
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 1994 11:16:55 -0500
From: "Jonathan L. Leybovich" <jleybov@orion.it.luc.edu>
Subject: Another Review

	Here's a review of Unledded from the "Chicago Tribune, November 
6, 1994" by Greg Kot:

	No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded" **1/2

	This takes the "Unplugged format to its most absurd extremes, 
with the principals performing with a London orchestra, an 11-piece 
Egyptian ensemble and Moroccan percussionists.  The vdeo follows the duo 
to the hills of Wales and the streets of Marrakech, with Page wrestling 
three-headed guitars and Plant whirling like a blond-maned shaman.
	It's as though Led Zeppelin and the days of rock excess never 
left.  Indeed, it was just this sort of pomposity that Plant so 
resolutely staved off for so many years.  With John Bonham's death in 
1980, the singer vowed never to reunite the band.  Guess he was just kidding.
	To his credit, Plant avoids nostalgia as he plunges back into the 
Zep canon, tuning down the blues-rock swagger in favor of a more 
mystical, Middle Eastern vibe.  But if Plant's singing is occasionally a 
thrilling departure, Page's accoustic strumming is no substitute for the 
blood and thunder of the original.
	The duo deserve credit for at least trying to shake things up a 
bit- this sounds less lke the original Zeppelin than Page's recent 
collaboration with Plant clone David Coverdale.  But the three new songs 
are only tentatively steps away from the old Zep bluster, and some of the 
oldies sound like desperate attempts to fix something that wasn't broke 
in the first place.  The most overwrought remake is "Kashmir", which 
makes at least one listener glad these two didn't try their hand at 
"Stairway to Heavan".
[End Review]
