Pictures at Eleven (Remastered)

Expectations were high for Robert Plant's 1982 release Pictures at Eleven, his first solo effort following the dissolution of Led Zeppelin. Though Jimmy Page had long been regarded at Zeppelin’s musical mastermind, this album makes Plant’s forward-thinking tastes evident. “Pledge Pin” bears the influence of The Police—perhaps the era's most highly touted young rock band—while “Fat Lip” feels like a reflection (or a harbinger) of the gently gloomy-yet-romantic guitar rock that The Cure and The Smiths would make in the years to come. Alongside his curiosity for the younger generation’s music, Plant retains his interest in the funky metal riffs that made Zeppelin a global institution. Propelled by drummer Phil Collins (who appears on six of the album’s eight tracks) and young guitarist Robbie Blunt, “Burning Down One Side,” “Slow Dancer," and the wily “Worse Than Detroit” give some idea of what Zeppelin might have sounded like had it made an album in 1982. Far from appearing as a haggard ex-rock god, Plant comes off as frisky on the punchy closer, “Mystery Title.”