Tony's Picks - The Band

“Back in 1967 or ’68, I heard a record called Music From Big Pink and it changed my life.  It changed the course of American music. Please welcome The Band!” – Eric Clapton, 1992. 

So said Eric Clapton when he introduced The Band at the Bob Dylan 30^th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden.  They came out and played When I Paint My Masterpiece, a Dylan song they recorded in 1971 for their Cahoots album.  Indeed, Music From Big Pink changed Eric Clapton’s life.  It’s because of what he heard on that album, he immediately felt that what he was doing with Cream was irrelevant.  So he broke up Cream and began a musical journey that took him into some dark places before he settled on a musical path.  My first exposure to The Band came when I first saw The Last Waltz.  I took three things away from that movie – I love to hear Levon Helm sing [his 1970s voice reminded me a lot of Gregg Allman], who is that crazy guy with the cowboy hat [it was Ronnie Hawkins], and could Martin Scorcese possibly get any more shots of Robbie Robertson in the movie?

In 2000 Capitol Records issued a “greatest hits” CD.  It’s not bad, they put some pretty good songs on it.  The band’s music is such that you can’t possibly summarize it all in one CD.  Here is my list of my favorite Band performances. Note that I listed a few things they did with Bob Dylan as he figures large in their history as a group.

The Shape I’m In [The Last Waltz, 1978] – there’s something missing from the studio version that makes this song come alive, and that “something” is the horns you hear on this version from The Last Waltz.  Levon Helm is my vocalist of choice in The Band, but Richard Manuel is outstanding on Robbie Robertson’s song about…Richard Manuel.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [The Last Waltz, 1978] – here is why Levon Helm is my Band vocalist of choice.  Who else but a Southerner could sing this song?

Mystery Train w/ Paul Butterfield [The Last Waltz, 1978] – “Play a little blues? Paul Butterfield?”  The Band originally recorded this song for their Moondog Matinee album.  This live version smokes!  Paul Butterfield’s harp playing is incredible.

The Weight [Music From Big Pink, 1968] – how could I compile a list of Band favorites without this song?  "Half past dead" must be pretty damn tired...

Long Black Veil [Music From Big Pink, 1968] – I’d always associated this song with Johnny Cash until I heard this version.  I love how Rick Danko sings this one.

Chest Fever [Music From Big Pink, 1968] – Garth Hudson’s Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor introduction is the hook.  That’s enough for me…

Tears of Rage w/ Bob Dylan [The Basement Tapes, 1975] – The version from Music From Big Pink is ok – this one is better.

This Wheel’s On Fire w/ Bob Dylan [The Basement Tapes, 1975] – see my comments on Tears of Rage.

Up On Cripple Creek [The Band, 1969] – see my comments on The Weight above.  The Last Waltz version is awesome.  Levon Helm didn’t want to do The Last Waltz, but you couldn’t tell by listening to that version.  See my comments about The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

Rag Mama Rag [The Band, 1969] – I think if any Band song captures that vibe of old timey Americana, this one is it.

The Unfaithful Servant [The Band, 1969] – This is a quiet acoustic song from Robbie Robertson.  Wonderful singing from Rick Danko.

Whispering Pines [The Band, 1969] – what Rick Danko did for The Unfaithful Servant, Richard Manuel does for Whispering Pines.  It’s another quiet acoustic tune from Robbie that could be the mirror image of The Unfaithful Servant.

King Harvest (Has Surely Come) [The Band, 1969] – I’d hate to be the guy in this song.  The barn burned down, his horse went insane, bad weather, no crops, can’t pay union dues, and ends up on skid row.  There’s some tasty guitar playing from Robbie at the end of the song.

The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show [Stage Fright, 1970] – Another Southern-flavored song, only it addresses the minstrel shows that Levon Helm saw in his childhood.

Stage Fright [Stage Fright, 1970] – who among The Band had stage fright?  Was it Robbie?

Daniel and the Sacred Harp [Stage Fright, 1970] – I can’t put my finger on it. I just like this one a lot.  Richard Manuel sings the “Daniel” part, Levon is the humble narrator.  This has a good “old timey” vibe.

When I Paint My Masterpiece [Cahoots, 1971] - Levon's mandolin and Garth's accordion lent the song a European feel.  They played this at the Bobfest in 1992.

4% Pantomime w/ Van Morrison [Cahoots, 1971] – Van Morrison, the “Belfast Cowboy.”  A good duet with Richard Manuel and Van Morrison – they sound like they had fun doing it.  Too bad most of Cahoots sounds like they’re exhausted [they probably were].  But I never thought I would use the words "fun" and "Van Morrison" in the same sentence.

Endless Highway [Cahoots, 1971] – a bonus track on the remastered Cahoots, it’s better than most of the songs that came out on the original release.

Forever Young (Continued) w/ Bob Dylan [Planet Waves, 1974] – this is a sped-up, more funky version of the slower, more familiar overplayed Dylan song.  This version makes me like Forever Young. 

Ophelia [Northern Lights-Southern Cross, 1975] – this one feels like New Orleans.  There’s no downside to that.

Acadian Driftwood [Northern Lights-Southern Cross, 1975] – Robbie Robertson tells the story of the Acadians who were exiled from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the 1750s.  All three Band vocalists sing and there are no synthesizers.  Garth’s accordion and Byron Berline’s fiddle provide the proper Cajun feel.  The French lyrics at the end of the song are a nice touch. Very impressive.

It Makes No Difference [Northern Lights-Southern Cross, 1975] – can anyone sound as sad as Rick Danko does on this tale of heartbreak?  Robbie didn’t write many love songs, but this one is a keeper.

Evangeline w/ Emmylou Harris [The Last Waltz, 1978] – Levon, Rick and Emmylou Harris sing otherworldly harmonies to die for.  What’s not to like?  Does it get any better than this?

Don’t Do It [Rock of Ages, 1972] – the last song these five musicians would play together at The Last Waltz.  I don’t have a copy of that particular performance, but this one from Rock of Ages will do just as well.  Robbie Robertson finally gets to show off what a good lead guitarist he is.  I love Allen Toussaint’s horn arrangement.

Tell Me Momma w/ Bob Dylan [The Bootleg Series, Vol 4: The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert, 1998] – This is from Dylan’s 1966 concert in Manchester – the infamous “Judas!” show.  This is the opening salvo from Dylan’s electric set that pissed off so many people.  The crowd of dyed-in-the-wool folkies didn’t know what hit it.

I purposely did not include anything they did without Robbie Robertson.  While some of the music they did without Robbie is noteworthy [their covers of Atlantic City and Blind Willie McTell and Rick Danko’s Book Faded Brown come to mind], most of it lacks the magic they had as a quintet.