Jimmy Page and Robert Plant: No Quarter - Unledded CD Track Listing

A list by checkmate

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant No Quarter - Unledded (2004)
2004 Atlantic Recording Corporation\n\nOriginally Released Released November 8, 1994\nRemixed + Remastered CD Edition Released October 26, 2004\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Ever since Led Zeppelin parted ways after the death of drummer John Bonham, fans were clamoring for the mighty band to reunite. This willfully ignored both the vital contribution Bonham gave to the group's mystique and Zeppelin's woeful one-off reunion at the 1985 Live Aid charity concert, but the legend of the band was so strong, reunion rumors reached a fever pitch whenever vocalist Robert Plant or guitarist Jimmy Page had a new album in the stores. In 1994, following Plant's moody, misunderstood 1993 album Fate of Nations and Page's widely lambasted collaboration with Whitesnake singer David Coverdale, the two quietly reunited to record a concert for MTV's then-popular acoustic concert series Unplugged. Page & Plant interpreted the Unplugged moniker rather liberally, bringing in a full orchestra, mandolins, and a hurdy-gurdy among other instruments, and Page turned to an electric guitar on occasion. Nevertheless, the "unplugged" setting did give the duo an opportunity to gracefully back away from the bombast that was assumed to be Zeppelin's stock-in-trade; after all, it would have been very hard to do "Whole Lotta Love," "Dazed and Confused," or "Trampled Underfoot" in this setting. Instead, this gives them a chance to dive into the moodiest material, trading heavily on the folk, blues, and world music that gave Led Zeppelin a richness unheard in their heavy rock peers. This might not be what some diehards were expecting from a reunion, but it was a gutsy move from Page & Plant, and the ensuing album, No Quarter, has aged remarkably well. That's not to say that it's timeless music, or a latter-day comeback on the level of Bob Dylan's Love and Theft, but this is ambitiously atmospheric, restless music by musicians not content to rest on their laurels. They do draw heavily from their past, but these new versions of classic Led Zeppelin songs sound reinvigorated in these new arrangements. At times, this means that the songs are given rather drastic reinterpretations -- "Nobody's Fault but Mine" brings the brooding undercurrent of the original to the surface, "Four Sticks" sounds livelier in this spare setting -- while other tunes sound similar to the recorded versions but are given spirited readings ("That's the Way," "The Battle of Evermore," "Gallows Pole"). Between these revived Zeppelin numbers are a few new songs, all ambitious and solid, fitting right into the vibe of the album; even if they don't match the older tunes, they're respectable and gain strength upon repeated listens. As good as much of No Quarter is, it isn't necessarily the kind of record that invites those repeated listens. At its core, it's an experiment, the sound of two middle-aged musicians looking back at their groundbreaking work and finding both sustenance and inspiration there. That makes for fascinating listening, both upon the first spin and a return play several years later, but it doesn't necessarily make for an album that's played all that often. [Upon its original 1994 release No Quarter contained 13 tracks. Several years later, it was reissued overseas, adding the previously unreleased original "Wah Wah" as a bonus track. Upon the album's tenth anniversary, it was reissued in the U.S. with "Wah Wah," plus the previously unreleased "The Rain Song," which took the place of "Thank You," which was cut from the album on this reissue. Finally, the 2004 reissue retitled the original "Yallah" as "The Truth Explodes."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nJimmy Page and Robert Plant changed the face of rock 'n' roll as cofounders of Led Zeppelin. The massively influential group disbanded in 1980 following drummer John Bonham's death, and Page & Plant pursued solo careers before reuniting in 1994 for MTV's hugely popular Unplugged. That historic session-which led to an international nad new studio album-became New Quarter. Page's guitar virtuosity and Plant's vocal mastery are potent as ever as they deliver thse inspired, reinvented, takes on choice picks from the Led Zeppelin songbook.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nGreat new sound / some numbers missing , November 1, 2004 \nReviewer: mbmbuff (Fountain Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews \nI am very pleased with the reissuing of this CD. The remastered sound is a vast improvement over the original CD version. Page's guitar (especially the acoustic) comes off much clearer and more resonant (esp. on "Nobody's Fault," "Gallows Pole," and "That's the Way"). The electric guitar is less muddled as well. Plant's vocal singing is stronger and given more clarity. \n\nSome new additions in this version: \n\na) The welcome inclusion of "Rain Song" -- one of the highlights of this reunion concert and beautifully done by Plant and Page, backed up by the orchestra. \n\nb) "Wonderful One" is slightly different than the original audio version. In the original audio version, it starts off with the drums for several measures, then the guitar comes in. The original version is also shorter than this version. In this version, the song starts off with the guitar, Plant sings differently, and the song is slightly longer. \n\nc) The song "Yallah" is renamed "The Truth Explodes" \n\nI have a number of misgivings though about this new reissue: \n\na) It omits "Thank You" -- one of my favorite songs featured in the original CD \nb) Why doesn't it include "What is and What Should Never Be" (which is featured on the DVD and video)? \nc) Like other reviewers, I prefer the more familiar Zep songs than the Middle-Eastern music (even though I have nothing against Middle-Eastern music) \n\nOther than that, I highly recommend this CD. You'll also love the DVD -- you'll get the complete tracks along with some new special features. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nNo Thank You, October 28, 2004 \nReviewer: Music Enthusiast "Mark" (Glendale, CA)\nThe remastering job is fabulous. Even in a so-so car stereo, you can hear the clarity. Especially in the song, "No Quarter". Maybe in the original "No Quarter" CD, there is some mystique in it's muddiness. The new song seems almost identical to City Don't Cry, and City don't cry was shortened. The 2 together sounds like the original City Don't Cry. To me, nothing really gained. What was stark to me, was the absence of "Thank You". I really didn't realize until Nobody's fault... rolled into No Quarter, and I grabbed the CD case saying, "What the.....?!?". Rain Song was delightful. The orchestra, bass player, etc., definately practiced based on the studio album. To the note! Actually sounded almost too accurate to me as Led Zeppelin always adventured from the studio recordings when they played live. It was wonderful but at the same time hauntingly strange. There is enough clean-up, track changes, etc. to make this worth it even if you have the original CD or the partner DVD (also released 10/26/04). I'm in the car too much to have to wait to get into the house. If you are an audiophile, and have a big expensive system, this will make you very happy. Attn: Stereo stores, use this as a demo CD for speaker systems! Like Jim in Seal Beach, I would have opted for Thank You in lieu of the Moroccan stuff. I'm not saying I'm bent on Zep stuff. I think Plant solo does the Eastern stuff quite well, better than this. For example, "Life begins again" on Disk2, track 15, of Sixty-Six-to Timbuktu is a lifetime masterpiece for Plant. Just amazing. \n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nPersonnel include: Jimmy Page (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin); Robert Plant (vocals); Najma Akhtar (vocals); Porl Thompson (guitar, banjo); Nigel Eaton (hurdy-gurdy); Jim Sutherland (mandolin, bodhran); Rosemary Furniss, David Juritz, Rita Manning (violin); Andrew Brown, Rusen G

Categories

Latest lists

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant: No Quarter - Unledded CD Track Listing

Category

Tags

cyList

Legal