Music From Big Pink
The Band
1968
Album Summary
Music from Big Pink is the debut studio album by the Band. Released in 1968, it employs a distinctive blend of country, rock, folk, classical, R&B, blues, and soul. The music was composed partly in "Big Pink", a house shared by bassist/singer Rick Danko, pianist/singer Richard Manuel and organist Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, New York. The album itself was recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles in 1968, and followed the band's backing of Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour (as the Hawks) and time spent together in upstate New York recording material that was officially released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes, also with Dylan. The cover artwork is a painting by Dylan. In 2000 the album was rereleased with additional outtakes from the recording sessions, and in 2018 a "50th Anniversary Super Deluxe" edition was released with a new stereo mix by Bob Clearmountain.
Wikipedia40. 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
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'.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Some nice jams but nothing more than easy listening to me. Their live video gig is class. Worth a watch
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 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.
Pure songwriting and arranging magic. Love letting this album swarm all around me.
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
Very good. Wasn’t a fan of the first couple of tracks, but from the weight onwards brilliant
Loved every song. Beautiful instrumentation and vocals. Very pleasant record to listen to all around.
Greatest Album of All Time? Country, Rock, Soul, R&B? It's got it all.
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
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.
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
This was a pleasant surprise. The album starts out beautifully. You get a familiar surprise by the song the weight. But that song just adds to the album. This album is beautiful and is now added to albums I need on vinyl.
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.
The Great American Album. Name a better fit for that title. You can't. Best track: The Weight
Really well produced well very influential album. Last song has a great vibe and awesome organ sound. An enjoyable album.
Sounded like a group of friends jamming in the basement (because that's literally what it was). Thoroughly enjoyed it, musically & lyrically. Added.
Really good album. Good tunes all around, love the use of vocals throughout. Would like to have this album by a camp fire
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.
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
Love it. I knew I liked The Band but been a while since I'd had a listen to them, never mind a full album. Very happy this popped up.
Some absolutely classic stuff from one of the all time great bands. I still like their second one better but what a debut.
Loved this! Listened to it twice over. Who can listen to ‘ The Weight’ and not spontaneously start singing along?
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
The combination of the lyrics versus the musical tones on the songs, the combination somehow leaves me reminiscing about a love I never really knew. Will be listening to this one again before the others. Just also noticed how older bands used to name their groups, "The Who(?!" And "The Band" . Who wanted to add emphasis and weight to their name. It's something I'll keep in mind when naming myself. Bob Dylan had good taste before everyone else lol
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.
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.
I liked this. The weight of course being a classic, the rest of the album matches the sound and mood. Very pleasant listen.
Love this album. Especially the layering in both the instrumentals and the vocals create an amazing sound!
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.
I spent the greater part of my life dismissing The Band as overrated having never fully sat down with their music. After giving it my full attention, I can see/hear what people recognize as nothing short of great. Five stars!
"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.
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.
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.
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.
Starting to like the combination of rock and country more and more. This is something I would play on a lazy Sunday.
Too fuckin good. Blues and rock in a fiery combination of awesome musicians.
Loved this shit. Hit right where I wanted with a great folk-rock album. Favorite songs Tears of Rage and The Weight is a classic. I will definitely be re-listening to the album. Nothing that complex, just an enjoyable listening experience. 7/8. FROM HERE ON OUT ALBUMS WILL BE RATED HARSHER ON THE 5 POINT SCALE BASED ON HOW THEY RATE AS AN ALBUM SOMEONE NEEDS TO LISTEN TO BEFORE THEY DIE.
A lot of really familiar psychedelic, hippy cuts here Highlights: In a Station, The Weight Lowlights: Tears of Rage
I mean this album has, "The Weight," on it, so you know its a classic already. Levon and the boys in The Band always have those comforting harmonies and country flavor that a man of southern Illinois heritage is bound to love. I could also hear a lot modern artist that I like now in their music. I was hearing a lot of Grateful Dead in this record too, so I feel like even their contemporaries were inspired by The Band. My other standout was the ballad "Long Black Veil," a fantastically somber lovers lament. "I Shall Be Released," also struck a chord with me.
Really liked it! Very jammy, fun, and I liked how many people it seemed were involved. Many songs sounded like people just walked in, grabbed an instrument, and joined the fun
I was surprised I didn't like this more. I guess I'm comparing it to The Last Waltz. At least I now know The Weight is the name of the song about Fanny. I can now stop going through life thinking it was about Annie or Brandy. I also now know that the Nazareth reference in The Weight is to the US town where Martin guitars are made. I'm rounding up to 4 since the brothers are Canadians and Martin guitars are the shit.
Pretty good. A couple gems, a lot of solid music. Why do they sound southern, they’re not doing country music, is it like rocked up bluegrass? They relegate Levon Helm’s voice to the background too often. Lots of fun keyboard and guitar sounds. Not perfect though. Is the Band a Greatest hits band?
The band were already clearly very accomplished musicians before releasing their debut album, but here they really established themselves as a a proper a proper band/songwriters in their own right. At time is fells like their just having fun, jamming and playing about with different instruments and vocal styles, but also some incredible songs on here such as the weight. A great album.