Time (The Revelator)

A mighty achievement in the field of boredom.

An unexpected delight. Sparse, but doesn't really need much. Feels like am intimate back porch jam. Blends bluegrass, country, and folk expertly. Vocally reminds me of Bonnie Raitt. Didn't expect to give this a 5, but here we are. Favorite tracks: "April the 14th", "Elvis Presley Blues", "Everything Is Free"

It’s Been a long time that I heard an album of which I loved every song on the first listen - wonderful

I went back and gave it another two listens that day.

I had never heard of Gillian Welch before thi sprang up in my playlist. My appreciation for country, Americana, bluegras and such is a little limited, due to both a lack of knowledge and a wariness based on prominence of the genres' more embarrassing examples. So, I hope you understand that I began playing this album with open-mindedness, but with a dash of trepidation. Within a minute the album had struck me with a haymaker, mocking me for my hesitancy. This album is not only brilliant, it's obviously, mathematically brilliant. I try not to use hyperbole, but I am struggling to describe this album without resorting to such. Both unadorned and luxurious, this is the result of exquisite care taken with both art and craft. If you don't appreciate this faultless yet human treasure, then you should have a good long talk with yourelf.

2 of 5 (10/5/21) When people ask me what it was like to be part of the Nashville music scene, they're hoping to hear about a vibrant, exciting community creating innovative and unique new musical offerings for the world to hear. "What's it like to see a songwriter set at the legendary Blue Bird Cafe?" they ask, wide eyed and eager. Well, 90% of it sounds exactly like this. Generic, country-adjacent, sad-sack, wanna-be-crooner, singer-songwriter noise. Boring and samey. God forbid you be an actually exceptional female singer-songwriter in Nashville. It's nearly impossible to rise above the noise of all of the girl-and-guitar acts glutting the stages, bars, and coffee houses of Nashville, TN. The main reason this didn't get a 1-star review is because the track "I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll" is excellent and completely different from the rest of the album. And no wonder. It's recorded live at The Ryman and produced by T-Bone Burnett who's exceptionally good at what he does. If the whole album had followed the lead of this one track, this review would have been significantly different. Sadly, for everyone who has to listen to this album, it doesn't and this track stands alone, an island in a sea of mediocrity.

Had never heard of this before but how perfect is it?! Beautiful understated singing and melodies. A fantastic discovery

One of the best albums all time--enough said, but I'll say more. The marriage of poetic lyrics and tasteful, subtle instrumentation in this album is unlike anything I've ever heard. Most songs are just 2 instruments, and yet each is a distinct arrangement completely articulated around the story painted by the words. The experience of this album is akin to sitting in a room with a master painter or other artisan and watching a masterpiece come to life quietly and softly before you.

Wonderful album. It was nice to listen to it again, and it was as beautiful as I remembered it to be.

Everything modern Americana should be

Such an instant crush on her. Incredible music

“Time (The Revelator)” by Gillian Welch (2001) Maintaining the bare essentials of folk, this album moves the serious listener beyond Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Judy Collins into the twenty first century. And it makes the serious folk fan wish that time would not only reveal, but stop, dammit. Welch’s singing and songwriting are respectable exemplars of the genre, sometimes (“Revelator”and “April the 14th, Pt. 1”) bringing to mind David Crosby’s more thoughtful work. But the performances are under-rehearsed. Nearly every track could have used at least one more take. Lots of clunkers in there. Lyrics are neither deep nor clever, but are suitably poetic, with plenty of intriguing images and reverie. David Rawlings’ support on guitar is shaky, with more than a few flubs in his all too improvisational accompaniment. But his backing vocals are well suited to Welch’s compositions, providing occasionally mesmerizing harmonies. Welch’s banjo playing (especially on “My First Lover”) is not particularly accomplished, although her banjo break in the unsubtly sarcastic live performance of “I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll” is outstanding. Really. “I Dream a Highway Back to You” is beautifully evocative, if you have the patience to sit through 14:39 of mournful reflection. Since I did, I paid the price in sadness. I need another cup of coffee. 2/5

Dull, uninteresting, unimaginative drivel! If you need something to send you to sleep, stick the last track on, which is an extraordinary repetitive rambling mess!

It wasn’t offensive to the ears or anything I just could not connect to it in any way

I bailed on this after about 3 songs. Not my thing at all. Not really a fan of singer songwriters, and I much prefer John The Revelator.

Uninteresting in every way

This album by Gillian Welch is a meandering contemplative blend of folk and bluegrass. The music itself it rather sparse which draws attention to and highlights the vocals. The album is pervaded with a sense of melancholic reflection that leaves the listener feeling the weight of the lyrics. There is an earnestness to this album which really draws me and I have found myself re-listening to it.

Spare and haunting in a way that leaves the listener oddly fulfilled. Just gorgeous.

Fantastic! Great feel for period pieces. She's right up there with Allison Krause in her song writing. Loved this album and will listen to it many more times.

Awesome.

An extremely lovely album.

I bought this album when it was first released and I still find it amazing. Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings as a songwriting, singing, and guitar-playing duo are far, far too overlooked. Each one on their own is phenomenal; together, I really just love what they do on so many levels. My first real exposure to them as a duo was when I saw the concert film, 'Down From The Mountain', which was strung together from performances at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN, USA, by musicians who contributed to the amazing soundtrack from 'O, Brother, Where Art Thou?' Ms. Welch and Mr. Rawlings did a live performance of 'I Want To Sing That Rock And Roll' that went straight and deep into my heart and has never left me. It's stunning. And now I get to re-listen to the whole darn album thanks to this project. Even one listen to the opening track, 'Revelator', sets me on the journey on another plane. Thank you.

Really love this.

Love her albums … The songs keep giving

This sounds pretty, but as I learned earlier that Steve Albini died last night this record has passed by as attractive noise. Am very sad and defaulting this to three.

I’ve never been a fan of this type of music either. I felt really haunted listening to it though, it was full of pain even when the lyrical content was reflecting something innocuous or positive. Too slow, too “artsy” for my taste but fuck if I didn’t *feel* something

I couldn't finish this. Every second felt like an hour. Forth song was my limit. If this was sang during campfire I would rather run to forest to be mauled by a bear.

I liked the first song. That was all. Best track: Revelator Worst tracks: My First Lover, Dear Someone, Red Clay Halo, Elvis Presley Blues + all the rest.

It's country and I suffered through it.

There have been albums to come up here that I called boring. Typically folk, singer-songwriter affairs. Well, this record is more boring than any of those previous entries. This probably has appeal to those who like bluegrass or Americana, but I neither enjoy or relate to this music. If I could sum my opinion into one word, it would be - zzzzzzzz.

so so dull

Too slow for my tastes

Not really my vibe

Didn't enjoy.

country cringe

Not my jam

really great americana/bluegrass album. soft and the quality of songwriting is quite stunning. gillian's voice is quite stark and authentic. i suspect this one's not for everyone, but as someone who has had an interest in this style of music, i can say i definitely loved this one a lot.

I'm always concerned when it looks like country or folk as that can be particularly awful (although it can be great). Vaguely aware of the name, the book reminds me she was on that O Brother Where Art Thou bluegrass soundtrack which was lovely. Particularly 'Ill Fly Away', the track she did with Alison Krauss. Have to say I am loving this. The slower tracks, Revelator and April 14th, remind me somewhat of Red House Painters (latterly Sun Kil Moon), then there's a mix of upbeat bluegrass and good Americana (which is thin on the ground, imho) to ensure the mood doesn't sink too low. Perfectly pitched, beautiful music. The Revelator indeed.

Phenomenon songwriting, musicianship, with intimate soulful vocals. I knew how good “Everything is Free Now” is, but turns out the whole album is gold

An amazing songwriter

Good

SO pleasant to listen to, it soothes me. I don't usually listen to music like this, but I felt like this album cast a spell on me that makes me want to return. Good American folk music makes me yearn for earlier American days. America used to have this whole mythos and majesty surrounding it. There was a unifying American spirit. Now, everything that once was sacred and beautiful has been destroyed in the name of progress. I'm not patriotic at all but the loss of such a sense of awe and majesty makes me mourn, in the same way Nietzsche mourned the "death of God". There's nothing inspiring to believe in anymore. All that's left to find meaning in is phony social justice and vapid consumer culture

Beautiful, timeless folk/country/bluegrass. Strong and heartfelt performances. I like it. The down side is that it's really not very original or creative. For an album released in 2001, this is all stuff that could have been recorded 50 or even 70 years earlier. There is nothing here you haven't heard before. Still, periodically people need to return to these kind of classic/roots sounds and this record does a great job delivering it.

Gillian Welch's third album, Time (The Revelator), finds the folk vocalist and musician shifting her attention from achingly beautiful mountain ballads to achingly beautiful pop/rock ballads. Regarding this album, Welch states: "As opposed to being little tiny folk songs or traditional songs, they're really tiny rock songs. They're just performed in this acoustic setting. In our heads we went electric without changing instruments." This philosophy is most evident in songs like "I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll" and "Elvis Presley Blues," with her longtime collaborator David Rawlings accompanying her on Louvin-esque high harmonies and vintage guitar. Fans of the duo's neo-old-timey sound will be happy to hear a few of their familiar, intimate dust bowl folk songs peering through the fence posts. The banjo-driven "My First Lover" could've been recorded on Alan Lomax's back porch, while the title track aches and moans along with the best of her two previous albums. Rawlings' production on the album remains warm and intimate throughout, capturing the subtleties of the acoustic instruments and earthy harmonies. Highlights include the passionate romp "Red Clay Halo," which includes the best elements of time-honored folk stylings and their newfound passion for rock & roll, and the hushed awe that captures the audience in the Ryman Auditorium during the live recording of "I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll." Time (The Revelator) ends with an unprecedented 15-minute track called "I Dream a Highway," which drifts lazily through the album's final moments, sweetly dozing in the current like Huck and Jim's Mississippi River afternoons. Welch and Rawlings are at the top of their form and continue to make the best Americana recordings without resorting to drenching their albums in guest stars, but by writing and performing heartfelt songs that speak with a clear and undeniable honesty.

Pleasant enough, a little too twangy for me. The last song lingered way too long. 14+ minutes of going nowhere slowly. Yawn.

Gillian Welch was perfect for the O Brother soundtrack. Not my jam beyond this context.

It's OK. I kept waiting for the tunes to really get going but they never did.

Her voice is very soothing. Perhaps her voice being so fragile necessitates the music being scant. Keith Moon attacking the drum kit just wouldn't work. Regardless, Mr. Rawlings is very capable picking the 6 strings.  I don't really know her music except for the gospel song  "I'll Fly Away" which she sang as a  duet with Alison Krause on the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack.

Emo Country

It was pretty enough, singer-songwritery country folk and at first I found it quite pleasant but I also started to lose patience with it not going anywhere or showing much variety or innovation. Then the final track epitomised the whole experience by lasting 15 MINUTES and also going absolutely nowhere. Meandering, to put it kindly. I'd never heard of Gillian Welch before today and there's a good chance I'll have forgotten the name by the end of the month.

I expected more from this. This was pretty boring.

If you like country there are a couple tracks that are pretty good otherwise this isn’t something you must hear.

Just drifted right past me. I'm usually pretty receptive to this kind of thing, but the melodies were too slight and the instrumentation too basic, dare I say dirge-like. Nah

I found this extremely boring

So there’s country, and there’s folk, and there is singer/songwriter. This is all three rolled into one. Not a fan.

Unexpectedly good - took a bit to grow on me.

She should have tried harder at rock and roll if she wanted to sing it. Not a fan.

Jesus Christ, this was boring. So boring. My brain is so sluggish I can't even think of a better word for boring.

What came first? Gillian Welch or Lilith Fair?

Boooooorrriiinnnggg

The one positive is that I’m falling asleep to this. It’s truly just exhausting to listen to and I mean sure I can see why people like it but it’s truly just so so boring.

Dull, generic and boring. Really not interesting to listen too at all

Piss and shit. Sounds like every other “singer songwriter” album out there. Zzz

Whew. If you were among folk/americana picking circles in the 2000s-2010s, you know the absolute chokehold Gillian Welch had on us all during that time. Her grip may have loosened a bit, but she is certainly still royalty. She was such a big deal because there were basically no recording artists doing what she was doing. Her first two albums feel like live recordings, made not in front of an audience of thousands but only to her fellow musicians or perhaps even to churchgoers; they are albums of stark, unadorned, sometimes bleak depictions of rural, often impoverished corners of America. But there is an overwhelming feeling on both of these first two albums that the songs are old-timey, so much so that I think a lot of people are surprised to learn that none of the songs on either album are traditional but in fact are all written by Welch and her musical partner David Rawlings. What makes 'Time (The Revelator)' so interesting is that it moves beyond the somewhat simplistic and anachronistic Welch had seemed to paint herself into up to this point. It deals with all of the same themes of religion, poverty, family ties, love and heartbreak, and isolation, but also sprawls to reach the sinking of the Titanic, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the migration of the Okies, the birth of Elvis the myth and the death of Elvis the man, John Henry and Casey Jones. If an alien wanted to become familiar with the historical and cultural events that make up the American mythos, I think they'd do well to study the lyrics on this album until they understand all the references within it. In addition to being a great americana album, I believe 'Time (The Revelator)' to also be a Great American Album à la Great American Novel. It is certainly literary and I truly feel it encompasses so much of what America is. Beyond all of that highfalutin' nonsense I think it's also just a really pretty album. "Revelator", "April 14th/Ruination Day", and "Elvis Presley Blues" are my favorite tracks, but "I Dream a Highway" is a stunning, massive piece of work. Playlist track: "Elvis Presley Blues"

Absolutely outstanding. Listened to Gillian Welch radio for the rest of the day.

Je suis en train de devenir un fan de folk et de guitare sèche, au secours.

Welch (and Rawlings) - an absolute favorite. Also, recently learned the dress she is wearing on the cover of this album is in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Loved every second of this.

Iconic record filled with highlights. A fourteen minute long song with just guitar and two vocals to cap it off and it doesn't feel too long.

Just as fresh and beautiful as the first time I heard it in 2001. What a great little piece of Americana.

This is, if you'll forgive the pun, a revelation. I'd had a few country/folk type albums recently that were quite shiny and smiley and unthreatening, and I was wondering - where's the grit and anger and misery? HERE IT IS. The first dissonant notes remind me of the intro to A Hard Days Night - it's like an explosion, a statement of intent. The album seems to alternate between deep, dark,dissonant folk pieces and slightly more upbeat numbers, but the whole album is drenched in soulfulness. This is a woman who has lived a life and has stories to tell, and is asking questions of the world. Considering she uses a fairly limited palette of instruments, there's a huge range of emotions covered. Also worth saying that, coming after some 70s recordings, it SOUNDS brilliant - the guitars are full and loud and detailed. Brilliant work. I look forward to hearing more.

this is the good yeehaw music, stellar stuff

What always astonishes me about mostly acoustic albums is just how much can be done with so little. This album is stunningly well produced, and there's not an out of place track in the bunch. It's a shame that this Country music isn't what we talk about here in Nashville.

Moody, introspective, powerful, intelligent. Spare and wonderful.

A real modern classic, everything is free really needs to be better know 5*

Liked this one a lot, gentle but with pointed storytelling. Probably not something that would’ve come across my plate outside this project. Listened to: at home. Favorite tracks: Red Clay Halo, Everything is Free, I Dream A Highway Back

Pure and haunting, her voice is axe-edge sharp and Rawlings' playing sublime. One can sympathize with both sides of the LA vs. Appalachia argument: it can seem like a museum piece and also be extraordinarily powerful and moving. One can make a case that the Yearling or Revival records are just as good, but this is masterful on multiple levels. The quieter the listen, the richer the experience. "I Dream a Highway" is a masterpiece of simplicity and power, utterly moving and heartbreaking. Half a dozen other cuts deliver comparable impact.

I will never forget the first time I listened to Time: The Revelator. It was snowing heavily and I was getting off work. I was walking from the jobsite to the train station in my sneakers, no boots. I was shivering and was just itching to get home. Throughout that time, though, a unfamiliar yet reassuring voice was in my ear, playing her guitar, singing songs about a variety of topics that either flew past me or rang some semblance of knowledge yet kept me engaged throughout the listen. I am normally not one for desert island discs but, if I were to conjure up a collection to take with me, Time: The Revelator would surely be one of them. It is revelatory in its timelessness (hehe), it would have dropped at any point in recorded history and it would still make sense there. An essential listen and an essential album.

I think I listened to this album at the perfect time, let me set the scene: I’ve just got back from the shops having bought some things for the house. Nothing fancy, a few cushions for the sofa and some artwork for the walls. It’s not much but it brightens the place up and it feels more like home. It’s a cool March evening, you can tell Springs trying to fight through but it’s still a little chilly. I put this on and start pottering around the house, folding washing and putting it away, staring out my window at the cars and people crossing the bridge over the river. It’s still light outside, we’re in the golden hour. I do the last few jobs I need to get done around the flat, washing up and tidying away after putting up those paintings. I sit down on the sofa as this albums coming to an end, the new cushions are great and I’m looking at the William Morris artwork that I’ve put up with the quote on the bottom “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” It’s dark outside now, the days gone but every day from now it’ll stay a little lighter for a little longer. I’m quietly content, the only thing I’m missing is a cold glass of white wine as I take a moment to myself and just enjoy it. I’m happy.

Heard this album for the first time a few months ago and was blown away by the quality of it. Welch embodies the truest, dust-covered parts of country and brings them into the 21st century better than any contemporary country artists at the time. Time (The Revelator) is a beautiful album through and through: beautiful voice, beautiful instrumentation, beautiful compositions. I think of this as the spiritual successor to Joni Mitchell's Blue.

When people refer to an album as hauntingly beautiful, this is the album they should be comparing it to.

Beautiful singer-songwriter album. Deeply relaxing. Cozy harmonies and guitars.

Stripped down and intimate story telling. Beautiful guitar playing but the focus is firmly on the story being told and the voice delivering it. Even if I didn't speak English, I would be able to understand the story being told because of how expressive her voice is to me.

Amazing songwriting and singing. Absolutely loved it.

Stunning!

Alt-country, from a time it was in danger of being irrelevant. wonderfully stripped down, and the clarity of purpose that comes from two people working in tune

Incredible songs, performances, voices, and vibe. This album has such a country gothic feel to it. True masterpiece.

Damn near perfection in 51 minutes of alt-country/acoustic bluegrass. Love love love her voice.

I first heard this album about a year ago, when my guitar teacher recommended it to me. I've listened to it several times since then, and I'm now on my third listen for this project. I don't listen to a lot of Americana or Country, but I absolutely love this. Fantastic voice, songwriting, guitar playing and banjo playing. Will be in my regular rotation for a long time I think. 9/10

I fucking love this album

The great melancholic record.

Great album. Heard it years ago and it was better than I remember. Title track is my favorite. 4.5 stars

It’s fascinating how much you can do with just your voice and guitar

Ahhhh. This is good.

Gillian is incredible. Somehow she can sing about Elvis shakin his hips and both make me laugh but also feel super heavy and complex feelings about culture / the human experience / feeling grateful / etc. Extra bonus that she's BFFs with the D'Rawl Machine.

This is how a country album should be done. A banjo, an acoustic and a great voice. An understated masterpiece. This is the kind of thing I wanted to find going through this list.

Cool sad folk vibe throughout. Never heard this album before but it felt super comfortable and familiar like I want to sing along. David Rawlings lead guitar is so nice. I was thinking at the end of the I want to sing that rock j roll solo wow what a great solo and then there was applause. IlDream a Highway is like the song that never ends. Such a vibe almost like trance inducing after the first 12 minutes

I really loved this, amazing how much of a vibe they can create with just guitar and vocals.

Much better than I expected it to be. I like this nitty-gritty American music, but I also can take only so much most of the time. Besides the excellent musicianship (and sparse arrangement), what really grabbed me was the sincerity of the lyrics and Welch's delivery. I listened to this one twice, back-to-back, and I'll return to it.

I'm mad at myself. I love Americana and I've heard Gillian's name mentioned online in spaces which cater to my music taste. I love Joanna Newsom, Bill Callahan, Neko Case, Songs: Ohia, and just everything in this scene. I'm giving this 5 stars on the strength of the final sprawling track alone. The rest of the album is a warm bath that I'll soak in for years to come, but that final track has signalled both a new revelation and a sadness of passing and letting go on every listen so far.

I love Gillian Welch and David Rawlings! great album. 5