starcollector's Full Review: The Band [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 The Band fan.)
Overall Score: 5/5
Best song: A dead heat between “Up on Cripple Creek” and “Whispering Pines”
Worst song: “Unfaithful Servent”
Review Body:
Here it is. One of the most critically acclaimed albums on the planet Earth, and all I can say is it deserves it! The Band has one of the most amazing first halves that I've ever heard. Rarely has there ever been such an assembly of songs this intricately crafted with so much depth! I mean, these are songs that you can immediately take to heart. They're expanding on greatly on that Americana sound they had brought us in their debut, and they manage to come up with what sounds like the genuine article. Opening the album, “Across the Great Divide” is a great, upbeat and punchy song with catchy melody and swinging horn section. It's a perfect ode to the Old American West. (I've crossed the Great Divide by car a number of times, and it's hard to keep this song from popping in my head.) What it has over the opener of the previous album is that it's almost danceable. Certainly not as deep as the Bob Dylan co-composition, but it's a lot more fun.
As enjoyable as that song was, it's not nearly as enjoyable as “Rag Mama Rag,” arguably the most entertaining song of their whole discography. As you'd expect from the title, it's a take on ragtime. You can picture what the piano's going to sound like, but there's also some lighthearted, skiffley guitars, plucky banjos and a tuba that's deeply plomping around. It's wonderful! As Rock Album-Making 101 prefers it most, the third track is a ballad ... and what a ballad it is! “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” Chances are you've heard that one before. It's a beautiful and it gives us a taste of good, old country music without even singing with an annoying accent or singing about a dead dog. In other words, this is how country is supposed to sound like. Garth Brooks doesn't even know the half of it.
“Up On Cripple Creek” is probably another song that you've heard before. It has that unforgettable quasi-funk guitar part, and a melody that's the catchiest thing ever! 'Nuff said. That was a difficult song to follow-up, but they'll surprise you with “Whispering Pines.” It's an atmospheric ballad like none other ... something that tries to grab you and take you through a journey though this cold world they're describing in the lyrics. As corny as it is to say so, that's a special experience. They follow those up with two similar but inevitably lesser songs. But they're still great, and they deserved an A! “Jemima Surrender” is another upbeat ditty that'll have you hopping up and down. And “Rockin' Chair” is an extremely compelling cowpoke ballad.
Then there's the final four tracks. “Look Out Cleveland,” a well-written and composed song, but it lacks something that the others had in spades: Charisma! In other words, it's *just* a good song. The melody isn't as pretty and the instrumentation not quite as innovative. “Jawbone” is another fine work and another notable attempt at this Americana sound they were pursuing, but that one also fails to capture my imagination. “The Unfaithful Servant” is respectable ballad, but this is actually a little boring. Oh no! It does get more exciting with the closer, “King's Harvest (Has Surely Come).” It has an unusual structure, but I can't really get too engaged in it. It has some very good guitar parts, though.
Even though these final four songs have a negative impact of this album's score, The Band is still an experience that anyone who wants a good taste of Americana music will have to visit. Even if you don't want to hear Americana music, you should definitely find some time to give it a listen. I have an inkling that you'll like it lots. And after you're done with that, I'll tell you that a few years later, a British band would release an Americana album that managed to top this. That would be the Kinks' phenomenal Muswell Hillbillies, which was obviously influenced by this. (Don't worry about a bunch of Brits taking the title away from The Band. The Band consisted mainly of Canadians, after all.) Even though The Band might contain a substantially weak ending, absolutely nothing can alter the fact that the first eight songs are some of the finest works ever composed in rock. The last four tunes might keep this out of my personal Top 25, but I can say it has a comfortable position in my Top 100. It's an excellent album.
Track Reviews:
Across the Great DivideA
One thing this album has immediately over Music From Big Pink is they open it with a little swing. It's about as admirable from the work in that album, plus it's a lot of fun. OK, it might not be a Dylan composition, but it's just as good. The melody is snappy and memorable, and it proves they did have some real melodic prowess after all. The instrumentation is lovely as always, though perhaps more simple than most of the stuff we heard earlier.... Eh, they didn't need anything more. It features a bouncy bass-line, danceable drums and a swinging horn section. It's quite good --- I think you'll like it.
Rag Mama RagA+
This song not only has swing, but it has all that Americana that provides their reputation. I said that I didn't care the instrumentation was somewhat sparse in the previous track ... But after listening to this, maybe there was something missing after all. This song starts out with some life-worn fiddles to get us ready for this modern “hoe-down.” After that a conglomeration of ragtimey pianos, skiffley banjos, hopping electric bass and (my personal favorite touch) a bouncy tuba! This is so good that I'd wager it'd even appeal to people who claim to hate this sort of thing.
The Night They Drove Old Dixie DownA+
The Muppet-voiced singer used to bother me a lot, but I don't mind so much anymore. This is one of their more well-known songs, and that's for very good reason. The melody is just about the richest they've ever composed... It sounds like country-western music, but better ... and I also like what they sing about in the lyrics. When I talk about how innovative these guys were with their arrangements, I mean you're going to have to get a load of that harmonica chorus they bring up a few times in the background. It's those seemingly simple things that win me over.
When You AwakeA
Holy cotton piles. They hit another home run! I love reviewing albums like this, where every song is a great one. I almost considered lowering this rating, because it has a minor tendency to run out of steam at the end (a fact they apparently found out since they rather lazily faded it out at the end). But no. This is yet another rich song with a melody and atmosphere so good that it's impossible to ignore. The icing on the cake this time is the organ piddling in the background, which is terribly inspired.
Up on Cripple CreekA+
I went to Cripple Creek a few years ago, and I told the guys I was with that couldn't get this song out of my head! ... But Cripple Creek was a horrible place, and I had nothing better to do than think of this excellent Band song! As well-known as “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “The Weight” are, they certainly don't have this one beat. That quasi-funk guitar combined with their signature, earthly sound went together like ethel and merman. Glorious! Plus, the melody is accessible to everyone and borrows the best elements out of country music. This is just about the most wonderful pop song that you can think of.
Whispering PinesA+
If this was a lesser album, I'd probably harbor an internal resentment toward the song that had the gall to follow-up something like “Cripple Creek.” But not here. This is one of the most beautiful ballads I've ever been fortunate enough to listen to. The atmosphere is absolutely something to behold and their harmonies are richer than ever. A thoughtful piano is playing tranquil chords, hypnotic acoustic guitars are being plucked and the organist piddles around ever-so-soothingly in the background. The singing is wonderful, too, matching the tone of the song perfectly. A very therapeutic song if you're feeling depressed. God, I love this.
Jemima SurrenderA
This is such a well-programmed album... There's something wonderful about a ragtime number coming right after. This is a bold one, too, featuring some wicked licks from the 'lectric guitar. As you'd expect, we hear some excellent barroom piano in the background, and the melody is catchy as hell and even has a few unexpected turns. This could be the most rock 'n' rolling song of the whole disc, so you'll probably like it.
Rockin' ChairA
Now, they're giving us a laid-back song with a cowpoke melody, a finely strummed mandolin, and some of the prettiest harmonica that I've ever heard. The song is almost worth hearing just for that! ... And this melody is yet another great one from them. I only wish Neil Young could write songs of this amazing consistency.
Look Out ClevelandA-
Hah, here's a song that you might just not be able to take to heart. Of course, it's another excellent one. They seem to be combining '50s rock 'n' roll with their usual Americana sound. The drums and the piano seem a little too busy, and the melody, while hooky, is the least interesting of the album so far.
JawboneB+
Uh oh. This song honestly doesn't do much for me. The melody is fine, but it never really takes off for me, and it seems like it's about a minute too long. The instrumentation isn't that great except I really like listening to that involved drumming! There's some innovative rhythms going on there. There's some nice electric guitar licks going on in the middle of this that I'm sure you'll like. It's still a good song, but it's not nearly as compelling as some of the others. (Hey, they didn't fade it out, at least ... there's a good ending here.)
The Unfaithful ServantB
Yeah, this is one of those albums that has a phenomenal first half and a weak second half. This song really doesn't do much for me. It's a ballad with an OK melody, but it's too sluggish for my taste. They don't make up for that with a gorgeous atmosphere like they did with “Whispering Pines.” Those horns they bring in do a few nice things here and there. Of course, it's not a bad listen and it deserves every ounce of that B, but it's just not compelling at all. Sad to say.
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)A-
Much better! They bring back some of those funk guitars from “Cripple Creek” and they give us an upbeat rock 'n' roll ditty with plenty of hooks in the melody! This is an unusual song with a very unusual song structure, and it still manages to flow very well. Though it doesn't seem to really take off for me. I think you'll still like it, because it's fun in its own right. Some bits are upbeat and toe tapping ... and you might be compelled to do that, for all I know! Plus there are also some very good guitar licks ... They're minimal, of course, since no one in this band likes to show off.
BONUS TRACKS:
Get Up JakeB
They were wise to have kept this off the regular album, because the melody isn't too hooky. Had they put it on there, it would've been the worst song by far! But it's not a bad song, of course. It has a nice beat and and interesting groove. The vocal melody doesn't seem to especially fit with those instrumetnals.
The Rest of the Bonus Tracks
They give us different takes on “Rag Mama Rag,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” “Whispering Pines,” “Jemima Surrender,” “King's Harvest (Has Surely Come).” Many of them show them starting up the song, but something happens so they have to start over. These aren't bad to sit through once or twice especially if you're a big fan of the album ... but I doubt you'll do it that much. It's something good for the fans, obviously.
Concluding Remarks:
This album has one of the finest first halves that I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Rarely does rock music get richer or earthlier! However, it tapers off quite a bit with an unremarkable second half. Of course the first half is so fantastic that nothing can deny it its deserving status as a pure classic. Just that it keeps it from being in my Top 10 list.
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