The Band

The Band - The Band

The Band
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Music CD Cover

Artist: The Band
Edition: Music CD
Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2000-08-29
Music Label: Capitol
Soundtracks:
  1. Across the Great Divide
  2. Rag Mama Rag [Alternate Vocal Take-Rough Mix]
  3. Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [Alternate Mix]
  4. When You Awake
  5. Up on Cripple Creek
  6. Whispering Pines
  7. Jemima Surrender
  8. Rockin' Chair
  9. Look out Cleveland
  10. Jawbone
  11. Unfaithful Servant
  12. King Harvest (Has Surely Come) [Alternate Performance]
  13. Get Up Jake [Outtake-Stereo Mix][*]
  14. Rag Mama Rag [Alternate Take][*][Mix]
  15. Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [*][Mix]
  16. Up on Cripple Creek [Alternate Take][*]
  17. Whispering Pines [Alternate Take][*]
  18. Jemima Surrender [Alternate Take][*]
  19. King Harvest (Has Surely Come) [Alternate Take][*]

Free Music Notes for The Band

Free Music Review: 40 years on
Hit: 5 Stars

Probably not a great deal has been mentioned about 2009 being the 40th anniversary of the Band's second and finest album. This is not surprising given that they were often overshadowed by more image-oriented, commercially accesible, and generally less interesting bands at the time. I myself recently noted 2009 being the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's first two albums, but this was more of a tongue in cheek gesture as opposed to the adulatory yelps of sycophantic fandom that the Zeppelin review page is replete with. When I accurately criticized Zep as being derivative of blues music, a fanatical type commented underneath quipping that everything in music is derivative of everything. I think it's important to distinguish the difference between influences and derivation as that commentator was unable to do. He was a little overwhelmed by what I had said in my review and clearly out of his depth.

Back to the point, The Band had literally an incalcuable array of styles they incorporated into their performance during their ten years or so of existence. That a single group could perform such a wide variety of music, from elements of country, folk, rockabilly, occasionally even soul and hard rock, is perhaps most attributable to the individual members that made up the Band, their own disparate interests, and the fact that they all were multi-instrumentalists (save Robertson). This then is the first thing that makes the Band special. It is not that any one of their myriad musical influences originated with them, but rather the several different parts (extraordinarily wide by rock standards) combined to create a truly innovative and unique sound. Certainly unlike anything else going on in the late 60's. This was a group interested in making quality music as opposed to following behind whatever banner of any of the sundry collections of fad rock going on at the time.

The second key ingredient here is the voices. Three lead singers, all unlike each other and pretty much unlike any other voice in rock music at the time. A lot of bands struggle to produce a single interesting vocalist, this group had three. The rough, raspy, southern drawl of Levon Helm complemented the songs he sang in a way that no one else would have been able to ("Dixie" being the supreme example). Rick Danko, somewhat higher than the others, but capable of producing at times an incredibly impassioned delivery (the live version of "It Makes No Difference" off of the Last Waltz). I don't know whether it's coincidental or not, but many newer singers, particularly of the folk/rock sort of persuasion sound to me very reminiscent of Danko. Thirdly, my personal favorite, Richard Manuel. I don't think there's another singer with a wider range than Manuel in the rock/pop genre. Deep and soulful, sometimes deep and menacing. Sometimes high and soulful, sometimes high and menacing. Sometimes everything in between. Many of my favorite songs from the Band owe as much to Manuel's vocals as anything else.

Thirdly, the songwriting. Unique for the time to be sure, but it remains if not singularly unique, at least still warrants praise for its unusual quality and high degree of intelligence. Robertson's songs are historical/literary in nature, but the emphasis is usually on the historical. "The Night They Drive Old Dixie Down", a reaction to the end of the Civil War from the loser's perspective is probably the greatest example. "King Harvest" which deals with the formation of unions in response to labor abuses and more specifically in this case, the smothering of small farmers. Elsewhere, "Across The Great Divide" and "The Unfaithful Servant", although probably not as well known as "Dixie", are nonetheless two of Robertson's finest historical narrative songs in my opinion. Conversely, some tracks place the emphasis on a literary quality, that is a character based lyric. The outstanding example of this, "Rockin' Chair". It is not often that a songwriter of 25, as Robertson was at the time, speculates on old age and a bygone era by virtue of creating a lyric and character in a music performance. Ray Davies of the Kinks is one of the few that I can think of. Also of note is a track that doesn't really fit any of the above descriptions of Robertson's songwriting and that may be because it was co-written by Richard Manuel. The haunting, piano lead "Whispering Pines" is one of the finest and most overlooked Band songs. That's the importance of this album which can't be stressed enough. A compilation won't cover it. You may get the best known ones, but you'll miss out some real gems; "Whispering Pines", "Rockin' Chair", "When You Awake", etc.

The Band Poster

Limited Edition Japanese "Mini Vinyl" CD, faithfully reproduced using original LP artwork including the inner sleeve. Features most recently mastered audio including bonus tracks where applicable.
Popularly known as the "Brown Album," this is the collection people first think of when this august outfit's name is mentioned. The four-parts Canadian, one-part Arkansan quintet's sophomore effort boasts more soon-to-be-staples than any other Band studio recording, what with the likes of the Joan Baez hit "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Across the Great Divide," and "Up on Cripple Creek" standing out among the dozen uniformly memorable tracks. Lesser-known group originals such as the achingly lovely "Whispering Pines" and the cryptic "Unfaithful Servant," however, play crucial roles in giving this 1969 classic its unique flavor. Given the high standard established by The Band and its better-still 1968 predecessor, Music from Big Pink, it's not surprising the Band peaked early as a recording group. As with all the 2000 Band reissues, this remastered reissue boasts a number of bonus tracks, though all but "Get Up Jake" are alternate takes of album selections. --Steven Stolder

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