Now & Zen Expanded & Remastered

Released in 1988, the magic of the 1980's is so perfectly encapsulated in this album. If you like those big 80s toms, the gated snare, chimey clean guitars with plenty of chorus and delay... ANY of that 80s rock aesthetic, this is the album for you. Not only is it a must for any Robert Plant fan, it's a must for any fan of 80s music in general.Nowadays, the genre "synthwave" is becoming quite popular, for its 'nostalgic' 80s aesthetic - "nostalgic" even for people like me who weren't born until the 90s. People who love Synthwave but think they don't like rock at all, I'm sure even they would love this album. It is so iconically 80's, and I mean that in the best possible way.Now, to be fair, I have to say that throughout Plant's discography, I find myself skipping certain tracks on every one of his albums I've checked out so far. Albums like "Shaken n' Stirred" only have 3 songs that I'm drawn back to. But albums like Now and Zen, there are only 3 songs that I SKIP - "Tall Cool One", "Billy's Revenge", and "White, Clean and Neat". Once in a while I skip "Why" also. But the rest I could listen to every day of the week. This is my own personal taste, as a man born in 1993, so you can take that for what it's worth. Those aforementioned 3.5 songs I skip just don't have as timeless a feel as the other songs, not in my book."Heaven Knows" is a great and powerful way to start the album. It's a great balance of classic rock and newer dreamy 80s ambience. A guest solo by Jimmy Page is the cherry on top. Very memorable chorus. Overall it is a lot of that happy anthemic sound of the late 80s/early 90s. Each song on this album has such a distinct mood. It's not a one-mood album. Each song has it's own very distinct and memorable mood."Dance on My Own" is where the melody really becomes magical. Heaven Knows strikes a good balance of good ol ROCK and these newer 80s magical sounds. However, Dance On my Own is still rock, but has the spacey sound that I swear will never go extinct - not if I can help it. The tone of every single instrument, drum, voice, is just immaculate. This is the track where you realize the production is just PERFECT."Tall Cool One" is a song that I skip. It's not bad, very "rockabilly" sound, but it's just not what I'm looking for when I put on Now and Zen. I'm looking for that ambient and dreamy sound with the strong melodies that reach right into your soul."The Way I Feel" reaches right into your soul. Maybe the most memorable chorus on the album."Helen of Troy" starts off with a great classic rock vibe, but new and fresh with the late 80's production. Great and BALANCED synth work, as is found throughout this whole album. Not too much synth, not too little. Very tastefully composed. While "Heaven Knows" had the optimistic aesthetic, this one has the optimistic lyrics in the chorus. "The world is waiting here for you". Helps remind me that the world is worse off if I'm not giving it my all."Billy's Revenge" is another 'rockabilly' sound that I just find myself skipping every time. May be great for what it is, but it's not what I look for when I put on Now and Zen.Now "Ship of Fools" is zen. Put it on, and it's near impossible to turn it off. My self control becomes unreliable, I have to finish listening to it. Remarkable lyrics, everything about the song is just perfect. Nothing more I can say."Why" has a great intro, good verses, but I'm not too crazy about the chorus. I skip it some of the time. Great interplay of synth and guitar. The compositions on this album are so tasteful. Not over the top showing off crazy guitar and synth solos, but still dynamic and not sterile or generic."White, Clean and Neat" is fun, always great to hear Plant go wild. But overall I find myself skipping it pretty often. A cool song, better than Billy's Revenge or "Tall Cool One" imo (the only other two I regularly skip), but it's still not what I put this album on for."Walking Towards Paradise" is a great way to close the album. Again, a good balance of rock and that dreamy 80s magic sound, leaning more towards the latter. One of those moods that just brings a smile to your face instantly. Great note choice. The songwriters on this album are just geniuses. So tasteful and structured, with just the right touch of unorthodoxy.My favorite genre is progressive metal. But I grew up on Zeppelin. To this day they are my second favorite 'classic rock' band, just behind Rush. And that's probably only due to the fact that Rush has 20 studio albums to offer, while Zeppelin was tragically cut short and only has 9 to offer, if you count Coda (which I certainly do). I always wondered what they would have sounded like if they'd continued into the 80s. Rush transformed in the 80s with a lot more synth and "dreamy" sound (check albums 'Power Windows' and 'Hold Your Fire') - not too dissimilar to the nostalgic and dreamy sounds found on this album. While I know Plant's discography is not an accurate representation of what Zeppelin would have been like in the 80s, I'm sure what Zeppelin would have been like is something at least HALFWAY between Now and Zen, and Physical Graffiti or Presence.Cannot recommend this album enough. It is a MUST-HEAR for any fan of 80s music or Led Zeppelin. And yes, please BUY the actual physical music. For your own sake if not for the artist's. With the CD you get the REAL HIGH QUALITY - the studio quality. Where every instrument - each element of the drums, every guitar, etc. - sounds like it has *it's own space* and isn't just compressed together with every other instrument into one track, as it sounds like on most any streaming service. And who wants to be solely dependent upon an internet connection to enjoy your favorite music? Consider having the offline option. Upload the CD to your computer/hard-drive as a lossless file type (.wav/.flac/.AIFF, etc.) and take it with you on your phone, iPod, USB, etc. to enjoy CD-quality on-the-go. And to hold the physical liner notes, the lyrics, the artwork in your hand... staring at a graphic on a screen just isn't the same. And to have a physical CD and/or vinyl collection in the home, like having a good collection of real physical books, is great for any children that may be roaming about. There is nothing like having physical copies of such things laying around to pique the interest of the next generation in such decent things.

Love all music by Led Zepplin, and Robert Plant, restocking my library.

This is what I was looking for late 90s. Robert Plant sounds!

Everyone knows Robert Plant from the classic rock group Led Zepplin, but if you want to hear something alittle different listen to Now and Zen. I originally owned this CD when it was first released and then someone took it from me using a five finger discount so now years later I picked it up on Amazon. Some of the songs seem dated with the 1980's electric keyboard sound but there are two songs that make it all worth it: "Heaven Knows" and "Ship of Fools" possibly some of Robert Plants best solo work.

This was a well protected, flawless cd. One likes to know that, too many times you can receive cracked,smashed cd. May be delivery process, but protection starts with kid gloves........Donnie P

This album has an emotional place in my life and my copy is either lost duing my move or hiding in a box. (Yes, I've looked though everything.) Given that the album is 30'ish years old, the copy is not mint. However, after a good cleaning, it plays well and that is all I needed. Thank you to the seller for letting it go. It sits in a home that enjoys to be heard.

You can't go wrong with this album. I have had the vinyl for years but I still have a CD player in my mid 2000's car so I got. Jimmy Page plays on Heaven Knows and of course Tall Cool One. ANY Zeppelin fan can tell immediately that it's JP. I recommend this and all of his solo albums. Brilliance all around.

I have always loved Robert Plant, he has such a passionate delivery and unique sense of phrasing. I was blown away by Pictures at Eleven and The Principle of Moments, I was surprised that he had come back in such a strong way; I just assumed he would always live in the shadow of Zeppelin, but he certainly proved us doubters wrong. With Now and Zen I felt he surpassed anything he had done previously. This album, for me, was one amazing track after another, with absolutely no filler, I can spin this time and time again and never get tired of it. An absolute must, regardless of your genre of choice.

Item arrived quickly and just what I was looking for

prodotto come descrizione ..

Tout bon

Es un buen disco de Plant. Siempre original en sus composiciones y con un buen sonido. Carrera impecable fuera de Led Zeppelin.

Beautiful album. So many interesting sounds in these songs. "Ship of Fools" is a definite favorite.