- Consolers of the Lonely
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Consolers of the Lonely 
Studio album by The Raconteurs Released March 25, 2008 Recorded February 2008 Blackbird Recording Studio D, Nashville TN Genre Alternative rock, Blues rock Length 55:30 Label Third Man Records/
Warner Bros. RecordsProducer Jack White III and Brendan Benson The Raconteurs chronology Broken Boy Soldiers
(2006)Consolers of the Lonely
(2008)Consolers of the Lonely is the second album of The Raconteurs. It was released on March 25, 2008 on Warner Bros. Records in most parts of the world, and a day earlier on XL Recordings in the UK.[1]
The band did no promotion before the album's release, and its existence was only confirmed a week before. Even so, the record was accidentally leaked by iTunes, and some fans managed to purchase the album early.[2] It is available on CD, vinyl, and MP3. A video for the first single from the album, "Salute Your Solution" was released on the same day. The album earned a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.
Contents
Background
The band premiered "Five on the Five" during their last tour.[citation needed] Consolers of the Lonely consists of recordings undertaken after The White Stripes' Icky Thump tour, which means the sessions that the band did in May 2007 before the Icky Thump tour weren't used.[citation needed] The title of the record comes from the inscription 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 unorthodox. Music critics and commentators largely saw it as a way to eschew critics and deal directly with fans.[6] The Observer called it "one of the most exciting musical events of 2008."[7] Despite the already rapid release time and efforts to secure the date, the record was briefly available for purchase on iTunes Friday, March 21.[8]
Critical response
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]Critique of Consolers of the Lonely was mostly positive; much of it centered on the chaotic sound and diverse nature of the album as well as its resemblance to albums by Led Zeppelin and The Who.[4][21] According to The Toronto Star, "White's bent Americana and Benson's British invasion-isms yields wonderfully unpredictable results".[22] Kitty Empire of The Observer called the album "lively" and said it "finds [the Raconteurs] luxuriating in fancy stuff with kid-in-a-sweetshop enthusiasm. Minimalism is out, bombast is in; the detail, is, as ever, lip-smacking."[7] Commenting on the band's chemistry and freeness, Rolling Stone said the album is "a blissfully stoned conversation between White and Benson about their favorite bands: Led Zeppelin, the Who, Badfinger," though it added, "that freedom is not always satisfying."[4]Austin-American Statesmen said "it's a weirdly overblown and curiously dull album," and complained about its production.[23] The New York Times echoed those statements about the "chaos" of the album, but concluded that "that desperation only makes the crunch of the music more euphoric."[21] The Guardian found that on Consolers of the Lonely, the Raconteurs "establish a firm, emotionally charged identity of their own" and called the effort "flawed but ragged glory."[24] Allmusic concluded that the album is a "lop-sided, bottom-loaded album that's better and richer than their debut."[25]
The album was nominated for Best Rock Album and won Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 51st Grammy Awards. The album ranked No. 44 on Rolling Stone's year-end critic's list and No. 35 on Spin Magazine's year-end Top 40 albums.[26][27]
The album was ranked the #4 Album of the Decade[28] by Glide Magazine.[29]
Chart positions
The album debuted at #7 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 42,000 copies in its first week.[30] It debuted at #8 on the UK Album Chart, #4 on the Canadian Album Chart, and #50 on the Australian ARIA chart on the 7th of April, 2008 based on digital downloads. However, the CD was released on the 5th of April, thus allowing the album the next week to ascend 32 places to reach its peak position thus far of #18 due to physical sales.
Chart (2008) Peak
positionCertification Sales/
shipments
[31]Canadian Album Chart 4 - US Billboard 200 7 - 50,000 UK Albums Chart 8 Gold 100,000 Australian ARIA Chart 18 - Album cover
The stage portrayed on the cover of the album depicts three signs for Tennessee, Michigan, and Ohio. These signs refer to the fact that the band members currently reside in Tennessee, but Brendan Benson and Jack White are originally from Michigan, while Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence are originally from Ohio. After being folded out the scene then depicts the band on stage with a woman exiting from a door in the back. It also has a sign that says "The Raconteurs" and another that says the albums title. Once opened up, it is noticed that the stage is empty and the bass drum in the back says "Sanitary Workers Band."
Track listing
All songs by Brendan Benson and Jack White, except "Rich Kid Blues" by Terry Reid.
No. Title Length 1. "Consoler of the Lonely" 3:26 2. "Salute Your Solution" 3:00 3. "You Don't Understand Me" 4:53 4. "Old Enough" 3:58 5. "The Switch and the Spur" 4:24 6. "Hold Up" 3:27 7. "Top Yourself" 4:26 8. "Many Shades of Black" 4:25 9. "Five On The Five" 3:33 10. "Attention" 3:40 11. "Pull This Blanket Off" 1:59 12. "Rich Kid Blues" 4:34 13. "These Stones Will Shout" 3:54 14. "Carolina Drama" 5:55 Total length:55:30 Personnel
Musicians
The Raconteurs
- Patrick Keeler – drums, percussion
- Brendan Benson – vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Jack White III – vocals, guitar, stylophone, keyboards
- Jack L.J. Lawrence – bass, banjo, backing vocals
Additional
- Dean Fertita – clavinet
- Dirk Powell – strings
- The Memphis Horns – horns
- Flory Dory Girls – backing vocals
- Frozen 140 Swanson (David Swanson of Whirlwind Heat)
Production
- Jack White III – producer, mixed by, horn arrangement
- Brendan Benson – producer, horn arrangement
- Joe Chiccarelli – engineered by
- Vance Powell – mix down engineer
- Lowell Reynolds – assistant engineer
- Vlado Mellor – mastered by
- Mark Santangello – assisted by
- The Raconteurs – songs arranged by
- Wayne Jackson – horn arrangement
References
- ^ "XL Recordings / 'Consolers of the Lonely' To Be Released March 25th". XL Recordings. http://www.xlrecordings.com/2008/03/18/consolers-of-the-lonely-to-be-released-march-25th. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
- ^ "Did iTunes Leak Raconteurs Album Early?". Spin Magazine Online. http://www.spin.com/articles/did-itunes-leak-raconteurs-album-early. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
- ^ No byline (March 18, 2008), "Raconteurs: Who are the 'Consolers Of The Lonely'?" NME.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-02
- ^ a b c Maerz, Melissa (April 17, 2008), Consolers Of The Lonely RollingStone.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-02
- ^ Cohen, Jonathan (18 March 2008), "Raconteurs Album Being Rushed To Market Next Week". Billboard
- ^ No byline (19 March 2008), "Raconteurs' critical escape". Press Association - Premier Showbiz
- ^ a b Empire, Kitty (30 March 2008), "Review: Critics: Releases: CD OF THE WEEK: The Raconteurs want to tell you a story: The Raconteurs Consolers of the Lonely". The Observer. :20
- ^ Harding, Cortney (21 March 2008), "Raconteurs Album Hits iTunes". Billboard.biz
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ The A.V. Club review
- ^ EW review
- ^ Fasterlouder review
- ^ MusicOMH review
- ^ NME review
- ^ NY Times review
- ^ Pitchfork Media review
- ^ Q review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ Time Off review
- ^ GlideMagazine review
- ^ a b Pareles, Jon (03-24-2008), "Miserable Exuberance From a Yin And Yang". New York Times. :6
- ^ Rayner, Ben (25 March 2008), "CD pick of the week" The Toronto Star. :L08
- ^ No byline (30 March 2008), "No need to rush for Raconteurs' follow-up". Austin American-Statesman. :J13
- ^ Simpson, Dave (28 March 2008), "Film & Music: Rock & pop reviews: The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely". The Guardian. :10
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (undated), Review AllMusic.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-02
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24958695/albums_of_the_year/31
- ^ http://www.spin.com/articles/40-best-albums-2008?page=0%2C0
- ^ http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles/55436/glides-best-albums-of-the-decade.html
- ^ http://www.glidemagazine.com/
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Day26 Upends Danity Kane To Debut At No. 1", Billboard.com, April 2, 2008.
- ^ Certification award levels IFPI. Retrieved August, 2009.
The Raconteurs Albums Broken Boy Soldiers · Consolers of the LonelySingles "Steady, As She Goes" · "Hands" · "Broken Boy Soldier" · "Level" · "Salute Your Solution" · "Many Shades of Black"Related articles Jack White Singles - "Wayfaring Stranger"
- "Sitting on Top of the World"
- "Another Way to Die" (w/ Alicia Keys)
- "Fly Farm Blues"
The White Stripes (1997–2011) The Raconteurs (2005–present) - Broken Boy Soldiers
- Consolers of the Lonely
The Dead Weather (2009–present) - Horehound
- Sea of Cowards
Former bands - The White Stripes
- The Upholsterers
- The Go
- Goober & the Peas
- Two-Star Tabernacle
Other records - Van Lear Rose
- The Ghost Who Walks
- The Party Ain't Over
- Rome
Filmography - The Rosary Murders
- Mutant Swinger from Mars
- Cold Mountain
- Coffee and Cigarettes
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
- Shine a Light
- It Might Get Loud
- Under Great White Northern Lights
Miscellaneous - Third Man Records
- Van Lear Rose
- Karen Elson
- Aluminium
- Gretsch Triple Jet
- Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit
- Live at Third Man (w/ Conan O'Brien)
Categories:- 2008 albums
- The Raconteurs albums
- Warner Bros. Records albums
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