Ahead of his sold-out show at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis with his band, the Sensational Space Shifters, Robert Plant took some time to talk with The Current's Jill Riley about his latest record, his admiration of Duluth's Low and even a few thoughts on Led Zeppelin's 50th anniversary. An excerpt follows:

Jill Riley: This year, the year 2018, will be the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin. And I've read about a few things that you guys possibly have planned. Jimmy Page had mentioned working on, well, he had done those reissues, and then possibly having some unreleased music. I know there was talk of some kind of book coming out. Can you talk a little bit about some things you guys will be planning for the year 2018?

Robert Plant: "Well, we're planning to get together and talk about it. Basically, it's very difficult to find stuff that still is unheard, and not only will it be 50 years, but it'll be, next year, 38 years since John [Bonham] passed away. And the great thing about Led Zeppelin was that we didn't chronicle ourselves; we just kind of went from town to town and sang songs and played guitars and stuff. And then went about our lives. The whole idea of chronicling the life of people in bands … In a way, I wish that we had more stuff to look at, but there will be a book of photographs and stuff. But some of it will be particularly interesting, I think. Beyond that, musically, there's bits and pieces lying around, but not an album or anything like that. But there will be a celebration, I'm sure, somewhere. A cork will pop!"

Read more at thecurrent.org.

On September 7th, 1968, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant first took the stage together in Gladsaxe, Denmark. Then billed as “The New Yardbirds”, the band would assemble in the studio for the first time later that month to start recording their debut album as Led Zeppelin, and rock ‘n’ roll would never be the same again.

Before the band’s 50th Anniversary celebration officially begins in September, Led Zeppelin will continue their reissue campaign with a new edition of their celebrated live album, How The West Was Won, originally released in 2003, featuring newly remastered audio, which was done under the supervision of Jimmy Page.

How The West Was Won will be released on March 23rd in multiple formats from Atlantic/Swan Song, including the first ever vinyl and Blu-ray Audio editions (with the Blu-ray containing hi-res 5.1 surround sound).

· CD - Remastered audio on three CDs
· Vinyl - Remastered audio on four 180-gram vinyl LPs.
· Blu-Ray Audio - 96kHz/24 bit 5.1 (DTS-HD Master Audio Surround) and stereo mixes (PCM Stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo).
· Streaming & Digital Download – Remastered audio.

· Super Deluxe Boxed Set

- Remastered audio on three CDs and four 180-gram vinyl LPs.
- DVD of album in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and PCM Stereo, plus photo gallery.
- High-def download card of all stereo audio content at 96kHz/24 bit.
- A book filled with rare and previously unpublished photos of the band at each of the concert locations, plus memorabilia and ephemera.
- High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.

Pre-order here.

Originally released in 2003, How The West Was Won highlights the best performances from Led Zeppelin’s legendary concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena on June 25th and 27th, 1972. Melded together and sequenced to replicate a single concert from beginning to end, the three-CD and four-LP collections capture the band at the height of its formidable powers. Standouts include a 25-plus minute version of “Dazed And Confused” and a 21-minute medley based around “Whole Lotta Love.” The performances also capture the band introducing songs from its then-unreleased album Houses Of The Holy, which would be released nine months later.

How The West Was Won tracklisting:

"LA Drone"
"Immigrant Song"
"Heartbreaker"
"Black Dog"
"Over The Hills And Far Away"
"Since I’ve Been Loving You"
"Stairway To Heaven"
"Going To California"
"That’s The Way"
"Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp"
"Dazed And Confused"
"What Is And What Should Never Be"
"Dancing Days"
"Moby Dick"
"Whole Lotta Love"
"Rock And Roll"
"The Ocean"
"Bring It On Home"

Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin (Reel Art Press) is the first and only official illustrated book to be produced in collaboration with the members of the band.

Celebrating 50 years since their formation, it covers the group’s unparalleled musical career and features photographs of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham on and offstage, in candid moments and in the recording studio. This definitive 368-page volume includes unseen photographs and artwork from the Led Zeppelin archives and contributions from photographers around the world.

The book will be released in October, and is available for pre-order now. Enter code: LZ50 at checkout for free shipping on your pre-order until April 1st.