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Now and Zen

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For the lifestyle products company, see Now & Zen.

Now and Zen
Studio album by
Robert Plant
Released29 February 1988
RecordedNovember and December 1987
StudioSwanyard Studios and Marcus Studios (London, UK).
GenreRock
Length47:03 (CD)
42:19 (vinyl)
LabelEs Paranza
Producer
Robert Plant chronology
Shaken 'n' Stirred
(1985) 		Now and Zen
(1988) 		Manic Nirvana
(1990)
Singles from Now and Zen
  1. "Heaven Knows"
    Released: January 1988
  2. "Tall Cool One"
    Released: April 1988
  3. "Ship of Fools"
    Released: August 1988[1]

Now and Zen is the fourth solo album by Robert Plant, released 29 February 1988 by Es Paranza Records, Plant's own label. The album made the top 10 in the US (No. 6) and UK (No. 10). It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on 7 September 2001. The album was produced by Tim Palmer, Robert Plant, and Phil Johnstone.

Background and recording

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The tracks "Heaven Knows" and "Tall Cool One" feature Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. (On the liner notes, Page's participation on the songs is noted with a Zoso symbol.) In response[citation needed] to the Beastie Boys' unauthorized sampling of some Led Zeppelin songs on their 1986 album Licensed to Ill, Plant also used samples from Led Zeppelin songs ("Whole Lotta Love", "Dazed and Confused", "Black Dog", "Custard Pie", and "The Ocean") on "Tall Cool One", additionally singing words from "When the Levee Breaks".

Release and reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[3]
Kerrang![4]
Philadelphia Inquirer[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Village VoiceB[7]

The original released copies of the CD and Album version contained a wolf motif mini-flag in satin red. This is a tribute to his favorite association football team, the Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves by fans). This mini-flag is also a rare collector's item. "Walking Towards Paradise" was originally as a bonus track available only on CD versions of the album and as the B-side of the single "Heaven Knows". Rhino Entertainment released a remastered edition of the album, with bonus tracks, on 3 April 2007.

Now and Zen was received positively by both Plant's fans and professional music critics.[8] In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Kurt Loder hailed Now and Zen as "some kind of stylistic event: a seamless pop fusion of hard guitar rock, gorgeous computerization and sharp, startling songcraft."[6] Robert Christgau found it superior to his previous two attractive but forgettable solo albums, writing in The Village Voice that "at its best, it's far from forgettable. Overall effect is a cross between his former band and the Cars."[7]

In an interview he gave to Uncut magazine in 2005, Plant commented that "by the time Now and Zen came out in '88, it looked like I was big again. It was a Top 10 album on both sides of the Atlantic. But if I listen to it now, I can hear that a lot of the songs got lost in the technology of the time."[9]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Robert Plant and Phil Johnstone, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heaven Knows"Johnstone, David Barratt4:06
2."Dance on My Own"Plant, Johnstone, Robert Crash4:30
3."Tall Cool One" 4:40
4."The Way I Feel"Plant, Johnstone, Doug Boyle5:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Helen of Troy" 5:06
6."Billy's Revenge" 3:34
7."Ship of Fools" 5:01
8."Why"Plant, Crash4:14
9."White, Clean and Neat" 5:28
10."Walking Towards Paradise" (CD edition bonus track)Jerry Lynn Williams4:40
2007 remaster bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Billy's Revenge" (Live)6:00
12."Ship of Fools" (Live)10:35
13."Tall Cool One" (Live)5:07

Appearances in other media

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Personnel

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Musicians

Additional musicians

  • David Barratt – programming
  • Robert Crash – programming
  • Jimmy Page – guitar solos (1, 3)
  • Charlie Jones – bass (bonus tracks 11-13)
  • Toni Halliday – backing vocals
  • Kirsty MacColl – backing vocals
  • Marie Pierre – backing vocals
  • Jerry Wayne – voice-over (9)

Production

  • Phil Johnstone – producer
  • Tim Palmer – producer
  • Robert Plant – producer
  • Dave Barrett – engineer
  • Rob Bozas – engineer
  • Tim Burrell – engineer
  • Jonathan Dee – engineer
  • Michael Gregovich – engineer
  • Martin Russell – engineer
  • Icon – design, art direction
  • Richard Evans – design, art direction
  • Davies and Starr – photography

Charts

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Chart performance for Now and Zen
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Australian Music Report)[10] 11
Canadian RPM100 Chart[11] 4
German Albums Chart[12] 48
New Zealand Albums Chart[13] 7
Norwegian Albums Chart[14] 12
Swedish Albums Chart[15] 18
UK Albums Chart 10
US Billboard 200 6

References

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  1. ^ "The Great Rock Discography". p. 477.
  2. ^ Iynegar, Vic. "Robert Plant - Now and Zen review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  3. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  4. ^ Johnson, Howard (13 February 1988). "Robert Plant - 'Now and Zen'". Kerrang!. No. 174.
  5. ^ Tucker, Ken (10 March 1988). "Releases from Plant, Shorter". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 82 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. ^ a b Loder, Kurt (10 March 1988). "Robert Plant - Now and Zen". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  7. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (30 August 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  8. ^ Daniels, Neil; Stening, Paul (2008). Robert Plant: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page and the Solo Years. Independent Music Press. p. 121. ISBN 0955282276.
  9. ^ Williamson, Nigel. "Good Times...Bad Times", Uncut, May 2005, p. 62.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "RPM Albums Chart - 9 April 1988". RPM. Archived from the original on 1 July 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  12. ^ "Album - Robert Plant, Now and Zen". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Robert Plant - Now and Zen (album)". charts.nz. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Top 40 Albums - 6 March 1988". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  15. ^ "Top 60 Albums - 16 March 1988". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
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