Category Archives: The Band

Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, The Band

Bob Dylan – Great Duets part 7: Hidden Gems





A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece. It is often used to describe a composition involving two singers. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo section rather than performing simultaneously.

Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4, Part5, Part6

Bob Dylan has done a lot of duets, we have collected some of our favourites and will present them in batches of three. Today we have really dug deep and come up with some seldom heard treasures. Continue reading Bob Dylan – Great Duets part 7: Hidden Gems →

Bob Dylan, Concert films, Film, Great Concert, Music Calendar, Neil Young, The Band, Van Morrison

Nov 25: The Last Waltz with The Band and friends was recorded in 1976

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Last-Waltz

This film should be played loud!

This is a message on a title card at the beginning of the film. The greatest concert movie ever made. This post concerns the movie, the audio releases have to wait for it’s own post.

Wikipedia:

The Last Waltz was a concert by the rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz was advertised as the end of The Band’s illustrious touring career, and the concert saw The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, Bobby Charles and Neil Young.

The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978. The film features concert performances, scenes shot on a studio soundstage and interviews by Scorsese with members of The Band. A triple-LP soundtrack recording, produced by Rob Fraboni, was issued in 1978. The film was released on DVD in 2002 as was a four-CD box set of the concert and related studio recordings.

Trailer:

I have several versions of the film, and I’ve seen many versions of it. I’ve seen it at the cinema, I’ve played it to death on video casette, I have two DVD releases , a blu-ray release and I’ve seen/heard quite a bit of bootlegs of the show.

This is a film that I’m really passionate about, and I have often wondered if there’s footage, filmed sequences, that is not in the official version. Whatever condition such film would be in was irrelevant, I wanted to see as much as possible of the legendary concert.

Continue reading Nov 25: The Last Waltz with The Band and friends was recorded in 1976 →

Robbie Robertson, The Band

October 27: Robbie Robertson released his self-titled solo debut in 1987

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robbie robertson

“…Robbie Robertson is an album that represents both a clear break from his past, and an ambitious attempt to take his fascination with American culture and music in a new and contemporary direction. It’s highly ambitious stuff…”
– Mark Deming (allmusic.com)

Robbie Robertson is the self-titled solo debut by Robbie Robertson, released in 1987. The album won the Juno Award for “Album of the Year”, and producers Lanois and Robertson won the “Producer of the Year” Juno award, both in 1989 as there were no Juno Awards held in 1988.

The album includes contributions from the members of U2 and Peter Gabriel, both of whom were also working with producer Daniel Lanois at the time. U2 was recording The Joshua Tree and Gabriel was recording So. U2’s contribution is heard in the song “Sweet Fire of Love” which is a duet of sorts between Robertson and U2 lead singer Bono. The other track featuring U2 is “Testimony”, again with vocals from Bono. Gabriel’s contributions are heard on the song “Fallen Angel”, which was dedicated to Robertson’s former Band bandmate Richard Manuel, and “Broken Arrow” which reverberates with Gabriel’s signature Rhodes electric piano. In addition, Tony Levin and Manu Katché, who were recording with Gabriel, are featured prominently on this record.

In 2005 the album was reissued together with Storyville as 2CD in an expanded edition, both with two bonus tracks.

Fantastic album, one of my favourite albums from the 80s.

Robbie Robertson – Somewhere Down The Crazy River (official video):

Continue reading October 27: Robbie Robertson released his self-titled solo debut in 1987 →

Bob Dylan, Cover versions, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, The Band, Waylon Jennings

5 fine covers of Bob Dylan’s One Too Many Mornings

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one too

Down the street the dogs are barking
And the day is a-getting dark
As the night comes in a-falling
The dogs will lose their bark
And the silent night will shatter
From the sounds inside my mind
For I’m one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind

“One Too Many Mornings” is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his third studio album The Times They Are a-Changin’ in 1964. The chords and vocal melody are in some places very similar to the song “The Times They Are A-Changin'”.

We have picked 5 good covers of One Too Many Mornings:

The Band – One Too Many Mornings (audio, 1999):

Continue reading 5 fine covers of Bob Dylan’s One Too Many Mornings →

Great albums, Music Calendar, The Band

August 17: The Band released Stage Fright in 1970

stage fright

See the man with the stage fright
Just standin’ up there to give it all his might.
And he got caught in the spotlight,
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again.

August 17: The Band released Stage Fright in 1970

Stage Fright is the third studio album by The Band. Much more of a rock album than its predecessors, it was a departure from their previous two efforts in that its tone was darker and featured less of the harmony vocal blend that had been a centerpiece of those two albums. It also included the last two recordings by The Band of new songs credited to pianist Richard Manuel; both were co-written with guitarist Robbie Robertson, who would continue to be the group’s dominant lyricist until the group disbanded in 1976. Nonetheless, the tradition of switching instruments that had begun on the previous album continued here, with each musician contributing instrumental parts on at least two different instruments.

Engineered by an up-and-coming Todd Rundgren, and produced by the group themselves for the first time, the album was recorded at the Woodstock Playhouse in their homebase of Woodstock, New York.

Stage Fright (from The Last Waltz):

Continue reading August 17: The Band released Stage Fright in 1970 →