Born in West Bromwich, England back in 1948, Robert Plant started his musical career in 1965, only three years before he helped to form Led Zeppelin, which would become one of the best-selling bands of all time.
Active from 1968 to 1980, until the tragic death of the drummer John Bonham, the band had sold an estimated amount of 200 to 300 million records worldwide. Although the group was crucial for the evolution of Hard Rock music, their members had a broad musical taste. That can be seen in the band that Plant once revealed that was one of his favorites of all time.
The band that Robert Plant said is one of his favorites
After John Bonham’s tragic death back in 1980, at the age of 32, Led Zeppelin decided that they couldn’t continue without the drummer. The main reason was that he was an important part of their sound. Plant’s solo career begun in 1982 with the release of his solo debut album “Pictures At Eleven”. That record showed that he wouldn’t try to emulate the Zeppelin sound on his new career.
The British musician used his old influences on his new compositions but also was really open to hear all the new bands that were appearing in the 80s. He even revealed in an interview with Tony Bacon in 1988, that the American Alternative Rock group Let’s Active, was one of his favorite ones.
He mentioned the group when he was asked to point which guitar work from Jimmy Page in Led Zeppelin, that he particularly liked. “The slide work on ‘In My Time of Dying,’ which goes on and on (laughs). But it’s great ramshackle blues slide. Straight off the top.”
“I remember the shock I had with one of my favorite bands, Let’s Active, with Mitch Easter. There’s a track on Big Plans For Everybody (1986) with slide guitar, and it’s exactly the same as ‘In My Time of Dying’ (laughs). I couldn’t believe it! I went what! Not another one. I thought it was only that Rick Rubin who did these things,” Robert Plant said.
Plant said that he hard a little bit of Zeppelin on Let’s Active music
Talking with Rolling Stone magazine also in 1988, Robert Plant mentioned Let’s Active once again. He said that he heard a little bit of Led Zeppelin when he heard the group’s music.
“So when I listen to Mitch Easter’s work, I hear a bit of Zeppelin. I heard a steel-guitar bit on the Let’s Active album ‘Big Plans for Everybody’ that sounds just like ‘In My Time of Dying.’ I was flattered. Even though I didn’t play the guitar part. That’s looking backwards. But it’s looking backwards with such gentility and taste,” Robert Plant said.
The band
Formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States back in 1981, Let’s Active was an Alternative Rock group that released three albums and one EP back in the 80s. Which were: “Afoot” (1983 – EP), “Cypress” (1984), “Big Plans For Everybody” (1986) and “Every Dog Has His Day” (1988). Some of their most famous songs are “Every Word Means No”, “Blue Line”, “Waters Part” and “Room With a View”. The only member who was part of all the years the group was active (1981 to 1990 and in 2014) was the vocalist and guitarist Mitch Easter. The 2014 reunion also had the drummer Sara Romweber, that reunited with Easter for a cancer charity show.
He is also known for being a successful producer. Besides producing all the Let’s Active records, he also produced the two first R.E.M. albums. Other famous bands he worked with are Pavement, Richard Barone, Game Theory and The Connells. During the last decade he was a guest musician on many albums from a big variety of artists.