Atlantic RecordsThe song remains the same, but the singer...not so much.
Two of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin are ready to get their rock 'n' roll on in the recording studio and finally launch that long-awaited reunion tour. Only don't count on Robert Plant to be adding a whole lotta love on the microphone.
In an interview with BBC Radio, bassist John Paul Jones indicated he and guitarist Jimmy Page are definitely ready to put the band back together, even without Zeppelin's defining voice.
"We are trying out a couple of singers. We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there," said Jones.
"It's got to be right," he continued. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band."
The revamped lineup would also once again feature Jason Bonham filling in for his late father, John Bonham.
No word on who the candidates are, although some fan sites are hyping Myles Kennedy, singer of Orlando-based hard-rock band Alter Bridge. Page previously teamed up with former White Snake leader David Coverdale for 1993's Coverdale/Page—a union that reportedly tweaked Plant so much that he reteamed with Page (but not Jones) for the 1998 album Walking Into Clarksdale.
The Plant camp has remained reticent on Jones' new remarks. But Plant has been shooting down reunion rumors ever since last December's stellar, one-off Zeppelin concert at London's O2 Arena, the band's first gig in 19 years.
Last month, the singer issued a statement on his website saying that after his recent collaboration with bluegrass queen Alison Krauss, he "has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years."
"Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin," the statement said. "Anyone buying tickets online to any such event will be buying bogus tickets.
"I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects."
Maybe he just can't take one more chorus of "Stairway to Heaven," or perhaps, at 60, he's just too tired to keep rambling on.