Customer Reviews

Walking Into Clarksdale

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

When I first heard Jimmy and Robert were producing original material together for the first time since the break-up of the mighty Led Zeppelin, I winced. After all, we've seen the old-rockers-try-again formula before, and it usually doesn't work. But Plant and Page avoid that pitfall with a meticulously crafted album that shows they still care. Radio hit "Most High" takes the long-standing interest in Middle Eastern sounds to new heights, while "Please Read the Letter" and the title track experiment with very cool arrangements and innovative structures. "When the World Was Young" is one of the more vibrant and complete tracks. "Upon a Golden Horse" and "Burning Up" rock, though Robert's voice shows a little wear here and there. Most Zeppelin moment: The first touch of the guitar shortly into "Blue Train" - my favorite track -- is unmistakable Page, and the ensuing effort could be "Tea for One" Part II. Second Zep moment: "Shine in the Light" sounds like a cross between "Friends" and "Poor Tom," yet stands beautifully on its own. Overall this is not Led Zeppelin, but of course it could never be. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts though, and like Plant's own first solo effort, "Pictures at Eleven," this CD is not a classic but it's quite solid. I'd put "Clarksdale" above anything Page has done post-Zep, and right up their with Robert's best solo jaunts.

Yes, Page and Plant are older. Yes, the sound is more mature and less "bombastic" as another reviewer described Zep's sound. But the music itself stands on its own.

There are many excellent songs on this CD, all burning with emotion, lyrical depth (if understated delivery), and less reliance on fretboard wizardry. "Shining in the Light," "When the World Was Young," "Blue Train," "Most High," "When I Was a Child," are all fantastic. There is an attempt to recapture the magic, but the songs are organic in that they are honest efforts and not an attempt to rely on former glories.

Page's efforts are showcased best in the songwriting. His soloing is not at the same level as it once was...there are only one or two instances on this record where he hits a relevant target. He doesn't try often, and the songs don't suffer. To be honest, when he does try it is sometimes painful. Plant's voice has not been the same since Led Zeppelin IV and his singing is similar to that of his other solo efforts. Still, he reaches the emotional depth and delivers comperably excellent pitch, if not the range of his early 20's.

I rediscovered this CD this month, after it sat on the shelf since I bought it right after its release. I now like it a lot, enough to wholeheartedly recommend it.

The first thing you notice about the record is the way it has been recorded. It is certainly not a slick, polished, radio-friendly production, and in a sense is perhaps an audiophile's nightmare. Frequencies sometimes sound indistinct, and many of the vocal takes are recorded very dry, whilst the instrumentation is enhanced by merely room ambience, rather than excessive use of plug-ins, digital reverbs, compressors, EQs and the like. In reality though, it is this dynamic and organic approach to cutting tracks that the record benefits from. Frequently the band swing from passages so quiet and gentle you fancy you can almost hear Plant breathing into his mic, to powerfully loose sections in which Page is often inspired to produce fretwork that is magnificently understated, beautifully executed and very moving. The rhythm section combine to subtly underpin the melodic passages and drive the harder sections with a dynamic aggression; they've never sounded better, and Page and Plant have never been more ably supported. Throughout the recording Page makes subtle use of effects to enhance his guitar playing - a touch of tremolo here, a dash of tape echo there - and it sounds as though most his overdrive comes from careful use of his guitar's volume control rather than pedals or rack effects; once again it's this natural approach to playing that makes it rank amongst his best on record.

The songs themselves are amongst the finest that Page and Plant have written together. Plant's lyrics are straightforward and resonate with an honesty that is refreshing and rewarding to listen to time and again. His more poetic side is beautifully balanced, for the most part not drifting into pastiche. The melodies are interesting, and often a song will traverse several moods with musical twists and turns along the way, never becoming formulaic. What they do require is time and effort - time to actually sit, listen and enjoy. There are one or two exceptions - Burning Up, House of Love and Sons of Freedom sound to me as though a few riff driven rockers were urgently needed and had they been consigned to the b-sides collection, I wouldn't be complaining.

A reviewer below questions Albini's involvement and suggests his presence is hardly felt. In so saying, he has completely missed the point of Steve Albini and good producers in general. Albini was not brought to the sessions to make Page and Plant sound like Nirvana, (for which we are all no doubt, very thankful), but what he has done is what every good producer strives to do - get the best out of the band and onto tape. If a record sounds like a producer has left their muddy footprints all over it, then it becomes the producer's record, not the band's. This is the sound of a band playing together in a room, and Albini has captured it well.

I understand why some people haven't taken to it. It doesn't have the immediacy of some of their earlier recorded output, nor the weight and urgency. It is understated and reflective, and that's exactly what I love about it, and what many, it seems, hate about it. Well, that's OK, I guess, each to their own! But, overall, in my opinion, this is an excellent record, expertly performed, beautifully recorded and well worth the money.

Trying to Scale the Heights and ending up halfway

In 1998, Page and Plant of Led Zeppelin fame released this album and commenced a tour, with their old bandmate John Paul Jones mysteriously missing. From the liner notes of Zeppelin's 1990 box set, it gave the impression these boys were like brothers, so why he wasn't invited to come along on this little musical jaunt into Page and Plant's musical past has puzzled many a listener. Page and Plant released a live album in 1994, largely comprised of old Zeppelin tracks with a heavy world-beat thrown in for good measure. They forgot to invite Jones that time too.

I actually got to see a show from that tour, which threw some revelation on this record. Page & Plant mostly played old Zeppelin tunes with the exception of a couple oftracks from CLARKSDALE. At the time they were pushing that they were into their new music and that the fan-base should give it a chance, though they neglected to include much of it in the setlists, which is rather revealing.

WALKING INTO CLARKSDALE is a rather hit and miss affair. One of the biggest problems this record faces as well is that the audience will have certain expectations which simply cannot be cut away. The album plays up to these expectations, and Plant and Page are honestly trying to musically progress and you can truly hear the effort. That's what makes this such a frustrating listen. You can here the potential, and you watch Page and Plant as they struggle to realise a successful collaboration. Ultimately they fail, resulting in a record which simply doesn't flow. In this regard, WALKING INTO CLARKSDALE is a fascinating listen, and an extremely frustrating one at that. You can tell where they're wanting to go, and perhaps had Page and Plant had Bonham and Jones around the record would have been fully realised. However, Bonham is dead and Page & Plant conveniently forgot Jones' phone number, and this is the result.

While there are some ultimately great tracks on here (the two singles "Shining in the Light" and "Most High"), ultimately the album gets bogged down in potentially Zeppelenesque tracks (not so much in the actual sound by the artistic progression that Zeppelin was on before Bonham's death) that ultimately end up going nowhere. At their musical peak, Led Zeppelin took a diverse array of influences (blues, mysticism, folk, and an over-the-top bombastic sound) and made them gel into a cohesive whole, culminating in what Plant calls the definitive Zeppelin song ("Kashmire"). Here, we get that restless sense of musical experimentation, and when it works it works very well. "Shining in the Light," "When the World Was Young," "Most High," parts of the title cut, "When I was a Child," and "Sons of Freedom" more or less are successful, but especially the firs three. The rest of the album never comes together in any sort of unity, and while we get the sense that Page and Plant are trying to rejuvenate their musical relationship, ultimately we have to write off half the album as just not top of the line, or even mostly good for that matter.

P. S. Clarksdale is one of the big spots where Blues really got its birth, and from the title some may expect this to be heavily drenched in that style of music. It's not. There's not a lot of blues on this one, and what there is has been strained through Page and Plant's unsuccessful attempts to be relevant again, so for the blues fans in the Zeppelin camp this record's a total write-off...

While I wasn't as pleased as I expected to be with this cd, I did find it gratifying and not at all a waste of money - it's worth the $15 or whatever price tag!!! Plant does sound a little tired and worn out - not quite up to par to the Zepplin days, but Page is rockin' just as good as ever! My favorite tracks include Most High (of course!), Walking into Clarksdale, Heart in your hand, and Blue train. Ah yeah! If you want nostalgia, buy this cd without second thought, if you want to experience two great masters of the world of rock definitely buy this cd!!!

The failure of this disc to sell big is proof that the majority of Zep's American audience were 70's metalheads who can't tell the difference between Led Zeppelin and Foghat. This is a powerful white blues record, sounding at times a lot like HOUSES OF THE HOLY and PHYSICAL GRAFFITI. Page is on throughout- he's been saving these licks for 15 years and he sounds fresh. There's a tremelo thing going on that's new to Page's sound, but mostly it's that spidery, weedy lead work that stands out on "When The World Was Young" and the title track. No screaching from Plant, but a more subtle style befitting a 50 year old with an intimate knowledge of sorrow. Very similar in overall vibe to Bob Dylan's TIME OUT IF MIND. And the drummer is a match for Bonham. Good record. I would also highly recommend picking up the "Shining In The Light" single, with 28+ minutes of solid live material.

Walking Into Clarksdale.

First, before you proponents of this record yell at me. I get it. This isn't Zeppelin and should not be treated as such.

What I will drive home is there are so many things wrong with this record.

First, with two capable musicians and having such a storied history one would expect a effort with more "kick." Other reviewers have said it and I concur - this record feels well - tired. There is no spunk, no energy and nothing that grabs you by your wrists and demands you listen. What you get it is a meandering mediocre (did I just say that? - Yup) record that takes you nowhere. I'll go one step further if two unknowns had cut an album like this I doubt it would've even been released.

Second, the mix is total crap. I have no clue why Jimmy didn't produce. We know he's incredibly capable in this department. My only thought this is another "Plantism." Which turned out to be the kiss of death. Take out the heart and soul leaving only a sterile midrangy recording with no ummphy bass and searing leads - its painful to listen to after awhile.

Third, the songwriting. We know these guys can write some great stuff. Where is it? Only a few tunes merit a passing interest. Best example of this is the hit "most high." Other than that, we're left with one listen wonders. Tunes you hear and go "My God, this is boring."

Its not say this record is bad. Its just such a huge letdown. I don't know what the lads were going for. The mature rock audience? If so, they missed badly. They should've just been themselves. Bringing in Albini to produce - they don't need to cater to the Nirvana mallrats. Be themselves, set the trend don't try emulate something they think is hot.

Bottom line here I view this record as a Plant solo record. You ask why? Its obvious to me Plant wore the pants here. He dictated the feel and much of the approach of this record. Jimmy left to his own devices would crank out something more akin to Coverdale/Page - the Guitar army in force. The Guitar army was left locked outside the studio on this one.

This is not an accessible record - even for moderately interested people. Heck being a fan of Zep I want to get into this - I try to get into it once a year. I've still been unable to. It simply doesn't connect on any level to me.

Don't buy this if just starting. This one is for diehards.

Makes you wonder if this was a case of sabotage (Plant has been accused of it before). Or a shining example that the magic of years past wasn't all Jimmy and Percy. They just got all the glory of it.

One could conclude either of those scenarios.

This CD has elements of blues (blue train), folk (heart in your hand), country (walking into clarksdale), and the modern rock that Led Zeppelin established (shining in the light, most high). Page and Plant play very cohesively on this album, which has the relaxed feel of a well-worn pair of blue jeans. The recording has a lot of warmth to it (To compare, the Coverdale/Page redcording is clinical and cold). "Blue Train" is my favorite song that they won't play on the radio here.

If you're interested in buying this CD, don't expect Zeppelin; the cover says Page and Plant. You can expect some fine music played by extremely talented musicians!

I avoided this one when it came out, wary of the possibility of an embarassing superstar-reunion-type situation. I bought it used, on a whim, not really expecting much. But I'm eating my words with a spoon. This is truly one of the finest albums I have ever heard. Each of the songs is strong, and together, they create a powerful collection, completely deserving of the Grammy won in 1999 (for "Most High").

Jimmy Page's performance is a terrific surprise. While no one can fault his godlike capability with his instrument, many of his post-Zep solo efforts have seemed a little cold and clinical. Here, he weaves a lush wall of sound that is not only a mindblowing ride up and down the fingerboard, but is also warm, passionate, yearning, experimental. Plant's voice has retained its visceral beauty; this album expands his thematic and emotional ranges. The songwriting is powerful: solid, mature lyrics paired with impeccable musical composition. It's like Zeppelin all grown up --- this is what the band *could* have achieved if not for John Bonham's untimely passing. The only way it could have been improved (not that it needs improvement) would be if John Paul Jones had made an appearance. For anyone who hasn't checked out JPJ's solo work, especially the eponymous "Zooma", you're missing out.

If you enjoyed the "No Quarter" version of "Nobody's Fault but Mine," and Plant's latest, "Dreamland," you will *love* this album.

First, imagine this has nothing to do with led Zeppelin. Imagine this is a new band, you pop in the CD what do you think? You KNOW there is nothing else coming out right now that sounds at all like this. That alone makes it stand out in the cookie cutter music world of today but wait, there's more.

In bringing the thought of Zep back into this review let me use the Zep sound not as a direct comparison but as 1 part of what I think is an interesting mix that is descriptive of this release:

Stir in one part Zep, some atmosphere from a Mazzy Star Album (Among my Swan?) and something darker....like the mood of a Sisters of Mercy album with edges of influence from Lenard Cohen.

Strange mix? You bet!

This is an album about mood and atmosphere. Page has an amazing guitar tone, my favorite of his so far, very rich and THICK but the playing is subtle compared to a bunch of out-front blues/rock leads that you might expect. This album has a darker aged feel to it. It's simple but with layers. This has the effect of having more to give on each additional listen.

I would think of myself as a casual Zep fan with Houses of the Holy being my favorite album but I am very impressed with this CD> Anyone like Roger Waters "Amused to Death"? The voice here has that kind of weathered feel to it, very dramatic.

Now, none of my comparisons are of the sound but the feel, atmosphere and mood of the CD which is where I think this is a very different listen than what you might expect.

This CD is grey it's rain, but in a beautiful way. It's excellent. Take a listen.