Although Robert Plant has done just fine since Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980, he admits he wouldn’t have enjoyed a successful solo career if it wasn’t for another popular musician who was riding high at the time.
Phil Collins played drums for five songs on Plant’s solo debut, 1982’s Pictures at Eleven – and he brought with him more than just talent, Plant says. “Phil Collins especially was a driving force and had positive energy with the first record,” the singer says. “With Phil, it wasn’t so much advice as encouragement and consideration. He was taking no prisoners. He would only allow himself a short amount of time to come to the studio in Wales and make it work. Nobody was hiding behind the performance.”
Collins, who followed the project by going on tour with Plant, then pledged to help Plant recapture the glory of his Zeppelin years. “He said, ‘Anything I can do to help you to get back into fighting shape again, I’m here,’” Plant recalls. “He’s a great spirit; a good man.”