Customer Reviews

Shaken 'N' Stirred

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Shaken 'N' Stirred is one of those albums you'll either love or hate ... there's no in between. I personally loved it. Cuts like
Too Loud and Sixes and Sevens truly rock out. Robert plant showed his experimental side on this release. You may have to listen to it a couple of times to truly appreciate it. I love all of Plants stuff, but this is one of my favorites. Good music from a great artist.

You know, most people seem to malign this album, the last with his best band (echoing a previous sentiment). This album was both a direct response to the music Plant was hearing at the time and a direct break from the Zeppelin albatross. People who don't like this disc might have a problem with its synth sound or the fact that it doesn't sound anything like the previous two albums or anything past it, but allowing it to stand on its own merit, free from the "but it doesn't sound like Zeppelin" whine that prevails against so much of his solo work, shines a light of clarity on an album of considerable thought and mastery of the moment. Plant and company accomplished more on this disc than he would until Dreamland. It would have been interesting to see where else he would've gone with this band, but he switched gears for the next album, and Blunt, Woodruffe, Martinez, and Hayward (and Halliday) were gone. More's the pity that 66 to Timbuktu all but ignored this disc, showcasing only Little by Little... give this disc a try, remembering that it is a fearless statement by a legend who had covered the musical gamut in his previous band.

Despite what many fans out there believe, Robert Plant, like a fine wine, has improved with age. This album is probably one of my favorites in that it shows Plant's versatility as a serious artist. This in and of itself is a challenge to anyone playing in what is so commonly referred to as "heavy metal". The track "Sixes and Sevens" is absolutely haunting, and "Trouble your Money" demonstrates just how much Robert Plant can sing even what I would term a more "jazz" tune and put forth a fantastic delivery. This is a must own for anyone who is a fan of Robert Plant.

Out of the whole Robert Plant discography, this album in my opinion is his most challenging and eclectic album. Eclectic is not a term I usually use when talking about most music, but this album truly is. No matter how much I've listened to this in the past few years I can't find a music category to peg it in, but that's what's so good about it. I don't count Shaken 'n' Stirred as a favorite album, but I do respect it for it's eccentric flavoring. It's more synth-based than his previous couple of albums, and there's something for everybody on this collection. Although the album is more synth-oriented, the guitar is not ignored. Favorites are the challenging "Little by Little," the weird "Too Loud," and the closing tune "Sixes and Sevens." This album truly holds a place of its own compared to the other albums. Shaken 'n' Stirred also sports an excellent production. I have to give this album a three star rating on this review, but if I could grade it with a half, I'd give it three and a half stars. Worth a listen.

I bought this album when it was originally released and was very disappointed. I was looking for something more similar to Plant's first two solo efforts, Principle of Moments, and Pictures at 11. This album is a big departure from those albums and from previous Zeppelin works. However, 15 or so years later, giving the album a second chance, I see that it is not so bad. You have to have an open-mind to appreciate it though and not be expecting something similar to the prior works I mention. It is more upbeat and seems less serious than the previous works. It also features female background vocals on some songs, which were and still remain to me the least desirable element on the work.

When your resume is "Stairway to Heaven" and "Kashmir", what do you do?

And when your legacy is that of having been the front man to perhaps the greatest rock and roll/hard blues band in history, what's next? For Robert Plant coming off of the Zeppelin era, it began with "Pictures at Eleven", a nice radio-friendly transition with Zeppelinesque tracks fused with Robbie Blunt's roadhouse blues-based driving guitar work. It moved onto the peculiar Principle of Moments which swayed back and forth between AOR rock and atmospheric textures and ballads. Having played it safe for two records (along with the able assistance of Phil Collins on percussion), Plant broke loose with Shaken 'N Stirred.

At first listen, I was devastated by how radically he had departed from normalcy and everyone's expectations. But as is always my rule, every record I purchase gets three listens in three different settings at three different times of day. After that, I love it or hate it. And for Shaken 'N Stirred, it must've been that third listen where things fell into place. (OK... maybe the fourth.)

Yes, Little by Little is the commercial favorite with stunning guitar work by Blunt. The recording is largely stimulated by master keysmith Jezz Woodroofe and the delightfully surprising counter-voice of Toni Halliday on a number of tracks. Little Feet's Ritchie Hayward is shockingly out of his element and even more shockingly delivering some of the finest percussion ever heard on any rock record from the 80s (Peart would likely agree). Paul Martinez even involves himself more in the writing process, and his bass work is solid, not stale.

"Hip to Hoo" playfully nods to brassy bands of the day like Asia and twists our ankles as we try to tap to its clever 6/4 rhythm. Meanwhile "Kallalou Kallalou" indulges in a rollicking Caribbean swing - it's the first "fun" song from Plant's solo work - who expected a dance number? And in the midst of it all, Blunt's guitar work exudes some Pagean swagger. "Too Loud" is a weaker stab at the emerging hip-hop sound of the mid-80s, while the ethereal "Trouble Your Money" delivers a sweet compliment to the "ska-gae" of the Police and others of the era. "Pink and Black" unloads a tour de force of drums and guitar with bursts of retro-sounding organ and closes with a very cool guitar solo influenced by old spy shows (Get Smart, anyone?).

"That Side" (as the LP was labeled) begins with "Little by Little" which is rich in wailing echos and emotive textures as Plant (supposedly) speaks to his early post-Zep emotions. "Doo Doo a Do Do" takes us back to the Caribbean with the moodiness of dark discotheques and their pulsing hypnotic rhythms. "Easily Lead" easily wasn't Led Zep, but the energy and intent of the song is reminiscent if the overall sound is not. The chords in the refrain at first listen are unexpected - a nice twist (did you notice the vocal rif on 'Sea of Love' at the end?) Finally, we come to "Sixes and Sevens" which is musically gorgeous though lyrically ambiguous or, as Plant might say, "deep and meaningless." The convergence of all the band on this song demonstrates exceptional writing and composition, despite Plant's coy lyrics.

The reasons why people have a distaste for the record are tied to the presence of strong keyboards, the contrast of Toni's vocals to Plant's, the understated guitar and the abject lack of choruses - something Plant considered to be something of a creative sell-out in song writing (at the time, anyway). But this is more than Plant being 'experimental.' This record is about Plant being honest - musically and lyrically - about himself. Really: Here's a man that could do anything. Phone any guitarist in the world and likely start a new super-group and take off on another mega-stadium tour.

Instead, Plant reveals in this record that his radio was on during the 1980s, and that there was a lot to like and a lot missing all at once. He's also openly rebelling here against all attempts to type-cast him as "the Zep guy" whose only professional hope is to regurgitate insincere renderings of Zep's greatest hits. (It's worth noting that his return to Zep material in subsequent tours was rooted more in his personal favorites than radio classics.) What happens on Shaken 'N Stirred is collective mysterious and exciting. Going directly from Led Zeppelin 4 to this could hurt someone, sure. But in the larger context of all his creative works (even from You Better Run and Our Song), Plant has achieved something unapologetically amazing here. Yes, it has weaknesses, but they're compensated for in the spirit of adventure and the emotions and colors in this collection.

That said, I invite the critics and low-score folks to dust off that tape or CD and give this record three more listens, in three different settings at three different times of day within a week or so. (Or, maybe four.) Listen to different aspects of each performance, not just the whole sound. Give it another chance and you may discover why Shaken 'N Stirred is - quite possibly - still ahead of its time...

Shaken 'n' Stirred (Robert Plant's third solo release) is an entertaining and somewhat unconventional piece of music. There's a total of nine songs. I find every one of them to be worthy and pleasing. Some of the material is in a straightforward pop rock musical direction, while other tracks are in an experimental pop rock vein. Six of them also contain female backing vocals. The songwriting is good and creative, the musicianship is proficient, and the production is tight. The keyboards (played by Jezz Woodroffe) are a prominent facet throughout the album. Robbie Blunt's guitar work mostly takes more of a secondary role--except for "Kallalou Kallalou" and "Pink and Black." When it comes to the vocals, Plant does a nice job. Ritchie Hayward's drumming is skillful and taut, too. The tune that I enjoy the most is the straight-ahead, atmospheric "Little by Little." The smooth "Sixes and Sevens" is also a gratifying ballad that's just over six minutes in duration. The song from Shaken 'n' Stirred that I find to be the most offbeat and adventurous is the quirky "Too Loud." The aspects of this sprightly tune that attract me especially are the weird-sounding keyboard work, the lighthearted, interesting vocals from Plant, and the female background vocals. Another one that's progressive in style that I like is "Trouble Your Money"--it resembles something that the Police would write. I enjoy how this ambient track rises and falls in intensity. "Doo Doo a Do Do" is also a song that's different and pleasing; it features cool keyboard playing and energetic female backing vocals. The CD insert doesn't include the song lyrics. The disc is just over 42 minutes long. Shaken 'n' Stirred is an album that's eclectic and worthwhile.

If Pictures at Eleven was LedZep for the 80s, and The Principle of Moments was a nod toward the art-rock of Asia, NOBODY was prepared for this album, Plant's avant garde masterpiece. Jimmy Page fanatics must have been aghast at the keyboards and guitar synth splashed all over the sonic canvas. This album was SO weird I could not stop listening to it for the entire month of June 1985. While the MTV/dance floor/hi-tech influences are everywhere, the album bizarrely holds together even when it sounds like Plant is THISCLOSE to completely losing it. Only the single "Little by Little" sounds even remotely like anything that has come before, so far off the beaten path has everyone involved strayed. Drummer Ritchie Hayward almost steals the whole album, and guitarist Robbie Blunt was so unhappy with this brilliant mess he was fired after the tour. The drift away from LedZep's monumentalism is complete. I found this album much easier to absorb than 1989's Manic Nirvana. And pity the poor soul who tries to transcribe the lyrics: it must set some kind of record for the most usages of the words "girl" and "baby"!

When I was a teenage metalhead in the 80's, Led Zeppelin was a mythic institution, almost a religion unto itself. By association, Robert Plant had a cachet that few musicians could exploit. So when his solo singles started coming out, I was a bit puzzled. It seemed as though he was moving away from the bombast and (horrors!) embracing fully what I reckoned was the pop glitz of the day. Compared to the other bands that made up the heavy side of the equation for me in those days, Plant was rapidly becoming a has been. Nonetheless, I continued to buy his LP's partly as a show of respect and partly out of curiosity.

"Shaken n Stirred" caused me to stop listening to Robert Plant's solo material. I appreciated "Little by Little" as a guilty pleasure and was hoping the rest of the album would be of similar flavor. Not so. My friends and I pronounced the album unlistenable - the music sounded like a disjointed mash of synth cheese, bad humor, and jerky beats that violated every sense of rock.

Fast forward to today: I recently had an opportunity to pickup the remastered version of this album for cheap. I thought it would be funny to hear how horrible the record was again, a cheap reminiscence of sorts. At least "Little by Little" would stand the test of time, right?

This is probably Robert Plant's most ambitious artistic endeavor. It is a musically violent move away from Zeppelin and the constraints he felt from having that mythic legacy hung around his neck. Is the music difficult? Yes, I would not put this on at a party or if I wanted to feel nostalgic, comforted. The music is almost Cubist in nature, similar to Modernist literature. Beats are deconstructed, melodies are stretched to their limit, and even the production plays with normal conceptions of dynamics by unexpectedly flattening the mix or popping certain sounds to the fore. In a strange way, the album foreshadows (and critiques?)the current trend in commercial music where dynamics are pointedly artificial: nonexistent or seemingly unrelated to the music being performed.

More than anything else, the album pokes fun at the cult of Zeppelin, and commercial music in general. Consider, for example, this snippet from "Too Loud":

"Much consideration to the Aethenian religion
has been given to this whole project,
which can be interchanged by the entire record buying public.
It is not quite inconceivable that it has absolutely nothing,
absolutely nothing to do with this, sorry,"

Plant, was, and still is, above all an artist, and in looking to extend his craft ran up against the myth that had built up around him. Once he became a classic, he was embalmed in the minds of Zep fans, a state of affairs that no evolving artist can live under. This album is the response.

So is it good? As experimental music, I would say yes, with the caveat that it does not always succeed in maintaining a level of relevance or novelty. The playing is top notch, and the compositions are quite meticulous (if a bit opaque at first). Some of the keys sound dated, but the recording is startling in its clarity, Paul Martinez' bass tones are simply gorgeous. You do have to listen to this with an open mind, and try to get in on the joke instead of being the butt of it. As music, it works. As rock, it fails.

On SHAKEN 'N' STIRRED, Robert Plant finally took a dive into the synth pool he waded in on his previous album PRINCIPLE OF MOMENTS. Numerous Zep fans were undoubtedly baffled, but I think this is a fun album that has two of his best ever tracks - "Sixes and Sevens" and the other one previously known simply as "Little By Little (extended mix)," a truly transcendental song, previously available only on a 12" single release. These tunes also get a wet hot kiss from Toni Halliday, whose inventive, totally sexy vocals just nail it. Bias alert - I'm a huge fan of her own "waves-of-shoegaze" band known as Curve. She's totally hot!

Breakdown:

"Hip To Hoo" - a strange circus fade in on keyboards abruptly erupts into giddy circus acrobats. Plant soon booms in full throttle as the intensity cranks up. Robbie Blunt even throws in some tasty rockabilly guitar. A wild, weird experiment that just works. ****

"Kallalou Kallalou" - The jerky rhythm gets under your skin as another woman is breakin' Robert's heart while he begs her to stay. ****1/2

"Too Loud" - If you liked the first two tracks you'll happily keep groovin' on this infectious take down of some bugged-out chick. Toni just makes me drool with her "Huh! Huh! Huh! . . . AAAAAH" croons. ****1/2

"Trouble Your Money" - creeps in on a quietly urgent beat but before long Plant is writhing in anguish. ****

"Pink & Black" - It's no secret that Robert Plant's been a long-time Elvis fan and the evidence is quite palpable on this pumped up rocker. Plant owns it. *****

"Little By Little" - I'm old enough to remember when MTV was young and I watched the video for this song whenever I got the chance. It was in heavy rotation and it made a big impression on me. Probably the first non-Zep Plant I ever heard and I still think it's one of his best. *****

"Doo Doo A Do Do" - the boner-bass intro on this one signifies Robert is in a party mood. "Shake for me baby" . . . a cool rocker. *****

"Easily Lead" - this is a first-class take on New Wave and the most pumped up thing on the album. ****

"Sixes & Sevens" - The last track on the original album is Plant at his best. He brings real drama and tension to an already killer cut. Gorgeous and hovering, this is a hazy world filled with self doubt and confusion. Spooky keyboards and the keyboard solo is great too. *****+

"Little By Little (Remixed Long Version) - The definitive version. A must. Supremely atmospheric and otherworldly, the loping bass line on the original is toned down and the added space and synth washes are powerful. This version takes the original to a whole new dimension, letting it breathe. Sounds great as the album's 10th track. *****+