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Fate of Nations

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Fate of Nations
Studio album by
Robert Plant
Released25 May 1993
Recorded1992–1993
StudioRAK Studios (London)
Sawmills Studio (Fowey)
Monnow Valley Studio (Monmouth)
Genre
Length63:34
LabelEs Paranza (North America)
Fontana (Rest of the world)
Producer
Robert Plant chronology
Manic Nirvana
(1990) 		Fate of Nations
(1993) 		No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded
(1994)
Robert Plant studio chronology
Manic Nirvana
(1990) 		Fate of Nations
(1993) 		Dreamland
(2002)
Singles from Fate of Nations
  1. "I Believe"
    Released: 1993
  2. "If I Were A Carpenter"
    Released: 1993
  3. "Calling To You"
    Released: 1993
  4. "29 Palms"
    Released: 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Music Box[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

Fate of Nations is the sixth studio album by English singer Robert Plant, released 25 May 1993 on Es Paranza Records in North America and Fontana Records internationally. It features former Cutting Crew guitarist Kevin MacMichael on all songs and as a backing vocalist on one of them as well. In addition, the album also features violinist Nigel Kennedy on one song. The song "I Believe" is a tribute to Plant's late son, Karac. The album was Plant's last solo album until his comeback with his seventh studio album Dreamland in 2002.

Background

Plant explained his album in the following terms:

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 [on the album], trying to tell vivid tales that come from a hearty tradition of prose.[4]

Reissues

Fate of Nations was remastered and reissued by Rhino Records on 20 March 2007, this edition included 5 bonus tracks. In April 2019, the album was reissued on vinyl for Record Store Day 2019.

Track listing

Original release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Calling to You"Robert Plant, Chris Blackwell5:48
2."Down to the Sea"Plant, Charlie Jones4:00
3."Come Into My Life"Plant, Blackwell, Doug Boyle, Kevin Scott MacMichael6:32
4."I Believe"Plant, Phil Johnstone4:32
5."29 Palms"Plant, Blackwell, Jones, Boyle, Johnstone4:51
6."Memory Song (Hello Hello)"Plant, Johnstone, Jones, Blackwell, Oliver J. Woods5:22
7."If I Were a Carpenter"Tim Hardin3:45
8."Colours of a Shade" (UK edition)Plant, Johnstone, Blackwell, Maartin Allcock4:43
9."Promised Land"Plant, Johnstone4:59
10."The Greatest Gift"Plant, Blackwell, Jones, MacMichael, Johnstone6:51
11."Great Spirit"Plant, Johnstone, MacMichael5:27
12."Network News"Plant, Blackwell6:40
2007 bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Colours of a Shade"Plant, Johnstone, Blackwell, Allcock4:45
14."Great Spirit" (acoustic mix)Plant, Johnstone, MacMichael3:54
15."Rollercoaster" (demo)Plant, Jones, Blackwell, Boyle, Johnstone4:01
16."8:05"Don Stevenson, Jerry Miller1:49
17."Dark Moon" (acoustic)Plant, Rainer Ptacek4:57

Personnel

  • Maartin Allcock – mandolin on "If I Were a Carpenter"; all instruments except drums and vocals 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", "Network News"
  • Máire Brennan – backing vocals on "Come Into My Life"
  • Francis Dunnery – guitar on "Come into My Life", "Promised Land"
  • Nigel Eaton – hurdy-gurdy on "Come Into My Life", "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", "Network News"
  • Phil Johnstone – harmonium on "Come Into My Life"; piano on "I Believe", "29 Palms", "Memory Song (Hello Hello)", "If I Were a Carpenter"; organ on "Promised Land"; electric piano on "The Greatest Gift", "Great Spirit"; backing vocals on "Great Spirit"; electric orchestra on "Network News"
  • Charlie Jones – bass on all songs; 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)", "Network News"
  • Kevin Scott MacMichael – guitar on all songs; backing vocals on "I Believe"
  • Lynton Naiff – String arrangement on "If I Were a Carpenter", "The Greatest Gift"
  • Robert Plant – lead vocals; guitar on "Promised Land"; backing vocals on "Great Spirit"
  • Gurdev Singh – dilruba & sarod on "Network News"
  • Surge Singh – sarangi on "Network News"
  • Julian Taylor – backing vocals on "I Believe"
  • Richard Thompson – guitar on "Come Into My Life"
  • Pete Thompson – drums on "Calling to You", "Come Into My Life", "The Greatest Gift", "Great Spirit"
  • Oliver J. Woods – guitar on "Down to the Sea", "Memory Song (Hello Hello)"

Production[5]

  • Henry Binns – engineer
  • Julian Broad – photography
  • Cally – sleeve design
  • John Cornfield – engineer
  • Ross Cullum – engineer
  • Andy Earl – photography
  • Michael Gregovich – engineer, mixer
  • Chris Hughes – producer
  • Pete Lewis – engineer
  • Mark O'Donoughue – engineer
  • Tim Palmer – mixer
  • Robert Plant – producer
  • Danton Supple – engineer
  • Jacquie Turner – engineer
  • Anthony Petrecca

Charts

Weekly Charts

Chart (1993) Peak

position

Australian Albums (ARIA Charts) 37
US Billboard 200[6] 34
UK Album Charts (OCC)[7] 6

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Russia (NFPF)[8]
reissue 		Gold 10,000*
United States (RIAA)[9] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Music Box review
  3. ^ Rolling Stone review
  4. ^ Led-Zeppelin.org. "Led Zeppelin Assorted Info". Archived from the original on 14 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Robert Plant - Fate Of Nations". Discogs. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Robert Plant Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  7. ^ "fate of nations | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Russian album certifications – Robert Plant – Fate of Nations" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF). Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  9. ^ "American album certifications – Robert Plant – Fate of Nations". Recording Industry Association of America.
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