The Band.

And I can't believe you dissed "The Last Waltz" on the other thread, Matos - everybody knows the guest spots are mostly cack (they should have instituted a ban on performances by anyone named Neil) and Robbie was a douche, but "Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" should be proof enough that Fleetwood Mac AND Outkast together are not fit to lick Levon Helm's boots when it comes to adding brass bands to your sound for fun and profit(!!! Yeeeahh)

this isn't what i was trying to say, exactly; i was asserting (as i guess i had done on the other thread, but i forgot about that) that without having an ideological program necessarily they had a specific approach to arranging and recording and mixing which later became identified with a certain subgenre of rock music that is often called "rootsy"

i dunno about "authenticity" (a power word that doesn't really clear anything up) but robertson et al were certainly going for a certain "rooted" sense of americana, a music with a strong sense of history, and like ccr they were selfconsciously tapping into an existing mythology, adding to it besides (ccr was both more monomaniacal and i think even more successful in this regard)

i guess there was a kind of low-key program at work, perhaps not charged with the reactionary values that much subsequent "rootsy" music has adopted but purposeful and willful nonetheless

there's an interesting dynamic involved, however, that Barney Hoskins' Band book explored, that to the members of the Band, the cultures they were tapping in their music were both alien and natural to them, and the extent to which they were scholarly exploring these genres and musics, and simultaneously the closeness they felt to them (thinking mostly here of levon's arkansas roots). so their music was simultaneously an exercise in attempted authenticity, and imaginative explorations of genres they revered.

lately i've been spinning 'Rockin' Chair' a lot - love the heartsick, pleading sound of manuel's vocals, the absence of drums, the entwined mandolin and guitar, and the way the lyrics shift between 'downhome' nostalgia and a kind of resigned dread: these lines are especially devastating

Hear the sound, Willie Boy,
The Flyin' Dutchman's on the reef.
It's my belief
We've used up all our time,
This hill's to steep to climb,
And the days that remain ain't worth a dime.

god i love the band soo much

Great song

so is this really the only thread? or just a impediment of searching "The Band"?

i've been rather obsessed lately, mostly w/ the first three records. but i'm thinking of digging around for the others on the cheap. challop: Stage Fright is every bit as good as the first two. "The Rumor" and "Sleeping" are heartbreakingly awesome.

and hey, anyone remember this POS?: http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/videos/robbie-robertson/485778-811823-1

certainly some of the most creative and breathtaking uses of time signature changes in rock/popular music imo.

<3<3<3Levon @ 2:58 - "maybe they won't, you know i sure hope they don't"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8Pt_ZkGg8I

this other thread is mentioned above: Classic Or Dud: The Band
certainly some of the most creative and breathtaking uses of time signature changes in rock/popular music imo.
this is otm -- for being known as such a "down-home, authentic, straightahead" their songs are hard as fuck to play. i mean, there's straight up rockabilly, but also new orleans + appalachian + country rhythms going on, sometimes all in the same song.

:D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_hsp4SBwO4

-aha, i knew there had to be another thread...

Absolutely brilliant music, especially Music From Big Pink, The Band, The Basement Tapes & Dylan live 1966 recordings.

this is otm -- for being known as such a "down-home, authentic, straightahead" their songs are hard as fuck to play. i mean, there's straight up rockabilly, but also new orleans + appalachian + country rhythms going on, sometimes all in the same song.

― tylerw, Thursday, April 29, 2010 2:57 PM (57 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

garth hudson was classically trained and i really think some of his modern classical influences are apparent as well, esp in stuff like the genetic method, but little bits of a lot of songs i can hear stuff like ives and copeland etc

there was also this poll: The Band poll

how funny, i thought this was a new thread...

http://i50.tinypic.com/2eam8n4.gif
hey check out the maine's new shirt at hot topic today ! :D
http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Apparel/TShirts/BandTees/The-Maine-Target-SlimFit-TShirt-972970.jsp

what a rag mama rag

king spam (has surely come)

D:

has anyone explored band members' post-Band solo stuff? or want to rep for the post-Robertson era records? I've only heard bits and pieces. Danko's first record has some gems. And I know I've heard a couple Levon Helm records. Never pulled the trigger on any of Garth Hudson's recent solo things. every robbie robertson record i've heard has been terrible.

I've long been intrigued by Robbie's solo records based on the glowing reviews in the 1990-era Rolling Stone review guide, but never enough to buy them (I've never even seen them in a store). I guess they're not great? Aren't they Lanois productions? I guess I know what I'd be in for. Does Robbie actually sing?

yeah they are the kind of records that rolling stone would give a good review to

they are very lanois

robbie cannot sing for shit

yeah, he's not a great singer. and the songs are pretty weak too, at least on the s/t record. lanois production is just the icing on the crap.

the bono duet is pretty lol

http://archive.gg.ca/media/pho/galleryPics/1340.jpg

is that a recent pic? if so, robbie has actually aged pretty well!
seems funny to me: he's a fucking unbelievable guitarist (listen to Live 1966!) but i wonder if he even touches his guitar anymore. doesn't seem like he guests on other people's records or anything.

i like the story about robbie joining the hawks, and the departing guitarist teaching him the wrong way to play harmonics or whatever out of spite. ends up backfiring, becoming an awesome robertson "trademark" or whatever.

i'm talking about those "popping" sounds, (like in the solo of "king harvest" on rock of ages)

from 2006; he looks pretty straight!

never forget:

I mean, years on the road.
The numbers start to scare you.

I couldn't live with years on the road.

I don't think I could even discuss it.

listening to Moondog Matinee, pretty tight record! seems like no one gives it the time of day, since it's covers, but it is a lot of fun. not as straightforward as it might seem on the surface (is that a vocoder on helm's voice on "ain't got no home"?!) "Share Your Love" has a pretty classic Manuel vocal. anyhoo, if you see it for a buck on vinyl, totally worth it.

also, this "mystery train" is as close to cosmic disco as the Band ever got. there should be a 12-minute Tom Moulton remix. Someone make it happen.

Band fans should really seek out the s/t LP by Bobby Charles. Garth Hudson, Levon Helm, Dr. John, I think Danko too? and Richard Manuel? Great record, imo.

http://theheatwarps.blogspot.com/2008/02/bobby-charles.html

yeah, that's a classic from start to finish.

yes on Bobby Charles---"Tennessee Blues" is a stone cold classic for sure. His album Wish You Were Here Right Now is pretty great too, with a smoking "The Jealous Kind" (which he wrote, despite the Joe Cocker version being the famous one) & with Neil Young guesting.

It's funny that I only know four songs off Moondog Matinee, off the box set A Musical History, &you mentioned three of them, Tyler. I like that "Mystery Train"!

yeah, that mystery train is great! some kinda sun records gone disco thing.

fucking the best

yes!

totally regret never going to see Rick Danko in the late 90s -- he played a bunch in upstate NY in random places. could never convince anyone at school with a car to drive me. curses!

aw man. RIP, rick.

say whaaaa http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/robert-pattinson-says-hell-be-starring-in-a-movie-about-seminal-rockers-the-band-20120524
Pattinson also dropped this little bit of info: "I'm going to do a movie about The Band, the one that played with [Bob] Dylan. [It's] a beautiful script about the nature of songwriting."
in other news, the classic albums doc about the making of The Band is on netflix streaming now. Watched it last night, recommended, if only for the scenes of Levon at the mixing desk.

Making Of seconded, for same reason

Thirded. Also love John Simon's perspective on Band arrangements as analogous to those of the Ellington orchestra.

yeah, simon seems to be a big part of the band saga -- i think he actually asked them if he could be a member at some point and they turned him down!

RR told him "we already have two piano players"! Also never paid him any producer royalties until JS held him up when they asked him to do The Last Waltz. At which point RR's accountants wrote him a lump sum check and told him they would give it to him if he agreed never to ask for any more ever.

ha, that blows. i guess he and levon had some commiserating to do when they filmed the doc, then.

A decent part of Levon's book is "Let's let John Simon tell you how it was."

I would watch a biopic about The Band, even with Robert Pattinson. It sort of makes sense, his girlfriend was in a Runaways Biopic.

Right but this was weird demo about a dog that seems to be clearly from that period. Plus voice sounded like Richard Manuel whose photo is also on screen immediately afterwards.

Dominique is even referred to as Dominique Robertson. Maybe she kept her married name after divorce, not that it’s any of my business really. Not even sure how I knew they were divorced except for rock and roll Last Waltz extrapolation and various photos of Robbie plus arm candy du jour.

“Kickin’ My Dog Around”

Hint to Tom D: it wasn’t Peter Gabriel what said that either

Considering bird's tales of regal demands re mixes, somebody up or down there might dig this serving ov the 50th Anniversary Larks' Tongues In Aspic:

...This set comprises two blu-ray audio discs and two CDs. The first blu-ray contains Steven Wilson’s brand new Dolby Atmos Mix which is described as “more expansive than the earlier mixes as released in 2012, while still retaining and enhancing the core power of the original material”. Since Wilson’s Atmos process involves going back to the multi-track tapes and first building a new stereo mix and then a 5.1 surround mix, we are presented with three brand news mixes for this product.

While Steven was working on this aspect of the material Alex R. Mundy and David Singleton were mixing every single take of the original studio sessions. These unreleased early takes are presented not as traditionally blended pieces, but with maximum separation, with the idea being to mimic “the experience of sitting in the studio with the individual elements being performed around you”.

David Singleton’s ‘Elemental mixes’ apply this same approach to the main album takes to give a fresh view on the familiar, with the focus often falling in unusual places, some originally hidden, some unused. Four of the album’s core tracks feature: extended mixes of ‘Larks’ 1’ and ‘Talking Drum’ along with ‘Easy Money’ and ‘Larks’ 2’. This material is also on the first blu-ray alongside Wilson’s three mixes and some instrumental mixes.

Thanks to the capacity of the blu-ray audio format, the second blu-ray disc contains the complete recordings of every session recorded for the album. As stated, all of this material has been newly mixed from the original performances and is presented on disc for the first time in hi-res 24/96 stereo. This second blu-ray also includes the original stereo mixes of the album and David Singleton’s audio documentary of the album recording Keep That One, Nick. These are the sole previously released elements in this package (both were included in the 2012 box set).

As if all that’s not enough, there’s two CDs. The first includes the 2023 stereo mix and instrumentals of the album and the second offers the elemental mixes and selected master reels...

All that talk about his first wife made me wonder what his second wife might be like. This seems to give us a pretty good idea:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cpsa5pPrGcy/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Ask Greil today ends with quite the kicker.

Ha, Robbie himself talks a bit about that in his WTF episode

https://greilmarcus.substack.com/p/ask-greil-september-5-2023

Dalton sings Manuel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr46KHgjkso

Manuel sings and/or writes lyrics about Dalton, 'tis long said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxRsiO8KdKg

Never knew about this, but Dylan apparently wanted the reunited Band (without Robbie but with Richard still alive) to back him in 1986 - they didn't because their manager nixed the idea.

This is according to Jim Weider in a new interview.

That's a really interesting interview, thanks for posting.

Yes, enjoyed reading that.