020: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand (2007)
“What has been created in the chemistry of the three of us has its own kind of genre, really.”
--Robert Plant
Remember when Amanda said T-Bone Burnett is her favorite producer? She’s proving it this episode by walking Rich, Will, and John through Raising Sand, the unlikely collaboration between blues-rock god Robert Plant and bluegrass goddess Alison Krauss. These two found the common ground between their respective genres by covering artists from the Everly Brothers to Sam Phillips, and found their own beautiful sound while they were doing it. All of the musicians on this album are incredible, but nobody except T-Bone Burnett could have seen this project through, and that is why we love him.
Miscellany
Alison has always been very, very good at covers in surprising genres. One of her earliest albums with Union Station included a cover of “Midnight Rider” by the Allman Brothers Band, and since then she’s covered the Beatles, Todd Rundgren, the Foundations, the Supremes, and many others, and performed on tributes to James Taylor and Paul Simon. Many videos are linked below.
Led Zeppelin also did many covers, but did not generally care to credit them as such.
Speaking of Zeppelin, we didn’t really talk about them all that much in this episode, on the reasoning that most of our listeners are probably already familiar with them. There’s really nothing new to say about Led Zeppelin at this point, anyway.
Speaking of unlikely collaborations, Amanda talked briefly about Rare Bird Alert, the very good bluegrass album that Steve Martin did with the Steep Canyon Rangers. Martin has been a banjo player for ages (and is very good at it - the man is unfairly talented) and that album is excellent.
Peter Gabriel famously refused to give titles to his first few solo albums. When the record company got fed up and informed him that albums really need to have titles, he responded, “So?” Which ended up being the title of his next album.
Michel Gondry is a French filmmaker who, when not making music videos, is known for his unusual visual style. He was also one of the screenwriters for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
We’re not sure whether Sam Phillips was also in charge of selecting the songs that appeared in Gilmore Girls, but whoever it was did a fantastic job. Several of the characters were major music nerds, and the show was full of amazing songs by the likes of Sparks, the Pernice Brothers, XTC, and Sonic Youth. Rich has become obsessed with her music since this episode and particularly recommends that everyone listen to the albums Martinis & Bikinis and Cruel Inventions.
While working on this episode, Producer Mike noticed that Robert’s voice on “Polly Come Home” appears to have some pitch correction applied to it. This is very surprising on a T-Bone Burnett production, and it’s worth noting that they didn’t perform that song at either of the concerts Amanda saw on the tour.
Prior to this recording, John had never imagined a scenario where he would be the biggest Zeppelin fan in a group of music nerds.
Tom Waits also has an acting career. Amanda has never seen any of his movies but is told is he was very good at playing a grumpy prospector in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Our episode archive is absolutely dominated by the 1970s. This is Amanda’s feeble attempt to show the other decades some attention.
Other links
“When It Takes Three People to Make a Duet” (New York Times)
“T-Bone Burnett: Plant, Krauss, and Recording Love” (TapeOp.com)
Countrified “Black Dog” (YouTube)
The CMT performance that caught Amanda’s attention all those years ago (YouTube)
Discord & Rhyme’s Raising Sand playlist (Spotify)
Other excellent covers Alison has done
“You Can’t Hurry Love” (The Supremes)
“I Will” (The Beatles)
“It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference” (Todd Rundgren)
“Graceland” (Paul Simon)
“Carolina in My Mind” (James Taylor)
Discord & Rhyme roll call
Amanda Rodgers (host)
Rich Bunnell (moderator)
John McFerrin
Chris Willie Williams
Mike DeFabio (guest appearance)
Eleanor Rodgers (special guest star)
Raising Sand tracklist
Rich Woman
Killing the Blues
Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us
Polly Come Home
Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
Through the Morning, Through the Night
Please Read the Letter
Trampled Rose
Fortune Teller
Stick With Me Baby
Nothin’
Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson
Your Long Journey
Original artists
Li’l Millet and His Creoles - Rich Woman
John Prine - Killing the Blues
Sam Phillips - Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us
Dillard & Clark - Polly
The Everly Brothers - Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)
Dillard & Clark - Through the Morning, Through the Night
Page & Plant - Please Read the Letter
Tom Waits - Trampled Rose
Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller
The Everly Brothers - Stick With Me Baby
Townes Van Zandt - Nothin’
Little Milton - Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson
The Doc Watson Family - Your Long Journey
Other clips used
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant:
Black Dog
Alison Krauss:
Rain, Please Go Away
Baby, Now That I’ve Found You
When You Say Nothing At All
Take Me For Longing
New Favorite
Led Zeppelin:
You Shook Me
Misty Mountain Hop
Going to California
Others:
The Moody Blues - Lunch Break: Peak Hour
Tim O’Brien - The Land of Make-Believe
Webley Edwards - Alika
Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois - Night Mxcmpv1 P74
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Strange Things Happening Every Day
Robyn Hitchcock - We’re Gonna Live in the Trees
Songs we mentioned but didn’t clip
Led Zeppelin:
Immigrant Song
Dazed and Confused
Stairway to Heaven
That’s the Way
The Battle of Evermore
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
Alison Krauss etc.:
Evermore
Down to the River to Pray
I’ll Fly Away (with Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris)
Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby
Whiskey Lullaby (with Brad Paisley)
Ghost in this House
Others:
Ralph Stanley - O Death
Camper Van Beethoven - O Death
The Moody Blues - The Land of Make-Believe
Page and Plant - Most High
Little Richard - Tutti Frutti
Rhiannon Giddens - Last Kind Words
The Beatles - I’m Only Sleeping
Rowland Salley - Killing the Blues
Ween - It’s Gonna Be (Alright)
Rhiannon Giddens - Don’t Let it Trouble Your Mind
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Up Above My Head
Rhiannon Giddens - Up Above My Head
The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
Judy Collins - Both Sides Now
Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
Eagles - Take it Easy
The Dillards - There Is a Time
The Byrds - Eight Miles High
The Byrds - I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better
The Everly Brothers - Cathy’s Clown
The Everly Brothers - Wake Up Little Susie
The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love
The Crystals - And Then He Kissed Me
The Beach Boys - And Then I Kissed Her
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Trampled Rose
Stereolab - Neon Beanbag
Ringo Starr - Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)
Wings - Rock Show
The Rolling Stones - Fortune Teller
The Strawberry Alarm Clock - Fortune Teller
The Merseybeats - Fortune Teller
Wayne Fontana - Fortune Teller
Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
Pink Floyd - Brain Damage
The Beatles - Dear Prudence
Townes Van Zandt - Pancho and Lefty
Emmylou Harris - Pancho and Lefty
Willie Nelson - Pancho and Lefty
Norah Jones - Pancho and Lefty
The Presidents of the United States of America - Feather Pluckn
Doc Watson - Freight Train
Band/album personnel
Alison Krauss – vocals, fiddle
Robert Plant – vocals
Riley Baugus – banjo
Jay Bellerose – drums
Norman Blake – acoustic guitar
T Bone Burnett – acoustic and electric guitars, six-string bass guitar
Dennis Crouch – upright bass
Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar
Marc Ribot – acoustic guitar, banjo, dobro, electric guitar
Mike Seeger – autoharp
Patrick Warren – keyboards, pump organ, toy piano
Credits
“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of:
Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste
The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...
Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
Herbie Hancock - Hornets
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Rich Woman (this episode only)
You can buy or stream Raising Sand and other albums by Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, and their various associated bands at the usual suspects such as Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and Amazon (affiliate link). Follow Discord & Rhyme on Twitter @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Follow Rich @zonetrope, Amanda @MagneticInk67, John @tarkus1980, and Will isn’t on Twitter - he done moved on. Special thanks to Rich for editing and Mike for production. See you next album, and be ever wonderful.