the very special guest on Stateside with Loz Guest on Planet Rock tomorrow night (27th November) to celebrate the recent release of his second collaborative album with Alison Krauss, 'Raise the Roof.'
During the wide-ranging chat, Loz Guest asked Plant whether he was forced to "hunker down" and take a break from making music when the coronavirus pandemic first hit.
"Well, I'd already taken stock to be honest because when I hunkered down, I was already 71," Plant explained.
"I think I got most of the stock I could take (was) just coming to terms with an exaggerated personality where I thrive on adventure, in whatever form. So, I just had to minimise everything, my mind's eye. So, I looked to the music that I'd already created that I had not actually found having use for."
He added: "Alison (Krauss) and I had virtually finished 'Raise the Roof' and then we knew we had to wait because it's brand-new music. But what nobody else knew was I've got a huge arsenal of unreleased material - some of it completely finished, mixed and ready to go.
"But I could never find a window to let it out because I was with The Sensational Space Shifters after I came back from Texas. I spent like another two albums or seven years with them playing around the world into Africa and mixing it with Gambian musicians."
Reflecting upon the unreleased music, Plant continued: "So this other stuff, I've started to open it up and look at it and I was just flabbergasted. I mean, this old iPhone is absolutely full of unheard, remarkable bits of music. It's on the cloud as well! Thing is it's all sorts of music. So, it could be what everybody's always wanted. Or it could be something that nobody could even imagine. There's just so much stuff.
"I started seeing what it was (and) sending it down to my pal Tim Oliver who engineers and mixes my stuff normally down at Peter Gabriel's place (Real World Studios) and we started mixing some other stuff. Mastering some stuff. (My phone) is laden with incredible stuff."
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Getty Image
Asked if it will ever see the light of day, Plant replied: "Well it's is a very nice thing for you to say to me and a decent question, but if I make another record with Alison, no. Or if I go back to The Space Shifters, definitely not because I shall be writing new stuff.
"I kind of want to know what I'm going to do next. Today is a day where I'm so thrilled to be a part of this new record ('Raise the Roof') and new combination of spirit, energy and musicians. Two years time, maybe we'll be doing it again. But maybe not. Maybe it will be somebody else. Maybe I'll be doing some stand up comedy... well, it'll be sit down (comedy) by then!"
Listen to Robert Plant on Stateside with Loz Guest:
Robert Plant's full interview on Stateside with Loz Guest airs on Planet Rock this Saturday night (27th November) from 7pm. The hour-long show is repeated on Wednesday 1st December at 8pm.
