The Band - The Band (September 1969)

1. Across the Great Divide

2. Rag Mama Rag

3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down*

4. When You Awake

5. Up on Cripple Creek*

6. Whispering Pines*

7. Jemima Surrender

8. Look Out Cleveland

9. Jawbone

10. The Unfaithful Servant

11. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)

*****

I found Music from Big Pink to be both beautiful and frustrating. It was unique for its time, but the lyrics were a bit confused and vague and some of the experiments didn't really work. Still, it was a brilliant album and I doubted the Band would be able to top it. As it turns out, I was wrong. The Band does everything Music from Big Pink did, but better; and it has quite a few new tricks to surprise the listener.

Normally, I find listening to these albums multiple times a bit of a chore. I think I'm on my fourth or fifth listen of The Band, and I still haven't tired of it. The sound and approach of this album is so complex, deep and layered that there's something new to like every time you listen to it. The music is deeply experimental and retains the debut's woozy charm, but there's also a much more commercial sound to it - there are genuine pop songs here, even if they're pretty odd by 1969 standards. More than anything, this is what I term one of those "Aha!" albums. When I first heard Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits, I suddenly realised their music was the origin of so much stuff that I love. I won't say that I love all the music that The Band inspired, but it's pretty clearly the source from which so much 70s rock flows. I mean, I can't imagine Pretzel Logic or the Eagles existing without it, for example. 

The sound is hard to describe, really. The band are continuing their fusion of classic country and rock with soul, and even throw a bit of funk in. A good example is "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)", which is a soul-funk song about the unionisation of farmers. At the other end of the spectrum you have the utterly brilliant "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", a heart-breaking folk rock song about a poor Southern farmer at the tail end of the American Civil War, trying to make sense of his life and the the loss of his brother in combat. It's not really the sort of song that would get much traction these days, because it's actually complicated thematically and requires you to think a bit to realise it's not glorifying the Old South. But it is a beautiful song, the sort of thing that sounds like a genuine artefact of the Civil War despite being written in the 60s by a Canadian. It also shows how far The Band had come as lyricists - the metaphysical balderdash that hurt Big Pink so much is replaced by intelligent lyrics about real issues, full of wit, compassion and warmth. 

I haven't heard the Band's later work, but I have little doubt this is their peak. Unfortunately after this album tensions would begin to mount in the group, and several of the members would slide into heroin addiction. I still intend to look into their music, though. Not being able to match the brilliance of The Band is hardly surprising. It really is a great album - by turns funny, sad, wistful and rocking. The mixture of soul and country is brilliant, and there are so many odd little moments to love - the fiddle intro to "Rag Mama Rag", the sudden fade out on "When You Awake", the funky keyboards on "King Harvest". You can put it on in the background, or sit and listen to it carefully on headphones, and either way it's a rewarding experience. I'm really glad I heard it, as discoveries like this make doing this project worthwhile.