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Pictures at Eleven

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Pictures at Eleven
Studio album by
Robert Plant
Released25 June 1982 (1982-06-25)
RecordedSeptember 1981–1982
StudioRockfield Studios (Monmouth, Wales)
Genre
Length42:12
LabelSwan Song
ProducerRobert Plant
Robert Plant chronology
Pictures at Eleven
(1982) 		The Principle of Moments
(1983)
Singles from Pictures at Eleven
  1. "Burning Down One Side"
    Released: September 1982[2]
  2. "Pledge Pin"
    Released: November 1982 (US)[3]

Pictures at Eleven is the debut solo studio album by former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, released on 25 June 1982 in the US[4] and on 2 July in the UK.[5] Genesis drummer Phil Collins played drums for five of the album's eight songs. Ex-Rainbow drummer Cozy Powell handled drums on "Slow Dancer" and "Like I've Never Been Gone." On the song "Fat Lip", guitarist Robbie Blunt played a Roland TR-808 drum machine. The title was an often-heard phrase in US television news that would follow a brief announcement of a story of interest to be shown later during a station's 11 PM news program.[6] Pictures at Eleven is the only one of Plant's solo albums to appear on Led Zeppelin's record label Swan Song. By the time of Plant's next release, 1983's The Principle of Moments, Swan Song had ceased to function, and Plant had started his own label named Es Paranza, which would also be distributed by Atlantic Records. Rhino Entertainment released a remastered edition of the album, with bonus tracks, on 20 March 2007.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Christgau's Record GuideB[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Sounds[9]
The Village VoiceB+[10]

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Kurt Loder wrote, "even though there's nothing new going on in these grooves, the sheer formal thrill of hearing someone who knows exactly what he's doing makes Pictures at Eleven something of an event almost in spite of its modest ambitions."[8] Robert Christgau from The Village Voice was impressed by Plant's ability to recreate Led Zeppelin's aural sensibilities with duller musicians and catchier undertones, but ultimately found the music somewhat insignificant.[10]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Robert Plant and Robbie Blunt, except where stated

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Burning Down One Side"Robert Plant, Robbie Blunt, and Jezz Woodroffe3:55
2."Moonlight in Samosa" 3:58
3."Pledge Pin" 4:01
4."Slow Dancer" 7:43
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Worse Than Detroit" 5:55
6."Fat Lip"Plant, Blunt, and Woodroffe5:05
7."Like I've Never Been Gone" 5:56
8."Mystery Title" 5:16
Total length:42:12
2007 remaster bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Far Post"Plant, Blunt, and Woodroffe4:42
10."Like I've Never Been Gone" (Live at Houston, 1983) 7:31

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for Pictures at Eleven
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[11] 6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 49
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 16
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[14] 17
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 32
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 2
US Billboard 200[17] 5

Certifications

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Certifications for Pictures at Eleven
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[18] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[21] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Pictures at Eleven (Remastered)". iTunes.
  2. ^ "Robert Plant singles".
  3. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (19 November 1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 477. ISBN 9780862415419.
  4. ^ "American album certifications – Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  5. ^ "British album certifications – Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Film At Eleven".
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Robert Plant". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  8. ^ a b Loder, Kurt. "Robert Plant: Pictures at Eleven". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  9. ^ Barton, Geoff (3 July 1982). "Potty for Plant". Sounds. p. 33.
  10. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1 March 1983). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Robert Plant Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Gold in Oz" (PDF). Cash Box. 17 March 1984. p. 17. Retrieved 8 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
  19. ^ "Canadian album certifications". Music Canada.
  20. ^ "British album certifications – Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  21. ^ "American album certifications – Robert Plant – Pictures at Eleven". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
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