Page and Plant

Page and Plant

Company type	Rock band
Industry	Music
Founded	1994
Defunct	1998
Headquarters	London , England, United Kingdom
Key people	Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Charlie Jones, Michael Lee
Products	Music albums, live performances

Page and Plant—also recognized as Jimmy Page & Robert Plant—was a British rock ensemble active between 1994 and 1998, consisting of guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant (both formerly of Led Zeppelin), alongside bassist Charlie Jones and drummer Michael Lee. Originating from an MTV Unplugged reunion project, they issued the platinum-certified live album No Quarter, which combined fresh compositions with Led Zeppelin reinterpretations enriched by Middle Eastern musical influences. The album’s popularity resulted in an international tour featuring a full orchestra.

Their 1998 release, Walking into Clarksdale, consisted entirely of original tracks, including the Grammy-winning single "Most High". Following a subsequent worldwide tour, the group dissolved later that year, with a brief reunion occurring in 2001.

History

The initial discussions for reuniting began in 1993, prompted by informal conversations and an invitation to appear on MTV Unplugged. Manager Bill Curbishley, who had managed Plant since the 1980s and took on Page’s management in 1994, was instrumental in facilitating their collaboration despite previous unsuccessful attempts. Page recalled:

Plant commented:

MTV Unplugged, No Quarter, and Unledded World Tour (1994–1997)

The principal songwriting duo of Led Zeppelin reunited on 17 April 1994 at the Alexis Korner Memorial Concert held in Buxton, England. On 25 and 26 August, they recorded sessions across London, Wales, and Morocco, incorporating Egyptian and Moroccan orchestral arrangements into Led Zeppelin classics alongside four new songs. These performances were broadcast on 12 October and sparked a tour commencing in February 1995. The recordings from the Unplugged session were released as the album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded in November 1994.

The touring ensemble supporting Page and Plant featured Charlie Jones on bass and percussion, Michael Lee on drums, Pearl Thompson handling guitar and banjo duties, Najma Akhtar providing backing vocals, Jim Sutherland on mandolin and bodhrán, Nigel Eaton playing the hurdy-gurdy, and Ed Shearmur managing Hammond organ and orchestral arrangements. Page commended the group for their fusion of Western and Arab orchestras during a global tour that exposed audiences to innovative musical blends. Keyboardist Phil Andrews contributed to a rendition of "Rude World" by Rainer Ptacek featured on the 1997 charity compilation The Inner Flame: A Tribute to Rainer Ptacek.

Walking into Clarksdale and Walking into Everywhere World Tour (1998)

In 1998, Page and Plant produced Walking into Clarksdale, with engineering by Steve Albini. The album included the Grammy Award-winning track "Most High," which secured Best Hard Rock Performance, and attained gold status after selling over half a million copies. While "Most High" received critical praise, the album overall garnered mixed reviews and did not replicate the commercial success of the platinum-selling No Quarter.

To support the release, Page and Plant embarked on a world tour encompassing 97 shows across North America and Europe. Their concert in Bucharest, Romania was professionally recorded and broadcast live on MTV under the title "Live from the 10 Spot."

Final phase and disbandment (1998–2001)

After completing the 1998 tour promoting Walking into Clarksdale, Robert Plant chose to leave in order to focus on other endeavors, effectively bringing the reunion to a close. The duo briefly came together once more for a concluding appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2001.

In a 2005 interview with Uncut, Plant expressed his dissatisfaction with the production aspects of Walking Into Clarksdale and mentioned his preference for performing in more intimate settings:

Page later disclosed that he had composed songs intended for a prospective follow-up album; however, Plant favored pursuing an alternative artistic path:

Band members

• Jimmy Page – acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, production
• Robert Plant – lead vocals, production
• Charlie Jones – bass guitar, percussion
• Michael Lee – drums, percussion

Supporting musicians

• Porl Thompson – guitar, banjo
• Nigel Eaton – hurdy-gurdy
• Ed Shearmur – orchestral arrangements, organ
• Lynton Naiff – string arrangements
• Jim Sutherland – mandolin, bodhran
• Tim Whelan – keyboards
• Phil Andrews – mixing, keyboards
• Martin Meissonnier – pre-production

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album information	Highest chart rankings										Certifications (sales milestones)
		US	AUS	AUT	FRA	NLD	NZL	NOR	SWE	SWI	UK
1994	No Quarter Release date: 7 November 1994 Label: Atlantic/Fontana Format: CD	4	2	27	—	33	13	—	10	16	7	US: Platinum CAN: Double Platinum UK: Gold
1998	Walking into Clarksdale Release date: 20 April 1998 Label: Atlantic/Mercury Format: CD	8	16	33	5	56	11	13	17	31	3	US: Gold

Compilation appearances

Year	Title
The Inner Flame: A Tribute to Rainer Ptacek (Track: "Rude World")
Good Rockin' Tonight - The Legacy Of Sun Records (Track: "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It")

Singles

Year	Title	Album association
1994 |"Gallows Pole"	No Quarter
		"The Battle of Evermore" (promotional)
		"Kashmir" (French release)
		"Thank You" (Dutch release)
1995 |"Wonderful One" (US release)
		"Four Sticks" (promotional)
1998 |"Most High"	Walking into Clarksdale
		"Shining in the Light"
		"Sons of Freedom" (promotional)

Video releases

Year	Title
Music video for "Most High" (director: Floria Sigismondi)
No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded

See also

• Coverdale–Page