MattA75's Full Review: Music From Big Pink [Remaster] by The Band
I'm a music obsessed geek. Now, most of you already know this from the fact that I've submitted review after review on artist after artist. But one of my worst habits is discovering the influences on the artists who I love the most. I've delved deep into Pearl Jam's influences, and I've discovered a lot of great music (namely X and The Buzzcocks) from it. Recently, I've been delving into the greatest influences on The Black Crowes.
Now, a lot of people automatically bring up the Rolling Stones or The Faces when discussing the Crowes' influences. But just as influential were artists like Gram Parsons, the Allman Brothers Band, Neil Young, and The Band.
I never knew much about The Band. I knew they were Bob Dylan's backing band for a stretch of time, but since Dylan has never done all that much for me, I ignored them. However, recently, I've been correcting that mistake. One of my first forays into the Band's catalog, was, appropriately, their first studio album, Music From Big Pink.
Named for the big pink house where the group first developed their own musical identity and wrote most of these songs, Music From Big Pink is an awesome and truly awe-inspiring debut album. Mixing rock with country, country with folk, and folk with blues, the Band created a sound and an artistic attitude that not only inspired the artists of it's time (some have said The Beatles, among others, could never have done some of their stuff without the Band doing their thing), but that which continues to inspire countless artists today.
Consisting of Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Levon Helm, The Band morphed into something completely different than what they had been backing Dylan. Robertson grew bored with loud guitar solos and became obsessed with creating an album of true songs and mood. What resulted is one of the most enjoyable listening experiences any fan of rock and roll could ever experience.
There are a few very well known songs here, though best known is probably The Weight. As Levon Helm sings in a weathered, almost countryish tone, the rest of the band provides accomplished musical accompaniment, driven by simple guitar strumming and piano chords. The song is a brilliant take on the impossibility of Sainthood and the goodness of human beings. After listening, it becomes even more amazing to the listener that the type of vocal performance exhibited here is not only matched, but surpassed, numerous times on this same record.
The album's opener, Tears of Rage, co-written by Manuel with Dylan, was not the normal way to open an album. A languishing ballad of pure beauty, Robertson made the decision to have the album begin with it as a message to the listener that this wasn't going to be your normal musical experience. Everything about the track is perfect, from the way the guitar and organ meld into a heartbreaking mix, to Manuel's emotional vocals. They just don't write songs like this anymore.
The group also shows their deft ability to write bouncy pop/rock with tracks like We Can Talk, with it's bounding piano melody and joyous sounding chorus. Chest Fever was the band's one attempt at arena sized rock on the album, and it worked despite it having no right to. The lyrics make no sense, the music is kind of all over the place, but regardless of these things, it manages to not only work, but make the listener want to get up and shake his a*s. No wonder it was Robertson's attempt at getting away from the religious imagery of many of his songs and getting back to the "fun" aspect that the group had been searching for.
I Shall Be Released, written by Dylan, is a gorgeous example of how falsetto can not only work, but how it can move musical mountains. Manuel consistently outdoes himself with each subsequent vocal performance here, and here, the original end to the album, is no different. Equally terrific is their cover of Long Black Veil, which features some beautiful harmonizing from Danko, Helm, and Manuel.
The album was remastered and re-released with bonus cuts in 2000. The bonus cuts are fascinating listens and give a further insight to the group's influences and goals with this record. Yazoo Street Scandal was the sound of a band having fun and letting a simple street name in Arkansas become the basis for a bouncy, fun, blues-inspired ditty.
Alternate takes include Lonesome Suzie, which sounds completely different from the version that made the album, while Tears of Rage has differences that are very minor.
Determined to keep the sessions light, the group also recorded goofy, non-sensical stuff like Orange Juice Blues and covers of songs like Key to the Highway.
Taken as a whole, Music From Big Pink was already an essential part to any rock fan's musical collection. But when you add in the bonus tracks, which give you a terrific feel for not only The Band's versatility, but for how the album came together over 35 years ago, it becomes even more essential.
5 stars.
Further required listening/watching: No discussion of The Band can be complete without a mention of The Last Waltz, considered one of the greatest concert films ever.
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