Shaken 'N Stirred
	Produced by Robert Plant, Benji Lefevre and Tim Palmer
	Released on May 1985
	UK CHART POSITION #19 . . . US CHART POSITION #20
	Find it at GEMM
90265-1-E cover

I f you’d told me in 1980 that Robert Plant would make a record like this, I‘d have said you were nuts. Maybe it’s Plant who’s come unhinged; exorcising old demons with new sounds, indulging the hip groove in ecstatic fits… whatever’s driving Plant on these sessions, Shaken ‘N Stirred is fascinating, even if it’s like watching a staged train wreck some of the time. Plant has always placed sound over substance, but here he descends into nonsensical words that serve the rhythm, as titles like “Hip To Loo,” “Kallalou Kallalou” and “Doo Doo A Do Do” testify. The decoupage of effects and vocals is radical not just by Plant’s standards; in embracing new music (something Plant wasn’t expected to do), the singer overshoots the edge and finds himself in uncharted territory here. Ex-Little Feat drummer Ritchie Hayward plays a key part in Plant’s experiment, adding unusual rhythms to the mix that keep listeners on their toes, stopping and starting according to some invisible whim. Shaken ‘N Stirred doesn’t completely abandon Plant’s trademark moody atmosphere, best exemplified in the single “Little By Little” (arguably the album’s most conventional track). But the album didn’t have a second strong single in it, as both “Pink and Black” and the delightful “Too Loud” failed to chart in the Top 100. This was Plant’s most modern album to date, but it’s questionable whether fans will appreciate the effort; surely there were some who were confused that “Little By Little” was the exception rather than the rule. Along with the subsequent single “Tall Cool One,” Shaken ‘N Stirred marks the height of Robert’s flirtation with rap’s rhythm-driven sensibilities and reliance on studio effects. As arty and adventurous an album as it is, it may take some time to get acclimated to this music, but the effort is worth it.

90265-1-E back cover	90265-1-E picture sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. HIP TO LOO    (Robert Plant/Robbie Blunt/Paul Martinez/Jezz Woodroffe/Ritchie Hayward)    4:51
2. KALLALOU KALLALOU    (Robert Plant/Jezz Woodroffe)    4:17
3. TOO LOUD    (Robert Plant/Robbie Blunt/Paul Martinez/Jezz Woodroffe/Ritchie Hayward)    4:07
4. TROUBLE YOUR MONEY    (Robert Plant/Robie Blunt/Paul Martinez)    4:14
5. PINK AND BLACK    (Robert Plant/Robbie Blunt/Paul Martinez/Jezz Woodroffe/Ritchie Hayward)    3:45
6. LITTLE BY LITTLE    (Robert Plant/Jezz Woodroffe)    4:43
7. DOO DOO A DO DO    (Robert Plant/Robbie Blunt/Paul Martinez)    5:09
8. EASILY LEAD    (Robert Plant/Paul Martinez/Jezz Woodroffe)    4:35
9. SIXES AND SEVENS    (Robert Plant/Robbie Blunt/Paul Martinez/Jezz Woodroffe/Ritchie Hayward)    6:04

CREDITS

ROBERT PLANT -- vocals, sleeve concept
ROBBIE BLUNT -- guitars and synthesised guitars
TONI HALLIDAY -- additional vocals
RITCHIE HAYWARD -- drums
PAUL MARTINEZ -- bass and guitar
JEZZ WOODROFFE -- keyboards
Benji Lefevre -- engineer
Tim Palmer -- engineer
Tim Elcoch -- silk screen prints
Icon -- sleeve design and photography

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