Recorded during the same year they reunited with Bob Dylan for his landmark Planet Waves album and tour, and two before they'd finally call it quits, this early show from 1974 offers up a sizzling selection of the Band, and almost all their biggest hits. The Band, which had been working for six years straight since releasing their first album, Music from Big Pink, in 1968, had perfected an unmistakable chemistry as performers. The group sounds tight as a drum, striking incredible multi-part harmonies throughout…entire summary
Robbie Robertson - vocals, guitar
Rick Danko - vocals, bass guitar
Levon Helm - vocals, drums
Garth Hudson - vocals, keyboards
Richard Manuel - vocals, piano
Recorded during the same year they reunited with Bob Dylan for his landmark Planet Waves album and tour, and two before they'd finally call it quits, this early show from 1974 offers up a sizzling selection of the Band, and almost all their biggest hits. The Band, which had been working for six years straight since releasing their first album, Music from Big Pink, in 1968, had perfected an unmistakable chemistry as performers. The group sounds tight as a drum, striking incredible multi-part harmonies throughout the course of this one hour show. Starting off with a robust version of "Rag Mama Rag" that segues into the more poignant "Endless Highway,” the group demonstrates their mastery of dynamics within the format of a shorter show.
The more upbeat "Shape I’m In” then moves into the group's classic ode "The Weight.” Also performed here are killer versions of the group’s Civil War epic, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and "King Harvest (Has Surely Come),” their account of American labor strife during the depression. They only dip into the Dylan well once with a stunning version of "I Shall Be Released.”
The association with Dylan was something that would continue to characterize the Band - in the eyes of both critics and fans alike - during much of their musical lifespan. Under their early moniker of the Hawks, they had backed Dylan for his now infamous 1966 tour - the first since he'd gone electric - and continued with him for nearly two years before striking out on their own in 1968.
The Band stayed together until 1976, when several members went solo. They reunited, without key member Robbie Robertson, for a few albums and tours in the late 1980s and mid-1990s, but never saw the same critical or commercial success. Sadly, the death of two original members, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko, ultimately closed the Band's chapter in the annals of rock history. Luckily for us, the music still remains.
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