Post Description

Disc 1 features a very lopsided compilation of Robert's proper solo work, with the earlier albums being almost totally neglected in favor of the later ones. If that's a problem for you, just listen to the original albums again. Of course, Robert meant for this package to focus on the more adventurous aspects of his music, which can be felt throughout Disc 2, and that's the real reason for this collection's existence.
Zep collectors will be fascinated by the first few cuts on Disc 2, which are long-lost selections from Robert's pre-Zeppelin work. The first two tracks are obscure British singles in which the teenage Robert was trying to be a pop heartthrob and sounded very little like his future blues-metal self. Robert finds his voice in the next two tracks by Band of Joy, his pre-Zeppelin group with John Bonham on drums (one of these two tracks is a surprisingly sinister version of "Hey Joe"). The collection then skips to 1983 and proceeds to take us on a tour of post-Zeppelin tracks that were often so offbeat and adventurous that they didn't even fit onto the solo albums. Here is where Robert fans will be truly reminded of his unappreciated love for the experimental and his mastery of non-Western sounds. Most rewarding are a variety of quirky covers, collaborations with Afro Celt Soundsystem and avant-garde guitar virtuoso Rainer Ptacek, and a live selection from Timbuktu (Mali) that truly integrates the authentic sounds of that land. Prepare for adventure, not a selection of radio hits.