Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raising Sand

glad they're doing 2 gene clark tunes, will likely download at some point. plant has always had great taste, but wondering if burnett picked some/most of the material (he produced, no?)

from the promo material it looks like Burnett did pick most of it. it's definitely his album as much as theirs, and it's careful the way he often is, sometimes even stolid, and definitely "atmospheric," which works really nicely about half the time, as on "Rich Woman." (the rest of the time it's just, you know, "atmospheric.") but the stuff that soars really is down to the singing.

haha it has also become default listening when my girlfriend and I are together; she really likes it. that certainly doesn't hurt.

i must admit i haven't really been a fan of ms. krauss up to this point, her voice is just a li'l too girly/ethereal, but not a deal-breaker for giving this a fair hearing

Surprising just how similar sounding Plant and Krauss are on this record which I really wasn't expecting. Haven't heard it all the way through yet, but what I've heard is lovely stuff, reminiscent in part of the Everly Brothers "Roots" album.

Gonna buy it for my wife.

jesus this is nice.

Just got it today: it's a really beautiful album. Plant sounds GREAT on "Stick With Me Baby." This is probably my favorite Burnett project after King of America.

many of the songs are essentially solo vocals with partner backup on choruses, which is fine but the duet singing is really lovely.

yeah this surprised me too for some reason -- I guess I went into it thinking the whole thing would be straight-up duets.

Where can I find the original of Gene Clark's "Polly"? I have to imagine he took it at a faster tempo. But having never heard the original, even at the funereal pace that Plant/Krauss perform it you totally hear that Clark-ness in this composition. damn he was so great.

Is there a full band or no?

there is a "core" band that plays on all tracks, yes. It is definitely not a 'guest-appearance' laden record. the accompaniment is generally sparse:

Marc Ribot - Guitar
T-Bone Burnett - Guitar
Dennis Crouch - Bass
Jay Bellerose - Drums

Allison Krauss barely plays any fiddle, actually!

Polly is from the second Dillard & Clark record Through The Morning Through The Night (title track also covered) Clark's version is pretty slow, very deliberate pickin' and strummin' as I recall, with some mournful sounding fiddle. Funny to pick 2 songs from that record as it is universally thought to be inferior to the 1st D & C record, but those 2 songs definitely excellent Clark tunes. Iain Matthews covered Polly on one of his early solo albums as well.

The 2 dillard & clark records are on a 2fer cd w/ the excellent WHY NOT YOUR BABY & LYIN' DOWN THE MIDDLE singles thrown in as a bonus.

yeah, strangely I have that CD and I just couldn't place the tune.. and as I was pawing through my Clark stuff last night scanning tracklistings, I guess I just passed right over "Polly" on this cd. Must have been that bottle of viognier I drank. But I see it there now!

this record is fucking great

I only made it through a few songs on the way to work this morning. Great. Just great music.

yeah, strangely I have that CD and I just couldn't place the tune
this happens to me more and more

I haven't stopped playing this record. It and Robert Wyatt's Comicopera are the two quietest records of the year, and the creepiest and most moving.

You almost had me sold on it, Alfred, until you mentioned King of America.

I'm still waiting for my copy (sniff). (Quiter/creepier than White Chalk, Alfred?)

and more tuneful!

Well yeah, that I can easily understand.

I'm truly blown away by this record. It has deliberate, tuneful guitar playing that you would expect from Ribot. Fun vocal arrangements that just fit (I think I'll 'back-to-back' this with the Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan record for a good Pepsi challenge). Plant's voice sounds awesome - almost like he knew when he took the project he could stave off the Zep comparisons way better than his other solo work. Yeah - just go out and pick this up...

Al, can you post this in *another* thread, I'm curious.

Yeah, I really like this record meself. Beautifully recorded as well as performed.

I listened to the remainder of the record yesterday, and then the whole thing again.

Just great, and I didn't DISLIKE any songs. I liked some more than others, sure, but didn't totally discount a song and say I'll never listen to it willingly. Which is odd for me.

Still intrigued, but usually the only T-Bone Burnett-produced records I like are his wife's.

Just bought it today and played it a few times. It's really nice. I'm actually a little more taken with Krauss' performances than with Plant's. How's her own stuff? (I'd be happy to hear more fiddle.)

Really need to get this. (I was delighted to discover Plant's solo stuff has on the main been reissued by Rhino earlier this year, and have picked up a couple of them already. Those first three solo albums are extremely underrated, if still sometimes sporadic in impact.)

Some of those synth-pop/hip-hop experiments on Shaken 'n' Stirred are really interesting ("Too Loud"!)

the stuff I love most on here just deepens. might make my Top 10 despite my finding it uneven.

OK listening again "uneven" now means "only a couple songs I don't love a little."

sweetness. bought the double vinyl today. sounds great. haven't listened to the whole thing yet though. polly come home is genius. nice to see norman blake on there! been listening to him a lot lately. never had much use for t-bone outside of those alpha band albums, but he's an okay dude.

Wow, this is a surprisingly low-key album--perfect autumnal music for this rather dismal time*. And, yes, Plant sounds absolutely fantastic--better than he has in ages! Every song sounds like a winner, too, and the harmonies are indeed wonderful.

*On a sad note: I'm going to have to get a copy of this for my cousin whose mom is in the hospital dying of cancer. She's a huge Zep/Plant fan, so I think she'll appreciate it quite a bit.

Plant and Krauss appear on the Culture Show on BBC2 tomorrow night (Nov 3), interviewed by Mark Kermode and Andrew Graham-Dixon.

(I was in the audience for the recording of the show, so look out for me as well!)

The tempo and dynamics are not going to disturb anybody's neighbors, but this was pure sweet balm to my nerves last night. Interesting song choices, great less-is-more arrangements, impeccable playing, and beautiful singing, simultaneously wistful and playful. I was surprised how confident and powerful Plant sounds in this low-key mode.

Echoing Sundar above, any recommendations about other Krauss material?

I'm not sure if it's because of Ribot's involvement or not, but some of this is quite reminiscent of mid '80s Tom Waits to me. Likewise, the overall mood of the album puts me in a Time Out Of Mind mood (so yeah, roots-rock fans rejoice). But maybe that's just due to the sparse mostly mid-to-slow tempo T-Bone Burnett arrangements. Still, as others have already noted, it’s the singing--particularly the duet vocals--that really puts the music across. Lovely.

is it possible Alison Krauss doesn't have her own thread yet? (c/d, s/d, etc.)

Ugh, why does BBcode never want to work?

Alison Krauss thread

i like this album -- they sound really good together -- but i'm kinda over this whole echoey droney americana t-bone/lanois-type production. there's a certain amount of deliberate joylessness to it that was sort of interesting 20 years ago but now seems a bit shticky. and it has this makes this troubling association of rootsy realness with gothy grimness, which is a betrayal historically and spiritually of actual american folk music. (and as far as that kind of production goes, i think dylan's "man in the long black coat" and emmylou's wrecking ball album are more compelling examples.)

still, the harmonies are pretty killer here and the songs are good too, so it's not like the production ruins it.

oh, all caveats about the production style are present and accounted for, trust. (though "Man in the Long Black Coat" and Wrecking Ball are precisely the records that make me dislike the approach, not the other way around.)

Funny -- I never once thought Lanois, and I HATE his stuff from the last 10 years. The guitars and voices are too earthy, almost loamy. Also, for me at least, hearing Plant pitch his vocals so quietly creates real tension; I keep expecting him to belt the chorus of "Trampled Underfoot" or something.

(though "Man in the Long Black Coat" and Wrecking Ball are precisely the records that make me dislike the approach, not the other way around.)

i can understand hating the style in toto. i think it works sometimes, those being two of the times.

this doesn't sound entirely lanois-y, but it's related. t-bone did the same thing with the o brother stuff, a sort of sonic stoicism.

i like how it sounds. if it were one of those rick rubin nightmares, i would have thrown it out the window. there is a song on the first side that reminds me a little too much of tom waits though. the arrangement or the vibe of it. can't remember title. it's my least favorite track. er, side one of the vinyl version.

"Trampled Rose" is a Tom Waits song, but wouldn't be on side one. Hmm.

it's the sister rosetta song. i mean, i don't hate it or anything. it's just the banjo and strings and the rhythm of it...i dunno, it's fine. it just doesn't move me like the rest of the songs on that side. and it sticks out in a way that the others don't. the waits/weill thing is something i don't need much of in my life at this late date. i did when i was younger. and maybe i will when i'm older. but not now.

so ... yeah, this is kind of great? At least on the first two listens, I'm really liking it. Second song is a killer.

"Please Read the Letter" is very lovely. It sounds like some lost 60s folk rock single.

Second song is a killer.

it is, but the more i listen the more i think that song sets up a promise the album doesn't really deliver. (smart move putting it second. if it was the first track it would be too obvious. as second track it seems like 'hey wait this is great.' but then it's never quite that good again.)

can't get past the first song because it is good.

You need to, because Track No. 7, Please Read The Letter, is the best song on this (outstanding) disc.

"polly come home" is so lovely

"fortune teller" was one of my favorite songs anyway; that plant & krauss do such a fun cover is total WIN for me

i heard some song from this and i thought it was "slowcore"

i like the way the rhythm section sounds great in 'gone gone gone'. the guitar is quiet and the drum mix is kinda quirky/vintage, but the upright bass and that tom are nice and loud.

this album is really badly mastered or recorded though. stuff just sounds compressed and 'oomphy' when it should sound spacious and easy. so annoying because the album is wonderful, musically; one of the best albums of the past couple of years.

sounds good live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-frHAqOaC3Q

this is rad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi7raSRXH9M

ha a friend just showed me that. beautiful.

this album is lovely.

I got this on the strength of "Gone Gone Gone" expecting a bunch of road-trip folk rock, came away disappointed.

But now I like it. Fades into the background really nicely while I'm writing.

I just saw them at the Greek out here in LA. Great show.

I was a little worried by the opening act - a new singer named Sharon Little who wasn't terrible - that the sound levels would be all tame and there wouldn't be any overdriven harmonies, that I thought would make the songs on this album sound awesome live.

But there were - almost sounded like an old small-label recording of a duo or group that just overwhelmed the cheap microphone. A very tough sound to pull off and have it retain its melodic elements, but they did it.

A few Zep covers - Black Dog, Battle of Evermore, and (I think) the song that Whole Lotta Love was originally based on, but I haven't had the time to do any more research. They did the Plant tune I'm in the Mood, which sounded really cool with Stuart Duncan and Alison Krauss on twin fiddles. They played the entire "Raising Sand" album, and some additional tunes in that same sound.

Really a great show by top notch musicians - I must recommend Stuart Duncan to ANYONE who likes good music. The man is an absolute musical genius.

Oh shit, I saw them eating dinner in Malibu on Sunday night.

They are playing this Saturday in SF for free in GGP.

Lucky NorCal bastards.

Oh shit, I saw them eating dinner in Malibu on Sunday night.

did you eat 10 tacos next to them?

"Stick With Me Baby" is gorgeous; as Alfred said upthread Plant sounds great but it's Krause's harmonies that stick with me (baby), as you'd expect from an Everlys song. Evidently it's a Mel Tillis write, though it doesn't appear that he ever recorded it.

just thinking about this record makes me feel good

his band of joy concert at the bowery ballroom is streaming here...

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/09/listen_to_rober.html#more

so good, i was playing this on the turntable and after 'please read the letter' ended my 17 month old clapped and said "yay"

<3 <3 <3 that is awesome

truly awesome. Thanks for sharing, omar.

Real music in a sea of shit.

when people say things like this, it makes other people think "oh, it's music for self-important blowhards"

not without reason

when a record's as good as this one though it's an extra shame that the "at last! REAL music!" people gotta jump onboard

― J0hn D., Monday, March 31, 2008 6:47 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

My sentiments exactly.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, March 31, 2008 6:49 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh man. memories of "at last! REAL music!" people championing this years ago have kept me away, but this is fantastic.

thank you 80s debut singles thread and spotify for leading me here.

the wrecking ball production comparison is otm, but that is a positive for me

The thing that's bugged me about Plant's solo singing, this pitchy strain like he can't quite accept he's lost his '70s pipes, is completely gone on this record. I like this relaxed, Roy Orbison voice much better.

Yeah, he sounds like *Robert Plant* on 'Gone Gone Gone' only.

I eventually overcame my production misgivings about this. It really is a great record. The best thing anyone involved has done this century.

I don't think many here are into him, but something about this album reminds me of David Garza's This Euphoria

this album is so good and memorable

the even numbered tracks (sad songs) are much better than the odd ones (happy songs)

I heard this in the doctor's office today and had to google it, I had no idea about this! I wonder if it led to the eventual collaboration?

Viktor Krauss - "Big Log" cover (feat. his sister Alison on vox) from 2004:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFg1vS7OXdU

Great find - absolutely exquisite. Thanks for posting.

That's really quite nice.

Been hearing this all morning. Production is excellent and everyone performs perfect. A pt. 2 should be in the works.

I could have sworn they said there were enough tracks left over for a part 2, more or less, but conflicting schedules have made it impossible to finish.

I seem to recall they started a second album, but the sessions didn't gel correctly or something; Krauss exited, Patty Griffin came in, and that album became Band of Joy.

Would buy a deluxe box thingie of this album

My gosh, "Killing the Blues" is lovely

Steve Rarle said he wrote this for Plant-Krauss follow-up, so when that didn't happen and he needed a track for cobbled album, recorded it w then-wife A.Moorer---pretty good, considering he's Earle, not Plant---wisely sings a little behind her, like Parsons tended to do w Emmylou:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwbkisIQQU4

Think, esp. on headphones, you can easily imagine how it might have sounded if P-Ked.

My brother gifted me a pair of KEF LSX today and I have to say my mind is blown on how good this album sounds. I already knew by listening to it on decent headphones but still. WOW.

New song with T Bone producing once again. Sounds great. Hate the album cover though.

A Lucinda Williams cover , Can’t Let Go

Which was itself a cover. Randy Weeks.

Pareles write up has me excited for this

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/04/arts/music/robert-plant-alison-krauss-raise-the-roof.html

“Raise the Roof” almost magically reclaims the spectral tone of “Raising Sand,” then finds ways to expand on it, delving further into both quiet subtleties and wailing intensity. “It’s a little bit more smoky, a little bit more lustrous than the first record,” Plant, 73, said by phone from his home in western England.

“It’s definitely different, even though it might be coming out of the same sort of crevasse, the same fork in the landscape of our musical lives. It has a mood to it, which is laced with time and with the actual age and maturity of the songs themselves.”

Cool, good article. Looking forward to it. This stopped me for a second — "Krauss, 50, grew up harmonizing in bluegrass groups ..." — because I still think of Krauss as kind of a kid, which she was when I first started listening to her. But then I remember that was like than 27 years ago ...

So this album's real nice. More of a lesser companion to the first one than any advance on it, but it's a mostly good selection of songs, and it does totally recapture the vibe of the first one.

Agreed. The word that stuck with me from that Pareles piece was "smoky." It's got more of a nighttime vibe than Raising Sand. I like the "Can't Let Go" cover!

I thought I'd posted on this thread in November!

Anyway, this one's superior to its nice, stolid predecessor. The Ribot-Hidalgo-Burnett guitars are sharper, the songs with some edges, and, wow, Plant and Krauss' harmonies don't let go of each other.

I enjoyed listening to them discuss the process of learning to sing together on SongExploder.

just cancelled their headlining show at Belgium's Cactus festival, 20 minutes before showtime (!). Alison has the flu.