The only top ten hit of the 1960s that Robert Plant actually liked
The article discusses Robert Plant's musical influences during the 1960s, particularly his admiration for Eric Burdon of The Animals. Plant, who became Led Zeppelin's frontman, found little to appreciate in most contemporary British pop and rock music of that era, but was deeply inspired by Burdon's powerful vocal delivery.
Plant's true passion lay in blues music and the work of early bluesmen. He was particularly struck by Burdon's voice on The Animals' 'I'm Crying', appreciating the raw authority and intensity it conveyed—a commanding approach that contrasted sharply with the boyish charm of contemporaries like Paul McCartney or Mick Jagger. Plant absorbed this vocal style into his own singing, using similar power and intensity to deliver Led Zeppelin's music with the dangerous energy he admired in Burdon's work.
- Plant admired Eric Burdon's commanding vocal style above most 1960s pop acts
- Burdon's raw authority influenced Plant's own powerful Led Zeppelin performances
- Plant drew inspiration from blues tradition rather than contemporary British invasion bands