Favourite Member Of The Band

[Ovi]

I'm listening to 'Music from Big Pink' for the first time just as I'm typing this. Just out of curiosity, can someone point out to me which members sings lead on each song?

Better late than never. This, to the best of my knowledge, is the run-down (corrections welcome):

"Tears of Rage"----Richard
"To Kingdom Come"----Robbie
"In a Station"----Richard
"Caledonia Mission----Rick, Richard's falsetto added in verses
"The Weight"----Levon (first 3 verses), Rick (fourth verse), Rick/Levon (fifth verse), Richard's falsetto added in choruses
"We Can Talk"----Richard/Rick/Levon
"Long Black Veil"----Rick
"Chest Fever"----Richard/Rick/Levon
"Lonesome Suzie"----Richard
"This Wheel's on Fire"----Rick
"I Shall Be Released"----Richard 

According to biographer Barney Hoskyns, whose Across the Great Divide supplied much of the above information, "In The Band's staple three-part harmony, Richard's falsetto sat on top, Rick was in the middle, and Levon lay on the bottom."

Cheers for that, man. I've learned to recognize their voices in the meantime, but I appreciate it anyways. I've been obsessed with the first two Band albums ever since I wrote that post. Just incredible music and incredible blend of talents and personalities.

Also found this useful section on a Band website called 'Who Plays What Instruments' : http://www.geocities.jp/hideki_wtnb/bandplay.html

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

According to biographer Barney Hoskyns, whose Across the Great Divide supplied much of the above information, "In The Band's staple three-part harmony, Richard's falsetto sat on top, Rick was in the middle, and Levon lay on the bottom."

I'm a huge fan of The Band. Every one of the members was unique, fantastically talented, and essential to the group mix. 

One of my favorite documentary clips of them is right here, where Levon and John Simon play back Rockin' Chair (one of my favorite Band tunes) and Levon analyzes Richard's singing and the group's harmony mix on the chorus. Well worth a few minutes of your time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLTZGTlRTus

[JK]

According to biographer Barney Hoskyns, whose Across the Great Divide supplied much of the above information, "In The Band's staple three-part harmony, Richard's falsetto sat on top, Rick was in the middle, and Levon lay on the bottom."

I'm a huge fan of The Band. Every one of the members was unique, fantastically talented, and essential to the group mix. 

One of my favorite documentary clips of them is right here, where Levon and John Simon play back Rockin' Chair (one of my favorite Band tunes) and Levon analyzes Richard's singing and the group's harmony mix on the chorus. Well worth a few minutes of your time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLTZGTlRTus

Levon is pretty well in ecstacy!----and who can blame him? The whole documentary is really something. As Hoskyns says, how many bands are there with such an even distribution of talent? I'd certainly place Free in that category. What others are there? It might make an interesting topic.

Thanks for that link, Ovi. Looks like I'll be spending a few minutes of my time there too.  :=)     

[Ovi]

Voted for Danko, I just LOVE his voice. His backing vocals on the 'The Weight' are the very first thing that caught my attention when I started listening to 'Music From Big Pink'. 'Long Black Veil' and 'Unfaithful Servant' are my two favourite Band songs at the moment.

[JK]

Curiously, this poster of The Band crops
up in a beautiful Dutch children's book
about two mice, Sam and Julia, who live
in a Mouse Mansion...   

[Niko]

I'd like to suggest you the gentle man known as 'Pops' Staples be added...because while my vote goes to Rick Danko for the same 'man crush' reasons as listed earlier, I'm pretty I'd have to vote for Pops if he were added in.



Look at how beautiful and gentle he is! He was actually inducted into the R&R HoF on the merits of his own band, The Staple Singers.

[Ovi]

Can anyone recommend a good book on The Band?

[Niko]

Get a copy of 'Wheel's On Fire" written by Levon Helm. It's very telling - things like Robbie's mic being turned off for The Last Waltz 

http://www.amazon.com/This-Wheels-Fire-Levon-Story/dp/1556524056

[JK]

Get a copy of 'Wheel's On Fire" written by Levon Helm. It's very telling - things like Robbie's mic being turned off for The Last Waltz 

http://www.amazon.com/This-Wheels-Fire-Levon-Story/dp/1556524056

No slur on Levon, but Barney Hoskyns' Across the Great Divide is a more objective read. Highly recommended.

[feelsflow]

yes, Barney's book is much better.  He is one of The reasons I kept buying MOJO mag. for years after the internet made such short form information redundant.  Barney Hoskyns is one of the best writers of 60's/70's era books.  I still buy books, I'm reading Ian and Jon's concert book right now.  Excellent it is.  I read both of Hoskyns' books on the Southern California scene a couple of years ago, Hotel California and Waiting for the Sun, well worth your time.

Levon's book is okay, but take it with a grain of salt.  Said salt foaming on Levon's open wounds.  Anything he said about Robbie was channeled through very hard feelings.  One thing I do agree with him on about Robbie:  All the other members should have been given more writing credits.  Robbie wrote sketches, the others filled in the blanks.  I don't doubt that many of the lyrics were influenced by the stories Levon was, ahem, ramblin' on about.  They weren't just players, following Robbie's vision.  I don't think Garth ever got a credit.  Publishing matters.  It looked damn strange when his name started to be the only one listed, while the music sounded the same.  Then Robbie's solo material sounded quite different.

[Lonely Summer]

Levon also grumbled about how the Band members came across on screen in the Last Waltz, which  I find amusing, because I think Levon and Rick come off very well in the film, even Garth in his own way, although he didn't get nearly as much screen time. Levon was quite the storyteller. Robbie wanted to be the star of that film, but Levon is just such a natural on camera, talking about growing up in the south, and his musical influences, and then there's that mischevious little boy Rick, can't help but love him.

[hypehat]

Can anyone recommend a good book on The Band?

Yeah, Barney Hoskyn's book is the one to get. Levon's (ghostwritten) autobiography has lots of cool sh*t about his youth and the early days but it gets a bit vague the further on you get into it.


I can't believe I didn't mention this at the time, but;

1) The Last Waltz version of Don't Do It is straight fire, it's pure funk, everyone going for broke, even Robbie's last solo sounds like he spent all his tricks and is going on sheer cocaine/adrenaline. Levon and Rick sing it like a suicide note.

2) The version on the boxset of the last waltz is obviously studio created - a boot of The Last Waltz shows that they didn't have the horns, or half of the vocal performances, bass, etc.

The ultimate failure of the last waltz is that in the attempt to show The Band as a truly great entity of 'authentic' music, they went back and f***ed with everything that the five men onstage actually did - "your last show wasn't good enough, do it again!"
Scorcese fucks with this notion of authenticity by showing the very nature of actually trying to film a band, from Rick trying to accommodate Scorcs in the cuthroat bit to Robertson requesting that he say bits of his interviews again so they sound more definitive.   

But I'll just play Don't Do It again....

[JK]

I can't believe I didn't mention this at the time, but;

1) The Last Waltz version of Don't Do It is straight fire, it's pure funk, everyone going for broke, even Robbie's last solo sounds like he spent all his tricks and is going on sheer cocaine/adrenaline. Levon and Rick sing it like a suicide note.

2) The version on the boxset of the last waltz is obviously studio created - a boot of The Last Waltz shows that they didn't have the horns, or half of the vocal performances, bass, etc.

But I'll just play Don't Do It again....

hypehat, do you have a link to the hornless, untampered-with version? I can only find the Rock of Ages-style arrangement...   

I remember watching The Last Waltz in the cinema and jigging around so much during "Don't Do It"----which I could not believe!----that my wife moved to another row until the intermission!!! :=)

[hypehat]

I can't believe I didn't mention this at the time, but;

1) The Last Waltz version of Don't Do It is straight fire, it's pure funk, everyone going for broke, even Robbie's last solo sounds like he spent all his tricks and is going on sheer cocaine/adrenaline. Levon and Rick sing it like a suicide note.

2) The version on the boxset of the last waltz is obviously studio created - a boot of The Last Waltz shows that they didn't have the horns, or half of the vocal performances, bass, etc.

But I'll just play Don't Do It again....

hypehat, do you have a link to the hornless, untampered-with version? I can only find the Rock of Ages-style arrangement...  

I remember watching The Last Waltz in the cinema and jigging around so much during "Don't Do It"----which I could not believe!----that my wife moved to another row until the intermission!!! :=)

Aye, it's here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiEWeaM-D78#t=3881 That should go to the correct time, otherwise it's at 1:04:40

I think i was being uncharitable towards it being re-recorded - you can even see the horn section onstage and playing, even if you can't hear them (and they mixed up Robertson... obviously)  You can hear more Garth tho!

[feelsflow]

Thanks for the link hypehat.  I'll have to set some time aside to watch more of that.  The cat posting, put that and some CSN&Y footage up just last April.  Cool, I had not seen the footage before.  Too bad it's B&W.  Hope it has some of the songs that were cut from the film.

You can hear Richard's piano more clearly.  He got the short stick on the movie version.  And I have never heard anyone say that Robbie made Martin re-do the stories.  That's a hoot.  "No, no Martin, take two.  Let me try that again.  With more emphasis on My story!  I'm the one the folks want to see."  I like Robbie, but his ego can be a bit much.  I haven't heard the boxset.  I'll check and see if it's gotten cheap enough for me to get a used copy.  You're talking about the big box with all the outtakes, right?

[hypehat]

Thanks for the link hypehat.  I'll have to set some time aside to watch more of that.  The cat posting, put that and some CSN&Y footage up just last April.  Cool, I had not seen the footage before.  Too bad it's B&W.  Hope it has some of the songs that were cut from the film.

You can hear Richard's piano more clearly.  He got the short stick on the movie version.  And I have never heard anyone say that Robbie made Martin re-do the stories.  That's a hoot.  "No, no Martin, take two.  Let me try that again.  With more emphasis on My story!  I'm the one the folks want to see."  I like Robbie, but his ego can be a bit much.  I haven't heard the boxset.  I'll check and see if it's gotten cheap enough for me to get a used copy.  You're talking about the big box with all the outtakes, right?

Dude, Robbie literally says something, then stops Scorz from following it up and goes to say it again with more gravitas! It's in the bloody movie! Leaving it in is a nice touch. The first interview segment shows them discussing what to say. It's a pretty bold move for a doc!
They were also apparently in big cahoots during the time, staying up late, doing coke, plotting the movie and gig, and it shows in the movie's focus on Robbie. In a way, it's understandable - the rest of the group range from completely wasted to simply reticent and uncomfortable during their interviews whilst Robbie will happily self-mythologize with his new best friend until the cows come home. He's the Canadian Mike Love.

I downloaded the box and it's great - has a lot of cool other things as well, like a rehearsal session, some demos. I wish it kept the poetry from the intermission (Lawrence Ferlinghetti!) but I think it's supposed to be the lot. 

[JK]

Aye, it's here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiEWeaM-D78#t=3881 That should go to the correct time, otherwise it's at 1:04:40

I think i was being uncharitable towards it being re-recorded - you can even see the horn section onstage and playing, even if you can't hear them (and they mixed up Robertson... obviously)  You can hear more Garth tho!

Very tasty. And Garth sounds great! Uncharitable? It was bonkers to re-record it. Thanks very much for that. :=)

[feelsflow]

Okay, okay hypehat.  I haven't watched it in a while.   I'm still on the mend from last night's party.  Yeah right - excuses, excuses... Better lay off posting for the day.  Your bit about the Canadian Mike Love, how bold of you to mention with all the sensitive ears around here.  Let's give you the cool guy for the day award for jogging my memory.

I did check the box set price.  It's $30.  Put it on my wish list, but I want to get the Deluxe Dylan Self Portrait first - and that's $83 right now.  I want that concert, and the only way to get it is on the pricey box.

[Lonely Summer]

Okay, okay hypehat.  I haven't watched it in a while.   I'm still on the mend from last night's party.  Yeah right - excuses, excuses... Better lay off posting for the day.  Your bit about the Canadian Mike Love, how bold of you to mention with all the sensitive ears around here.  Let's give you the cool guy for the day award for jogging my memory.

I did check the box set price.  It's $30.  Put it on my wish list, but I want to get the Deluxe Dylan Self Portrait first - and that's $83 right now.  I want that concert, and the only way to get it is on the pricey box.

You can go to bobdylan.com and listen to the entire Isle of Wight concert for free. Now, if you happen to have a way of making an audio recording from that....well, I'm not advocating anything.

[feelsflow]

Thanks Lonely Summer.  I was over there the other day researching my top Dylan records post. Didn't notice it was there.  There Is a lot of great info at that site - well documented.  Loads of set lists.  I was at two of the Fox Warfield San Francisco shows during a long run of shows Bob did there in 1980.  They had the list for all.  And all the lists from the 1974 Bob/Band tour, including info on the many boots made of them.  It was interesting.

Will be sure to go have a listen.  Getting hard to find enough time.  There are so many concerts up on youtube, like the one hypehat linked, one could listen for weeks.  Want that box anyway, it's one of my favorite Dylan albums.  My old CD version needs an up-grade too.  I bought some of the recent re-issues, which are an improvement.  I read recently, that the reason the new version of the Basement Tapes sounds so good, is that when Robbie was putting them together for the initial release he deliberately muddied the later Band tracks up so they would sound like the ones from 1967.  They removed that.

 

[hypehat]

Aye, it's here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiEWeaM-D78#t=3881 That should go to the correct time, otherwise it's at 1:04:40

I think i was being uncharitable towards it being re-recorded - you can even see the horn section onstage and playing, even if you can't hear them (and they mixed up Robertson... obviously)  You can hear more Garth tho!

Very tasty. And Garth sounds great! Uncharitable? It was bonkers to re-record it. Thanks very much for that. :=)

I meant that they actually use the live take, edited slightly - the intro is cut down, iirc - and drastically remixed (you can't hear the horns on the boot) whereas I had previously thought they redid a whole lot of it. According to Levon, a lot of The Last Waltz's soundtrack was redone, but I haven't put in the legwork.

Rewatched The Last Waltz today, actually - didn't mean to jump down yr throat, Lonely Summer! God it's a miserable film. And a lot of the guest spots make no sense. Ok, Neil & Joni rocking up for Canada, Ronnie Hawkins & Bob Dylan make sense, Muddy Waters too... but Eric Clapton? Paul Butterfield? Neil Motherfuckin Diamond (god they all look so bored during his song).

But I'd totally go and steal baloney with Manuel & Danko. They the best. 

[Lonely Summer]

Thanks Lonely Summer.  I was over there the other day researching my top Dylan records post. Didn't notice it was there.  There Is a lot of great info at that site - well documented.  Loads of set lists.  I was at two of the Fox Warfield San Francisco shows during a long run of shows Bob did there in 1980.  They had the list for all.  And all the lists from the 1974 Bob/Band tour, including info on the many boots made of them.  It was interesting.

Will be sure to go have a listen.  Getting hard to find enough time.  There are so many concerts up on youtube, like the one hypehat linked, one could listen for weeks.  Want that box anyway, it's one of my favorite Dylan albums.  My old CD version needs an up-grade too.  I bought some of the recent re-issues, which are an improvement.  I read recently, that the reason the new version of the Basement Tapes sounds so good, is that when Robbie was putting them together for the initial release he deliberately muddied the later Band tracks up so they would sound like the ones from 1967.  They removed that.

 

Okay, now I need to seek that one out! Thanks feelsflow!

[feelsflow]

Okay, new day - and I'm fully awake.  hypehat, I was just paraphrasing the scene, trying to make it a bit more funny.  No big deal though, you're among friends.  Not many of us are even postin' in this thread.

Went looking around today, and found an edited bit from Levon's book to make the point I stated earlier about how bitter Levon was.  It's over at Jonimitchell.com in the articles section.  Both she, and Neil Young were old friends of all the Canadian members, and fit the concert well.  Originally from The Independent.co.uk - Do it, puke and Get Out.  It's focus is the Last Waltz, and how much he was against the concert, the Band breaking up, and the movie.  Says Robbie was even threatening to bring in his lawyers, if they tried to continue to record as The Band.  That didn't work for long.

.

Chalk it up to Robbie for putting Neil Diamond into the show.  He had just produced Neil's Beautiful Noise album (1976) - it's not that bad - one of the two albums I have by him.  Robbie helped write "Dry Your Eyes" and Garth is on the sessions too.  I'm not defending Neil, he shouldn't have been there.  Exactly what Levon said to Robbie when they were putting the show together, "What the hell does Neil Diamond have to do with us?"  Robbie said, "Neil is like Tin Pan Alley.  That fifties, Brill Building scene, songwriters like Doc Pomus."  Levon, "Why don't we just get Doc Pomus?"  "I was glad I insisted on Muddy."  

Paul Butterfield's connection was the same.  Levon, Garth, and Paul had recorded Muddy's Woodstock Album in 1975 at Bearsville Studios.

Another Robbie choice was The Staple Singers, he was a long time fan.  They had done "The Weight" on their first Stax release in 1968, Soul Folk in Action.  Clapton, like others was a hanger-on.  Same as he was with Delaney and Bonnie.  It was Delaney that taught Eric (and George Harrison) how to play slide guitar in 1969.  Anyone noticed that someone has put the On Tour video up on youtube? Harrison's in it too.  Clapton even gives him credit for teaching him how to sing!  Eric's first album Is Delaney and Bonnie's Band, and he produced it.  Eric spent lots of time at Shangri La Studios (The Band's Studio near Zuma Beach), which is where they were filming those interview bits.  Eric lived there for several months earlier in 1976, when he was recording [no reason to cry].

Van and Dr. John also, friends of Robbie.  I don't think the other members had too much in-put.  Especially Richard, he seems to be there to tell jokes - cause he sure didn't get many songs.  I noticed they rehearsed "King Harvest," but it's not in the movie.  I researched a bit more...if what I found is true (I don't trust Setlist.com much), Richard did play "King Harvest" and "Georgia (on my mind)."  Hope those two are in the youtube link.  Two years earlier, 1974, I saw The Band do about three hours, he sang his heart out, and was heavily featured.

.

One more aside.  When they were putting the "set" together at Winterland, one of the things they used was the chandeliers.  They stayed.  Bill obviously loved them (hey, that's got class!), and when he re-opened The Old Fillmore on Geary -  he put them there.  Pretty sure I don't remember seeing them at Winterland when I went in the early 70's.  But they were there in 1978, when they were doing the closing shows.  Had not been there in years, because the place was dangerously falling apart by then, didn't even try to go up to the balcony.  I was at the Heartbreaker's show, and made it out alive.  Wish I could have been there for The Last Waltz.

[hypehat]

Essential viewing! A making of documentary of The Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW7Z2bOJfmE

[JK]

Essential viewing! A making of documentary of The Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW7Z2bOJfmE

Yes indeed. One viewing is not enough. Truly heartwarming.