Sometimes it takes a bit of time before a song gets its dues. Sometimes a song can have a second life, and this second life can even take its writer by surprise. For example, take Charlie Jones, bassist for the Cult, formerly of Page & Plant, and his relationship with Please Read the Letter.
You might remember this track from Page & Plant’s 1998 studio album, Walking Into Clarksdale. Produced by the late, great Steve Albini,Walking Into Clarksdale was the sound of Page & Plant going back to their roots (referencing the roots of blues guitar in the process).
It was reportedly a one-take affair. Albini, the punk whisperer, was an inspired choice as a producer. Jones was on bass guitar, Michael Lee on drums. It was met with mixed reviews. Some people slept on it. Most High got all the attention, taking home a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
But there was one track Plant couldn’t shift from his mind for years after – one he co-wrote with with Jones, Please Read the Letter.
Almost a decade later, he revisited it, recording it with Alison Krauss for their 2007 debut, Raising Sand, and what do you know? It got a Grammy.
Speaking to Guitar World, Jones says he was the last to know. He was hibernating. To say it was a surprise was an understatement.
"Truthfully, it was!” he says. “I was in this weird situation where I’d come off tour, and I said, ‘I’m not gonna open any of my mail for three months. I don’t give a shit. I don’t care what comes through. I’m shutting myself away.’ And then, my manager called and said, ‘Do you realize you’ve got a Grammy for this song?’ [laughs]”
There’s a moral to this story. You make a record, write a song, you never know what’s going to happen next. But also, the touring musician should always keep on top of their mail.
“I went, ‘Really?’ My manager said, ‘Yeah… your certificates come through…’ I had to go downstairs and outside to the garbage bags, open them up, and find the certificate ‘cause I’d thrown it away!” says Jones, laughing at the memory.
He also says its a testament to Plant’s tenacity. He believed it could be something more, and that was why he revisited it with Krauss.
“I was surprised, but to Robert’s credit, he always had a vision for that song,” says Jones. “And it never dwindled.”
Please Read the Letter? The irony is a little too on the nose.
You can read the our full interview with Charlie Jones coming soon to Guitar World.
