The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show

With his second solo album, Robert Plant continued to establish himself outside of the nearly inescapable context of Led Zeppelin. The Principle of Moments was a huge leap forward for him in that it contained two smash singles, proving he didn’t need Jimmy Page to write hits. “Other Arms” is a sprightly piece of new wave soul done Zeppelin-style, but “Big Log” was a much bigger and more definitive song. With its slow-building, moody programming, it resembles the massively successful hits of Phil Collins (who happens to play drums on the track, plus five other album tracks). Despite those songs' chart success, the album’s standout was the cut “In the Mood,” which was easily the catchiest song Plant had written since “D’yer Maker.” Sweeping and starry-eyed, the tune is lighter on its feet than Zeppelin ever was. Among the bonus tracks is an epic live version recorded in Houston in 1983, along with a version of Bob Marley’s “Lively Up Yourself” that turns the spare Kingston rhythm into a stadium sing-along.