P.J. Proby - Three Week Hero (1969)[1990]

As a rule, P.J. Proby albums cut much later than 1966 are to be avoided like the most virulent plague imaginable. And based on the singing here, an awkward mix of vaguely bluesy and country-ish rock, interspersed with excessively dramatic pop ("Reflections of Your Face"), none of which is going to make anyone forget Chris Farlowe, never mind Steve Marriott or Terry Reid, Three Week Hero shouldn't rate much better than that. What sets it apart, and makes it worth writing about, is the fact that John Paul Jones, Jimmy Paige (sic), Robert Plant, and John Bonham are at the center of Proby's studio band, albeit augmented by Clem Cattini (drums), Alan Parker (guitars), and a slew of backup singers. There's actually not much of a Zeppelin-ish sound here, but the release date puts the making of this record within the historical framework of Led Zeppelin. For completists, that may make it an important acquisition. And if they can get past over-orchestrated dreck like "Little Friend," noisy, annoying crap like "Empty Bottles," and the awful Johnny Cash impression "Today I Killed a Man," they may enjoy the medley of "It's So Hard to Be a Nigger/Jim's Blues/George Wallace Is Rollin' In This Mornin'," on which Page, Plant, and company at last strut their stuff -- although one wishes they'd cut it with Plant singing.