I've written before about how a summer of seeing The Raconteurs at festivals made me a fan. I was completely floored by how good they were live - it was, I can only imagine, like watching Led Zeppelin. There aren't many bands that my friend Vicky has got me into, but her getting bored of watching metal bands at Roskilde and suggesting we see The Raconteurs was a great call.
I was excited when I found out they were releasing a second album. I'd very excitedly bought their first one after that summer to only find out that it had none of the edge or excitement that their live show had. I enjoyed the songs, but nowhere near as much as I enjoyed them live. I hoped that a summer of playing like Led Zeppelin would encourage them to make an album that sounded like that. I bought this in Spillers a week after it came out. The package is lovely - a triple gatefold with some arty pictures of the band on 8" squares of card. The album itself is spread across two records. At £17 it was pricey for back then, but felt worth it.
I was a little disappointed by the album (yet again). The more intense songs (like the opening duo Consoler of the Lonely and Salute Your Situation as well as Top Yourself and Many Shades of Black) all sound good. There are some slower (and stranger) moments like Old Enough and Rich Kid Blues that I'm not much of a fan of. The Switch and the Spur is one of the true highlights of the album and reminds you just how good their songs can be when they want them to be; the outro is fantastic. The finest moment on the record however is saved until the last song, Carolina Drama, a song unlike anything else on either album. The Raconteurs, appropriately given their name, tell a fascinating story over the course of the song. The only downside is that they didn't write more songs like that.
I saw The Raconteurs at Glastonbury the year this album came out and it pretty much ended my brief love-affair with the band. The new songs didn't sound great and even the old ones sounded a bit tired. It didn't help that they were on the Pyramid Stage and we were sat quite far back during their set. It's a shame that I had to see that show, but luckily I still remember the three times I saw them in the summer of 2006 incredibly fondly and nothing seems to be able to change that.
Format: Double 12", tri-gatefold sleeve, four art inserts
Tracks: 14
Cost: £17 new
Bought: gig
When: 08/04/08
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
