Robert Plant

I was pretty psyched to hear Outrider on vinyl. Side one is good, the highlights being the instrumentals and “Wanna Make Love,” where Page does some cool crashes and bends. Plant’s tune is probably my least favourite. The engineering is all right; it seems clearer on the instrumentals, with the drums brought a bit further forward.

Side B, though, is what this album is about. It opens with “Hummingbird,” a bluesy love song that both Page and Farlowe nail. “Emerald Eyes” is nice, warming us up for the wonderfully nasty “Prison Blues” — again all about the Farlowe/Page performance. Gritty and dirty and I love it, especially through my system. The closing “Blues Anthem” is a stunner. I always forget about the orchestra on that one, but it is a beautiful song. Another love song, though maybe more about loving the blues than loving any person.