Walking Into Clarksdale by Page and Plant

Walking Into Clarksdale by Page & Plant

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Walking Into Clarksdale by Page and PlantNearly two decades after they recorded the final Led Zeppelin studio album with 1979’s In Through the Out Door, guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant  collaborated on an album of new original music with Walking Into Clarksdale. With a blend of world music and alternative rock elements along with modern production techniques, this is not a Zeppelin album in any sense nor was it designed to be so. Instead this stands as a unique work within the long solo catalogs of either artist.

Page and Plant re-united in 1993 after casual discussions between the two about performing on the popular MTV Unplugged television series, which had been a rousing success for artists ranging from Eric Clapton to Tesla to Nirvana. Producer Bill Curbishley, who had been managing Plant since the 1980s and began managing Page in 1994, was able to close the deal and, in August 1994, they recorded performances in London, Wales, and Morocco of several re-arranged Led Zeppelin tunes along with four new tracks. These performances were aired on MTV in October, with the album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded released in November 1994. Following the successful release of this album, Page and Plant launched a world tour backed by bassist Charlie Jones, drummer Michael Lee, and a small orchestra of musicians and background singers.

Walking Into Clarksdale was recorded and produced by Page and Plant along with engineer Steve Albini over the course of five months at Abbey Road Studios in London. Albini, an indie rock producer known for his harsh and brutal recordings, took some dynamic chances in mixing the guitar phrases, Mideastern drones, sawing strings, and repetitive drum patterns which proliferate this album’s sound.


Walking Into Clarksdale by Page & Plant
Released: April 21, 1998 (Columbia)
Produced by: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant
Recorded: Abbey Road Studios, London, 1997-1998
Track Listing Primary Musicians
Shining in the Light
When the World Was Young
Upon a Golden Horse
Blue Train
Please Read the Letter
Most High
Heart in Your Hand
Walking into Clarksdale
Burning Up
When I Was a Child
House of Love
Sons of Freedom
Robert Plant – Lead Vocals,
Jimmy Page – Guitars, Mandolin
Charlie Jones – Bass, Percussion
Michael Lee – Drums, Percussion

Walking Into Clarksdale by Page and Plant

 

The album begins with “Shining in the Light”, featuring an interesting acoustic progression along with the rhythmic feel of a rotating riff. The string sections in between verses help build the musical momentum of this track. “When the World Was Young” follows, built with a gently thumping bass by Jones and methodical guitar motifs by Page, Quiet tension is built for about two and a half minutes before the song explodes into a Zeppelin-like heavy section where drummer Michael Lee finally gets to perform a full rock beat, The song’s lyrics, while slightly obscure seem to focus on a mystical afterlife. “Upon a Golden Horse” starts with a full-fledged electric intro which gives way to calmer, waltz-like verses as Plant attempts to hit the vocal stratosphere (but doesn’t quite reach it) while Page provides the record’s first heavy blues guitar lead before being overtaken by the rich string arrangements of Lynton Naiff. “Blue Train” is a sad ballad led by Page’s uniquely structured guitar lead and Plant’s melancholy lyric;

Lost in my darkness now, the rain keeps falling down
Light of my life, where have you gone?
Love’s true flame dies without the warmth of your sun…”

On “Please Read the Letter”, Plant provides harmonies with himself through most of the track, previewing the prevalent arrangements on the later album Raising Sand, where he will team up with Alison Krauss, re-record this track and win a Grammy in 2009. On this original version, while Page provides his signature heavy rock riffing in the verse, while the overall feel has a more country/folk vibe. The indelible “Most High” features an electronic percussion loop accompanied by droning guitar as a song that finally realizes the Eastern rock fusion that Page and Plant had been loosely experimenting with for a quarter century. Further, the guest musicians Ed Shearmur and Tim Whelan give the track a bit of crisp sonic candy, much needed on this album of subtle arrangements.

Page and Plant, 1998

A calm, Western guitar sound by Page, accompanied by Plant’s soft but soulful vocals make “Heart in Your Hand” an atmospheric tune with very calm rhythms. This is vastly contrasted by the heavy rocking title song, “Walking into Clarksdale”, which celebrates the duos history and love of the blues. While musically a throwback with little spurts of Zeppelin-esque blues-rock flourishes, the song may be the most potent lyrically with references to being born with blues in the soul as well as the infamous “Devil at the crossroads” legend which is tied to the physical location;

And I see twelve white horses walking in line
Moving east across the metal bridge on highway forty-nine
And standing in the shadows of a burnt out motel
The King of Commerce Mississippia waited with his hound from hell…”

After the final highlight of the title track, the album winds down with some slightly interesting, albeit weaker material. “Burning Up”, while decent musically, seems to be one of the more under-cooked or disjointed tracks on the album, followed by “When I Was a Child” with a heavy use of tremolo/volume effects on the atmospheric guitars and soaring, soulful vocals by Plant throughout. “House of Love” returns to the electronic percussion but with less effect than “Most High” as the guitar and bass parts don’t quite jive with the percussion and give it more of a demo feel. The closer “Sons of Freedom” is a spastic, proto-punk track with differing sonic qualities through its duration.

While Walking Into Clarksdale reached the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic and achieved Gold record status, it was an overall commercial disappointment in comparison to its predecessor. Page planned on continuing with a follow-up album and reportedly began writing over a dozen tunes. However, Plant grew tired of the larger arena and decided he wanted to get back to playing clubs, there by disbanding the partnership. To date (20 years later), Walking Into Clarksdale is the last studio recording by Jimmy Page.

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1998 Page

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1998 albums.

Heavy Horses by Jethro Tull

Heavy Horses by Jethro Tull

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Heavy Horses by Jethro TullDuring a the late 1970s, Jethro Tull released a trio of albums with heavy folk influence. The second of this trio and the eleventh overall studio album by the band is 1978’s Heavy Horses. This album features strong and consistent tunes which take a journey into a rural landscape of folklore and the underlying simple theme of an honest day’s work. Further, in spite of going against the day’s prevailing musical trends of punk and new wave, Heavy Horses was a commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic as the album reached the Top 20 on both the UK and US album charts following its release.

Following several successful forays into progressive rock through the early and mid seventies and accompanying large arena tours, Jethro Tull and their primary composer Ian Anderson decided to scale back and develop more simple folk rock songs. The critically acclaimed 1977 album, Songs from the Wood, reflected on English culture and history and was the first to include new member David Palmer, who brought many classical elements into the fold.

Produced by Anderson, Heavy Horses was recorded in London during a time when he was settling into a domestic life with his new wife and son. Just prior to this album’s recording in 1977, Pink Floyd released their classic album Animals, which explored differing human personality types. Heavy Horses may more exactly fit that literal title as it lyrically sees things from the perspective and environment of several rural creatures.


Heavy Horses by Jethro Tull
Released: April 10, 1978 (Chrysalis)
Produced by: Ian Anderson
Recorded: Maison Rouge Studio, Fulham, England, May 1977-January 1978
Side One Side Two
…And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps
Acres Wild
No Lullaby
Moths
Journeyman
Rover
One Brown Mouse
Heavy Horses
Weathercock
Group Musicians
Ian Anderson – Lead Vocals, Guitars, Flute, Mandolin
Martin Barre – Guitars
John Evan – Piano, Organ
David Palmer – Keyboards, Orchestral Arrangements
John Glascock – Bass, Vocals
Barriemore Barlow – Drums, Percussion

 

A tense rhythmic timing drives the acoustic-driven opener “…And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps”, a song which is probably more prog rock than folk, complete with strategic stops and dueling flute and organ solos. The track lyrically describes the movement of a barn cat with creative adjectives, describing the process of the night guard and hunt. “Acres Wild” follows as a mandolin driven, pop-oriented rocker with heavy Celtic influence musically and lyrics which paint a picture of playing long while on a journey.

“No Lullaby” is the first of two extended songs and it starts with a heavy rock guitar intro by Martin Barre, followed by the showcasing of drummer/percussionist Barriemore Barlow as it eases into a slow, methodical rhythm, About two minutes in, this mini-suite takes a radical turn to a more upbeat, tense-filled shuffle before again returning to the methodical verse section and lead flourishes. The bright and pleasant folk tune “Moths” features harpsichord by John Evan along with other ethnic string instrumentation as it expertly alternates keys throughout its short duration. A philosophical creed on living for today, “Moths” displays the scene from different perspectives and with sincere emotion. “Journeyman” starts with a funky bass riff by John Glascock as the rest of the group builds around musically, each finding their own small space within the song.

Jethro Tull in 1978

The album’s original second side starts with “Rover”, a tribute to Anderson’s pet dog which features a more traditional Jethro Tull soundscape. With lyrics telling of story time with a young child, “One Brown Mouse” starts and ends as straight folk/rocker but nicely diverges into a mid-section of folk orchestration. The epic, nine-minute title track plays on differing intensities of the same musical theme, as the song is a literal tribute to the work-horse. It all wraps with “Weathercock”, a theme on the rotational nature of life as album ends at the break of dawn and a simple musical arrangement, built with acoustic, mandolin, organ and other simple elements.

Jethro Tull recorded performances during the European leg of the Heavy Horses tour, and later in 1978 released a live double album called Bursting Out. In March 2018, the group released a five-disc, 40th anniversary version of Heavy Horses, which features several alternate and outtakes, 22 previously unreleased live tracks, and a 96-page booklet with track-by-track annotation by Anderson of the album and its associated recordings.

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1978 Images

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1978 albums.

Boggy Depot by Jerry Cantrell

Boggy Depot by Jerry Cantrell

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Boggy Depot by Jerry CantrellAfter over a decade in Alice in Chains, guitarist Jerry Cantrell set out to forge his debut solo record in 1998 with Boggy Depot. This was done more out of necessity than by choice, as Alice in Chains was in a period of musical hiatus due to the substance and health issues of lead vocalist Layne Stanley, making a group album impossible. The Cantrell album features a collection of tracks fused with simple riffs treated with methodical sonic textures and some expert lead guitar sections.

Cantrell and Staley founded Alice in Chains in 1987 and the group reached international recognition in the nineties with the albums Facelift (1990), Dirt (1992), Jar of Flies (1994), and Alice in Chains (1995). Through these successful albums, Cantrell began to share a minor lead vocal role in addition to his composing and guitar work. However, the group rarely played live during the mid 1990s especially after Staley was hospitalized from an overdose in July 1996.

Around the same time, Cantrell reluctantly began work on his first solo record in 1996, enlisting the help of producer Toby Wright. Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney both contributed to its recording. Together, they worked on the album through 1997 with release dates delayed a few times before Boggy Depot finally dropped in April 1998 and got its title from a ghost town in Oklahoma


Boggy Depot by Jerry Cantrell
Released: April 7, 1998 (Columbia)
Produced by: Toby Wright & Jerry Cantrell
Recorded: Studio D, Sausalito, CA and Studio X, Index, WA, April–November 1997
Track Listing Primary Musicians
Dickeye
Cut You In
My Song
Settling Down
Breaks My Back
Jesus Hands
Devil by His Side
Keep the Light On
Satisfy
Hurt a Long Time
Between
Cold Piece
Jerry Cantrell – Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Rex Brown – Bass
Sean Kinney – Drums

Boggy Depot by Jerry Cantrell

 

Boggy Depot‘s opening track, “Dickeye”, starts with some intense mechanical effects before breaking into a bright and steady, hard rock groove with melodic vocals throughout. This is followed by the hit song “Cut You In”, which is built on a choppy, unplugged riff that repeats throughout the entirety of the song, varying only in its level of intensity and with some cool sonic elements thrown in here and there. The song’s lyrics are directed at a subject who rides along during the good times but quickly bails when the situation sours.

“My Song” is the closest thus far to an Alice in Chains tune with philosophical lyrics sung to a cool, moody and grungy vibe that eventually elevates to a sonic crescendo. This was the second single from the album and it reached the Top 10 of the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. “Settling Down” takes a different turn from previous songs, built on Cntrell’s piano and fretless bass by John Norwood Fisher, while still having an overall haunting feel and featuring a fine extended bluesy guitar lead in the song’s heart. “Breaks My Back” was another mellow and methodical tune with some dark beauty but also unfortunately treated vocals that do get burdensome after a while.

Jerry Cantrell in 1998

The remainder of the album features some lesser known songs that vary in degrees of quality. “Jesus Hands” is slow, sloshy, hypnotic grunge, with “Devil by His Side” and “Keep the Light On” more upbeat and melodic. “Satisfy”. Originally introduced during the recording sessions for the 1995 Alice in Chains album, “Hurt a Long Time” was written about the suicide of Cantrell’s cousin. “Between” incorporates piano, organ, and country elements with sparkling electric leads, while the closer “Cold Piece” uses of horns and saxophone by Angelo Moore and features a guest appearance by Primus bassist Les Claypool.

Boggy Depot reached the Top 40 in the US and Canada and, after selling over 40,000 copies in its first week, stayed on the album charts for 14 weeks. More importantly, the album filled a void left by Alice in Chains during the group’s extended hiatus which stretched into the new century.

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1998 Page

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1998 albums.