- 2 days ago
When Robert Plant first stepped behind the Tiny Desk on a blustery Halloween afternoon, he took stock of the relatively stripped-down setup. "This is just like Live Aid," he said with a smile. "I couldn't hear myself there either." He was referring to the fact we don't amplify voices or use monitors so artists can hear themselves.
But if ever there was someone up to the challenge, it's Robert Plant. With a voice that's only gotten better with age, Plant has deftly moved from the full-throated rock and swagger of Led Zeppelin to the more restrained and profoundly beautiful folk, blues and roots music found on more recent recordings. His latest solo album, Saving Grace, is a collection of covers that range from the traditional spiritual "Gospel Plough" to "It's A Beautiful Day Today" by Moby Grape, a psychedelic rock band that, Plant says, still makes him "weepy."
Plant and his band perform both songs for this set, along with a version of "Higher Rock" by the singer-songwriter Martha Scanlan and Low's "Everybody's Song." They close with a new arrangement of "Gallows Pole," another traditional Plant first reinterpreted for the Led Zeppelin III album in 1969.
SET LIST
"Gospel Plough"
"Higher Rock"
"Everybody's Song"
"It's a Beautiful Day Today"
"Gallows Pole"
MUSICIANS
Robert Plant: vocals, harmonica
Suzi Dian: vocals, accordion
Matt Worley: guitar, banjo, cuatro, background vocals
Tony Kelsey: guitar
Barney Morse-Brown: cello
Oli Jefferson: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Robin Hilton
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Dhanika Pineda
Photographer: Catie Dull
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
But if ever there was someone up to the challenge, it's Robert Plant. With a voice that's only gotten better with age, Plant has deftly moved from the full-throated rock and swagger of Led Zeppelin to the more restrained and profoundly beautiful folk, blues and roots music found on more recent recordings. His latest solo album, Saving Grace, is a collection of covers that range from the traditional spiritual "Gospel Plough" to "It's A Beautiful Day Today" by Moby Grape, a psychedelic rock band that, Plant says, still makes him "weepy."
Plant and his band perform both songs for this set, along with a version of "Higher Rock" by the singer-songwriter Martha Scanlan and Low's "Everybody's Song." They close with a new arrangement of "Gallows Pole," another traditional Plant first reinterpreted for the Led Zeppelin III album in 1969.
SET LIST
"Gospel Plough"
"Higher Rock"
"Everybody's Song"
"It's a Beautiful Day Today"
"Gallows Pole"
MUSICIANS
Robert Plant: vocals, harmonica
Suzi Dian: vocals, accordion
Matt Worley: guitar, banjo, cuatro, background vocals
Tony Kelsey: guitar
Barney Morse-Brown: cello
Oli Jefferson: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Robin Hilton
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Dhanika Pineda
Photographer: Catie Dull
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
Category
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MusicTranscript
00:00I'll see you next time.
01:00Keep your hand on that plow, hold on. Never been to heaven but I've been told. The streets up there blind with gold. Keep your hand on that plow, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
01:30Keep your hand on that plow.
01:59The link was Jesus' name. Keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
02:07The only chains that we should stand are the chains of hand in hand. Keep your hand on that plow, hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
02:26Keep your hand on that plow, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
02:38Keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
02:40Keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
02:45Keep your hand on that plow, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. efficace sawdry and horse-backed.
03:00guitar solo
03:30guitar solo
04:00home
04:05home
04:21Thank you very much.
04:23Well, the descriptions that I received
04:25on
04:26tottering around this
04:28sort of spaghetti here
04:30were very, very charming and kind.
04:33We are, in fact, not Americana.
04:35We're English-cana.
04:38And we all kind of live and operate in an area
04:45which is on the borders of England and Wales.
04:48And that in itself doesn't seem to be a big deal.
04:50But for me, it's always been so inspiring
04:54to be attached to another culture, the Celtic culture.
04:58And the Celtic culture with its music
05:01and with its similarities to North African music
05:04has always been a great intrigue.
05:06So we are Saving Grace.
05:07We do come from slightly the black country.
05:10There was a woman way back who was a black country woman.
05:12I don't know what happened to her.
05:14And we are very pleased.
05:16This is our very first adventure here in America.
05:19Even though I've been here before,
05:21this is a really big time for all of us.
05:23So we hope you will enjoy us.
05:26This is a song now by an American lady called Martha Scanlon.
05:30It's called Higher Rock.
05:31Yes.
05:32Mary weeped over me
05:45Mary weeped over me
05:53Turned on a dime
05:58Say to me
06:00When you reach for a higher rock
06:05Then you reach for me
06:07So to Daniel
06:11Come play for me
06:15So to Daniel
06:19Come pray for me
06:23Trouble in mind
06:28Won't let me be
06:31When you reach for a higher rock
06:35Then you reach for me
06:37Rocking hand
06:42Oh, won't let you be
06:45Rocking hand
06:50Won't let you be
06:52Rocking hand
06:54Won't let you be
06:54It's the open hand
06:57Will set you free
07:00Cause when you reach for a higher rock
07:05Then you reach for me
07:07If you leave
07:08Garden
07:10Home
07:11You have to
07:12lumine
07:14ei
07:16And that'llฯฮฑ
07:27Live in mind
07:28Will set you free
07:29Trouble in mind
07:30Or
07:31Fill in mind
07:31Or
07:32Is
07:33I
07:34And say, he's got a deal for me
07:46Coleman say, he's got a deal for me
07:54That black gold, a-choking me
08:02When you reach for the higher part
08:06Then you reach for me
08:08Shackling chains, oh, can't settle me
08:16Shackling chains, can't settle me
08:24I've been strung up on a dark wood tree
08:31Cause when you reach for the higher part
08:36Then you reach for me
08:38Killed a cage is a treachery
09:02Killed a cage is a treachery
09:09Heart of gold holds the key
09:17When you reach for the higher rock
09:22Then you reach for me
09:24When you reach for the higher rock
09:30Then you reach for me
09:32When you reach for the higher rock
09:37Then you'll reach for me.
09:49Thank you, Martha.
09:52Yes.
10:00Over the years, back about 15 years ago,
10:05I was working with Paddy Griffin and Buddy Miller,
10:10and we formed a band called The Band of Joy.
10:14Not the 1960s one, but this other one there.
10:17And we sang a lot of other people's songs,
10:20and we took two songs from the Spectacular album by Low Court.
10:28What's it called?
10:30No, no, the name of the album.
10:33The Great Destroyer!
10:34Thank you for helping me so much.
10:37So we did two songs there with Paddy and Buddy,
10:41and here's another song from that same record.
10:44It's called Everybody's Song,
10:46and it was the opening track of a brand-new assault on American culture.
11:04Pour yourself another cup, another cup, another cup, and wait.
11:20I can't wait forever.
11:23Live your life, a stupid life, a stupid life, a stupid life.
11:34It's a game.
11:36Nobody does it better.
11:39Breaking everybody's heart, tearing everyone apart.
11:49Breaking everybody's heart, singing everybody's song.
11:57All your dreams are waking up, are waking up, are waking up in space.
12:22You can't live forever.
12:24You can't live forever.
12:26Every day you torture us, you torture us, you torture us, you torture us.
12:36All your dreams are waking up, are waking up, are waking up.
12:42everyday floating down every bubble.
12:43Nothing stays together.
12:44Breaking everybody's heart, tearing everyone apart.
12:51Breaking everybody's heart, singing everybody's song.
13:00Oh, my God.
13:30Oh, my God.
14:00Oh, my God.
14:30Pour yourself another cup, another cup, another cup, breaking everybody's heart, tearing everyone apart.
14:52Oh, my God.
15:22That sounds like some sort of joke from one of those rock send-up funny movies.
15:30Oh, my God.
15:39I've been right up the sharp end with that other world.
15:42I've sung with some amazing characters, and the sort of exchange of energy and style has been phenomenal.
15:49And none better, I would say, than this young lady here, who is really just amazing to sing with.
15:58Her name is Susie Deanne, and she's going to tell you all about her friends here who are my friends too.
16:03Oh, my God.
16:12Oh, Barney, I'm in your way.
16:13I'm going to start with Barney because I'm blocking him, so I'm going to duck while I say this.
16:17Barney's not actually been with us for the whole time.
16:20He is the newbie of the family, and he has changed our world.
16:23Please give it up for Barney Morse Brown on cello.
16:31On my left-hand side, I've nicknamed him our Eastern Pixie, and he just does magical things with stringed instruments.
16:40And his voice, by the way, is incredible.
16:42So, please give it up for Matt Worley.
16:50He's got a much smaller kit than normal, if you ever see a show of ours.
16:54He has his own world, but today he's narrowed it down for this.
16:59But please give it up for our incredible groove machine, Ali Jefferson on drums.
17:02And he's still brought his whole pedal board to this small set-up today.
17:13It's a very important part of his world, and for ours as well.
17:16He takes us to places that you never know.
17:19Honestly, please give it up for Tony Kelsey.
17:28That's about it, yes.
17:31He won't let me.
17:33So, yeah, when I was a kid, 17 years old, sitting around a paraffin stove in the middle of Middle England,
17:40listening to Moby Grape, you know, I guess, Clear Light.
17:45It's incredible.
17:46It's a beautiful day.
17:47So many groups in America were having a huge effect on me,
17:51because they actually had something to sing about,
17:54especially under the circumstances of how the social rub was taking place
18:01in the mid to late 60s here.
18:03Youth culture was very powerful,
18:05and it echoed through with the great music of the time.
18:08For me, as an old guy now,
18:10I still get weepy when I listen to Moby Grape.
18:13You can please yourselves, but this is a song from Moby Grape,
18:16written by Bob Mosley, who's still around.
18:19We're hoping to see him soon in about a week or so's time.
18:22This is from a new collection.
18:25It's called It's a Beautiful Day Today.
18:28It's a beautiful day.
18:58It's called It's a Beautiful Day Today.
19:06Dawn to dawn, a lifetime.
19:09The birds sing and days begun.
19:14The heavens will shine from dawn to dusk
19:17With golden rays of sun
19:20People on their way
19:24Beginning a brand new day
19:28I'd rather hearing people say
19:32It's a beautiful day today
19:36Some people in the street
19:47Some people in the street
19:47Rushing everywhere
19:51Moving fast
19:54And how I know
19:56They've got to be somewhere
19:59People on their way
20:03People on their way
20:04Beginning a brand new day
20:08I'd rather hearing people say
20:12It's a beautiful day today
20:16It's a beautiful day today
20:16guitar solo
20:21guitar solo
20:51So dawn to dawn, a lifetime
21:01The birds sing and days begun
21:06The heavens will shine from dawn to dusk
21:10With golden rays of sun
21:13People on their way
21:18Beginning a brand new day
21:22I'd rather hear and people say
21:27It's a beautiful day
21:30I'd rather hear and people say
21:36It's a beautiful day
21:39I'd rather hear and people say
21:44It's a beautiful day
21:49Today
21:52Thank you
22:10Master of restraint
22:13That was the first album
22:17Okay, Lead Belly
22:20In 1949
22:22He left us
22:23And he's back down there in Shreveport
22:27His memory has lived on
22:30Through all of the music
22:31That I've ever been near
22:33And been touched by
22:36And
22:36A treasure
22:38The collections of songs
22:40That he picked
22:41Both from black and white culture
22:42It was phenomenal
22:43And
22:44This is one song
22:46Which I believe
22:46Kind of
22:48Made its way
22:50With the
22:51Could we say
22:52The Pilgrim Fathers
22:53They did a good job
22:55And
22:57It made its way
22:57Across the
22:58The ocean
22:59Apparently
23:01It was a Victorian
23:02Edwardian
23:03An Elizabethan
23:04A
23:05William II
23:06A
23:07King Arthur
23:08Folk song
23:09Take your pick
23:11Let's see what we do with it
23:25Hangman
23:29Hangman
23:30Hangman
23:30Until you're here a while
23:32I think I see my sister
23:35Come
23:35Riding
23:36Many miles
23:37Sister
23:42I employ you
23:44Take him by the hand
23:46Take him to some shady bar
23:49Save me from the love of this man
23:51Please take him
23:56Save me from the love of this man
23:59Hangman
24:22Hangman
24:24Upon your face a smile
24:26Tell me that I'm free to ride
24:29Ride for many miles
24:31Ooh yes you've got a fine sister
24:37She want my blood from cold
24:39She want my blood from bald and hot
24:43To keep me from the gallows pole
24:45Now your brother he bought me a silver
24:51Sister drug my soul
24:53But now I laugh the bush so hard
24:56See you swimming on the gallows pole
24:58But now I laugh the bush so hard
25:05See you swimming on the gallows pole
25:07Oh here come the pixies
25:10Swingin' on the gallows pole
25:13Swingin' on the gallows pole
25:16Oh, swingin' on a gallows boat
25:35Swingin' on a gallows boat
25:38Swingin' on a gallows boat
25:40Swingin' on a gallows boat
25:43Swingin' on a gallows boat
25:45Swingin' on a girl, oh
25:48Swingin' on a girl, oh
25:51Swingin' on a girl, oh, yeah
25:54Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
26:15Thank you very much, everybody.
26:21Thank you so much.
26:24I can tell you this straight now.
26:26I've been singing now since God knows when.
26:30Mid-century modern.
26:31And I've never, ever, I've never, ever had a microphone
26:35which actually isn't talking to me.
26:38And my mom always used to say,
26:39look at the exit sign at the back.
26:41Well, there's not one there.
26:43It's been disorientating,
26:44but it's been wonderful to see so many people late for lunch.
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