dhmac

I've known about The Band for many years but never became a big fan until this past year.

As a Martin Scorsese fan, I finally saw their farewell concert film The Last Waltz a few years ago, and I liked the group but wasn't blown away by them in it. (I didn't realize at the time that the performance shown in the movie wasn't a "true" picture of their sound due to the number of guest performers.)

But then later, I was getting into DVD-Audio, and bought their first album, Music From Big Pink as a part of my collection. I liked it a lot, but then made the mistake of deciding to wait for the rest of their studio albums to show up on DVD-Audio. And now, after giving up waiting for that, I've finally been collecting the rest of their albums. And the more I hear of their work, the more I love this group - I now feel like I've been missing out on this for too long because they truly were fantastic! Their sound has such a complex and soulful arrangement to it that I now think they are one of the great bands ever.

Anyone else here also love The Band?

dick_grayson

They were so messed up during those documentary scenes. I'm a big fan of The Band. A friend of mine recently got me into them. I listen to mostly metal these days but the band is definitely hot shit.

Tyler_Durden

Also, check out Dylan's "Live 1966 - The 'Royal Albert Hall' Concert" recorded with The Band (then called The Hawks) during the infamous 1966 tour.

dhmac

Oh yeah, I've read about the large amount of cocaine being used backstage at the concert. So much of it was going on that Neil Young was on stage with white powder visible under his nose (that was painted out of the footage used in the movie).

Some crazy times, those '70s!

Hollowgen

Huge Band fan here.

Their "Rock of Ages" album is by FAR a much better live listen than The Last Waltz. The performance at that show/film is dreadful IMHO.

The box set that came out last year is quite a treat. It's a large hardbound book, and the DVD is what makes it really special. It's really a teaser, as it'd be amazing to see some of those sessions/performances in full length.

Some must-haves:
-The Band (S/T)
-Music From Big Pink
-Rock of Ages
-Northern Lights, Southern Cross
-Stage Fright (DCC Gold - a different mix)
-The Basement Tapes
-Rick Danko (S/T)
-Bobby Charles (members of the band produced/performed)

Hell, even Neko Case's newest album has Garth Hudson performing on a number of songs.

I wouldn't reccommend any of Robbie's solo material, unless you're a fan of 80's production.

Andalusia

All except Levon Helm, who opted out of the tour early on and was replaced by Mickey Jones.

I gotta say, Garth Hudson is THE MAN! He goes batshit insane on "Chest Fever" and it's so awesome. Also, listen to him doing "Ballad of a Thin Man" on the aforementioned 1966 Dylan concert. It's like some crazy circus shit.

Hiro11

I have mixed feelings about The Last Waltz. I agree with Ebert's assessment: it's more a documentary of exhaustion and burn-out than a celebration of the 60s. The band looks incredibly haggard and drawn especially Richard Manuel and Rich Danko. The guests look equally bad with the exception of Joni Mitchell. Neil Young wins the completely zonked out prize: he's completely hepped up on goofballs. Yeah, they all sound pretty good but it's not exactly a barn-burner of a performance. Think how much better it could have been if the guys weren't falling apart. If this movie isn't a repudiation of 60s drug culture, I don't know what is.

On the other hand, I absolutely love The Band's recordings. I stole my mom's old vinyl copies of Big Pink and their second S/T album. Gram Parsons and The Buffalo Springfield could probably match their quality in rootsy Americana at their best, but no-one had three great singers and five great musicians like The Band.

musick

add the following to the must haves



an amazing documentary on the making of this 'classic album'

you can also catch this on VH1 Classics from time to time

cornyt

I have to admit a fondness for his last solo album but it's very different from The Band's music (I'd call it Native American disco music, but better than that description sounds).

IMO, the best solo Robbie song is off the "King of Comedy" soundtrack, a song called "Between Trains" which I don't think has ever been released on CD but could fit pretty easily into any The Band album.

dhmac

What are opinions on the "reunited" albums of The Band (sans Robbie Robertson)?

fiver

I really liked Jericho but found High on the Hog unlistenable to my ears...I don't believe I've heard anything from Jubilation I was so disgusted by 'Hog'

The Band s/t is one of my favorite albums...I grew up on the song "The Night they drove old dixie down" sung by someone else...didn't even know about The Band until much later.

CapRockBrewingCo.

Another big The Band fan here. I love the staggered harmonies and populist sound of Music From Big Pink. The Basement Tapes is a cool collection as well. The Band along with Dylan, Parsons, etc., are great icons and influences of today's Americana movement. Lots of interesting stuff about this group. Two of the band members are now dead. One killed himself on the 10 year anniversary of "The Last Waltz" I believe. The Last Waltz is one of the greatest rock films of all time. Although they were "worn out," the energy and passion in that final concert is rarely achieved.

SonOfAStu

I love The Last Waltz. I understand it's not The Band at their best, but it really moves me, every time I see it. Maybe a lot to do with the film making. I could watch Levon sing every song in existence. And the "Stage Fright" is haunting with the spotlight on Danko. It's a great film to watch in HD with the 5.1 (aired on HDNet last year).

Hiro11

I agree. I think his version of "Ophelia" is probably the highlight of the entire show.

One other Levon Helm item: I only realized last year that it was him playing Jack Ridley and doing the narration in "The Right Stuff". In retrospect, his Arkansas accent is fairly unmistakable...

Gdrlv

Love the Band. I just picked up Endless Highway - A Tribute to the Band. As you'd expect, it's a mix of highs and lows. But, a few of the highs are amazing. My Morning Jacket's version of "It Makes No Difference" is just outstanding, and Widespread Panic ("Chest Fever"), Guster w/ Ray LaMontagne ("This Wheel's On Fire") and Gomez ("Up On Cripple Creek") also do great renditions. However, Bruce Hornsby ("King Harvest") and The Allman Brothers ("The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down") completely butcher amazing songs. If you're a big fan of the Band, it's worth a listen.

leapfrog

hmm.. sadly enough i do not know this band at all; i'll have to check them out

creekdipper

IMHO, they are a mixed bag & the quality decreases with each successive album (Jericho very good, "Hog" and Jubilation good to fair). Kind of like the Fleetwood Mac's (the pop version, not the 60's blues version) decline sans Lindsay Buckingham...some solid songs, some mediocre, some downright bad.

Jericho has two outstanding songs with Levon Helm on lead vocals: "Blind Willie McTell" & a superb cover of Springsteen's "Atlantic City".

Selected tracks from the 3 albums together make a good, solid compilation that is superior to some of the "real" band albums (Cahoots & Islands...the latter being a thrown-together mix of leftovers done to fulfill their contract).

BTW...don't know if anyone else has mentioned it, but if you're a Band fan, don't neglect Dylan's "Planet Waves" CD. I think it's 50/50 Band & Dylan and one of Dylan's highlights from that era. Amazing backing instrumentals from all of the Band members...seemed to push Dylan to one of his best performances...simultaneously raw, tough, & tender. Very spontaneous & freeflowing work, especially from Garth Hudson & Robbie Robertson.

And, of course, any true music fan should check out their 2nd studio album...one of the greatest masterpieces in popular music. Not a weak track in the bunch. It's a testament to the album's brilliance is that I still listen to both the original "muddy" mix (the one I grew up with) & the superb remastered mix that sounds like a completely different album. The original has sort of "wall of sound" quality while the rm version separates the individual parts in a stunning recreation. Love both of them.

dhmac

I've heard it and agree that it's a mixed bag. However, none of the covers compare to the originals (IMO). BTW, Robbie Robertson has his opinion of "Endless Highway" in a recent magazine I read (Esquire, I think?).

Gdrlv

I'd agree, except for MMJ's "It Makes No Difference". They fucking knocked it out of the park. I (surprisingly) like it even better than the Band's version. Then again, they're my favorite band at the moment...

brookzy

Van Morrison's performance of Caravan was the highlight for me. He was so into his performance kicking his leg up to the beat and just walking off stage when the song was over. Not waiting for applause is just kick ass.

nazz

I love the quote from Robbie who paid to have that coke removed from Neil's nose out of his own pocket. Robertson called it "the most expensive cocaine I've ever bought."

dhmac

I just got Rock of Ages 2-disc edition and I do like it but am a little disappointed that it's not a "pure" performance by The Band. I mean, it's good and The Band is in top form throughout, but the addition of horns arrangements by Allen Toussaint to all of their songs in the concert instead of adding something to the sound, actually takes a little away from the music. Listening to it, all I can think is how much greater this performance would sound without the horns nosing in all the time. (In fact, I prefer the live songs found in the pre-Dylan part of "disc 2" to the ones on "disc 1" because those are "pure" performances by The Band with no horn arrangements partially marring the sound.)

It's a real shame that none of the officially released live albums of The Band feature the group playing their songs without any special guests or additional arrangements. I would love to hear a well-recorded live concert that's just The Band and nothing more.

Hollowgen

Check out "Before The Flood" - It's just Bob & The Band, and their songs are great and rockin'.

I forgot to mention it earlier, but it's also an essential live set.

dvd182

This is my favorite part too. Van the Man...

I also have to admit that I'm a huge Last Waltz fan...one of the few reasons I bought a Blu-ray player...

cungar

Anyone else feel that Richard Manuel's vocal on Katie's Been Gone off the Basement Tapes is one of the most moving vocal performances in rock history? Absolutely bone chilling.