Led Zeppelin‘s crash landing led to a trio of often very surprising solo careers for its main songwriters and arrangers. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones spent most of the years that followed sounding anything but their old selves.
Both Jones and Page began their solo discographies with soundtrack work, to varying degrees of creative and commercial success. Neither seemed all that interested, at least in the beginning, with moving forward after the death of bandmate John Bonham suddenly ended their old band.
Page was silent until releasing music for 1982’s Death Wish II. Jones wouldn’t reemerge until 1985’s Scream for Help, the soundtrack for a film by Death Wish II director Michael Winner. (Winner also happened to be Page’s Berkshire neighbor.) Jones then fell silent for almost a decade. Page wouldn’t put out a proper solo album until 1988’s Outrider, which also featured Plant as a guest.
Led Zeppelin’s key members have released almost 30 solo albums since the band split. (UCR)
Who Put Out Led Zeppelin’s Best Solo Album?
By then, Plant had issued three solo albums, rarely touching on the heavy blues associated with Led Zeppelin. Instead, he dabbled with more contemporary sounds. His own 1988 solo project, Now and Zen, included samples. He’d already worked for a time with Phil Collins, one of the era’s most reliable pop stars. Plant would eventually come to closest to recreating Led Zeppelin’s metallic fury, but ultimately swerved into exciting world music and folk influences.
READ MORE: Four Ways Robert Plant Was Better Off Without Led Zeppelin
Unfortunately, Bonham never got the chance to issue a solo album. (Imagine the madness!) Each of the others also returned to the charts with other groups. Both Plant and Page were in the Honeydrippers, scoring a No. 3 hit with their 1984 cover of “Sea of Love.” Page issued the Top 5 platinum-selling Coverdale-Page with David Coverdale. Jones reached the Top 15 with 2009’s Them Crooked Vultures, featuring Josh Homme and Dave Grohl. Plant and Page also released a pair of albums together, most notably 1994’s million-selling No Quarter.
The following list of best (and worst) Led Zeppelin solo albums, however, only focuses on the headliner releases from Jones, Page and Plant. They didn’t always turn out to be big hits. In fact, some completely bombed. But they never failed to defy their oldest fans’ built-in expectations.
The Best (and Worst) Solo Album by Every Member of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin’s crash landing led to a trio of often very surprising solo careers for its main songwriters and arrangers.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
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