Robert Plant-The Principle of Moments (1983)


 

Artist: Robert Plant

Title  The Principle of Moments

Label:  Atlantic

Format: LP

Cat: 7 90101-1

Year of Release: 1983

Country and Year of Edition: US 1983 Specialty Pressing

Sell Price: $3.99  VG+/G+ 9/17/22  

Discogs Last Sold:5/7/22 VG+/NM $7.00

Low: $2.49 VG+/VG+

Median: $2.50

Average: $5.00

High: $6.24

Current low price: $20.00

Current Number on Sbale at Discogs:  36

Have/Want: 1039/63

Where Sold:  Dade City, FL

Time it took to sell: 7 years

Where and When Purchased" Worcester Al Bums time of release

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-

Sad To See It Go: No

The Principle of Moments is an album that grew on me over time.  In 1983,  I thought it was a clear drop off from Pictures At Eleven.  However, guitarist Robbie Blunt's work is uniformly excellent.  Although still alive, Blunt seems to have dropped off the face of the earth even though he did session work in the 90's after leaving Plant's band..  Plant taps the prog rock elite of drummers: Barriemore Barlow from Jethro Tull on half the tracks, the other half has Phil Collins in the peak of his solo and Genesis hitmaking heyday.

7 out of 8 tracks have the air of AOR familiarity.  This was a heavy rotation rock radio record, befitting of the singer of Led Zeppelin.  The rest of the 80's were either experimental (Shaken 'n Stirred, which I bought) or commercial pop (Now and Zen, which I didn't).  At the time I hated "Big Log" which I thought was lumbering and while it doesn't bother me now, it still isn't my favorite.

The song that leaped for me over time was "In The Mood," which I felt had a great effect with him closing a show I saw in 2018 at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.  He made it sound even more low key than it was, but it hit me a certain way it never had before.

Some of the hits I didn't recognize by title but once they kicked in I remembered them straight away: "Messing With The Mekon,"  my second favorite, "Horizontal Departure"  and "Stranger Here...Than Over There" which is another one I thought was strong.  The one I had no recollection of is the side one closer "Wreckless Love."   I still can't remember it after a couple album listens today.

That leaves what I consider the massive hits, the album opener with the Zeppish vocals "Open Arms," the side two ballad "Thru With The Two Step," and of course the then reviled but unavoidable "Big Log."  I can't even joke about Plant laying a "Big Log" since the Log has since ossified into something much less offensive.  As Robert says wrapping up "In The Mood," "Do it right/do it wrong/'cause a matter of fact/it will turn out to be strong."

You can't really argue when an artist runs on that logic.



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