SHIP OF FOOLS

I originally considered reviewing the "Tall Cool One" single from Now and Zen. I realized that picking the one song from the album you really don't like, just so you can rant about it in a review, is a pretty poor guideline for choosing! Maybe I'm just too humor-deficient to appreciate "Tall Cool One" as much other reviewers. Instead I picked one of the best tracks. Based on quotes elsewhere on Prog Archives, Robert seems to feel that Now and Zen was too overproduced and too dependent on the latest recording technology of the time. I don't feel that's true, especially when it comes to "Ship Of Fools".

One of the highlights of the song is Doug Boyle's beautiful guitar playing. The other is Robert's subtle, emotive singing, a phrase not often used when it comes to Plant. The lyrics are thoughtful and open to a variety of interesting interpretations. With a sound reminiscent of "The Rain Song" from Houses of the Holy, the more musically conservative listeners ought to thoroughly enjoy "Ship of Fools". It's followed by two value-added live tracks. "Helen of Troy" combines the mythological title character with Robert's typically clever sexual innuendos. Lastly, Plant pays homage to one of Led Zeppelin's original inspirations by covering the blues classic "Dimples" by John Lee Hooker. This is a very enjoyable EP. You could even, God help us, justifiably call it Zeppelin-ish!