On the Record for 8-16
By Jon Busdeker on Aug. 17, 2007
Q: A few years ago, Alison Krauss performed a few songs on “Prairie Home Companion.” Have any of those songs been released commercially?
A: Bluegrass singer and fiddler Alison Krauss appeared on the popular radio show, “Prairie Home Companion,” in May 2004. She played three songs that night, but only one has been released commercially. The first song was “A Living Prayer,” which was included her “Lonely Runs Both Ways” album. The other songs you heard that night were the traditional song “Blessed Jesus Hold My Hand” and Bill Monroe’s “Big Mon.” She also performed on the song “Where the Soul of Man Never Dies” with Katey Bellville, another guest on the show, handling the lead vocals.
Don’t expect to hear that these songs on her next album, which will be a collaboration with Robert Plant, the former singer for Led Zeppelin. (Yes, you read that right.) The unlikely pair first talked about working together seven years ago when Plant called Krauss and told her he’d like to perform with her. In November 2004, they sang together for the first time at a tribute concert for blues singer Leadbelly. A few years later, in the fall of 2006, the two musicians recruited producer T-Bone Burnett and started recording songs in Nashville and Los Angeles. The album, titled “Raising Sand,” will be released Oct. 23.
Q: I may be the last person on earth to have heard this, but as many times as I’ve listened to the Eagles’ “Take It Easy,” I only just realized that a very subtle banjo can be heard during the bridge and final stanza and chorus of the song. I never thought of the Eagles as being banjo pickers. Who’s playing the banjo?
A: Certainly one of the great road trip songs of all times, “Take It Easy” is also a great opening number on a pretty good debut album to boot. Although the song did not rise above No. 12 on the Billboard Singles chart when it was released in 1972, it is one of the band’s most recognizable hits, and has become a mainstay on classic rock radio stations. The album is very much a collaborative effort between drummer Don Henley, guitarist Glenn Frey, bassist Randy Meisner, and guitarist/banjoist Bernie Leadon. Each took turns handling vocal duties.
Leadon met up with Henley and Frey when they each were part of Linda Ronstadt’s backing band. In 1971, the trio decided to form the Eagles along with Meisner, who was lately of the band Poco. In addition to the guitar and banjo, the versatile Leadon also plays mandolin and pedal steel guitar. His work can be heard on the records of such artists as the Flying Burrito Brothers, Stevie Nicks, Randy Newman, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kenny Rogers and Travis Tritt to name just a few.
Q: I was looking at the liner notes on U2’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” album and noticed that they thank Mick and Lizzy Jagger. Is this Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and if so, where does he appear on the album?
A: Yes, it is Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. Mick and 16-year-old daughter, Lizzy, visited U2 while they were recording the album in Dublin and contributed backup vocals to an early version of “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of.” Although the band used another version without the Jaggers, they still thanked them in liner notes.
By Bradford Brady and John Maron. Send your questions about songs, albums, and the musicians who make them to
or visit http://www.musicontherecord.com. Brady and Maron are freelance music writers based in Raleigh, N.C.
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