The Honeydrippers, Vol. 1 (Expanded)

The band on The Honeydrippers, Vol. 1 is among the best all-star lineups ever assembled for a one-off album. It features vocalist Robert Plant, plus guitarists Jeff Beck, Chic mastermind Nile Rodgers, and Plant’s Led Zeppelin partner Jimmy Page. Page only contributes two solos, but each highlights a key aspect of his playing. “I Get a Thrill” shows Page at his loosest and raunchiest, while a reading of “Sea of Love” (the album’s biggest hit) showcases the gilded lyricism so beloved by Zeppelin diehards. Plant is in fine voice, transforming the urban masculinity of Roy Brown and Ray Charles into a more lissome brand of sex appeal. The superstars share effortlessly in their love for these canonical R&B tunes, which were recorded at the behest of Atlantic president Ahmet Ertegun, the businessman who bridged the rock 'n' roll of the '50s to the classic rock of the '70s. The album isn't overwrought or overplanned. In the spirit of the original recordings, which Ertegun oversaw in the Truman era, the songs here are delivered with spontaneity, cheerfulness, and sincerity.