The Band song thread

[raysachs]

We've done a number of song threads for particular artists over the past few years. I'm gonna take a shot at another one, for The Band. I don't know how much interest there will be. I've started and/or taken part in a number of these, some of which there was a lot of interest / participation from many forum folks, and others that got little or no interest / participation. I started one for the Rolling Stones that I kept trying to bring to life but, alas, it died with four or five of my own contributions and NONE from anyone else. Oh well. Maybe this one will die quickly like that one or maybe it'll take off like some of the others.

I'll start it off with a couple relatively obscure tunes from their second album, self titled as The Band. A bit of a story of why I know and love this album as much as I do. In the summer of 1975, my 12 year older brother and I (I was 16, he was 28) built a cabin on a piece of land he owned (and owns) in West Virginia, just an hour or two from his main home in Roanoke, VA. I came from Arizona and didn't bring much other than clothes. I was a music junkie then as I've continued to be for all of my life. But I didn't bring any music - I think I just had records at that time and that wasn't gonna work. So I was reliant on my older brother for tunes. He and I could not possibly have less in common when it came (and comes) to musical taste. Of all of the cassette tapes he had that summer, the ONLY one I could even stomach was a tape with the first Crosby, Stills and Nash album on one side and The Band on the other. I already knew the CSN album like the back of my hand but The Band was largely new to me. I listened to that tape, and pretty much ONLY that tape all of that summer and by the end of it, it was in my DNA. And it continues to be my favorite Band album to this day, as much as I love much of their other stuff too.

So, anyway here are Jemima Surrender and Look Out Cleveland from that album. I have a couple others from the same album, but hopefully others will take part and beat me to the punch.

-Ray

[Railroad Bum]

I think this is a fantastic idea, Ray. Enjoyed your duo of songs. I will try to sit down and record a tune or two for this thread over the weekend (vacation is over, lol). I really love The Band, too.

[raysachs]

Hey Tim, I hope you do put some stuff up, and others too. They have a pretty deep catalog and their stuff is fun to play…

-Ray

[egordon99]

Great idea for a thread!

Here's a video I made last summer after Robbie passed away.

[raysachs]

Nice one Eric (I think it’s Eric - if I have that wrong, my apologies). I play The Weight but not well enough that I’ve ever recorded it straight - I did record a spoof version of it with a heavy political spin, so I’d never put it up here! It’s a song that so many people do, I figured someone would do it a lot better that I would. And sure enough, you did!

Thanks for contributing to the thread - maybe this will jump start it a bit and get some other folks interested…

-Ray

[egordon99]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Nice one Eric (I think it’s Eric - if I have that wrong, my apologies). I play The Weight but not well enough that I’ve ever recorded it straight - I did record a spoof version of it with a heavy political spin, so I’d never put it up here! It’s a song that so many people do, I figured someone would do it a lot better that I would. And sure enough, you did!

Thanks for contributing to the thread - maybe this will jump start it a bit and get some other folks interested…

-Ray

My friends call my Evan.

Thanks for listening!

[keith.rogers]

Not a Band song, per se, but they did it on their first album, and at Woodstock, so in my mind it always was one. A friend and I recorded this at home a few years ago, as part of a tribute to an open mic friend we lost in 2020 we'd played with, and I'd canoed with and gone to a music festival with. I'd only been playing the mandolin, which Frank dabbled in, a few months at this point, but was trying it on everything. (I've stopped doing that )



p.s. (edit) I may have posted this before!

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by egordon99

My friends call my Evan.

Thanks for listening!

Apologies - I guess I thought I’d seen someone refer to you as Eric somewhere on the forum. More likely I imagined it… Evan it is!

-Ray

[started with 1]

Originally Posted by raysachs

We've done a number of song threads for particular artists over the past few years. I'm gonna take a shot at another one, for The Band. I don't know how much interest there will be. I've started and/or taken part in a number of these, some of which there was a lot of interest / participation from many forum folks, and others that got little or no interest / participation. I started one for the Rolling Stones that I kept trying to bring to life but, alas, it died with four or five of my own contributions and NONE from anyone else. Oh well. Maybe this one will die quickly like that one or maybe it'll take off like some of the others.

I'll start it off with a couple relatively obscure tunes from their second album, self titled as The Band. A bit of a story of why I know and love this album as much as I do. In the summer of 1975, my 12 year older brother and I (I was 16, he was 28) built a cabin on a piece of land he owned (and owns) in West Virginia, just an hour or two from his main home in Roanoke, VA. I came from Arizona and didn't bring much other than clothes. I was a music junkie then as I've continued to be for all of my life. But I didn't bring any music - I think I just had records at that time and that wasn't gonna work. So I was reliant on my older brother for tunes. He and I could not possibly have less in common when it came (and comes) to musical taste. Of all of the cassette tapes he had that summer, the ONLY one I could even stomach was a tape with the first Crosby, Stills and Nash album on one side and The Band on the other. I already knew the CSN album like the back of my hand but The Band was largely new to me. I listened to that tape, and pretty much ONLY that tape all of that summer and by the end of it, it was in my DNA. And it continues to be my favorite Band album to this day, as much as I love much of their other stuff too.

So, anyway here are Jemima Surrender and Look Out Cleveland from that album. I have a couple others from the same album, but hopefully others will take part and beat me to the punch.

-Ray

Nice job on these Ray. And great idea for a thread. As I think you know, the Band is in my top four and I was able to see them in 76 with Robbie Robertson just before they recorded the last waltz, and again without him several times in the 80s and 90s with Jim Weeden on guitar. I have a few Band covers I will contribute. Hopefully.

[reeve21]

Nice work on those tunes, Ray!

I should know more about the Band. Never got to see them, not even post Robbie. But the Last Waltz is my favorite music movie (just ahead of the Blues Brothers!) and I know they were geniuses.

The only tune of theirs I know is the one everyone knows, so I'll spare y'all my rendition, and will try to learn another one maybe not so shopworn.

Good thread idea, Ray!

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

Not a Band song, per se, but they did it on their first album, and at Woodstock, so in my mind it always was one. A friend and I recorded this at home a few years ago, as part of a tribute to an open mic friend we lost in 2020 we'd played with, and I'd canoed with and gone to a music festival with. I'd only been playing the mandolin, which Frank dabbled in, a few months at this point, but was trying it on everything. (I've stopped doing that )



p.s. (edit) I may have posted this before!

Hey Keith, thanks for posting that. I’d forgotten that tune and probably wouldn’t have known it by name anyway, but it all came back to me hearing the version you guys did. Nice rendition!

-Ray

[reeve21]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

Not a Band song, per se, but they did it on their first album, and at Woodstock, so in my mind it always was one. A friend and I recorded this at home a few years ago, as part of a tribute to an open mic friend we lost in 2020 we'd played with, and I'd canoed with and gone to a music festival with. I'd only been playing the mandolin, which Frank dabbled in, a few months at this point, but was trying it on everything. (I've stopped doing that )



p.s. (edit) I may have posted this before!

Very nice version! Rick Danko could really sing this tune. Also enjoy the Garcia//Grisman /Rice version on The Pizza Tapes. What a great story song!

[Railroad Bum]

All right, here is a tune that the Band did later in their history. It is a song called "Book Faded Brown," written by Paul Jost, from their album "Jubilation," which is awesome, BTW. This one is sung by the legendary Rick Danko, a wonderful musician and singer and beautiful soul all around. My apologies for the home-made vocals, but I did my best and tried to play and sing for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqT5UmfTGi8

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Railroad Bum

All right, here is a tune that the Band did later in their history. It is a song called "Book Faded Brown," written by Paul Jost, from their album "Jubilation," which is awesome, BTW. This one is sung by the legendary Rick Danko, a wonderful musician and singer and beautiful soul all around. My apologies for the home-made vocals, but I did my best and tried to play and sing for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqT5UmfTGi8

One of the things I absolutely love about these threads is being turned on to (or RE turned on to) songs that I either never knew or had forgotten about. I didn't recall this tune (and barely recalled Long Black Veil) when I heard your version Tim, but I liked it and dug your performance of it. Then I went back and listened to Danko's version and I THINK, but am not sure, that I recognized it. But really dug it too. Then came back and listened to your's again Tim, and liked it even more the second time with the Band's version fresh in mind. Who knows, I may even try to play it someday. Although to the extent that I can take half a shot a Levon's vocals (and maybe a quarter of a shot at Manuel's), Danko's have always thrown me for a loop, so I may not get far with this one.

I miss Danko. Hell, I miss 'em all. I know Garth is still alive, but he was never the public face of anything and isn't gonna start now. Brilliant musician, but nobody's ever gonna get much of an interview out of him. But all three of the singers from that band are fairly long gone and the primary writer is more recently gone. So I guess it's down to folks like us...

-Ray

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by raysachs

One of the things I absolutely love about these threads is being turned on to (or RE turned on to) songs that I either never knew or had forgotten about. I didn't recall this tune (and barely recalled Long Black Veil) when I heard your version Tim, but I liked it and dug your performance of it. Then I went back and listened to Danko's version and I THINK, but am not sure, that I recognized it. But really dug it too. Then came back and listened to your's again Tim, and liked it even more the second time with the Band's version fresh in mind. Who knows, I may even try to play it someday. Although to the extent that I can take half a shot a Levon's vocals (and maybe a quarter of a shot at Manuel's), Danko's have always thrown me for a loop, so I may not get far with this one.

I miss Danko. Hell, I miss 'em all. I know Garth is still alive, but he was never the public face of anything and isn't gonna start now. Brilliant musician, but nobody's ever gonna get much of an interview out of him. But all three of the singers from that band are fairly long gone and the primary writer is more recently gone. So I guess it's down to folks like us...

-Ray

I am more than glad to turn you onto tunes you might have missed. The only reason I know it is that I got a copy of Danko's last album before he passed, "Times Like These," and that song stuck out to me, and I had to learn it because it was so beautiful. That entire album is incredible, though, and I would highly recommend it.

I really do miss those guys, too, especially Levon, Rick, and Manuel. Garth is the last man standing, I guess.

I am glad you liked the tune and was happy to contribute to the thread--Tim.