Dez Record Guides: The Band

Something I said about CSNY awhile back also applies to The Band. Their reputation really rests on their first two phenomenal records. Everything that came after, and there was some good stuff, was viewed in the shadow of those two. The Band were always more beloved by their fellow musicians and critics than they were the general public. You don’t really hear The Band blaring from car radios very much. That’s a shame, they were such a unique group and had a profound effect on their fellow musicians. Eric Clapton has said many times that listening to The Band’s debut was one of the main reasons he broke up Cream. Their organic, earthy music that is out of time (not out of rhythm, but not of any era) hasn’t been replicated, although many have tried. The loose (to be generous) harmonies of Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel were the anti-CSN, yet it worked. Robbie Robertson’s economical yet always tasteful guitar work and songwriting (as much as Helm disputed Robertson’s copyrights) were the groundwork, and then add Garth Hudson’s multi-instrumental brilliance and the funkiest white rhythm section in rock (Helm and Danko), and you see why they earned the right to be simply known as The Band.

Music From Big Pink (1968) *****
From the mysterious, faceless name of the group (Robertson said they liked the name because it was both "humble and presumptuous at the same time"), to their cool factor of being the former backing group for Bob Dylan (who drew the picture on the album cover), people were already predisposed to like these guys. Yet MFBP came out of left field in 1968 and shocked everyone who heard it. It doesn’t sound shocking today because so many people since have followed their lead, but imagine this coming out in the middle of the psychedelic late 60’s. I still don’t know what “The Weight” or “Chest Fever” are even about, but they are awesome.

The Band (1969) *****
The debut was more mysterious and probably had a bigger impact, but this is their best record. From the subject matter of the songs (Civil War stories, dark rural adventures, farmer unionization) to the group photo that looks like it could have been taken in 1869 just as easily as 1969, The Band takes the listener deeper into American roots than anything I’ve ever heard. Not bad for a group of four Canadians and one Arkansas hillbilly (Helm). It is not the surface Americana that is so popular today ("let’s add some acoustic instruments, maybe a banjo or something, and then we can say we are playing roots music"). No, The Band still primarily used rock and roll instrumentation (although liberally augmented by a tuba here, a jew’s harp and mandolin there), the Americana is really in the feeling, the playing, the songwriting.

Stagefright (1970) ***
After the first two records, expectations were impossibly high. Stagefright was seen as a disappointment when it was released, but given the benefit of time and by taking it on its own more modest terms, it is a very good, although not great, record. Robertson is in firm control by this point (according to Helm it was his ruthless dictatorial nature that ruined the band democratic vibe, according to Robertson the group was starting to splinter and somebody had to step up). It is kind of ridiculous to call any record a disappointment when it includes songs like the title track, “The Shape I’m In” and “The Rumor.”

Cahoots (1971) ***
Cahoots is sort of forgotten, but it is good. I like a lot of these songs, and “Life Is a Carnival” lives up to its title with a funky and jubilant horn arrangement courtesy of Allen Toussaint, while the strange Richard Manuel/Van Morrison duet gambler tale “4% Pantomime” is a romp. (One of the more well known tunes is a cover of Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” but Levon Helm’s twangy singing about being in Paris…doesn’t really work for me).

Rock of Ages (live) (1972) ***1/2
A solid live set recorded on New Year’s Eve (even better now that it has been recently remastered and expanded) with some moments of greatness. The Band are in top form, and they are bolstered by a fantastic horn section with arrangements by the great Allen Toussaint. “Don’t Do It” is funky as hell.

Moondog Matinee (1973) **
Ominously, they follow a live (very good) placeholder with a record filled with covers. The well was running dry by this point. The musicianship is top notch, of course, and some of these are spirited and fun. But there is really no point.

Live at Watkins Glen (live) (1973/1995) NR

ABOVE: Performing with Bob Dylan. The Band (minus Levon Helm who took a break) backed Dylan on his first electric tour in the mid-60's. Folk purists booed Dylan and the group, but in the process the Band helped Dylan change the face of rock music.

Before the Flood (live) (with Bob Dylan) (1974) ****
Both Dylan and The Band were in slumps at this time, so why not join forces once again and try and bolster each other’s fortunes with a big tour and live record? Why not, indeed, when the results are this good. There is nothing new here, but the performances are incendiary in places, and the Dylan songs (with The Band backing him) are especially spirited.

The Basement Tapes (with Bob Dylan) (1967/1975) ***
Some time after The Band (sans Helm) had backed Dylan on his game changing electric tour in the mid-60's, Bob and the boys retreated to the woods of New York to hang out and loosely record. Before it saw official release in ’75, these sessions were perhaps the most bootlegged sessions in rock. In fact, it was the prevalence of the bootlegs that convinced the parties involved, “why the hell not, let’s put it out.” These songs are loose, fun, some are simply goofs, but with the people involved at this time in their lives, there are also some great songs here too almost by accident.

Northern Lights – Southern Cross (1975) ***
Hailed at the time of release as a triumphant return to form, I think it is merely a good record. There are some great songs that live up to their best material (the jubilant “Ophelia,” the devastating “It Makes No Difference,” which is Rick Danko’s finest vocal moment, and the Cajun historical epic “Acadian Driftwood”), but there is also a bit of well played filler here too. Part of the excitement was that it was the first set of original studio material released since 1971.

Islands (1977) *
Can you say “contract obligation?” They had already finished the huge Last Waltz project, but wanted to release it on Warner Brothers, but they still owed Capitol one more record. So with that inspiration came Islands. An odds ‘n sods collection of second rate, hastily assembled new material and leftovers.

The Last Waltz (live) (with guests) (1976/1978/2002) *****
Certainly ambitious, Robbie Robertson decided that he wanted to call it quits at least as a touring band, and so put together this final live bash, complete with Thanksgiving dinner served to the fans. He got buddy Martin Scorsese to film it, and the result is, in my view, the greatest music documentary ever made. Some of the other Band members, notably Levon Helm, did not agree with Robbie’s decision, and the tension is clear in the non-musical parts of the doc. But the chemistry is still there onstage. Helm was also angry with how Manuel and Danko were portrayed, but you can argue that they knew the cameras were rolling and that was them being them. The fragile wreck that Manuel had become is certainly sad and disturbing, and Helm never forgave Robertson or Scorsese for exploiting Manuel’s condition for their “vanity project.” Regardless, the music is exemplary, with The Band roaring through their own classics and then backing an amazing list of guests on some of their own tunes, like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Ronnie Hawkins, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, Paul Butterfield, Dr. John, Bobby Charles. That list of artists is a testament to the respect The Band had from their fellow artists. Getting such cagey artists as Dylan, Young and Morrison to agree to show up for anything? I love the stories of Neil Diamond talking trash to Dylan before he went on. The expanded box set released in 2002 is the one to get.

ABOVE: Troubled Richard Manuel could sing like a soulful angel, but he was not in good shape by the time The Last Waltz was filmed and recorded.

Jericho (1993) **
High on the Hog (1996) **
Jubilation (1998) **
Richard Manuel was dead (from a 1986 suicide in a Florida motel room) and Robbie Robertson was involved in his own solo career and not on speaking terms with Levon Helm, but Helm, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson decided to carry on in the 1990’s under The Band’s moniker. The result is, as always, well played, but fairly uninteresting. The high point, by miles, is an outstanding cover of Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” that even outdoes The Boss. Danko’s death in ’99 put an official end to any future Band activity, and Helm died in 2012.

Selected Compilations:
There are several available. The only one that was released during their 70’s heyday was The Best of The Band (1976) ****, and while it is a bit short and missing a couple of essentials like “Chest Fever” and “Acadian Driftwood,” it actually flows and works really well as a piece. The Best of the Band, vol. II (1999) ** focuses exclusively on the 90’s material, and is not necessary but a good place to go if you are curious. Just download “Atlantic City” and you are fine for the 90’s. Greatest Hits (2000) ***** is a nearly perfect single disc overview (although it is missing “Twilight”). But I would recommend diving into the deep end with the box set A Musical History (2005) *****, which is everything a high end box set should be. Five discs of music, a DVD of rare performances, and a beautiful book. Nearly forty of the tracks are rare or previously unreleased, and there are some real gems in there.

Solo Work:
All of the members released solo work or collaborated with others. Robbie Robertson is the only one that I have followed extensively, and I really admire him for not trying to recreate The Band vibe. In fact, sonically, it is about as far away from the gritty, earthy sound of his former group as he could get. Instead, he went down the route of being heavily produced, using extensive programming and synthesizer work, etc. I like his first two solo records the best, Robbie Robertson (1987) **** and Storyville (1991) ***1/2. His debut opens with a gorgeous tribute to Richard Manuel, “Fallen Angel,” featuring some otherworldly harmony vocals from Peter Gabriel.

Bottom Line:
The first two records are essential in their entirety. I would also highly recommend both the film and box set for The Last Waltz. After that, you can be much more selective, Greatest Hits would fill most of the rest of the holes. Or, you can just go grab A Musical History and Last Waltz and be done with it.