@jonwolfpell: Yeah, that live recording of "Don’t Do It"---which is the opening track on The Band’s double live album Rock Of Ages---is killer. There’s a studio recording of the song, but it appeared only as the B-side of the "Rag Mama Rag" 45 RPM single.
The song was written by the famous Motown team of Holland/Dozier/Holland, and originally recorded by Marvin Gaye. Prior to hooking up with Dylan, The Hawks were more of an R & B bar band than anything else. It was only during their year (all of 1967, except for Levon, who had quit the Dylan World Tour in late-’65. He went to the Gulf and worked on an oil rig!) in the basement of Big Pink---being tutored by Dylan in all American musical styles---that The Hawks evolved into The Band.
Pianist Richard Manuel did most of the drumming heard on the Basement Tapes recordings, and on about half the songs on the s/t brown album. His drumming style is very hip, and full of intentional, sly humour. Levon was enticed back when bassist Rick Danko called him and said Capitol Records had offered them a million bucks to make an album. By then Levon was in Los Angeles, hanging with Leon Russell, Jesse Ed Davis, and the rest of the Tulsa crowd. Levon was giving drum lessons to the guy who ended up drumming in Linda Ronstadt’s original band.
