Time (The Revelator)

This album is just straight up boring. Every song is super slow and dragging. There isn't anything that keeps your attention at all. Her voice is great but even that doesn't make it worth listening to. The last song is 15 minutes with a tempo about 55 and no variation in the entire 15 minutes. It was very difficult to make it through this record. I won't be coming back to this one ever again. 1/5

фолк.... кантри........ когда это кончится?

She’s clearly very talented and I liked a lot of the songs individually, it’s just all a bit… tasteful?

A pleasant morning soundtrack, with effortless beauty. I’d give it 3.5 stars but the final track dragged on for me so I’m rounding down.

Spooky stuff...it gives the feeling of sitting on a front porch of an old home in a desolate land. Sitting listening to two folks tell stories that range from humorous to haunting. Barebones and beautiful, although the live track did seem out of place.

Actually one of my favorite-er country folk style ones so far. she's got a smooth and simple sound

a lovely lil chill album thank u

I bet Gillian Welch would've rocked ass at Lilith Fair after listening to this. In fact I got huge Natalie Merchant vibes too. Gillian's a got a gift for folk singing and songwriting, even though this style of it just isnt' for me. It just falls a little flat for me overall, dont get me wrong its a very well put together, and there are some fantastic songs here (My First Lover being a favorite) but overall its just lacking a little spark. Since I brought up Natalie Merchant it brought back a memory I had as a child waking up in my parents basement on a Saturday morning. As I focused my eyes to the light of the tv in the dark room, the credits to some movie were rolling while Kind and Generous was playing over it on loop only to realize it was being played on our stereo and not coming from the tv, and I remember it being unsettling. Its a weird core memory I have but I remember it vividly whenever I hear that song. Memory hole over.

I liked her music on the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack but this really didn’t do much for me. Wasn’t bad though

I can barely tolerate folk, but extremely slow, poor vocal, bland folk? Hell no.

Very light acoustic folk. Her voice is feathery but solid. Pretty songwriting. But it lacks direction, as it kinda just floats by at the same tempo and energy through the whole album. Nothing bad, but nothing special.

Dia 07 de 1001 albumes Canciones puramente poeticas y melódicas, acompañadas de una guitarrita y voces preciosas. Real que se siente música estadounidense rural, con un gorro de cowboy, una carretera, un desierto y un camión.

I've always been a fan of Gillian Welch. Her whispery and sensitive vocal style, with Dave Rawlings fluid guitar playing is such a unique sound. I've enjoyed every record I've ever heard of hers. This is no different. I've listened to this many times. Everything is Free is one of my favorites, but I also love Elvis Presley Blues and I Want to Sing that Rock n' Roll. The epic of I Dream of Highway is beautiful and brutal. She's an American classic continuing a long tradition of American song writers.

No. 424/1001 Revelator 4/5 My First Lover 3/5 Dear Someone 3/5 Red Clay Halo 3/5 April the 14th, Pt.1 3/5 I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll 3/5 Elvis Presley Blues 4/5 Ruination Day, Pt. 2 3/5 Everything Is Free 3/5 I Dream a Highway 3/5 (3x) Average: 3,17 Started out great with Revelator. Afterwards it was just too much regular country sounds for me.

My first thought was - this reminds me of O Brother Where Art Thou? Especially considering the year it was released. And sure enough, she featured on the soundtrack and had a cameo in the movie. I generally liked this, especially the quieter songs. Her voice is wonderful with the music style. The last song was too much though. I loved the line - I dreamed a highway back to you - but it couldn't justify 14 minutes.

Great vocals, just not really my style of music. 6/10

There are way too many albums on this list that exploit the nostalgia people have for a more classic sound at the expense of interesting songwriting. Thankfully, this album is one of the exceptions. While reminiscent of a time in music long gone from the zeitgeist, it's a set of gorgeously written and performed songs that still manage to look ahead and offer something new. The middle slightly falters in quality, but even the weakest tracks here manage to shine in one way or another. Gillian Welch has one of those voices that manages to bring life to almost any composition and she gets a great deal of help from the mixing as well. In short, a great pick for the list and a great new discovery for me. Favourite track: I Dream a Highway

2,9 Highlights: Revelator, I Dream A Highway

Not bad country/folk sounding music. She has a nice voice and the music compliments it really well. The album cover is also nice, it reminds me of my grandmas couch and wood paneling at her house when I was a kid in the 80's. It might not be something I listen to frequently but I did enjoy it this time around.

good

A bit too Country for my taste but it’s OK

Listens: 1.5 Standout Tracks: Revelator Revelator was the only interesting track; incredibly good actually. I was sort of looking forward to some good acoustic music, but the album took a sharp turn into my least favorite genre, Country, immediately after the first track. This is definitely not the worst country I've listened to though. I'd personally put this at about the same level as Joni Mitchell (even though they are probably leagues apart).

Another day, antoer fairly average or even below average album. TO be honest her voice is very nice, mix is warm and well done however music is quite boring, but might still reach 3 stars, cause its not bad either! On further listening I am quite enjoying this, especially apparent are the old delta style blues influence here which I really appreciate so for sure at least 3 stars. Perhaps even an artist to REVISIT?

Yeah hated that, only made it halfway through but I was gonna fall asleep at my desk

Normally like a good acoustic Americana vibe, but nah too boring sadly

Not sure I could get into it. I could hear a lot of the influences which are up my street but something about this wasn’t

A real revelation. After listening twice, discovered how deep is the album. Nice voice, nice ambience, delicate approach.... Lirics are great....

Surprisingly good! I’m not into this sort of folk vibe but it was a fresh take

This is ok, in a gentle, undemanding kind of way. I couldn’t tell you anything about it, though.

So it’s fine. If it had a bit more bite to it, I could even imagine liking it. But my headphones broke halfway through and I was actually relieved so I decided not to finish. Sorry Ma’am.

I think I've heard of her, but I've definitely never heard this album (and for good reason). This was released at the pinnacle of my music exploratory phase, I was listening to everything from hip hop to electronica to metal to alt rock. She never hit my radar and I'm not surprised she was never a word-of-mouth or mixed cd find. "Dreary" was the first word my wife said when listening over my shoulder. "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?" vibe from the outset. The user counts impress me for such a darkhorse album. But man, tally up the title track, with "My First Lover", "Ruination Day", "Everything Is Free" (22M listens?!!?) & "Elvis Presley Blues" and you have a bland, sad-sad album. I wanted her to 'sing that rock and roll' too, but she didn't and I lost interest fast. Then she has the audacity to wrap it up with a 14:30 minute dirge of slowness. Wow, talk about not delivering anything. I'll never listen to Gillian again. Weak vocals, no hooks, no hits, nothing groundbreaking, no influence, no longevity beyond 2002 and no reason to talk about her or this album ever again. 2 stars and that's being super generous!

It's wild to consider that this type of music was considered a type of revival of folk back in 2001, only for Folk, Americana, and even Bluegrass to become far more mainstream in the 2020s, and far better than this album.

Rate: 7/10.

Easily one of the best albums I have heard that I would not have heard if I wasn’t doing this list. Stripped down playing and straight forward and honest vocals. It’s beautiful and haunting. It’s dark and beautiful. There is a complexity to the music while not being overdone. Just beautiful.

Ήρεμο με μία ενιαία ατμοσφαιρική και μελαγχολική καντριλα. Κατέληγε βέβαια κάπως μονότονο.

Simple, acoustic, and somber. She’s got a beautiful voice, and really enjoyed the stripped down album. Rating: 8/10 Favorite Song: Revelator

Twee, contrived, lowest common denominator country bollocks.

A boring record.

Not in my edition of the book! 2001. 2 stars. Average American yeehaw with a couple of decent songs, but nothing that you couldn't hear as well done in any Southern state bar on a Saturday night. No idea why this is on the list.

I had not heard of this artist previously. I really enjoyed her country and bluegrass sound. She has great vocals.

It was alright

Fine. I dunno why I needed to listen to this before I died though. Nothing really remarkable about this imo.

Only thing I knew about her was from the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. That was an excellent track so maybe I expected too much on this album. This was repetitive & boring. Shame

Norah Jones with a banjo.

A little slow and maudlin - great musical ability and voice but lyrics just drone. Not as good as one of her idols, Nanci Griffith who I JUST listened to yesterday (956) 957/1001

This discovery was incredible! What a fantastic record! Truly marvelous.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings bought their own recording equipment specifically so that if they got dropped by their label they could keep making records. Two weeks later their label Almo Sounds was sold to Interscope. They recorded the album anyway on their own Acony label, and the title track that opens side two was captured on a microphone test, just Welch and Rawlings checking levels, and was so good they put it on the record without another take. This is either the most accidental great performance in Americana history or proof that some artists are simply always ready. The closing track I Dream A Highway runs nearly fifteen minutes. Welch described it as an extreme first take and said the band was almost superstitious about recording it again. One critic called it a grand sweeping panoramic shot of the American landscape. Another called the album, with considerably less ceremony, a mighty achievement in the field of boredom. Both reviews exist and both are accurate depending entirely on your frequency. My frequency is elsewhere. Sparse acoustic folk performed with extraordinary care and minimal arrangement is genuinely beautiful and genuinely not where my ears live. The John Prine problem, the Joan Baez problem, the Gillian Welch problem. Different artists, all greats in their field, same problem, not my jam. 3 out of 5. Three stars for an album that sounds like it was recorded a hundred years ago by people who absolutely meant every word of it.

Feels like important folk history, a genuinely lovely listen

Wahrscheinlich tu ich dem Album unrecht aber…. Gähn.

Like it 3/5

the guitar work is very interesting

I used to love music like this. Now it bums the shit out of me. Voices, guitar, and lyrics are beautiful. But dude. This last song is longer than some of my relationships.

I have no problem with this. Honest. Heartfelt.

I know nothing of Gillian Welch beyond the excellent O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Opener "Revelator" had me expecting to like this more than I did. I mean, I DO like it—"Everything is Free" and "I Dream a Highway" stuck out for me—but find it repetitive. I suspect I'm good for a couple Gillian Welch tracks at a time, but may lose interest over the course of an album. Still, four stars.

Singer/songwriter style country. I can see why people would like the stripped back sound, with just a guitar or banjo and vocals, and the calm melodies. But I found it quite boring and I was having trouble paying attention.

How many more of these middling singer-songwriters am I expected to listen to? There is nothing wrong with this music, but I can find nothing particularly notable about it from the Wikipedia article nor from the music itself

51 minutes of bloody country music is less of an album and more of a CIA-approved sleep deprivation torture

such a good album. “april the 14th part i” is one hell of a song. so is “everything is free”. they hit. great song writing. killer harmonies. great pickin’. have been lucky to see gillian and dave rawlings live twice.

I heard this album when it came out and I haven't changed my mind on it , it's a great album so chilled and sparce good stories good voice great guitar playing a real gem

Solid Americana album but nothing too mind blowing about it.

Some guy on this website is making up great stories for the albums he reviews. You've probably seen them, they tend to be the top rated reviews. Think of the Napalm Death spit roast, Scritti Politti grandmother, Miles Davis adult baby center, The King of Limbs Kid A baby. Funny stories... but are these ethical buckets? I'm inclined to say no, but I realize I'm just incredibly jealous too. regarding this album: Enamored by the opening notes. Probably artistic or something, but who even cares anymore. I'd rather be surfing.

2 - murder myself music. Couldn’t wait for the final, 14 min!!!, song to end.

2.5. Not for me, but pretty songs.

Really good acoustic Americana. I could definitely see getting into this upon more listens.

07/30 Boring. Damn near put me to sleep

Day 352 Beautiful voice and I enjoyed a few of the songs, but not an album I’ll return to Highlights Revelator Elvis Presley blues Everything is free

Grand admirateur de Gillian Welch et David Rawlings depuis longtemps.

Je sais que vous allez peut-être trouver ça déprimant/downer comme album. Mais... quelle voix, et quel mood! Une digne héritière de Dylan et Mitchell. Et j'adore le cover, c'est vraiment le genre d'agencement de vêtements que je fais pour Paul à la garderie, des shorts carottés avec un top fleuri. Souvent, ça passe pas au conseil et je dois refaire le tout...

J’ai tellement trouvé ça beau! Simple dans le choix des instruments mais une telle profondeur émotionnelle. Ça finit en force en plus avec une chanson fleuve de 13 minutes! Ça rentre dans la rotation, certainement.

I could see this being a good album if I was in a different headspace, but found it boring in this one.

I didn't mind this, a perfectly listenable slice of Americana and bluegrass, with some decent songwriting and nice production.... but an album to hear before you die, it is not!

Enjoyed this, it was perfect for a slow evening after a busy travel day.

Yeah a bit boring but not horrible to listen to

Dear someone is a banger. Either than that, I wasn't too engaged unfortunately

Seriously how did this make the list ???

From an all time favourite yesterday to this today, probably the least enjoyable album I’ve generated so far. I hated this. Absolutely hated it from start to finish. It seemed to go on for an eternity then at the end, just for an extra kick in the bollocks, I Dream A Highway goes on for 14 bloody minutes. I can honestly say I have listened to every available track from the 629 previous albums but at about the six minute mark I did really consider calling it quits for the day.

Fine, nothing notable.

Just don't care for the boring country tracks in the middle of the album

Mmm ok

Talented vocal performance over some simple guitar arrangements.

Beautiful! Americana, country and bluegrass at its best.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/gillian-welch/time-the-revelator/ Some beautiful songs! Very relaxing, yet engaging enough to not get boring. Welch has a lovely voice.

Pleasant surprise

Kinda boring. Her voices is good, but not super interesting. It's Americana before Americana became popular, but so many other musicians did it better.

She has a fantastic smoky voice, the guitar playing is superb. The album is a bit too long and still too country for me. Has a bit of a depressing feel overall. I will add a few songs to a playlist but probably won't put this whole album on again.

*High quality singing/playing for a genre I don't love, but can appreciate musically

It's closer to old county and western music, reminds me of appalachia music honestly. It's not bad but it's an acquired taste. I can see new country listeners not digging it because it's far more stripped down than they are used to. Some of the oldheads might not like it because it's a revival sound. I remember hearing about her at the time and writing it off as I'm not a huge county fan. This is the first time I've sat down to listen to her studio stuff. I caught her at a Bonnaroo decades ago. She's better live than in studio.

Un disco soberbio, magnífico, puras emociones convertidas en música, desde el arranque íntimo y delicado, hasta la absoluta obra maestra que es la última canción, es un disco precioso. Con muy poca instrumentalización, apoyándose en punteo de guitarras y poco más, las melodías transportan la voz Gillian hasta tu alma y se queda allí. El único hecho porque el no le doy 5 es porque las canciones menos melancólicas, más alejadas de lo que me gusta, no me han llamado la atención, incluso siendo líricamente bonitas. Si este disco fuesen 9 canciones con solo pedos, pero siguiese cerrando con "I dream a Highway" seguiría siendo casi 5 estrellas.

I thought I would like this more but I didn't find it overly compelling. Not bad, just didn't really land with me I liked the classic country style of Dear Someone though Highlights: Dear Someone

Acoustic guitar never sounded better, a very moody and atmospheric album. Made me feel like I was in the movie crazy heart, driving along a highway

2.4 I dont mind the material, but really dont care for her vocals, seemed distractingly flat.

Meandering acoustic guitars and Americana vocal harmonies fill the sound of the album, while plenty of space is left for the imagination as well in the record's sparse arrangements.

Better than I expected.

If I was depressed in the summer and wanted to imagine I was in some swampy small town in the deep south drinking whisky then this is what I'd listen to. It's not necessarily anything revolutionary, but the performances are great and the mixing/production are sublime, beautiful harmonies and reverbs manage to create something very evocative despite being relatively simple

it's really good, imo. It's slow and long, but beautiful voice and instrumentation.

Hmmmm. I don't know about this dull one. Too slow.

Bored right out of the gate. Gave up halfway through.

I mean, nice to have some modern country that isn’t blown out, over-produced dreck. This was pretty but never really made me excited. That last song did not need to be 14mins either.

This is a lovely album. First I’ve ever heard of GW and it’s a nice find. I’ll listen again. Giving this a 4 but that might be too mean.

Nice voice. Nice guitar-play. But she is facing the same problem like many of Bob Dylan's work for me. Every single song is a pleasant listen. But a whole album of this stripped down country is way too much/too lame for me. 2,5

mid

Quite nice

Country tinged quality songs will listen again

I fell asleep. Had to listen again. Almost fell asleep again.

It’s alright. First 2 songs had my excited but the rest is whatever.

moody, Americana, Appalachian, music. i dug it.

Singer/Songwriter folk is tricky because you need to be REALLY good to hit sound like everyone else. In the end, this sounds like everyone else. This is the easiest music to make, just a guitar and singing. This is a poet trying to make music, and I feel that is one third the talent of all other music. Yeah they wrote great lyrics. But the singing isn't great, and the instruments aren't there and the guitar is run of the mill.

Something you have to really sit down and concentrate to enjoy.

Nice album. I'd have to be in the right mood to listen though, more of a winter record to me.

Good (relatively) modern folk album. Firmly rooted in the genre's traditions, but it sounds clearly not from back in the day. Competently written and performed from front to back. The first song is the best and most memorable, but there really isn't a low point to be found here. Key tracks: Revelator Dear Someone

Highlights: Revelator, My First Lover, Dear Someone, Elvis Presley Blues, Everything Is Free At times reminds me of Joni Mitchell because of its folky nature, but tracks like Dear Someone also remind me of artists like k d lang. The album has a solid start, but kind of loses its appeal towards the end. The last track works as the album closer, but it is far too drawn-out.

Uma das músicas me lembra Red, que agonia

Good night, Irene. I wanted to have some respect for the acoustic guitar in the opener, but this album is just one, long, boring song. She's got nothing to say, no real songwriting skill, and no discernible talent. So boring.

Some NPR garbage.

It started off surprisingly nice, but it sounded like the same song over and over again.

Not terrible, in fact I enjoyed some of it. But some of the sounds were too melancholy and some songs sounded too similar.

(96/100)

nice

Beautiful music, just not my usual cup of tea.

Quiet folk singer-songwriter had the potential to be pretty boring... and it was.

I fell asleep :(

I try and give country a fair go now and then, and I don’t seem to be as down on it as many around here, but even I struggled with this one. The first track wasn’t too bad but then every track after that followed the same template, without ever really going anywhere.

An album making me wish it would end deserves 1 star. I really didn't like it and then 15 minutes of repeating lyrics and minimal guitar started and made me wish I could make time move faster. Why is this considered one of the best albums ever..... I don't hear it

This was nice

A strong, powerful voice. I feel like if I gave this one more listens, I would probably be more willing to give it a 5 - I'd give it a 4.5 if possible.

David Rawlings is one of my favorite guitar players and I could listen to these two sing the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S. Code Subtitle B on an endless loop and thoroughly enjoy it. This album also features perhaps one of the first and best songs about the rise of file sharing in the early 2000s (Everything Is Free).

2.5

A good mix of styles. Country, Americana, bluegrass. It's great background music at an outdoor bar on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Very much not for me.

It’s okay

Not a big fan of country but it's okay in small doses.

5.5/10

Incredible album. Love the easy tempo throughout. Calming. Very listenable; should listen again.

Never heard of this artist before nor this album nor any of the songs. I really enjoyed it. It got a little slow towards the end, if I could give it half stars, it would probably be closer to 3.5.

Gentle, slow, melancholy country/folk with a female vocalist. This is really nice. I didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t expect much, but the first track (Revelator) immediately caught my attention; from there, the quality was pretty consistently enjoyable to the end. When done right, this is probably the sort of country music I like best, and this was very well done. It feels timeless. Really, really lovely. Favorites: Revelator, Everything Is Free, I Dream A Highway 3.5-4

Perfect chill country album that really fit my day. Probably should be more subjective but its my own list so who knows, i may read review later and need a perfect chill country album to fit my day

Really solid folksy Americana bs that's right up my alley. The 15-minute song at the end almost lost me. Revelator was my favorite.

wispy, not extremely my thing, but there's still something compelling about it. favorite song is Everything Is Free or Elvis Presley Blues. soft 3

Rating: 8/10 Gillian Welch and David Rawlings make some beautiful, genuinely and authentically made folky Americana out of Nashville, a modern release but traditional sounding. The duo make great tracks out of just an acoustic guitar, a banjo, and Welch's excellent voice, they really put in the work of a full band quality with just these minimal elements. The first track, Revelator, is absolutely stellar, and the rest of the album really flows along nicely until reaching its 14 minute finale I Dream A Highway. What a song. It could have gone on longer honestly. So the bookends are the best of it, especially because the penultimate Everything Is Free is such a good one too, a nice song about the genuine, human things that will always drive artistry even in the face of money and industry. One minor point that doesn't really matter much is that I feel like the cover art could have been some sort of beautiful country scene that evokes the feel of the songs

I really liked the first song but after that it settled into nice classic normal 'ole (pretty stripped down) folky folk. I do like the sound of the album but there isn't too much for me to replay or enjoy on a deeper level. It was just pretty nice 6.0/10

A nice album of simple country folk. It's enjoyable and sounds great, but it doesn't have that something that really draws me in.

Man... I just can't to country. I thought the first song was good, because it was more indie folk, but as the album goes on it gets more and more country, and I get less and less interested. Songs like Red Clay Hero just become annoying background noise to me. Not a bad album, I just can't do this right now (I have a minor hangover) High 2.

This is probably a 2

meh 2

really enjoyed this gillians singing and songwriting are really soothing and i love the long outro of this album 8/10 Favourite: I Dream a Highway Least Favourite: I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll

This was quite enjoyable, I’d consider relistening

Það er eitthvað mjög næs við þessa. Lágstemmd og einföld en einnig hlý. Já, þetta má.

I could take or leave the title track, and I do think that the album cut of I Dream A Highway could have stood to lose a few verses (save some of those for live performances, you know) but this is really really lovely. Elvis Presley Blues in particular has gotten into my heart and soul, and I don’t think it’s ever going to leave. Do you ever just feel SO SAD for reasons that you don’t even know if you fully understand

Great Album

Gillian Welch confuses me. Is that a bluegrass harmony? Is she country? He lyrics are so brilliant. And she calms my soul while she makes me think. I just can't put a label on her work. I don't care, I love it. 4.5/5

This one blew me away. I usually get on here and bitch about albums with zero percussion, but I didn’t really notice with this one. Everything is Free made me regret every song I illegally downloaded in the early 2000’s.

Another album to keep in mind if you're suffering from insomnia.

2/5.

Made me want to rewatch Justified with the first few tracks

Not a bad album, but really generic. Nothing standing out.

Took a trip to boring town frrrrr

Overall: 8/10 The acoustic guitar on this album is absolutely GORGEOUS and I can't get enough of it. I don't know if Gillian really brought anything new to the genre, but she certainly wrote some incredible songs and her voice is effortlessly great. This is probably an album I'd only listen to in certain circumstances, but it's beautiful and definitely deserving of a spot in this list. Fav Song: Dear Someone

😴

chato pa caralho

Urgh

See, guys? There's been good country music made in the 21st century! You just have to know where to look. If you take your eyes off of the charts and your ears off of the radio, you'll be sure to find some good stuff in the modern country landscape. I mean, calling this album "modern" at this point is probably inaccurate considering the fact that it's nearly 25 years old, but the point still stands. Good 21st century country albums exist and this is one of them. Time (The Revelator) by Gillian Welch is a pleasant time. The music is very sparse, being comprised entirely of guitar, vocals, and a bit of banjo at times. It's a welcome change of pace from the sheer excess of most "modern country." The album's much more intimate and I really like that. It helps that the songwriting is thoughtful and original. The album has a heart to it thanks to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings's good songwriting. Gillian's singing is nice. I don't have much to say about that part of the album. Despite being just over 50 minutes, the album didn't really drag that much. A good chunk of the album's length comes from the 14-minute closer "I Dream A Highway," which I actually really enjoyed, so maybe that's why I wasn't tired by the end of the album. This is just a pleasant listen all throughout. Time (The Revelator) is further proof that the art of a person singing sad songs with a guitar will never die. 4/5.

2,3/5

A bit too minimal and slow for me. It has great songs: Revelator, My First Lover, Everything is Free, but the rest mostly just kinda passes by without leaving a strong impact. I don't really get why the last song has to be so long either.

Anything from the 21st century piques my interest. That being said, this country-ish singer-songwriter stuff just didn't do it for me. Boring, unclear why it's on this list, couldn't wait for it to end. 1*

Not my vibe.

A little downbeat at times but "I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll" and "Elvis Presley Blues" were standouts.

Very nice album. A definite add to the collection!

Top shelf music from the modern country era.

Music that to me could come straight from the Appalachian mountains. Something from a movie where you hear this singing in a dark bar and a girl with her guitar sits in the corner singing while the main character drinks his whiskey and feels sad thinking about what went wrong. Getting such a vivid expression from the album is a great thing to me. I don't know what the artist had in mind but producing such a picture in a listeners mind isn't easy to do. I leaned back and closed me eyes and suddenly the album was over and I wanted to listen through it again, and I did. And I loved is just as much the second time around. This isn't music I usually listen to but I will from now on, at least go Gillian Welch.

Pretty good!

It was nice but the slow pace became boring the more I listened.

Pleasant to listen to with quality guitar playing and soothing vocals. Unfortunately unremarkable for a lot of the runtime, but does pack some quality country ballads that are worth listening to. Thought I would connect with the album more than I did. Top tracks: Revelator, Everything Is Free, I Dream a Highway Back to You

What a relief from all the heavy metal music....still, I enjoyed most of the album but the last song which went on for a total of 14:44 was maudlin if you ask me.

There's a hillbilly country vibe going on here that I will admit I greatly prefer to the mass marketed, soulless swill that is today's country music.

Surprised how much I liked this. She sang on the O Brother Where Art Thou OST and a couple of tracks really took me to that film. The last 2 songs are beautiful

I wonder how much Gillian Welch Adrianne Lenker listens to.

Nu country effort from ms Welch

Nice. Towards the start of the album I thought it was just some pleasant background listening but after finishing it I find myself wanting to listen again

This is what the lady in the corner is playing at the brewery up north when Billy comes back to the outside bench with two 15% IPAs. He's very excited to tell you about how they used pineapples and gym socks to achieve the zesty taste. It still tastes like piss and pine cones to you but you're just happy to get a buzz on among friends. Good album.

As comfy as a cheap beer and a porch swing on muggy summer night

Crap country

ok

bajonero mal shall not listen again

Country folk, not really my thing. Some reasonable songs on here for the genre

Bland and inoffensive. Kind of folksy coffee shop vibes. The songs are all nice, but I don't think the album is really going to stick with me.

Tylsääkin tylsempi. 1/5

I am partial to folk music, so I liked this album a lot. My favorite song was "red Clay Halo," and I wished there were more songs like it. Another highlight was the banjo on "my first lover." as someone who has been learning how to play guitar and singing at the same time, I wondered if she was playing the guitar parts while singing, and I thought that it would be very impressive if that's the case

This makes 2 excellent albums in a row - for me, anyway. This came out in 2001, when the "alt country" (or "Americana") backlash against slick, shallow, over-produced modern/contemporary country music was in full swing, which played a big role in me becoming (even) more of a fan of a broadly-defined country music (or an even broader category of "roots" music, including not only country, but also blues, folk, bluegrass, etc.). Certainly, the music on this album draws on deep roots of country, blues, and folk music, and (for me, anyway) -- using only guitars (or a guitar and a banjo) and vocal harmonies -- effectively captures and conveys timeless music that is anchored in those roots. I saw Welch and Rawlings perform together at the auditorium at Dominican University (back when they used to have good concerts there), and I recall that it was an excellent show. It might be on the lower end of 5, but I give this 5 stars. I enjoyed very much hearing this again today (a couple of times), and know that I would enjoy it equally on future listens.

the vocal harmonies and string strumming are just right. there's poignant lyrics that are both of this world and ethereal the last two songs are my favorite

It was a nice. Depressing. But I enjoyed it well enough though idk if it’s anything super specials

peak gillian?

So pleasant to listen to.

What can I say, it’s the Nashville in me! Love

Light as a feather. So much space in every song. Not sure how to rate. If this was an Angel Olsen or Sharon Van Etten or Cat Power album (people of a similar era and style) it would be an immediate 7-10/10. Gillian has never captured me the same way. This album was fine, verging on boring. Unlikely to listen to ever again or explore more of her work. 2/5

This got long in the tooth. The songs started to blur together by the halfway point. Now - these weren’t bad, just very samey.

gueti stimm, schlechte country. no no no

MOTR

Nope.

Absolutely perfect album to listen to on the back patio on a rainy and dreary Monday morning. The birds are belting it out knowing the worms are coming up, the cats are on high alert knowing the birds will be on the ground. This style of Americana with coffee and snoring dogs is tough to beat. As great as Welch is the guitar playing from David Rawlings is outstanding. The Elvis Presley Blues got me in my feels. I remember being driven to school and hearing on the radio that Elvis had died. I was only 6 at the time but I had already been bitten by the music bug and Elvis was my gateway to rock and roll. I Dream a Highway is a great melancholy closer and made me want to listen to Look on Down from the Bridge by Mazzy Star and These Days by Jackson Browne. But anyway, I'm throwing this in the top 25 new to me albums from the list. I like being floored by music and this did that for me.

I don't doubt this is quality, but not my type of music

298/1001 Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator) Heard before? ❎️ Revisit? ❎️ This isn't really my thing, but I appreciate the sparseness and the inclusion of bluegrass into it.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings made the sort of album that reviews itself! Time (The Revelator) is easy to love, ten pieces of spellbinding American folk music that go down smooth as butter, but which quickly become haunting once you peel them back. Welch and Rawlings have voices and playing styles that fit each other eerily well. the nearly 15-minute closer "I Dream a Highway" is perhaps the best showcase of this, a gorgeous tune that plods through a bittersweet romantic narrative with some of the most evocative lyricism on the entire LP ("Now, give me some of what you're having / I'll take you as a viper into my head / A knife into my bed, arsenic when I'm fed." and that irresistible recurring phrase at the end of each stanza: "I dream a highway back to you." not every track is nearly as harrowing as this, but they're pretty uniformly slow and contemplative. plus, there's Welch's magnetic singing, which guides you through 51 minutes of sparse acoustic music with such grace and precision that the whole thing feels like it's over in the blink of an eye. more of this, please! strong 9/10.

A favorite artist and a favorite album. I’m not sure whether I would have picked this one or Revival for the list, but I’m so glad she’s here. And as usual I’m cranky about the down-voting of a female singer-songwriter. The usual critiques are that she’s depressing or inauthentic. “Depressing” doesn’t hold up in the context of her whole oeuvre, and even this album has plenty of levity if you pay attention. The authenticity thing is more complicated and I can’t say I’ve figured it out yet. I have considered pitching a book about this album (or Revival) to the 33 1/3 folks, aiming at that theme of authenticity and what the heck it does or doesn’t mean. Gillian became well known because of the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, which in some ways was a dissertation defense of authenticity and in some ways a parody of it — what exactly are the Soggy Bottom Boys? And some have criticized her sound as a “simulation” (Robert Christgau) of Depression-era music, I guess because she grew up in Southern California and not Appalachia. Whatever — if this kind of music is to remain alive, it has to be reinvented each time, not just preserved under glass. Gillian and her partner David Rawlings always find subtle ways to make the sound speak to this century. The best example on this album is “Everything is Free,” a subtle critique of music piracy that is possibly an even better fit for the streaming era. Or look at her Blackstar EP, where she covers Radiohead, Townes Van Zandt, and Neil Young. Her work is better thought of as a triangulation of those artists than some kind of folk pageant. I’d also say that like John Prine and Iris DeMent and Dolly Parton, Gillian also provides a kind of salve to those of us who love the weird old American traditions but have also in some sense walked away from them. “Revelator” is a word that’s associated with the Biblical Apocalypse (or if you grew up Mormon, the Church President). By asserting that TIME is the revelator, Gillian reframes all that noise in the context of nature’s cycles but also her own story: “Leaving the valley Fucking out of sight I'll go back to Cali Where I can sleep out every night And watch the waves and move the fader Time's the revelator The revelator Queen of fakes and imitators Time's the revelator!” You see, she knows it’s a simulation and always was, yet she still seeks truth in it. And whether she’s singing about murder or Elvis or the weird feeling you get hearing the Steve Miller song you first had sex to… she finds it.

Probably 3.5. No really bad songs, but I only remember the title track.

no thanks

This started well, it’s very earnest and well written and I hoped for something that could maintain the promising start. I even quite enjoyed Red Clay Halo that leaned very much into Bluegrass territory, it wouldn’t have been out of place on the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack. Ultimately though this isn’t my wheelhouse and was unlikely to hold my interest for all of its 52 minute runtime.

No m’agrade gaire , pero està bé .

Liked this but it's kinda sleepy. I like other stuff I've heard from her a bit more.

freaking loved this.

It's really good. A lot of my favorites from her aren't on here but "Everything is Free" is, and that's enough.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are excellent harmonizes. I appreciate the simple straightforward sound after Stone Roses and Hendrix (though I like them). This is my Sunday Morning music or end of hard day music. I’m a fan of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings so there won’t be much judgement here. Somehow soothing despite some dark subjects. I like “Elvis Presley Blues” a lot.

no country pls

I fairly enjoyed this album. It has a classic country bluegrass sound which is funny because it came out in 2001. Gillian Welch’s voice is timeless and calming to my bones. Not a bad album, but I wasn’t wowed by any one particular track.

Another top singer songwriter. Her and David Rawlings are superb. She knows her music - it’s roots annd branches - deeply and knows how to make it contemporary.

She's old timey Gillian. Could have come from anytime, in her's and David's own way. Simple arrangements, lovely playing and her voice is to die for. This and Orphan Girl are her best albums across an incredible career. Dear Someone, Everything is Free are heart achingly beautiful. Get into it deadbeats.

This is like the platonic ideal of Americana; two voices, guitar and banjo and some terrific songs. Nothing fancy, just an honest presentation of the material. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are both really good at what they do, but their performances aren't flashy; all their choices are in service of the songs. The country, blues, gospel and bluegrass influences are all there; it's hard to believe that these are all originals. 'Red Clay Halo' could be a Depression Era song. Speaking of which, 'Everything is Free Now' is like the musician's national anthem now. It deftly and devastatingly encapsulates the state of the music industry and what it is like to try and make a living as a musician these days. Every muso I know speaks of this song like a sacred text -- she perfectly captured their dilemma. There are many covers of this song, and I was obsessed with this live-in-the-studio version from Sylvan Esso/Flock of Dimes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayaC5Rp2Ew4) -- the way they deliver the final line as "fuckin' sing it yourself" is devastating.

I’ve done enough folk singing with queer women to know Gillian rules. The thing is her album Soul Journey seems to be the universal fave? It’s the one I know the most from and like a lot so I’m kinda shocked this album is the choice. Give that other one a listen. It’s nice pretty folk music.

2.5

2.0

Beautiful, if a bit repetitive across the songs. I thought this was just OK until I got to the final track (I Dream a Highway), which really kicked my ass.

If you get a few whiskeys in my aunt & uncle on a hot summer's evening, the guitars will come out and they sound just like this Getting PTSD flashbacks listening to this, or maybe a little better Is this really considered one of the most amazing 1001 albums ever recorded in the history of music? A hard No!

This is an interesting one to be introduced to - I certainly know her name but have never really dialed in on her work. The Coen bros movie collaborations make sense. This is certainly a beautiful album and one that I'll listen to when in the mood - the production and sound quality is great. Her middle name is Howard.

surprisingly, enjoyable and a pleasure to listen too. Would I listen again: maybe Deserves to be on this list: unsure. 3.4

Me encantó.

Omg, I loved this album, Gillian Welch is a great find, downloaded quiet a few tubes from this album, loving the “bluegrass feel” and vocals.

Checks the boxes of proficient playing and I guess the singing might appeal to a certain kind of person, but the songs feel samey, soulless, and never sum to anything greater than the mere parts. It goes to show just how the weak the naughties were that this album got as much attention as it did, but honestly I am not hearing anything here that I hadn't heard a thousands times before this album came out. Rehashing a tired worn out sound doesn't seem all that essential to me. This barely sounds like a demo to me. To interest me it would need to be given some creative production and layering to turn it into something that is unique and not just another tedious roots album. Its the sort stuff I wanted to like from an NPR Prairie Home Companion episode broadcast on AM station whose signal inexplicably drops in and out, but ultimately would never hold my attention. Most bearable: "Elvis Presley Blues"

Wer hat Gillian gesagt dass es eine gute Idee ist ein 14Minuten langen song aufzunehmen der die ganze Zeit gleich klingt und in dem sie auch irgendwie nichts besonderes sagt. Aber abgesehen davon mag das Album eigentlich. Manchmal fühlt es sich sehr schön an manchmal aber auch sehr stumpf.

Sparse and stripped down, but gorgeous and emotionally impactful. It’s slow and austere, but there is magic in the interplay between the acoustic guitars and Gillian’s powerful vocals. A real treat.

zašto to?

Good

Leuke, rustige folk, americana

Interesante, era una especie de country tranqui

Gillian has a timeless voice and when she has Dave Rawlings playing with her, I’m transported, every time. This one doesn’t have the consistent knockouts of a few of her other albums. So it floated to the periphery a few times during the listen. Not a perfect album, but still a damn good artist holding her own.

Quite nice singing and lyrics, and guitar playing in places. It's a kind of dreary and slow album though, not much to really get excited about so no better than "pleasant" for me I was gonna go 3* but the last song is 14 minutes long and I was extremely bored long before the end, so 2 it is

Decent.

I enjoyed this, but it was a little sluggish and folksy for full marks. I probably won't listen again, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes good baritone vocals and C&W music. Three stars.

I really liked it!!

Nice guitar playing, except this album i dont see much pros of it. 5/10

muy tranquilo pero excesivamente tranquilo

Not for me

un poco me dormi en vivo pero es agradable de fondo

Folky singer song writer vibes throughout. Desolate feel throughout the album IMO.

Incredibly moody, favourite entry in this so far. Big vibes

3/5

I was about to give this a two without listening to the whole thing, but i thought I'd at least give a chance to the most popular song and it delivered. "Everything is free" is a great song and changed my mind about the whole thing and I made it to the end. 😅

I’m a fan of Gillian Welch. However, this album isn’t my favorite of hers. Also, we didn’t need a 14 minute song that went nowhere.

Very bleh for me personally

Not a bad album. Pretty good songwriter I just couldn’t connect with her songs.

It's good, but you could've fooled me that wasn't just one long folk song

enjoyed a lot, especially the first track

Fuck me, is this shit!

Like a lot of other people, I first heard Gillian Welch on the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou. She has a very distinctive voice and style. This is a pleasant album to listen to. Not sure if I'll listen again though.

Wow. This album blew me away. The Revelator, Everything Is Free and I Dream a Highway are absolutely beautiful songs, but really, this whole album is extraordinary.

Never listened. Expectations: None - Verdict: Very Good - The opener has a very epic feel and I do really like it. Even though it could easily be seen as being too long and steady it manages it's runtime with grace and sweeps up to a great final part. I think I was expecting something poppier, more in the vein of the Sheryl Crow album that came up earlier on the list but this is really great bluesy, twangy songwriting. I Dream A Highway is a monster to end the album. Really enjoyed this. Yet another female artist that I had never come across in any meaningful way.

This is not bad. But it is also not very interesting. 2.5

Entspannter Pop-Country Mix. Klingt zeitlos und unaufgeregt. Sehr angenehme Stimme. 4/5

Sorry, what happened? I fell asleep

Tremendous nostalgia. Welch's voice and music will always be close to my heart.

So deep Adele could roll into it

I'm not really the biggest country fan myself, so I feel that any review I make on country albums is slightly biased towards my taste, but then at the end of the day, it is my review, and I'm only writing down my own personal opinions on the album. I enjoyed the vocals; Gillian Welch has some lovely vocal delivery, and her harmonies throughout are beautiful. The only thing I actually am not a fan of is the actual songs themselves, due to my just not really loving this genre. There were obviously a few songs that I thought were really lovely, like 'I Dream a Highway', a 15-minute album-closer, but nothing I would choose to go back and listen to again. I was surprised by doing the '1001 Albums' that I hadn't had a sudden awakening of a new love for different genres, such as country, but so far I've only found a new liking for jazz, strangely. However, with this album, there is some lovely songwriting, and especially beautiful singing; it is just my own taste that has let this down for me. Favourites: I Dream a Highway I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll April the 14th Pt. 1

Solid enough folk album. Gillian has a great voice and the songs have plenty of emotion. Could have been a bit shorter. 3.5

richtig schön aber iwie etwas christlich? aber schön...

Nothing to suggest I wouldn't like this, until she started singing and my god, I was bored stiff. A little bit too twee for me

A revelation. Loved it!

She’s a phenomenal talent, this is a great record.

I like a number of these tracks. My first Lover, Elvis Presley Blues, Everything is Free all stand out. Solid folk album if you like that kinda thing.

Boring and torturously bad!!!

Couldn't do it to myself.

Gran disco, la voz de Gillian Welch es relajante y muy facil de disfrutar, sus canciones de country suave, bluegrass, con toques sombríos son para relajarse y escuchar. Hace unos años comencé a escuchar country y me gusta bastante, descubrir nuevos artistas con música de calidad siempre es una bendición!

I don't have "Time (The Revelator)" in my record collection, but I've listened to it on Spotify a few times before. An excellent record that works as background music but really comes into its own when listened to with concentration.

Very chill, very pleasant, good songs. I think the opening track, "Revelator", was my favourite.

Time (the Revelator) is the fan favorite album from Gillian Welch. For good reason. It's 10 Americana songs of simple poetry that's easy to understand, with an interplay between Welch and Rawlings on guitar that's very easy on the ears. It exudes easy seriousness: from the bitter remark on Revelator, and the theme of the 14th of April across two songs, and the events that transpired on said date. And that "easy" feeling is why I love it. Goes to show that simplicity can go a long way. On a bit of a tangential note, "Everything Is Free" talks about piracy, which is funny to me to see on a country album. Goes to show how much artists, far and wide, were pissed off about Napster and the sort.

A rather beautiful album from start to finish. Nothing particularly ground-breaking, but not every album needs to be that. There's a very pleasant sparsity to some of the tracks which allow the songs to breathe. Adding this to the playlist to revisit in the future.

me duermo. No sabía que odiaba este género!!

Gillian Welch is a relatively recent discovery for me. Love her work.

Pleasant enough country pop but far too easy listening for my tastes I'm afraid

Cardinal Sin. Did not finish.

I love Gillian Welch. This isn’t my favorite album of hers, and don’t think it showcases her raw emotional vulnerability in her songwriting like later albums do, but this is still a beautiful addition to her discography.

Great songwriter but the music is way too slow at times and is not very catchy.

Better than I expected, but not music that moves me. ★★★

Stunning vocals and guitar work. 4.5/5

smetne az mi sie spac zachcialo ale zle nie jest

This is exactly why I'm doing this album challenge - I already know how I feel about Morrissey and Iggy Pop and Eminem and all the other extremely well represented artists. Give me something I've never even heard of! I loved this, I really appreciated its meandering pace and I thought her voice was beautiful.

Really nice album, good songs top to bottom. Will revist.

Not mine but maybe something for you

On first listening I hadn't realised that this album is just guitar, banjo and Gillian Welch's voice. Each song sounds so rich and full that I almost didn't notice that, in fact the songs are quite raw and stripped back. This comes in direct contrast to the overlapping, contrasting and quarrelling sound of the past few jazz albums in this list (very well done list writer). This is how I imagine country music came into being. Just a person with an amazing voice singing songs about things that they know about and being able to relate that to others. And nothing is more relatable than sorrow and heartbreak. And this album has both of these in vast amount. I enjoyed the beauty and clarity of this album. But may not be able to listen to it regularly on account of how much emotion that it conveys. (3.456

This is a very sweet but sleepy album. All of the songs could have been like 2 min shorter. Esp the last song like why was that 11 min long. Her voice absolutely carries though. The country/folk sound is undeniable Highlight: Everything Is Free

Man, this is probably the most disappointing album on this thing so far. From its Wikipedia I had imagined some sort of female Nick Cave with murder ballads and characters and stories and drama. Instead it’s dull, insipid, samey and oh so slow. I had to resist the urge to switch it off, I got so annoyed. Absolutely not for me

Pass

Maso

Having grown up on my mother’s collection of country and folk LPs, I want to like Gillian Welch more than I do. I bought ‘Hell Among The Yearlings’ after hearing ‘Caleb Meyer’ but that was the one song I really liked and the rest didn’t really do much for me, this album is similar.

its nice and chill but nithing super special again

I Want To Sing That Rock And Roll

When I first got together with my now wife, we bought an old van to drive between tree-planting camps. The van had last been used by some young women road tripping around Australia and had spent the last few years decomposing in a field in northern British Columbia. It came with an old Alison Krauss album in the CD player. I love Alison Krauss to this day. How much of that has to do with her music and how much the particular circumstances of our introduction I will never know. If this Gillian Welch album had have been in that old van when we bought it I may have just as strong an attachment to her as I do Krauss, it is that good.

What a treat - I forgot how much I liked Gillian Welch’s sound. Nice to have some Americana folk on here too.

Ok folk country

Musically proficient but slow and soulless

This was the most bland country folk album I've had yet. Not offensive to the ears (for the most part) but I got nothing out of this. At least it went by quickly, apart from the last song being like 14 minutes long.

Aburrido. No me interesa

Doo! I can't read that book! Its got them big gal dern awful words in it! Luggit that word there, it gotta be a foot long!