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Roger Waters and Graham Nash on The Band.

I’ve just started reading the new book Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble; The Inside Story Of The Man, The Music, and The Midnight Ramble by John W. Barry (with a forward by Ringo Starr). I’m only on page 25 of the first chapter, and already I have read something I found very surprising:

Roger Waters: "Big Pink changed everything, overnight." (What have I been telling ya’ll? ;-). He continues: "It was sonic. It was the sound that they made all playing together. It was what they created. It was just completely different than anything I had heard before and it was remarkable. They (sic) were great songs as well. When I heard the record I went ’Wow, what was that?’ What a great band they were." No sh*t Sherlock.

Not as surprising is what I read in the paragraphs immediately preceding that of Waters, that being:

"When they served as opening act for the 1974 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young stadium tour, said Graham Nash: ’I would watch their set with great interest, of course.’

"But even though The Band was opening for CSNY, Nash remained in awe of them and, as a result, was too shy to approach any of the guys or chat them up."

’I should have, of course. I’m not particularly un-famous myself. But I was just too shy. They were too incredible a band in my mind...I mean holy sh*t, they were The Band...they were incredible. They were the best band in the world apart from The Beatles, as far as I was concerned. I was just a fan.’

Every good musician I knew felt just as did Roger and Graham, and still do. The best self-contained band (writing, singing, and playing) in the entire history of Rock ’n’ Roll. You see, Graham had the order reversed ;-) . When Abbey Road came out, it sounded like yesterdays news to me. The Band’s first two albums had completely changed the rules of the game. Those two albums still sound fresh, like they were recorded today. Abbey Road sounded dated to me on release day.

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bdp24 OP
9,510 posts
 

 

@larsman: No task involved in playing with Bob Dylan? You must not be a musician. ;-) I WILL concede that The Dead have the depth and breadth required to navigate Dylan’s waters. TP & The Heartbreakers? Nope, ’fraid not.

Have you heard Dylan & The Band’s Before The Flood live album from the ’74 tour? Play it immediately after the Dylan & The Dead album to see how the two compare.

hheedah
18 posts
 

Summer 1984 Mt Watatic in Massachusetts held and arts and energy festival. The Band headlined. Stage set up at the base of the ski hill. The sloped hill served as stadium seating,  blankets, hippies,  sunshine,  (moonshine) ,  great show! Arlo Guthrie played too. I remember getting lost driving there and stopping for directions at a farmhouse. All these geese came sqwaking and walking over trying to bite me as I walked up the driveway! That's when I learned they make good watch dogs. 

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bdp24 OP
9,510 posts
 

Prior to 1967, The Hawks were "just" a Rockabilly/Rock 'n' Roll/R & B band. But as wolf_garcia testified above, a REALLY good one. That all changed in 1967. The Hawks (minus Levon) spent that entire year in the basement of Big Pink, being tutored in American Roots music by Bob Dylan. They emerged the best band in the world, were offered a recording contract by Capitol Records, recorded Music From Big Pink, changed their name to The Band, and redirected the course of Rock 'n' Roll. 

tom2441
16 posts
 

And The Basement Tapes proved to be the nexus of it all.

winnardt
170 posts
 

Never thought of The Band as anything more than a really good garage (or basement if you prefer) band. This is just my opinion but I’ve never understood the hype.

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