June 20th, 2024 - If I Were a Carpenter and You Were a Walrus

 

Good afternoon rockers, rollers, and hop lovers!  The Meista here today pairing a delicious and bold The Walrus Hazy IPA from Roadhouse Brewing Company with Robert Plant's wonderful 6th solo album, "Fate Of Nations"!  Yes!

Album Info:

• Artist: Robert Plant
• Title: "Fate Of Nations"
• Recorded: 1992 through 1993 at R A K Studios, Sawmills Studio Cornwall, and Monmow Valley Studio
• Release date: May 25th, 1993 (6th solo studio album by Robert Plant)
• Record company: Es Paranza
• Production: Chris Hughes and Robert Plant
• Album cover art: 
• Personnel: Robert Plant (lead and backing vocals and guitar on "Promised Land") with Maartin Allcock (mandolin on "If I Were a Carpenter" and all instruments except drums on "Colours of a Shade"), Phillip Andrews (keyboards on "Memory Song (Hello Hello)"), Chris Blackwell (drums on "Promised Land"), Doug Boyle (guitar on "29 Palms" and "Network News"), Máire Brennan (backing vocals on "Come Into My Life"), Francis Dunnery (guitar on "Come into My Life" and "Promised Land"), Nigel Eaton (hurdy-gurdy on "Come Into My Life" and "I Believe"), John Flynn (backing vocals on "The Greatest Gift"), Steve French (backing vocals on "I Believe"), Chris Hughes (drums on "Down to the Sea", "Come Into My Life", "I Believe", "29 Palms", "If I Were a Carpenter", "Promised Land", "The Greatest Gift", and "Network News"), Phil Johnstone (harmonium on "Come Into My Life", piano on "I Believe", "29 Palms", "Memory Song (Hello Hello)", and "If I Were a Carpenter", organ on "Promised Land", electric piano on "The Greatest Gift" and "Great Spirit", backing vocals on "Great Spirit", and electric orchestra on "Network News"), Charlie Jones (bass on all songs and all instruments except guitar and drums on "Down to the Sea"), Nigel Kennedy (violin on "Calling to You"), Navazish Ali Khan (violin on "Network News"), Michael Lee (drums on "Memory Song (Hello Hello)" and "Network News"), Kevin Scott MacMichael (guitar on all songs and backing vocals on "I Believe"), Lynton Naiff  (string arrangement on "If I Were a Carpenter" and "The Greatest Gift"), Gurdev Singh (dilruba and sarod on "Network News"), Surge Singh (sarangi on "Network News"), Julian Taylor (backing vocals on "I Believe"), Pete Thompson (drums on "Calling to You", "Come Into My Life", "The Greatest Gift", and "Great Spirit"), Richard Thompson (guitar on "Come Into My Life"), and Oliver J. Woods (guitar on "Down to the Sea" and "Memory Song (Hello Hello)")
• Musical style: Hard rock, rock, blues rock, alternative rock, folk rock with Eastern influence
• Sound: Wonderfully textured, "Fate Of Nations" is probably Plant's most heartfelt and personal albums... at least from the earlier solo albums.  It is folksy, layered, soulful, melodic, and wonderfully executed!  
• Major themes: Life, the death of his son, love, spirituality, the media, equality, etc.  Of the album, Plant described it as: "From the very beginning of this project, around January 1991, right after the Manic Nirvana tour, I knew what I was going to do: go back into my past, listening to [Moby] Grape, the [Jefferson] Airplane, Tim Hardin, Quicksilver, Traffic, and other turning-point artists in rock. These people were trying to tell the listener something, joining various traditions, with the sense of a quest being insinuated and bandied in their acoustic and electronic themes. I'm also proud of what I've attempted to do lyrically, trying to tell vivid tales that come from a hearty tradition of prose."
• Tracks: 

1. "Calling To You"
2. "Down To The Sea"
3. "Come Into My Life"
4. "I Believe"
5. "29 Palms"
6. "Memory Song (Hello Hello)"
7. "If I Were A Carpenter"
8. "Promised Land"
9. "The Greatest Gift"
10. "Great Spirit"
11. "Network News"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Roadhouse Brewing Company (Jackson Hole, Wyoming)
• Website: http://roadhousebrewery.com/
• Brew: The Walrus Hazy IPA
• Style: Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA) / Hazy Double IPA (DIPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 8.3%
• Ingredients: IIPA brewed with peaches and tangerines
• Pour: The Walrus pours a bright, hazy golden-yellow with a foamy 1-finger, bright white head with good retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing
• Nose: The nose is fruity (citrus, stone, and tropical), yet dank with more subtle malt sweetness.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, tangerine, peach, mango, pineapple, honeydew melon, very light onion, black tea, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste of The Walrus is characterized by tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit, and malty flavors.  There are notes of pineapple, tangerine, peach, pink grapefruit, mango, herbal tea, light pepper, and light toffee/caramel. 
• Mouthfeel: Full to medium in body with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of The Walrus is very crisp and juicy, yet somewhat thick and sticky with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Walrus Hazy IPA from the fine folks at other Roadhouse Brewing Company is a delightfully tasty, complex, and bold brew with loads of citrus and tropical notes... perfect for the brilliance of Robert Plant's "Fate Of Nations" album!  I only wish I had been throwing back a Walrus way back on October 1st, 1993 when I was in attendance of the Robert Plant Fate Of The Nation tour!  :)

Cheers!!  Rock on!!