|
Because it is unrestrained and groovy and country and fonky and as rootsy as it can be. Because The Bands "The Band" is earth, soil; organic, and probably the most genuine, cohesive albums I have ever heard.
Best album on earth. And it is absolutely impossible to tire of.
Because it is the world's best band. Because the concept of Americana can be summed up in this little brown album.
Period. Because it is the world's best bands best album.
Because these five unearthly musical musicians / singers here sounded like they looked like: bearded, brown and as far from fluffy flower power as one can get.
It was like a musical museum of American life and the American experience. Despite the recent moon landing, America seemed to be coming apart at the seams. It was music about the common man and woman -- the farmer, the union worker, the conman, the truckers, old folks in rocking chairs, the good time, the bad times, etc. The dreams and visions of the Civil Rights movement had only been partially been fulfilled when Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were both shot down the year before.
Then in the fall of 1969, I purchased "The Band" and I discovered how deep my roots and heritage in this country actually were. It sounds as fresh and real now as it did when I first discovered it. I have never heard anything like it before or since. This music is in a category all by itself.Thank you Robbie, Levon, Richard, Garth and Rick. This album changed my life. In 1969, I felt lost like so many others of my generation. This music permeated my soul, got under my skin, worked its way into my bones and blood and into my senses. This was music about the common American psyche and experience.
It located the heritage and roots that had lain dormant in my soul up until this time. This music is as real and honest as it gets. "The Band" has been my musical companion now for over 40 years. I could almost taste and smell this music, like smoked bacon sizzling on a big wood fired stove. It defies labels and description.
The Vietnam War raged on and on without a end in sight. In fact, this music could have easily been about my grandparents or their parents for that matter. It haunted me and took me to places that I somehow felt I had experienced before. For many of us, Richard Nixon personified exactly what was wrong with the country and I was ready to give up on America. It grabbed and spoke to emotions that I did not know were even there.
Caution:Richard Manuel will break your heart when you hear him sing "Whispering Pines".Strongly recommended. This is a wonderful and utterly unique record that has stood the test of time.
Suck it and see; the odds are in your favour. This is a perfect album.
Just buy the cheaper remaster. Levon Helm has never let anyone use the original master for this album; what makes you think a second-rate "engineer" like Hoffman convinced him. stereocentral.tv Don't waste your money. This is probably from some second-gen source.
|
