Pros: They took great care in crafting these songs. Wonderful instrumentals.
Cons: This will take some time to appreciate.
The Bottom Line: The Band's debut is undoubtedly one of the finest crafted rock albums of all time. It also helped spark that roots-rock stuff that became popular in the '60s.
starcollector's Full Review: Music From Big Pink [Remaster] by The Band
(Disclaimer: Those looking for a brief description of the album will find what their looking for in the "Review Body" section. The section titled "Track Reviews" is meant only for those who want to read detailed descriptions of the songs, and they do not constitute the essence of this review. Lastly and most importantly, this review is not necessarily written by the point of view of a The Band fan.)
Overall Score: 5/5
Best song: “The Weight” or “I Shall Be Released”
Worst song: “Lonesome Suzie” probably
Review Body:
The Band first made a name for themselves as Bob Dylan's backing group who went on tour with him at the very beginning of his electric phase. Yup, they played an integral part on one of the defining moments of rock 'n' roll. But that's not the only thing these guys were good for. They also played an integral part in jump-starting the roots-rock movement that, only a year or so later, dominated the field that was then stuck in the realm of psychedelia. Out with the old, in with the new.
That's not to mention that they also happened to be high-class professionals who were undoubtedly some of the best instrumentalists in the business. They were also very cooperative players, and there doesn't seem to be anyone here who is trying to stand out above the others. There's a feeling that every member cared more about the music they created than themselves. That's partly what makes this album so appealing. They're so solid and well-versed in their respective instruments that it even makes up plenty for tracks that might not be extremely notable in the melody department.
But most of these songs are notable in the melody department, so let's start talking about those! “Tears of Rage” is a right fitting opener. Upon hearing it, some listeners might be immediately turned off by them ... but that's their loss! It's a slow and long-drawn-out song, but the atmosphere and instrumentals are rich and the melody is beautiful. Bob Dylan co-wrote it with Richard Manuel, and it definitely shows! Dylan's presence surfaces again with the penultimate “Wheel's on Fire,” a collaboration with Rick Danko. It's easily the “poppiest” song of the bunch, and it's probably better known as the Absolutely Fabulous theme. And the final song, “I Shall Be Released” was written exclusively by Dylan, and I could not have possibly hoped for something richer, sweeter and melodic. Naturally, Dylan's heavy involvement with this album gives plenty of reason for Dylan fans to buy into it, and it was ultimately his involvement in it that helped Music From Big Pink gain popularity. (Apparently, Dylan even painted the album cover.)
As great as Dylan is, he's not the only good thing here. “The Weight,” a Robbie Robertson creation, is a song so earthly and organic and so American that I believe the only proper way to listen to it would be driving around the rural countryside. The melody is also probably the album's most memorable. “Chest Fever” is also a sheer highlight, and that's for no other reason but the organ! The intro strongly references Bach, and it's a dark, evil sounding thing that captures me every time I listen to it. That rivals “A Whiter Shade of Pale” as one of the best uses of that instrument of rock 'n' roll. There are a few moments in here that don't seem so notable to me. “To Kingdom Come” is a tad bereft of inspiration, but the instrumentals are as earthly and appealing as ever. I'm not the world's biggest fan of “Caledonia Mission,” but I'll tell you that song has really grown on me over the years and I'd wager there's room for it to grow even more. (I have a feeling my lack of enthusiasm for it stems for my general distaste for blues music.) “Lonesome Suzie” is a nice touching ballad, but it's so sluggish that it nearly gets boring.
All that said, they might be difficult for some first-time listeners to get into. I'll admit I had a difficult time with them the first time I delved in their music sometime in 2002. After all, this certainly isn't pop music, and as I said earlier, sometimes their melodies aren't that notable. But they had such a rich and compelling earthly atmosphere that once you give them their due chance, you'll find The Band and Music From Big Pink as comfortable as a pair of old shoes.
There's also a wealth of material in the bonus tracks. “Katie's Gone” is probably the best of them, but you should hear the innovative instrumentation in the sloppy but fun “Yazoo Street Blues,” and a bluesy Dylan original “Long Distance Operator.” I wrote small paragraphs about these in the track reviews, so consult those if you want more information!
Track Reviews:
Tears of RageA
This is a very beautiful song, and also a good example of this group's style. It takes a long while to get into, but once you do I think you'll find that they fit like a good pair of shoes. This is a lengthy and long-drawn-out number with a very thick and glorious atmosphere. We have a huge, pure organ playing in the background, a boorish bass thumping in big deep big globs. A harmonium manages to give it a somewhat nostalgic feel. All of this and a soulful performance makes this quite an enriching experience. This was a collaboration between Bob Dylan and Richard Manuel ... of course the songwriting is prime Dylan quality, and this musical group were of course some of the best professionals in the business.
To Kingdom ComeB
This song is OK though not even remotely as endearing as the previous. The melody seems a little bit more forced. The drum is a little more pounding so I guess you can say this was a bit more upbeat. But really, this is another sluggish song ... though a good one. Members of this group trade off vocal duties in an almost conversational style, and that had an interesting effect! They give us a wonderful, melodic electric guitar solo in the final third.
In a StationA-
Ah, here's some great songwriting and Bob Dylan didn't help! They open this with a twinkly passage that sounds vaguely like classical music. What ensues is another rich song with some tremendously beautiful moments. The melody is sweet, and they choose some damn wonderful chords! A complaint I have is just that it seems to run out of steam toward the end... it gets a bit too predictable as opposed to the stellar beginning.
Caledonia MissionB
Here's a bluesy song that gives these guys another excuse to show off their instrumental chops. Despite the professionalism of this, this really isn't one of the more compelling songs. Of course that just means that it's very good! What gets me most of all is the instrumentation ... everything is perfect. There's a funny groaning singing noise in the middle of this that was an interesting touch ... it accentuated the harmonies.
The WeightA+
A lot of justice was done to this song over the years, and a lot of authoritative rags call it one of the best rock songs ever written. I'm willing to go along with that! However, according to some of the characters in High Fidelity, it looses cool points for having been featured in The Big Chill. I'm willing to go along with that, too! But don't let a dumb movie ruin the music for you. This is something that you're likely to listen to, and it'll grab your ear for the entire ride. Even if you think these guys are boring, chances are you're going to like that one. If you don't, then you probably suck. Style-wise, this isn't fundamentally different from these other songs ... it has a melody that resonates better. It's a mid-tempo song, of course with organic instrumentation. The drums sound really great pounding at just the right times. Geez, these guys were top-notch musicians.
We Can TalkA-
The melody is a bit blander, but the instrumentation and some inventiveness saved us from a potentially boring experience. It starts with an organ riff and some piano joining in the fun. A bouncing bass guitar comes in at just the right time to give it some body. This isn't their most compelling melodic feat, but it's certainly listenable. Just when things are starting to seem too repetitive, they completely change the pace into something more lighthearted and swinging. It's a bit sudden, but I like it ... the transitions worked well.
Long Black VeilB+
Definitely not one of the album's best melodies ... the non-chorus sounds like a regular, generic folk song. But listen to this instrumentation! That blaring tuba we can barely hear in the background was an extremely simple idea, but that's the sort of thing that makes a potentially bland song stick out. ... It's kind of silly just pointing out one instrument that's only playing one note ... Well, the other guys are in top form as well!
Chest FeverA
A brilliant organ solo that seems to reference Bach's iconic “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” opens this ... In fact, this is so awesome that this is absolutely required listen for anyone who's thinking about becoming a rock 'n' roll keyboardist. That organ sounds so evil!! It's kind of interesting, because I think the moments that don't feature the organ tend to drag a little bit. Although I still like it, and I couldn't bear to give anything with such an organ in it less than an A. We have some lighthearted piano piddling around, and they sing what's probably one of the album's better vocal melodies. (This is an interesting album, though ... I don't care as much about the vocal melodies as I do about hearing what the instrumentals are doing.) There's a little bit in the middle when they stop everything and they do a brief, lazy New Orleans jazz thing. It's probably the most Americana thing on here, though it seemed rather unnecessary.
Lonesome SuzieB
This is a solid case for the prosecution for those who think The Band are boring. It's a sluggish ballad without an incredible amount of interest in the melody. The instrumentation is very good, as it is the standard, but it doesn't do anything special that we haven't heard plenty of times. Of course, it's a rich experience and these guys' fans have good reason to love this song, too.
This Wheel's on FireA
It's the Ab-Fab theme song! This has always been one of my favorite songs from the album, though I've long suspected that was only because I'm such a fan of BBC comedies. But apart from that, I think this track has one of the most distinctive and catchiest melodies on the album as well as spritey instrumentation that tends to make it stand out. It starts out with a bubbly celesta sound, which plays a few interesting bits throughout. ... No real surprise, this was another Bob Dylan collaboration, which would explain why it's so catchy.
I Shall Be ReleasedA+
A gorgeous song, and I don't think anyone would have wanted them to end the album with anything else. This one was written exclusively by Bob Dylan, and it's more proof that he was one of the finest songwriters in rock. It moves along slowly, and there's a light synthesizer sound playing in the background. (If that's not a synthesizer then they must've done something weird to that organ.) The melody is beautiful and the atmosphere is one of the most arresting bits of the whole album. Bravo!
BONUS TRACKS:
Yazoo Street BluesB+
Nothing special melodically... It's just the generic blues thing. But everyone who loves to hear what they can do with their instruments should hear this the first chance they get. That bass guitar sounds like it's bubbling ooze! This is much sloppier than anything from the regular, and that might be the reason that it's so fun. (I could see why some fans wouldn't like this ... relatively speaking, it sounds like a knock-off.)
Tears of Rage
Another take of the song. It's nice that they include these for the die-hard fans ... and you'd have to be one to comment on what makes this different from the original version. I'm a fan, but not enough of one, apparently!
Katie's GoneA-
Ah, now here's what makes listening to these bonus tracks particularly satisfying. Something that could have appeared in the regular album and shined with the rest of them. I don't like how that organ is mixed, so I'm left to assume that they lost faith in it ... or it just didn't make the cut. Who knows why ... it's a really beautiful song.
If I LoseB
Something that probably couldn't have appeared in the album. It's done in a hillbilly folk style that gives a lot of credence to their Americana label! ...Well, this is overly Americana anyway. Sometimes I hate listening to such music, but not when it's played so well. The piano is uncharacteristically twinkly (an inspired decision), and this generic melody seems very fresh. That drum sounds dull though...
Long Distance OperatorB+
This is a more straight blues-song that I'd call semi-generic. Yeah, this is a Dylan song, but I guess not everything he wrote was an instant masterpiece! There is something interesting in that riff, though ... these guys could be so inventive that everything they did seemed so fresh. The drummer really redeems himself here ... all those fills he comes up with is amazing!
Lonesome Suzie
This is OK. We heard a different version of it in the regular album. The instrumentation is a little more sparse and the tempo is quicker. We also hear a sax more clearly.
Orange Juice BluesC+
Here's another generic blues song. The only instrumental accompaniment is a piano, which makes me think this was just the product of some guy who was warming up a bit before they started recording their material. (Although it was actually written by Richard Manuel ... and it probably took him an hour.) Well, it's not bad. There's no use in criticizing it, since it was graciously included as a bonus track.
Key to the HighwayB-
Wow, these guys sure had a lot of non-album tracks under their belt. This one would have been fine in the album, but I think it might have dragged it down a bit. The melody is fine, but nothing remarkable ... and so is the instrumentation. I'm sure they would have polished it more on the album!
Ferdinand the ImposterC
This sounds tinny ... I don't know where this song came from. The melody isn't very good, but I like elements of the chord progression. They keyboards sound a little like it came from a carnival. I suppose fans might enjoy this ... but this sounds almost dismal to me. I'm sorry.
Concluding Remarks:
The Band were a bunch of professional who melded elements of all sorts of American musical forms and called it Americana. And, to no surprise, they helped jump-start the roots-rock movement in the late '60s.
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