https://variety.com/2023/music/news/robbie-robertson-dead-the-band-1235692172/
I love this quote from Robertson describing The Band’s
sound: “I always thought, from the very beginning, that this music was born of
the blues and country music, Southern stuff. The Mississippi Delta area, and
the music came down from the river and from up the river and met, and it made
something new. I always looked at that as kind of the source of the whole
thing.”
Aside from The Band, Robertson is best known for his
soundtrack work with Martin Scorsese. However, he also released a handful of
solo albums. I picked up the first of these (which is self-titled); the critics
loved it more than I did, but “Somewhere Down The Crazy
River” is certainly worth hearing.
A couple of gems from the excellent Variety obituary:
The Band’s second album was recorded “in the pool house of Sammy Davis Jr.’s
Hollywood Hills home,” and the group “became the first American rock act to be
featured on the cover of Time magazine”.
Favorite songs written by Robertson, performed by The Band:
The Weight
Up On Cripple Creek
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Rag Mama Rag
The Shape I’m In
Ophelia
Acadian Driftwood
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
Chest Fever
Bonus holiday track: Christmas Must Be Tonight
Saw The Band at Sugarbush back in about 1991 or 92. Attended a Levon Helm concert in 2008 in Asbury Park. He looked like he was having such a good time. Special guest was Phoebe Snow. What a set of pipes!
ReplyDeleteI never saw The Band or any of its members in person - did see The Last Waltz on video.
DeletePhoebe did have a great voice; it's too bad she only had the one big hit.
Listening to this week's top 40 in 1969, the host introduced an extra song "that didn't make the top 40 but should have." He then played "Can't Find the Time" by Orpheus.
ReplyDeleteOn that we can all agree.
Yes, we can. Just looked it up -- 7 weeks in the Hot 100, peaking at #80.
DeleteErgo, a classic example of an "obscure classic."
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