Re: R&R Hall of Fame

[TangerineMan <TangerineMan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gerry writes:

> And then as if things were not lame enough, someone gave Robert 
> Plant a
> guitar.  Which was completly stupid.  He didn't even look like he 
> had ever
> picked one up, much less ever played one.  All those years in the 
> inner
> circle of Rock Greatness and you never bother to pick up a guitar 
> and learn
> at least a few chords?

A lot of us like to knock Plant's guitar playing (I've been guilty of 
it in the
past...). Even Page is said to have told him, after the RRHoF gig, 
"don't ever
do that again if I'm on the same stage," or words to that effect.

I saw Plant play a solo on a Flying V back on the Manic Nirvana tour, 
and no,
it wasn't a particularly pretty thing to witness. His grungy 
strumming on the
remake of Down by the Seaside with Tori Amos on the Encomium album 
didn't do
much to change my opinion.

But if you listen to the guitar solo in "Season of the Witch" from the
last-ever Priory of Brion show, that's him playing, and it's pretty 
damn
impressive. He's obviously been practicing!

There's a picture of Percy barring a perfect A chord on Jimmy's main 
Les Paul
at a November 1969 soundcheck (although his strumming technique looks 
a little
off), so he certainly did "bother to pick up a guitar and learn a few 
chords"
back in the day.

Also, he apparently played rhythm guitar (uncredited) on Boogie with 
Stu and
Down by the Seaside. He also played bass during the aborted reunion 
sessions
with Tony Thompson in 1985. So it's obvious he has some basic 
fretboard
ability.

And it's logical to assume that when he writes songs (if indeed he 
still
does!), he works out chord sequences on guitar. Most songwriters use 
either
acoustic guitar or piano to write; I've never heard of Plant playing 
piano,
so...