Pictures at Eleven is the debut solo album by former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, released on June 25, 1982 in the US and on July 2, in the UK. Genesis drummer Phil Collins played drums for five of the album’s eight songs. Ex-Rainbow drummer Cozy Powell handled drums on Slow Dancer and Like I’ve Never Been Gone. On the song Fat Lip, guitarist Robbie Blunt played a TR-808 drum machine. The title was an often-heard phrase in U.S. television news that would follow a brief announcement of a story of interest to be shown later during a station’s 11 PM news program. Pictures at Eleven is the only one of Plant‘s solo albums to appear on Led Zeppelin‘s record label Swan Song. By the time of Plant‘s next release, 1983’s The Principle of Moments, Swan Song Records had ceased to function, and Plant had started his own label named Es Paranza, which would also be distributed by Atlantic Records. Rhino Entertainment released a remastered edition of the album, with bonus tracks, on March 20 2007.
Tracklist:
Side one
- Burning Down One Side (Robert Plant, Robbie Blunt, and Jezz Woodroffe)
- Moonlight in Samosa
- Pledge Pin
- Slow Dancer
Side two
- Worse Than Detroit
- Fat Lip (Plant, Blunt, and Woodroffe)
- Like I’ve Never Been Gone
- Mystery Title
Remaster bonus tracks (2007)
- Far Post (Plant, Blunt, and Woodroffe)
- Like I’ve Never Been Gone (Live at Houston, 1983)
Band
Robert Plant: vocals
Jezz Woodroffe: keyboards, synthesizers
Robbie Blunt: guitars, Roland TR-808 (6)
Bob Mayo: guitar (10)
Paul Martinez: bass guitar
Phil Collins: drums (1-3, 5, 8, 9, 10)
Cozy Powell: drums (4, 7)
Raphael Ravenscroft: saxophone (3)
Production
Robert Plant: producer, mixing, design
Pat Moran: engineer, mixing
Robbie Blunt: mix assistant
Benji Leferve: mix assistant
Jezz Woodroffe: mix assistant
Michael Hoppen: design, photography
Remastering credits
Dan Hersch: remastering (1-8)
Bill Inglot: remastering (1-8)
Raj Das: remastering and renovating (9, 10)
Nicola Powell: supervision
Ed Vulliamy: liner notes
Bill Curbishley: management
Track 10 recorded at The Summit (Houston, Texas, USA)
Remastered at DigiPrep (Hollywood, California, USA) and RAK Studios (London, UK).