Music From Big Pink

An unparalleled fresh and original sound in 1968 with strong ties to the American song tradition, and which served as a huge inspiration for countless acts to follow. The ties to Bob Dylan are strong, but it's incredible for The Band to create a record which sounds wholeheartedly different than what they did while acting as Dylan's backing band. Music From Big Pink is charming with a production making it sound like it was actually recorded in a basement. The vocal harmonies are raw but authentic, and the highlights are plenty: 'Caledonia Mission', the swinging 'We Can Talk', 'Lonesome Suzie', 'This Wheel's On Fire' and of course 'The Weight'.

I've never been familiar with The Band but this really got me. Obviously 'The Weight' is a classic, but 'Tears of Rage' 'To Kingdom Come' and 'I Shall be Released' were also favorites for me. The whole album has an amazing feel, and it's wild to realize it was all recorded in just two weeks. || What really struck me with this album was the forging of rock, soul, and sorrowful old country western into an Americana Alloy. Its beautiful American wanderlust. I love it.

What a rich and earthy album from such a mythic era. So much soul it aches. This is the personification of musical brotherhood to me. I think that most all of them share on the vocals is part of this feeling. It's funny cause many times I tend to shy away from rootsy music but this is the genuine article and I can't help but be drawn in to it. "The Weight" is one for the ages. Always loved "Chest Fever" too.

40. Music from the Big Pink - The Band 20 tracks. This seems to be a collection of tracks rather than an album. There is no flow. Some amazing tracks surrounded by some real fillers that detract from the whole. 3/5

Apparently some people like this. P.S. Natalie played me three covers of songs from this album. Each one was better than the original, and even these I wouldn’t play again.

Classic album, warm and soulful and a delight to listen to. The Band makes it seem very effortless and laid back, like the album just emerged out of some jam session. This is part of their brilliance. This is a group of highly skilled musicians performing at their peak, clearly having a ball crafting music they love. 100 years from now people will still be drawn to these songs. Fave songs: Tears of Rage, The Weight, I Shall Be Released

I love this album so much. I had this vinyl for so long and it broke in my move from UT to CA and broke my heart. Tears of Rage and The Weight are two of my favorite comfort songs. I can’t say anything about this album except to say it is sacred and lovely and you should listen to it often.

I knew The Weight going into this. I really enjoyed it. I don't really have a track by track breakdown or anything specific to call out. It just felt like a really complete record where all the songs were evenly matched, with The Weight being a standout. Very happy I listened to this.

Greatest Album of All Time? Country, Rock, Soul, R&B? It's got it all.

What’s left to say?..a critical moment in the evolution of rock, Americana, alt-country…take your pick…also a demonstration of what can happen when you allow a group of musicians to percolate and figure out what they want to play and how they want to play it…

Love this. Listened 2 times and coulda done more.

An amazing debut from the little band that could These guys combination of folk and excellent vocals caused the whole late 60’s rock scene turn their head and look at what these guys were doing. Hell the album make Cream break up due to it being that damn good.

more like the bland etc

We should talk about the all-time best singing drummers. Any list worth a shit will have the following: Don Henley: He's mainly a lead singer who just happened to play drums. Henley will never be considered one of the best drummers, but we're not listing or ranking best drummers here, but singing drummers. Phil Collins: Similar to Henley in that he's a lead singer who played the drums, but Collins gets a little too much credit for his drumming because his drumming sound in the '80's was so distinct. There's also the whole "In The Air Tonight" drum moment people get a little too excited over. Shelia E.: The best drummer on this short list, and it's not even close. Apparently her career was cut shorter than it should have been because she preferred drumming while wearing high heels. Levon Helm: His drumming style is actually quite similar to Henley's, but he's thought of as a much better drummer than Henley. He didn't have Henley's vocal chops, but his voice was still incredibly distinct, and it's Levon's voice I think of the most when I think of The Band. It's Levon singing lead on my favorite Band songs (none of which are on this album, for what it's worth). Bonus points for being adept at playing the mandolin. These are really the best four, and your mileage may vary on where you rank them. Anyone who is just trying to be cute will include Karen Carpenter (she COULD drum, but sort of gave it up after a while, but she gets props every now and then for people discovering old videos of her playing drums well while wearing a T-Shirt that says "Lead Sister"), the dude from the Romantics (who lucked out by singing lead on their most beloved song), Peter Criss (only because he sang on a handful of songs, although I'd listen to an argument for him being the best lead singer of Kiss, which is sort of like claiming to be the world's tallest midget), Roger Taylor (disqualified for singing a song about being in love with his car), Mickey Dolenz (we're not even sure how much drumming he was truly responsible for), Ringo Starr (as John Lennon once famously noted, he wasn't even the best drummer in The Beatles), Dave Grohl (no, also gave up the drums once he became a lead singer), Kelly Keagy (from Night Ranger, but the only people bringing him up are relatives of Kelly Keagy).

I just can't care about this jangly ass jamming. Love chest fever though.

5 stars for The Weight alone, but the rest is great too.

Pure songwriting and arranging magic. Love letting this album swarm all around me.

Good Sunday listening. Went well with today's sunshine 🌞

Iconic album, changed music forever

Clasisc

This is a great album. The best by the band.

Very glad I had headphones for this album. Loved the way the songs built into The Weight. Especially on my second listen through. The story of both the album and The Band are amazing as well. The fact that both are considered so influential but take their name from the fact they were the backing band for Boy Dylan and then where they recorded most of these songs show the focus on the music rather than the marketability of the group.

Just boring Americana

Loved how a couple songs were named for the idea, not an actual line or phrase in it. Took me back to the time when music was less succinct and more fluid. Sounded like it was fun to make. Easy enjoyable listening if you're in the mood for some older feels.

I had a big Band phase about 20 years ago, must admit I've not gone near them in a long time. The Brown album was a particular favourite over Big PInk, but I bookended both of them. Sad to say it doesn't really hold up. There are some fine moments, Tears of Rage etc, but surprisingly a lot of the vocals are variable at best. The songwriting is all over the place and I think reflects a lot of the nurdling around that went on with the basement tapes. I'm genuinely surprised by how ordinary it is, odd. But let's leaven this critique with a concessive; what's good about it is really good.

There's a groove here. Solid listen of some slow folksy rock. Girl Talk used The Weight in Feed the Animals.

Generic dad rock.

Their other record on the list is better, but I think I gave it the same score.

Some nice jams but nothing more than easy listening to me. Their live video gig is class. Worth a watch

"Wait. Let’s try this again. Do you see the band on stage?" "No, I don’t see The Band, that’s a different group entirely!" "On stage, Skippy! Look, see the band?" "No I don’t!" "Get rid of those John Lennon glasses and look! There, there’s the band!" "No, that’s not The Band! The Band is performing later on. Who is onstage." Beautifully engineered, very impressive as it was recorded without overdubs. Full of 60s rock flourishes that harken back to some of its roots in gospel, boogie, country, and rockabilly - loads of piano, Hammond organ, call and response vocals, counterpoint harmonies. The bass bounces about with a vintage thud. However, it all feels less than the sum of its parts. I can see why critics and other artists raved about them; doesn't mean I have to like it.

Sorry ‘Muricans but this is just tedious. Take A Load Off is decent and I recognise Wheels On Fre from Ab Fab (that version is more tuneful though. The rest just trundles along in a rather dull manner

Quaalude-soaked bluesy-country-rock, eh? The Weight is one of those classic rock staples, but the remainder of this album felt like a hazy Sunday afternoon that’ll leave a hangover on Monday. Beautiful as it happens, but the details aren’t distinctly memorable and you’ve got a strange taste in your mouth the next day.

Not super memorable, feel like I’ve listened to this album 20 times at this point. 2.2

How have I never listened to this one before? Definitely gonna be an album I listen to many many more times

Rambling but tight. An album I will definitely return to.

This album is responsible for much of the trend towards roots rock and Americana beginning in the 1970s and as such its influence can be felt in contemporary music as well. To top it off, this album contains a couple of songs that were co-written with Bob Dylan thus lending some additional folk credence to what is already a genre defining album.

Really good album. Good tunes all around, love the use of vocals throughout. Would like to have this album by a camp fire

big fan of this one. good rhythms.

Really enjoyed this I’m a sucker for psychedelic country

Sounded like a group of friends jamming in the basement (because that's literally what it was). Thoroughly enjoyed it, musically & lyrically. Added.

Still marginally prefer the self-titled, but nonetheless brilliant.

This one was a grower. It's not as accessible as their s/t but just as complete and well-constructed if not more. It's lush, heavy, and impactful, taking influences from country, folk, and rock and would become one of the most influencial rock albums of all time, reaching the likes of the Beatles and Eric Clapton to take a softer, more emotional approach to their music. It's mixed really well, fully utilizing the wall of sound to create lush sound landscapes, with some ethereal effects like in "In a Station" that blew me away. I'm a personally a huge fan of the multiple vocals, sometimes in-sync like CSNY while at other times conflicting with each other to produce beautiful harmonies. Each vocalist has a unique style, with some more rustic and some smoother, contributing in their own way to the mood. Everyone knows "The Weight" which is super catchy and groovy, but almost all the other songs stand on their own. There's a good mix of hard and soft tracks that produce a versatile and and engaging listen. "Tears of Rage" is an emotional opener, "To Kingdom Come" is an energetic and accessible track to keep audience interest, and I've already talked about the ethereal landscape of "In a Station". "We Can Talk" is one of the most complex songs, featuring a jazzy groove line, seceral competing keyboards that come and go, and multiple key changes that change the vibe. "Chest Fever" starts off with a Bach organ part and has a jumpy acid rock guitar sound, featuring an unexpected zany middle-section before returning the themes even harder than before but with an outgoing organ solo. "This Wheel's on Fire" is another acid rock track featuring strange distorted effects. "I Shall Be Released" is a slow powerful closer with a cool atmospheric effect in the background.

This is the style of Americana/country/folk rock I can vibe with. When jazz/blues/bluegrass players were still all mixed in with the scene so the musicianship was rock solid and the music itself had soul to it. All of the songs have a great groove so even when the lyrics aren’t the best. That being said most of the songs are well written too especially the ones Bob Dylan helped or wrote himself. I shall be released is one of my favorites by Dylan especially the version Jeff Buckley does. And the weight is an all time classic that never gets old and is the perfect Americana song so it’s kinda funny that it was written by a Canadian. 👍: the weight, tears of rage, we can talk

Phenomenal debut album. Nobody brings you the down home comfort tunes that seamlessly vacillate from joyfully kitschy to powerfully emotional like The Band does. Every song immerses the listener deep in their world of eclectic characters, sorrowful tales, and countryfied catechisms. Sometimes it's like you're chewing the fat with Old Jim down the road and other times you're being taken to church. It's a truly unique listening experience. They have the gift of irreverent profundity and I am forever awed by it. Naturally talented musicians who don't even have to try, they just open up their hearts, strum their guitars, and welcome you in.

Love

This was fun!

One of my all time favorites.

Really well produced well very influential album. Last song has a great vibe and awesome organ sound. An enjoyable album.

I just listened to this album literally three days ago, but I'm fine listening to it again! I love, love, love The Band, and this album holds a special place in my heart. I know most people consider their second album (the brown album) as their best. I love that album as well, but this one slightly edges it out for me, maybe just for sentimental reasons though. I discovered The Band, and this album, around 1981. I was a sophomore in high school and I happened across a cassette tape version of this album at my local library. I didn't know anything about The Band at that time, but I thought the album cover looked interesting and was intrigued by a band that would be so bold to call themselves "The Band." So, I checked it out. During that time I was working on a project for my art class. It was a really large batik wall hanging of the Beatles. I worked on it every night for weeks, and listened to this album the entire time. Something about working on a creative project and having this music on just clicked for me. It was magical. I still have the batik and strangely enough it makes me think of The Band every time I look at it, even though The Beatles are pictured at its center. My art teacher used to let people bring in music and he would play it in the classroom. I brought this album in. He was a cool, artsy guy and was hip to The Band, but the rest of the class? Not so much. They ridiculed the country-ish voices and the quaint-sounding music. That just made me like the album that much more. Just like The Band went in a completely different direction from the hippy-dippy psychedelic music of the time, I also went in a different direction from all of my so-called "cool" classmates, and that was fine by me. Forty-some years later, this album is still magical for me, almost sacred. It has such a strange and special beauty to it. The way their voices blend together, the instrumentation, the songwriting, it's all just incredible. 5 stars, of course.

Loved this album. Most of these songs were amazing, and the ones that I didn't really vibe with I could still enjoy enough.

Excellent album.

Ask yourself why Eric Clapton wanted to join The Band after hearing this record. They re-wrote the recipe for serious rock. Theirs isn't the only recipe, but it's one of the best.

Music From Big Pink (1969) I needed this yesterday. This is comfort food. When I was a kid I had the privilege of seeing the late Levon Helm play an intimate show in his barn in Woodstock, NY. He is a top-five, dream-dinner-party guest for me. That show was probably the most memorable I’ve ever attended. And his band (THE Band) will always be one of my favorites. I love a band where everyone can sing except for the guitar player and only-eligible front man of the band, Robbie Robertson. Robbie is a fantastic, under-credited guitar player, but the other members always alleged that he sneakily claimed songwriting credit for the group’s greatest, co-written hits without their knowing it, so he’s not that great. The actual leading force behind the band, Levon Helm, drums like no one else—his syncopation is so unique—and he sings with the whole dirt of the Earth beneath him. Richard Manuel has a such a specific sorrow—a just-below-cracking fragility—to his voice and is a vital Canadian songwriter. Danko, by contrast, has such a joyous, carnivalesque—kind of crooning; like he’s sing-announcing all the twisted attractions of the greatest show on Earth. No one would ever think to stress syllables the way he did. And I’ve always loved the back-country bounce to his bass playing. Garth Hudson’s organ playing is the stuff of dreams. Together, they are a surreal cast of soft-spoken, bearded, and deeply troubled characters. They are a band born of a backing band. A rock band without a frontman. A band composed of players as down to earth and everyday American (or Canadian) as they come. I love everything the Band ever did. But Big Pink is their masterpiece. Listen to the version of “The Weight” from Scorsese’s The Last Waltz done with the Staples Singers. And definitely watch The Last Waltz. When we listened to Grizzly Bear’s Veckatemist I had some spiel about what makes a great Americana/folk band great. Well The Band is the epitome of that Americana spirit. The gold standard. Even if they’re mostly Canadian.

Dig it, ya heard?!

Back in 2007, I went to the Chauvel at Paddington to see a brand new print of The Last Waltz, Scorsese’s concert film celebrating The Band. I went with my great mate Ian. Two weeks later Ian dropped dead one Saturday arvo while playing oztag footy at Milperra. I was a pallbearer, and I organised the music for the service in a church at Revesby. We carried his body out of that church to the strains of the version of The Weight on this album. Probably The Band’s greatest song. Levon Helm’s vocal on this is sublime. Almost as impressive is Chest Fever - another of their out-and-out classics which highlights the amazing keyboard skills of Garth Hudson. The album starts and finishes with a bunch of Dylan tracks from the period that threw up his Basement Tapes album - most notably the first released version of This Wheel’s On Fire, which decades later was the theme song for Absolutely Fabulous - the Julie Driscoll version. There’s a great version of the country/folk standard, Long Black Veil. I love the record. But really, The Weight is enough by itself.

"Music from Big Pink" is the debut album by The Band. The Band had been the backing band (The Hawks) for Bob Dylan during his 1966 tour. In 1967, they practiced and improvised with Bob Dylan on covers and originals in a West Saugerties, New York pink house basement rented by members Rich Danko (bassist, vocalist), Richard Manual pianist/vocalist) and Garth Hudson (organist). They then decided to record an album (without Dylan) and did so in NYC and LA. Other band member included Robbie Robertson (guitarist) and Levon Helm (drummer/vocalist). Their music combines a blend of country, rock, folk, classical, gospel, R&B, blues and soul. Yeah, this is quite a debut album and is credited with one of the spawning albums for Americana and roots rock. It was apparently also very influential for the future musical direction that Eric Clapton and George Harrison took. The album interestingly begins with more a dirge in "Tears of Rage," a song Dylan wrote. A distorted, wobbly guitar and piano start. Richard Manual's emotional voice. Lyrics of a father dealing with his daughter's rejection. Rich Danko takes over the lead vocals on "Caledonia Mission." We got soul and gospel from the organ and blues from Robertson's guitar. A guy is trying to save a girl from a religious cult and fails. Side two ends with "The Weight." The iconic acoustic guitar open rolling into "I pulled into Nazareth." Danko and Helm switching lead vocals. Soul, country, folk. They wrote the lyrics influenced by the imagery and stortelling of filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Luis Buñuel and accounts of people they actually knew. The live version of this song with The Staples Singers on The Last Waltz is at the very top of my favorite live performances. A mammoth, overdriven, chaotic organ introduction begins "Chest Fever." Manual vocally leads a sort of funky song at times. A man gets sick when e spurns a lover. Danko and Dylan wrote "This Wheel's on Fire." No dominant instrument but a little more rockin' with the guitar riff. I do like the Julie Driscoll cover of this song and used as the TV them for British sitcom "Absolutely Fabolous" probably even more. Save that for a day when you're asked for a cover better than the original. You're welcome. The album ends with an absolute gem in "I Shall Be Released." Dylan also wrote about a prisoner being released. From what? Actual prison? Social issues? Themselves? Brilliant. Manual's soulful falsetto. Great backing vocals. Needless to say, I like this album a lot. I do think their next album is slightly better but the highs of this album are some of the best in music period. I also forget how versatile and talented this band was. I think that goes a long way to the unique sound and album they created.

A damn near perfect record.

The boys

The weight se merece un 5 estrellas el solito

Album 161 of 1001 The Band - Music From Big Pink Rating : 5 / 5 Favorite Track : The Weight Another where I was tempted to rate a 4 but changed my mind by the time it was over. I've listened to their greatest hits album too much, so I needed reminded of what I had forgotten. This was always presented to me with a really huge buildup that made it hard to live up to, but it does stand up to expectations. As an aside, if you haven't seen the performance with The Band and The Staples doing The Weight, you should make it a point to do so. I like the Danko vocals.

Fantastic

I still remember my dorm neighbor bringing this album Bach from the electric fetus the first quarter of my freshmen year “John - check out this Floyd album I just found - do you know this one?” The album had been mistakenly put in the Pink Floyd bin. We immediately figured out it wasn’t Pink Floyd, but liked it immediately. Great album, and “The Weight” is still a favorite v

Fantastic album, just great throughout

This is iconic. It's perfection.

This album is so beautiful to me. I love their easy groove and their layered vocals. If I only had 20 songs to listen to for the rest of my life, The Weight would be one of them. The album starts off slow, but really brings it home by the end. Oh, and I have to concede that Bob Dylan is a major ingredient in this album's magnificence.

This is a great classic rock album that doesn't get enough love. I definitely need to revisit this and add some tracks to my playlist

Loved every song. Beautiful instrumentation and vocals. Very pleasant record to listen to all around.

Very good. Wasn’t a fan of the first couple of tracks, but from the weight onwards brilliant

The Great American Album. Name a better fit for that title. You can't. Best track: The Weight

Absolutely loved it.

5/5. A raw, feel-good album with super original and amazing songwriting. Everyone feels so strong as a member of the band, it’s really hard to find a fault in this one. Some days it’s a 4/5 but this is hard to bring down.

The Band is one of my all time favorites!!

Sultry, thick, relaxing jam band. Great songs and harmonies. The Weight is a classic. Good album!

grew on me! kinda beatles-y but a little more raw

Giving 5 stars just because The Weight is the greatest song ever created

Makes me think of my dad. I love this album.

Birth of the Americana genre? Just rated its successor, which is also in the list and which I always thought to be the better album (10/10). This one is great too of course (9/10).

Great album, very chill but upbeat. Good afternoon listening.

Muito bom!

So far I only knew The Weight by The Band, a song I quite like. But it definitely didn't prepare me for what the album is like. It is lot more varied and experimental than I expected. Also, it was most likely absolutely groundbreaking at it's time. With one listen I couldn't quite wrap my head around all of it and wasn't sure if it's a 4 or a 5 for me. After a second spin, I'm rounding it up to a 5 from a solid 4.5 stars for the influence it must have had on classic favorites of mine, while still sounding good and interesting today. My favorite tracks were In A Station and the super trippy This Wheel's On Fire

The thing I always come back to with the first two Band albums is how ego-free they sound. Has a rock band (hah!) ever nailed the sound of five musicans sharing the music so harmoniously. There's other stuff such as the gold-standard songwriting, and their journey into America's folk past just as everyone else was going into the fab future, but it's the interplay of the musicians I always come back to. Still astonishing after all these years. And yes, if you give this 5 then the second album should really be a 6.

Holds a special place in my heart. My dad was a huge fan of this album and we listened to it a lot when i was young. Also, whenever he'd sit down at the piano, he'd inevitably play The Weight, which he's stated is his favorite song of all time.

They really were THE Band, huh?

This is probably one of the most formative albums in my life. The Band is a core memory and this album is the beginning of it all for me. My son's middle name is Levon after Levon Helm. While I can admit that my own nostalgia probably clouds my ability to assess this album honestly, I don't care. I know every note and every word and every inflection and every sound on this record and I will carry it with me forever. Aside from Robby Robertson essentially stealing all of the money from the rest of the band in the publishing deals and the drama fall-out of that, this is probably a perfect band for me. I truly believe that Robertson, Helm, Dank, Hudson, and Manual all could've been centerpieces in their own bands. They all wrote great tunes, sang well (enough), and played the hell out of their instruments. Having them all develop together made The Band and Music from Big Pink an absolute mile-marker in Rock and Roll. Also, moving out of the 60's folk, The Band helped cement the world of Americana, which is an odd thing since Levon is the only one of them that isn't from Canada.

19th December 2022 Listened mainly the morning after in Austria, here to ski with Meg and Em! Such a huge album, varied style but the musical talent is unreal and its legacy Deserved.

Brilliant Album

A Friday with The Band? How delightful!

Its like the Beatles and the Eagles had a love child.

I liked this. The weight of course being a classic, the rest of the album matches the sound and mood. Very pleasant listen.

Influenced so many bands, classic!

This was nice! Nice harmonies and good music

Good listen

cool

Love this album. Especially the layering in both the instrumentals and the vocals create an amazing sound!

I wasn't a big fan of their second album, so I was pleasantly surprised by this album. Much more variety and just one good track after another. Outstanding musicianship and writing. It's very clear why this album is considered a classic. Favorite tracks: Tears of Rage, To Kingdom Come, Caledonia Mission, The Weight (absolute classic), Chest Fever (I wasn't sure about this one at first, but it really grew on me), We Can Talk. Really no weak songs.

This is just... I mean, dang. This album feels so good to listen to. I don't know how else to describe it. The sound, the vibe, the musicianship is all so good that it's practically a mood-altering drug. There were so many moments where I found myself literally stopped in my tracks by a guitar riff, a lyric, the organ tone, or something else. I ended up giving up on everything that I was trying to do while listening to this album and just letting myself listen. Any album that demands my attention like this deserves 5 stars.

J'ai toujours aimé The Band.. J'ai découvert ce band au départ dans cette liste il y a longtemps et j'ai toujours adoré Music from Big Pink. Un vrai classique qui ne se démode pas et qui vaut vraiment l'écoute. 5

Great album. Love jamming to these guys

Loved this! Listened to it twice over. Who can listen to ‘ The Weight’ and not spontaneously start singing along?