The Band: S/T and/or Music from the Big Pink

The Big Pink and The Band albums were bad news for musicians in the 60s (like me) because you realized how lame they made everything else seem (Clapton was supposedly rendered morose and depressed and tried to join the Band)…if you got to see these guys live you felt even worse. I think I actually destroyed a Band LP from playing it too much, and I knew at least one person who listened to only those 2 LPs. I liked all of their stuff, and my old the Band (or Brown Album as we called it) LP that survived and I listen to often must be from the early 70s although not likely the original run. In any case, that album still kicks utter ass on every level both musically and as an amazing sounding thing. I think I'm gonna go put it on now.

Don I just opened up Music from Big Pink and put
on side two. Pressing is very quiet,warped free
and the MFSL is impressive to say the least.
There is separation of instruments which makes
every instrument clearer and defined. There is
effortless bass and sparkling highs from an
occasional tambourine. If your analog front end
can unravel what's on this pressing I honestly
can't see how you would be disapointed.

I'm SO happy to see other Band lovers here on Audiogon! They are very special, as you all know. Music From Big Pink was so titled because that house (and it's famous basement) is where the guys got together to work on the music that ended up being on the album. The album was actually recorded in NYC and at Capitol's studio in Hollywood (located in the, ironically, basement of the round Capitol building on Vine Street). I passed by it frequently (Professional Drum Shop is also on Vine) when I lived in L.A., and always pictured them playing in the basement of that building in early '68.

The new Band MFSL SACD's are good, as are the new LP's. I think the original MFBP had a rainbow Capitol label, but it's the next pressing (mastered by Ludwig---why didn't he do the original rainbow label version?), the green label Capitol, that Fremer recommends. I'm looking for a Mint (only) copy, if anyone has one to sell.

The master tapes for the second ("brown") album have been missing for years, so I don't know what source MFSL used for the new LP and SACD. Steve Hoffman's version on DCC claimed to use the original masters, which is not true. Shame on somebody. The sound of the album is very in-the-room "small"---there is no electronic studio reverb and echo added to the mic feeds to the recorder. The multi-track was right in the room (yes, the pool cabana of Sammy's house, which they rented for the duration of the album's recording) with The Band, operated by the album's producer John Simon. A great, great album. Both it and MFBP in my Top 10 albums of all time.

There is another "small" sounding album The Band are on, and it too is musically great---Planet Waves, they backing Bob Dylan. MFSL has had the album on it's list of upcoming SACD releases for about a year, so I asked the MFSL guy at their table at the recent T.H.E. Show in Irvine the reason for the long delay. They just hadn't gotten to it yet was the answer. There is an out of print Sony SACD of the album that I found at Amoeba (just around the corner from the Capitol building!) recently. I bought in case MFSL ends up cancelling their new version. Ya never know!

format aside, and purely on their musical terms i've always preferred big pink to the s/t, though they're both great. for one thing, the dylan songs (esp. tears of rage) are among his very best + richard manuel's stuff is subtly brilliant. the second album, which is all robbie robertson's songs, sounds a little less spontaneous and earthy and a little more self-consciously cerebral, polished and uniform in tone. timeless stuff nonethelss, though I could live without hearing up on cripple creek again.

As time goes on, I find myself liking MFBP more than the 2nd myself. Robertson's brown album songs seem a little too contrived and deliberated to me now, unlike when I was younger. But it was the ensemble playing and the singing I was listening for and to back then, whereas now it's more the song itself (the chords especially) that need to satisfy my musical longings.