From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Consolers of the Lonely
Consolers of the Lonely
Consolers of the Lonely Thump tour, which means the sessions that the band did
in May 2007 before the Icky Thump tour weren’t used.[cita-
tion needed] The title of the record comes from the inscrip-
tion in the side of a Washington, D.C. post office written
by Charles William Eliot,[3] which reads in full:
Messenger of sympathy and love, servant of parted
friends, consoler of the lonely, bond of the scattered
family, enlarger of the common life.[4]
Release
According to the band, the album was finished during
the first week in March and was released less than three
weeks later.[5] For a band of their stature, the release of
Consolers of the Lonely with no promotion was highly un-
Studio album by The Raconteurs
orthodox. Music critics and commentators largely saw it
Released March 25, 2008 as a way to eschew critics and deal directly with fans.[6]
Recorded February 2008 Blackbird Recording Studio D,
The Observer called it "one of the most exciting musical
Nashville TN events of 2008."[7] Despite the already rapid release time
and efforts to secure the date, the record was briefly
Genre Alternative rock, Blues rock
available for purchase on iTunes Friday, March 21.[8]
Length 55:30
Label Third Man Records/ Critical response
Warner Bros. Records
Critique of Consolers of the Lonely was mostly positive;
Producer Jack White III and Brendan Benson much of it centered on the chaotic sound and diverse na-
The Raconteurs chronology ture of the album as well as its resemblance to albums
by Led Zeppelin and The Who.[4][21] According to The
Broken Boy Soldiers Consolers of the Lonely Toronto Star, "White’s bent Americana and Benson’s Bri-
(2006) (2008) tish invasion-isms yields wonderfully unpredictable re-
sults".[22] Kitty Empire of The Observer called the album
Consolers of the Lonely is the second album of The Racon- "lively" and said it "finds [the Raconteurs] luxuriating
teurs. It was released on March 25, 2008 on Warner Bros. in fancy stuff with kid-in-a-sweetshop enthusiasm. Min-
Records in most parts of the world, and a day earlier on imalism is out, bombast is in; the detail, is, as ever, lip-
XL Recordings in the UK.[1] smacking."[7] Commenting on the band’s chemistry and
The band did no promotion before the album’s re- freeness, Rolling Stone said the album is "a blissfully
lease, and its existence was only confirmed a week be- stoned conversation between White and Benson about
fore. Even so, the record was accidentally leaked by their favorite bands: Led Zeppelin, the Who, Badfinger,"
iTunes, and some fans managed to purchase the album though it added, "that freedom is not always satisfy-
early.[2] It is available on CD, vinyl, and MP3. A video for ing."[4]Austin-American Statesmen said "it’s a weirdly
the first single from the album, "Salute Your Solution" overblown and curiously dull album," and complained
was released on the same day. The album earned a nomi- about its production.[23] The New York Times echoed those
nation for Best Rock Album at the 51st Grammy Awards. statements about the "chaos" of the album, but conclud-
ed that "that desperation only makes the crunch of the
music more euphoric."[21] The Guardian found that on
Background Consolers of the Lonely, the Raconteurs "establish a firm,
The band premiered "Five on the Five" during their last emotionally charged identity of their own" and called the
tour.[citation needed] Consolers of the Lonely consists of effort "flawed but ragged glory."[24] Allmusic conclud-
recordings undertaken after The White Stripes’ Icky
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Consolers of the Lonely
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [9]
The A.V. Club (B-)[10]
EW (B+)[11]
Fasterlouder [12]
MusicOMH [13]
NME (7/10)[14]
NY Times (favorable)[15]
Pitchfork Media (7.4/10)[16]
Q [17]
Rolling Stone [18]
Time Off [19]
GlideMagazine [20]
Chart (2008) Peak Certification Sales/
position shipments
31]
[31]
Canadian Album Chart 4 -
US Billboard 200 7 - 50,000
UK Albums Chart 8 Gold 100,000
Australian ARIA Chart 18 -
ed that the album is a "lop-sided, bottom-loaded album Jack Lawrence are originally from Ohio. After being fold-
that’s better and richer than their debut."[25] ed out the scene then depicts the band on stage with a
The album was nominated for Best Rock Album and woman exiting from a door in the back. It also has a sign
won Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 51st that says "The Raconteurs" and another that says the al-
Grammy Awards. The album ranked No. 44 on Rolling bums title. Once opened up, it is noticed that the stage
Stone’s year-end critic’s list and No. 35 on Spin is empty and the bass drum in the back says "Sanitary
Magazine’s year-end Top 40 albums.[26][27] Workers Band."
The album was ranked the #4 Album of the Decade[28]
by Glide Magazine.[29]
Track listing
All songs by Brendan Benson and Jack White, except
Chart positions "Rich Kid Blues" by Terry Reid.
The album debuted at #7 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, No. Title Length
selling about 42,000 copies in its first week.[30] It debuted
1. "Consoler of the Lonely" 3:26
at #8 on the UK Album Chart, #4 on the Canadian Album
Chart, and #50 on the Australian ARIA chart on the 7th of 2. "Salute Your Solution" 3:00
April, 2008 based on digital downloads. However, the CD 3. "You Don’t Understand Me" 4:53
was released on the 5th of April, thus allowing the album 4. "Old Enough" 3:58
the next week to ascend 32 places to reach its peak posi-
5. "The Switch and the Spur" 4:24
tion thus far of #18 due to physical sales.
6. "Hold Up" 3:27
Album cover 7. "Top Yourself" 4:26
8. "Many Shades of Black" 4:25
The stage portrayed on the cover of the album depicts
three signs for Tennessee, Michigan, and Ohio. These 9. "Five On The Five" 3:33
signs refer to the fact that the band members currently 10. "Attention" 3:40
reside in Tennessee, but Brendan Benson and Jack White 11. "Pull This Blanket Off" 1:59
are originally from Michigan, while Patrick Keeler and
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Consolers of the Lonely
12. "Rich Kid Blues" 4:34 [5] Cohen, Jonathan (18 March 2008), "Raconteurs
Album Being Rushed To Market Next Week".
13. "These Stones Will Shout" 3:54
Billboard
14. "Carolina Drama" 5:55 [6] No byline (19 March 2008), "Raconteurs’ critical
Total length: 55:30 escape". Press Association - Premier Showbiz
[7] ^ Empire, Kitty (30 March 2008), "Review: Critics:
Releases: CD OF THE WEEK: The Raconteurs want to
Personnel tell you a story: The Raconteurs Consolers of the
Lonely". The Observer. :20
Musicians [8] Harding, Cortney (21 March 2008), "Raconteurs
Album Hits iTunes". Billboard.biz
The Raconteurs [9] Allmusic review
• Patrick Keeler – drums, percussion [10] The A.V. Club review
• Brendan Benson – vocals, guitar, keyboards [11] EW review
• Jack White III – vocals, guitar, stylophone, keyboards [12] Fasterlouder review
• Jack L.J. Lawrence – bass, banjo, backing vocals [13] MusicOMH review
[14] NME review
Additional [15] NY Times review
• Dean Fertita – clavinet [16] Pitchfork Media review
• Dirk Powell – strings [17] Q review
• The Memphis Horns – horns [18] Rolling Stone review
• Flory Dory Girls – backing vocals [19] Time Off review
• Frozen 140 Swanson (David Swanson of Whirlwind [20] GlideMagazine review
Heat) [21] ^ Pareles, Jon (03-24-2008), "Miserable Exuberance
From a Yin And Yang". New York Times. :6
Production [22] Rayner, Ben (25 March 2008), "CD pick of the week"
• Jack White III – producer, mixed by, horn The Toronto Star. :L08
arrangement [23] No byline (30 March 2008), "No need to rush for
• Brendan Benson – producer, horn arrangement Raconteurs’ follow-up". Austin American-
• Joe Chiccarelli – engineered by Statesman. :J13
• Vance Powell – mix down engineer [24] Simpson, Dave (28 March 2008), "Film & Music:
• Lowell Reynolds – assistant engineer Rock & pop reviews: The Raconteurs: Consolers of
• Vlado Mellor – mastered by the Lonely". The Guardian. :10
• Mark Santangello – assisted by [25] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (undated), Review
• The Raconteurs – songs arranged by AllMusic.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-02
• Wayne Jackson – horn arrangement [26] http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/
24958695/albums_of_the_year/31
References [27] http://www.spin.com/articles/40-best-
albums-2008?page=0%2C0
[1] "XL Recordings / ’Consolers of the Lonely’ To Be [28] http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles/55436/
Released March 25th". XL Recordings. glides-best-albums-of-the-decade.html
http://www.xlrecordings.com/2008/03/18/ [29] http://www.glidemagazine.com/
consolers-of-the-lonely-to-be-released- [30] Katie Hasty, "Day26 Upends Danity Kane To Debut
march-25th. Retrieved March 25, 2008. At No. 1", Billboard.com, April 2, 2008.
[2] "Did iTunes Leak Raconteurs Album Early?". Spin [31] Certification award levels IFPI. Retrieved August,
Magazine Online. http://www.spin.com/articles/ 2009.
did-itunes-leak-raconteurs-album-early. Retrieved
March 25, 2008.
[3] No byline (March 18, 2008), "Raconteurs: Who are
the ’Consolers Of The Lonely’?" NME.com.
Retrieved on 2008-04-02
[4] ^ Maerz, Melissa (April 17, 2008), Consolers Of The
Lonely RollingStone.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-02
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consolers_of_the_Lonely&oldid=454572185"
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Consolers of the Lonely
Categories:
• 2008 albums
• The Raconteurs albums
• Warner Bros. Records albums
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