Levon Helm

I've read Levon's book--have an autographed copy, even. It's worth reading just because you get a sense of how they developed outside the normal channels of '60s rock. They earned what I think is their smugness (seen to great effect in "Last Waltz," which is a good film and which actually makes me like Joni Mitchell's "Coyote"). OK, they did indeed see Sonny Boy Williamson spit blood into a cup--but they come across like they're the fucking torchbearers of the "real thing" and it's kind of awful, actually. Robertson's the one who comes across like a total asshole in that film.

Also, they didn't make too much good stuff after 1969--I like parts of "Northern Cross" and their take on "Third Man Theme" is nice. Parts of the Toussaint-arranged live album is good. What a waste, though--they could outplay anyone on their best days and they opted for settling into that Americana crap, they never really advanced at all. And honestly, "Big Pink" doesn't sound the same to me any more, something wrong there. "Great" but now I get a bad feeling from that music, which might be the point.

"Richard had the ability to go (points finger upward) 'eeeee!''
"Garth, dressing it up"

Eric Clapton talking about Richard Manuel saying something like "The guy had this amazing energy, this amazing negative energy, so you would feel yourself drawn to him, even if he were cringing in the corner of the room."

Rick Danko:
I think what happened to him was that once he got the monkey off his back, he started overeating as a way of compensating and put a lot of strain on his heart.

To me there was something visually very striking about the way Rick played bass. Did anybody else flap their elbow as much as he did?

"Makes No Difference"!

fill at 2:14-2:16 is just sweet as fuck if you love the Band, which I do:

i love levon

is that from Festival Express?

another check in the "rock dudes who use traditional grip" column

Shooter cameo - A+++++++

such a great drummer.

fuck he rules.

that fill is fabulous, propelling him into the chorus, the sticks literally jumping with his excitement about joining voices with his brothers.

another check in the "rock dudes who use traditional grip" column

― Tracy Michael Jordan Catalano (Jordan), Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:09 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

also bun e carlos

really? looked up some videos and he's playing matched, although i didn't know that he's left-handed and plays that way sometimes (me too).

ah maybe i mistook lefthandedness for trad grip

Who's heard Electric Dirt? I never knew he released an album in 2007, reading some reviews on the new one got me inclined to pick it up.

erm, shouldn't be this on ILM?

"Dear Friends,
Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey.

Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration... he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage...

We appreciate all the love and support and concern.
From his daughter Amy, and wife Sandy"

not super surprising, considering the last decade or so but still sad.

I had tickets to his show this Friday, which just got cancelled. I assumed it was because of the slipped disc in his back, but fuck, this fucking sucks.

;_;

didn't realize this thread was ILE...maybe it should be moved to ILM?

anyway, what an amazing musician. such a cool, unique drummer, in addition to having one of the great voices of the last half-century or so.

This Wheel's On Fire was a rough read. Ride that mystery train, Levon.

Oh shit. This guy is all time. I have a picture of him hanging in my living room.

;_;

Love this guy.

He's going to be missed. Many of my friends have traveled to Marvell or Woodstock to shake his hand. Hopefully he knows he's appreciated.

always seemed like a guy who lived for music, loved performing -- just watching those Last Waltz interview clips, you can tell how little he cared for mythmaking in the way Robertson did.

^ this. I mean, the guy bailed on Dylan's 1966 tour and worked on an oil rig. "What? They were booing us. I didn't like being booed."

Once you read Levon's book, you learn how a bunch of Canadians were able to pass as Americans.

Damn. <3 Helm forever

One of the all-time greats.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/575278_10150709017903528_99136623527_9668601_1869317415_n.jpg

:(

my brother and i were listening to Big Pink last weekend and just marveling at what a *different* sound all of those guys made together. even though they were certainly influential on their peer group and beyond, I don't know if anything else really sounds like them. for a while there anyway, the creativity level was insanely high.

A fucking great musician with the sort of love for the whole huge world of music that leaves a huge impact on others, on how they experience music. An underpraised singer.

so many great voices in the band and levons was the most memorable

one of my favorite musicians of all time. i'm really sad at the moment.

the band doing buddy holly's "slippin' and slidin'" on festival express, goddamn levon what a great drummer and singer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZu6NucfLHM&feature=related

xp i don't know, generally my favorite singer in the Band is whoever's singing at the time. they're all so amazing. but yeah, such a wealth of talent there.

^^i mean the drumming on that is SO GOOD

yeah, i mean the dude is a serious compendium of key american drumming styles -- new orleans, rockabilly, country, soul, blues, he covers it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFgyD3Uk1JQ&feature=related

also for some reason i always find it way more impressive when awesome drummers can sing at the same time than when ppl that play other instruments sing at the same time, though i guess i don't know why i think that's different

damn :(

surprised he's made it this long, but still v sad news.

With Helm, it's the way the his voice is simply not effected by what his left hand is doing -- he'd smack the back beat HARD and just behind the beat enough, but he could still sing in a different, straighter style right on top of it when he wanted to. That's impressive.

not an expert on his solo album, but I've got this one, it's a good bbq record
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_95DOmt9Bc&feature=related

levon had a great laugh too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgVxszM42DI&feature=related
check about 1:25

the greatest drummer w/ the greatest group

a sweet bonus track from one of those reissues a few years back. beautifully vulnerable vocal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cymLzaDFPPs

this is also good
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lquomjz4jV1qzy30io1_500.jpg

err, 'Levon,' obvs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fusKcZjj7dg

Iirc, Mercury Rev is actually from or was based around Woodstock, right? I think I heard that they would see Garth and Levon at the grocery store, and just one day asked them if they wanted to sit in.

Yeah they have a whole upstate NY thing - formed in Buffalo, Dave Fridmanns studio is in Cassadaga NY, Jonathan Donahue and Grasshopper were in the Catskills when working on Deserters Songs, not sure where but close enough to connect with those guys

https://richardsmanuel.tumblr.com/post/121183926169

aw man <3

I was going to add ^get out your handkerchiefs

There are some videos on Libby Titus's instagram of his other stepfather, Donald Fagen, setting in with him, the kid I mean.

Okay, I just read Ezra Titus's obituary. Really get out your handkerchiefs for that if you choose to click.

I guess you can read the same thing here if that goes away: http://theband.hiof.no/updates_2009.html

Is there a clear winner among the Helm solo albums?

I usually hear fans say his last two are his best. Just a heads up, his voice won't be what it once was, but considering that he wasn't sure if he would ever sing again, it's kind of miraculous by that standard.