Band - The Last Waltz
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Free Music Notes for The Last Waltz
Free Music Review: An Emotional Masterpiece Nicely Restored
Hit: 5 Stars
1. It was de rigeur for the "hip" of the day to dis Neil Diamond. Some have evidently failed to get over it. Neil Diamond may have his egotisms, but his performance here makes it clear why he made ten times the cash The Band ever made. However hyper-dramatic his writing may be, the man had a -remarkable- voicebox. 2. I had no difficulty hearing Rick's EBO whatsoever.
Okay, now that -that's- over, this 25th anniversary re-issue is more than worthy, even if you already have the DVD... and -far- moreso if you're still suffering along with the old VHS. The sound here is pretty crisp and discriminate, and it includes a lot of little auditory "DISCoveries" for those accustomed to the mud on the audiotape versions circulating until the early '90s. It simply was not possible in the analog era to take tape masters and dump them on those simple light-decoded stereo tracks on celluloid. (Lordy, folks, it's technology from before The First World War, ya know.)
Get your hankies out, though. This is not a bunch of angry, millennial era sterility. Rick, Richard and Levon were -emotional- boys, and they deliver the affective stimulations here far better after years of rendering these tunes on stage than they ever did at the house in Woodstock. Add that to what the Neil's, Van, Emmy Lou and The Staples have to say, and you've got one mighty fine hour and a half here. (Joni's "Coyote" is almost worth the price of admission by itself.)
Free Music Review: A Musical Artifact
Hit: 5 Stars
Alright first things first I agree Neil Diamond is not a worthy addition among this line up of musical gods. Thank god for the skip button. Ok the review. Album? Concert? Musical artifact take your pick. What ever it is ,its brilliant. A farewell party for the retiring former backing band for Dylan humbly named The Band. The line up, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison all legends, all on fire. I mean seriously every performance is gold, heart felt and full of energy. Unlike most "all star" concerts it seems they all wanted to be there. To single one artist out as a stand out would be impossible. Then there's the hosts of the party The Band. Every song from this concert has become the definitive version for The Band. The Weight has to be one of greatest recordings of any song ever. Ok I could rave on about the artists performances for ever, trust me their amazing. Which brings me to the most important element regarding this recording which is exactly that, the recording. There cant be a better live recording of a concert from this period, you simply cant top perfect. Add the digital remaster and your in the front row. (the DVD sound and picture recording is perfect also, highly recommended). So if you've been living under a rock or are under the age of 30 and dont own it already, buy this album and the DVD. A true musical artifact from this period.Free Music Review: Rock 'n' Roll Heaven
Hit: 5 Stars
Quite simply The Band were one of the greatest Rock N Roll bands ever. This is a recording of their farewell concert in 1976 (at least in the classic line-up with Robbie Robertson on guitar). The Bands music on its own would merit purchase of this disc. They run through a 'best of' set, that as a concert would be hard to beat.
Add to this the guest list, and you have one of the best rock concerts of all time. Van Morrison in his hey day belting out 'Caravan'. Joni Mitchell singing 'Coyote'. Dylan with Robbie Robertson burning incendiary guitar licks behind him. Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Neil Diamond, Neil Young, Dr John, Eric Clapton... The list goes on and on.
A few numbers were recorded seperately after the concert, these are included on the CD as well. The best of which is a magnificent version of 'The Weight' featuring The Staples singers. If you haven't heard Mavis Staples, and you like gospel influenced music this takes what was already a great song to a new level.
The same year this was recorded Punk came on the scene and changed music for ever. But it doesn't matter whether you were brought up on Elvis Presley, The Sex Pistols, Nirvana or Coldplay, this music is as essential now as it was 31 years ago.
Free Music Review: Hey, buy the Blu-Ray of this Concert!
Hit: 5 Stars
I just wanted everyone to know that this is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I've now bought the film twice: first in DVD form and just recently in Blu-Ray ($12.75 delivered, from Amazon, now online for $9.99 + shipping). The Blu-ray is easily worth ten bucks and is a step-up from the DVD version (I kept my DVD in perfect condition and thus had the pleasure of gifting it to a non-Blu-rayer). As someone else said, this concert really is a historical artifact. I watched the movie when it first came out in the theaters and had not been a fan of The Band, but I was by the end of the movie. Now I run it in my home theater and let my friends become fans in the same way. It's a treasure for the ages. By the way, Amazon, please use your marketing leverage to get "Concert for George" marketed on Blu-ray, OK? I've already requested here: [...]Free Music Review: Oh, to have been there!
Hit: 5 Stars
Turkey dinner and some of the greatest musicians of our time? Sign me up! This album/DVD is really really really good. I liked some of the band's stuff before, and I liked Dylan and Van Morrison, but this blew me away! This album would be good for people just getting into good music; it's kind of a "greatest hits" of Rock-n-roll history. This album got me into Dr. John and The Staple Singers, And my favorite tracks are probably Van Morrison doing Caravan, Dr, John's such a Night, And Ophelia. I would also recommend watching the DVD first, it makes the context of the cd fresher and better (I love seeing how over the top Dr. John was, And when Van the Man walks off the stage before Caravan is over. Clapton and Muddy Waters were really entertaining to watch too.)
Get this album! or I guess the box set, I hear this is harder to find now.