My love is in league with the freeway

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

14/08/83 : The Principle Of Moments - Robert Plant


I remember the single "Big Log" from around this time - I remember it sounding a somewhat incongruous presence in the charts which made me wonder what this Robert Plant guy had ever done which meant he'd crashed the charts with it.  Look, I was young - right?  But yes, I still should have known - I was aware of Led Zep, but just wasn't aware of their personnel for a few more years.  Anyways, back to the album, I've never heard it in all the intervening years so am quite looking forward to it.

Hmmm - it's all a bit low-key noodley for me, I'm afraid.  It might sound great turned up loud, but I listened to it in the garden and I'm not sure the neighbours would have appreciated it.  "Big Log" is still a fine track - it's kinda different from what you're expecting, being more of an Eagles track than anything else.

And neither of us had this one either, so we're down to 8/20 - I'm going to stop giving updates on record low percentages until we stop this slide (which, having taken a sneaky look ahead, doesn't look like it's going to be happening any time soon).

We're also at another record low for chart placement this week - #7 on his fifth week out of a 14 week run (never to be seen again) and this was the highest he managed.  Above it in the charts were The Jacksons and The Beach Boys compilations, Wham!, Michael Jackson, Asia (highest new entry at #5) and Paul Young.  Asia were the only new entry in the top ten - the next new entry was Marc And The Mambas at #28, which I'd completely forgotten was one of Marc Almond many spin-off projects after Soft Cell.

Wikipedia doesn't have a lot on the album other than telling me that Phil Collins plays drums on half the tracks and also joined him on tour in the US later in the year.  It also bizarrely gives a list of all the locations used in the "Big Log" video, including a gas station in Crystal, Nevada, the Amargosa Opera House and the schoolhouse in a Californian ghost town - and I struggle to imagine too many people go there for that information.  I was surprised that there's no section on the critical reception - Robert Plant feels like one of those people that people are always going to have an opinion on.  It did well commercially though - #8 in the US, selling over a million copies and it got to #1 in New Zealand as well, selling slightly fewer over there.

"Customers also listened to" Red Rider, Robbie Robertson and David & David - obviously lots of fans of alliteration out there.  It was quite an interesting listen and I was glad to be reminded of "Big Log", but I do feel that if anyone else had released it, I wouldn't be writing about it now.

07/08/83 - A strong album
21/08/83 - A very un-80's sound

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