Favourite Member Of The Band

[Niko]

I love the inclusion of Rick's entire performance of "When You Awake". That (and all the solo shots of Garth doing the spider fingers thing) really made the documentary for me.

Not that the rest of the movie wasn't great 

[Lonely Summer]

Even though they announced they were retiring from "the road" (Robbie makes 16 years sound like a hundred! And I have to wonder if Dylan had that in mind when the opening line of his next album was "16 years"...), supposedly The Band would continue to make records. At least that's the way it was told at the time. Well, Robbie may have had his share of live performing, but Levon and Rick went right back out - Levon with the RCO All Stars, and Rick with Paul Butterfield. And eventually the guys reunited minus Robbie. But I guess it's no shock they never recorded with Robbie again.

[hypehat]

I have mixed feelings about Robbie's decision to cut The Band short.

Like, when he talks about how horrible and destructive 'the road' is, he's almost certainly not talking about himself. Richard was essentially comatose drunk at this point, Levon & Rick were reportedly dabbling in heroin, EVERYONE was on coke (although I can't imagine Garth on coke...), and they were creatively spent. Islands was supposed to be the first release of the new 'studio era' of The Band and it's, well, lazy. At best. Their last album was only eight songs long, and whilst it has some corkers... eight songs? And it took them long enough to record!

I guess Robbie wanted to get them back to a clubhouse style of recording. Big Pink, The Band, Stage Fright were all recorded in that loose style. Shangri-La was supposed to be that. Instead, they just used it as a clubhouse.

But that's not what Levon and Rick wanted (I can't recall reading that Manuel felt too strongly either way, I guess he was too far gone and Garth was happy wigging out on his keyboards anywhere I suppose so long as he could keep up the maniacal side projects he'd grown accustomed to). They wanted to keep playing live, as they enjoyed it. And Robertson decided to just pull the plug abruptly.

I guess maybe it was the right decision pragmatically but Robertsons execution (pun slightly intended) made everyone hate his guts for the way it went down and ensured they'd never play with him again.

But on a happier note,

Everyone should check out this acoustic performance by Rick (guitar) and Levon (mandolin/harmonica), which is exceedingly cool - loads of folk and country tunes, along with ripping versions of It Makes No Difference, Down South In New Orleans, and Rag Mama Rag. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbH5MkKuMkI

(It sounds a bit watery but if you put it up to 480p it sorts itself out)

[feelsflow]

Well, at least there is a happier note!  Thanks for the link.

[Al Jardine: Pick Up Artist]

I don't really have a favorite member (unless Helm is to be believed and Robbie is a total ass in which case screw him) but I've been listening to "The Weight" for literally days on endless repeat and I just cannot stop. It is SUCH A GOOD SONG. Obscenely good.

[halblaineisgood]

I've been listening to "The Weight" for literally days on endless repeat and I just cannot stop. It is SUCH A GOOD SONG. Obscenely good.

I think we've all been there. Sounds like me 10 years ago.  I wish I would've made it easier on my friends though, and occasionally listened thru headphones.  I found out years later that everyone was annoyed with me. I was constantly listening to that song.   

[Niko]

I just had the pleasure of introducing the song to someone just a few hours ago. I envied them getting listening to the song for the first time. Wish I could do that again

[JK]

I just had the pleasure of introducing the song to someone just a few hours ago. I envied them getting listening to the song for the first time. Wish I could do that again

Right. I first heard it (well, half of it) on Radio Luxembourg in 1968, not long after seeing it in the US charts. That's something I'll never forget...

And----how about this documentary, just as good in its way as The Last Waltz?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxCCqzHG2yY

[Niko]

Festival Express ROCKS. Seriously, that performance of Slippin and Slidin is so lovely, I wish I could have seen The Band live and in their prime 

[Niko]

I voted for Danko but now I want to vote for Richard. Someone help me because he is the real Band member. and the greatest

I wish there were more interviews with him out there. He's really funny in The Last Waltz.

[feelsflow]

I watched the DVD that came with the Musical History box last Saturday night.  It adds two tracks that were left off Festival Express, "Rockin' Chair" and "Long Black Veil."

[Ovi]

I voted for Danko but now I want to vote for Richard. Someone help me because he is the real Band member. and the greatest

I wish there were more interviews with him out there. He's really funny in The Last Waltz.

I voted for Danko too, but Richard's my favourite at the moment. He has that 'tortured genius' vibe to him. When do you think his voice started deteriorating? I hear it as early as Moondog Matinee (and Rock of Ages for that matter, but I don't think judging on live performance is really fair).

Almost finished reading the Across The Great Divide book. Fascinating stuff. One of the bigger shockers was the part with Robbie and Scorsese becoming coke-sharing, wild-partying bff-s. Was totally unaware of that. I mean, the whole book presented Robbie as the exact opposite of that. Think I'll pick Levon's book too.

[Ovi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blz_sef-jj4&hd=1

Also, this is too much...possibly my favourite song ever.

[Ovi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGrucjh971k&hd=1

...and this is a surprisingly good performance for such a late year. From the period he was sober after Last Waltz I'm guessing?

[Niko]

I voted for Danko too, but Richard's my favourite at the moment. He has that 'tortured genius' vibe to him. When do you think his voice started deteriorating? I hear it as early as Moondog Matinee (and Rock of Ages for that matter, but I don't think judging on live performance is really fair).

It was a pretty slow decline I thinks...every year his voice had more 'grit'. It was in good shape for the Rock of Ages (they did 3 nights, all of their voices sound a bit tired at different points). Before The Flood, even worse condition but not bad. In between Before the Flood and The Last Waltz was really the cut off point between his two states as a singer. After that he really couldn't manage lead falsetto...poor guy. His songs were so great.

Almost finished reading the Across The Great Divide book. Fascinating stuff. One of the bigger shockers was the part with Robbie and Scorsese becoming coke-sharing, wild-partying bff-s. Was totally unaware of that. I mean, the whole book presented Robbie as the exact opposite of that. Think I'll pick Levon's book too.

Ooh, I just finished Levon's and I'm looking to pick up a copy of Great Divide. We should swap. He shares some ridiculous stories...and I now have some mixed feelings about Robbie Robertson. Levon trashes him quite a lot from the Last Waltz onwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blz_sef-jj4&hd=1

Also, this is too much...possibly my favourite song ever.

This is one of those things where I feel lucky to be able to watch this...I'm thankful it exists.

Same goes for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9M4azk6-GM
BRILLIANCE>>>

[Niko]

The Band is addicting. The only group I like more would be the BBs. I've gone through pretty much every Band song out there, so I think I'll have to content myself to listening through live bootlegs.

[Niko]

Garth plays away the festival rainstorm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jAmAGyTDI

[Niko]

It isn't true Robbie's mic is off on The Last Waltz. You can hear him sometimes.

[Ovi]

The Band is addicting. The only group I like more would be the BBs. I've gone through pretty much every Band song out there, so I think I'll have to content myself to listening through live bootlegs.

Nice to see you so passionate, Niko. 'Rockin' Chair' is another huge fav of mine as well. I remember one night in Jan/Feb before an exam being stressed out of my mind (other things were going on in my life as well). At one point I just said "f*** it", lit one, sat back and played the brown album. I was absolutely mesmerized when Rockin' Chair came on - the vocals, the little guitar flourishes, the background vocals in the chorus, the accordion, the mandolin - everything was just perfect (I had  played the album many times before that, but somehow never listened to this song with full attention). I replied it over and over again almost forgetting that there was more of the album left. In retrospect the rest of the night is kinda blurry, but the song still hits the spot every time I play it.

And while we're at Manuel-sung videos, here's the one that made me a fan in the first place:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ore6K3ESTLc&hd=1

I've never been a fan of the way they approach it during the Last Waltz show. That all-join-in, sing-together type of stuff...just doesn't fit the atmosphere and the lyrical content of the song at all. Dylan has been doing the same with Knockin' On Heaven's Door, another tune that works much better when sung from a perspective of a desperate, isolated person on the verge of collapsing, rather than a bunch of coked-up rock-stars singing at the top of their lungs.

[halblaineisgood]

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[halblaineisgood]

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[Niko]

Each member is so good I could turn my account into a fanboy tribute to any of them. Tomorrow I could be "Beard Fever" as a tribute to Garth's beard and that unearthly organ riff. My photo could be a beard playing the organ with it's fibers, presumably Chest Fever being the go to song for any Garth-esque beard to be rockin'. The caption underneath could be "Garth the Marth" and would make no sense, like something Garth might say to be funny, cuz he did give that really long speech at the R&R HoF ceremony for The Band right after saying "I'll make this quick." Then I'd put "I'll make this quick. And fast!" somewhere else on my profile.

[Niko]

For Rick I would be "Danko Unchained".

[halblaineisgood]

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[Niko]

Maybe you could be the Blondie analog to my Rickie.