Led Zeppelin lead singer blasts reunion talk

Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant heaped scorn Thursday on talk of the group reuniting, and took a swipe at other aging rockers who go back on the road just to make money. Plant, who played a one-off concert in 2007 with his former band mates in London, has long made his feelings clear about a getting back together, rebuffing overtures from lead guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones. He did not mince his words in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine promoting the release of earlier recordings by the band, which split up in 1980. "You're going back to the same old shit," he told the magazine in a London interview. "A tour would have been an absolute menagerie of vested interests and the very essence of everything that's shitty about about big-time stadium rock. We were surrounded by a circus of people that would have had our souls on the fire," he said. "I'm not part of a jukebox," Plant declared. Asked if he was not tempted by the huge fortunes that other aging rockers make on tour, he said "Good luck to them." "I hope they're having a real riveting and wonderful late middle age," he sneered, without mentioning the any performers by name. "Somehow I don't think they are." Last week Led Zeppelin unveiled two previously unheard recordings ahead of the re-issue in June of the band's first three albums. The two tracks -- an early version of their classic track "Whole Lotta Love", and a 1970 cover of blues standard "Key to the Highway" -- are among dozens of tracks which will be officially released along with the re-issued albums. Guitarist Page, 70, chose the material after painstakingly searching through the tracks, which have been stored in the band's archive for decades. The band says the material will give fans a taste of their early studio sessions. The soon-to-be-released discs will feature alternative versions of songs, works in progress at the time, and live performances.