Robbie Robertson reviews LIB and Abbey Road, from 1969
King Size Johnson
There's only one real good song, and two or three that are OK. The
Get Back album isn't good. Some of the songs sound like they just
wrote them and immediately recorded them.
It's not really valid. It's their way of being spontaneous. But
anybody can do that. You know, "Come on, dig it, dig it." But their
other album, Abbey Road, is much better. It's got about three things
that are really exceptional. The very first song on the album, a John
Lennon one...about holy rollers, or something. He sings a few phrases.
The next one's a drag. It's one of those Paul McCartney pinkey-dew
songs, "Your Mother Should Know" type songs. But the one after that is
probably the best song George Harrison has ever written. Called
"Something," it's really pretty. The next one is good too. Paul
McCartney really screams it. There's a couple other good ones too, and
there's some noisy shit. They're still really good.
Q. Do they play for their friends?
They play in a room, they don't perform while we sit down and
look. We all play. John Lennon always is playing. If he's not talking,
he's sitting at the piano, singing...uh, Love is the answer.
Full interview:
http://theband.hiof.no/articles/rr_intreview_rs1969.html
marcuscp
"I'm just tired of hearing all of this-that little girl Janis Ian. You
know, Jim Morrison and those people. I just think they're a drag. Even
if that is their situation, who cares? That's got nothing to do with
music"
Classic..
Sheik Barack Hussein
Is Robbie senile?
marcuscp
In 1969?
King Size Johnson
How about this one:
Q. Would you say there was a leader in the group, or is it more a co-
operative effort?
Well, neither, actually. We have something else going. I don't
really understand how it works, it just goes that way. Everybody plays
a total different part in the group. There is no leader, nobody in the
group wants to be a leader. I do a lot of the out-front stuff, but the
guys do a lot of the back-front stuff.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My, how his attitude changed between this and 1976. Having never
really paid much attention to The Band except for a few records, when
I saw "The Last Waltz" I just assumed he was the leader based on his
actions.
abe slaney
I think Scorcese, for whatever reason, locked onto him as the hero,
and Robertson got that and ran with it...forever. I have a hard time
watching "The Last Waltz," because I can't stand hearing him talk, or
watch him play, knowing that he sees himself as the center of
Scorcese's attention.
King Size Johnson
> I think Scorcese, for whatever reason, locked onto him as the hero,
> and Robertson got that and ran with it...forever.
Shades of Macca.
> I have a hard time
> watching "The Last Waltz," because I can't stand hearing him talk, or
> watch him play, knowing that he sees himself as the center of
> Scorcese's attention.
Scorcese apparently took to him -- he did the score for "The Color Of
Money" (just one of the many production annoyances of that film).
I kinda liked the backwoods murk of his "Somewhere Down The Crazy
River" from the late 80s, though.
rwalker
<abes...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> My, how his attitude changed between this and 1976. Having never
>> really paid much attention to The Band except for a few records, when
>> I saw "The Last Waltz" I just assumed he was the leader based on his
>> actions.
>
>I think Scorcese, for whatever reason, locked onto him as the hero,
>and Robertson got that and ran with it...forever. I have a hard time
>watching "The Last Waltz," because I can't stand hearing him talk, or
>watch him play, knowing that he sees himself as the center of
>Scorcese's attention.
Read Levon Helm's book, "This Wheel's on Fire" for an insider's
account of what happened to The Band. It makes the Beatles'
infighting seem like a school yard spat. Helm and Robertson haven't
spoken for 30 years. The heart and soul of The Band were Helm,
Manuel, and Hudson, in my opinion. But Robertson had more ego than
the rest of them combined.
marcuscp
> On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:12:16 -0800 (PST), abe slaney
>
True perhaps, but we wouldn't be still talking about them now without
his songs.
King Size Johnson
> Read Levon Helm's book, "This Wheel's on Fire" for an insider's
> account of what happened to The Band. It makes the Beatles'
> infighting seem like a school yard spat. Helm and Robertson haven't
> spoken for 30 years. The heart and soul of The Band were Helm,
> Manuel, and Hudson, in my opinion. But Robertson had more ego than
> the rest of them combined.
I understand that Helm maintains Robertson ripped them off, but he
*did* get the songwriter credits. There's probably more to it than I
know, so maybe I'll check out the book you mentioned.
marcuscp
I don't know about that. Levon could be a cranky bastard sometimes and
probably blames Robbie for the misfortunes (like Richard Manuel's
suicide) that beset the band when he left it. Levon didn't "get" Dylan
either and hated the tours with him (the booing anyway.)
scouser
Thanks - always grateful for some new info and i didn't know about the
film "Zachariah" referred to.
In his defence - the article did start saying he was really tired...
Jales
> I think Scorcese, for whatever reason, locked onto him as the hero,
> and Robertson got that and ran with it...forever. I have a hard time
> watching "The Last Waltz," because I can't stand hearing him talk, or
> watch him play, knowing that he sees himself as the center of
> Scorcese's attention.- Ocultar texto de la cita -
>
I read on Wikipedia, both RR and Scorcese lived together for a while
and shared some drug habits
stuth...@comcast.net
>
Two things can be true at the same time.
Robertson DID write the songs, exclusively so as the rest of The Band
sank deeper into drugs.
Robertson COULD have shared more songwriting credit (and royalties),
as R.E.M. and U2 have always done, but Jagger/Richards have mostly
refused to, but grubbed all the money for himself.
marcuscp
I thought it was with Peter Jackson and some drugged hobbits.
ermitano
I've never listened to The Band, I do not know who is Robbie
Robbertson, all I knew is that they were at some point the supporting
band of Bob Dylan. You've been talking so much about him that I
googled and I found that I do know the guy. He's one of the usual
guitar players in those all-star concerts very famous at the 80s and
90s. For me, he always was the most boring rock star on stage in those
concerts.
Anyway, I'm gonna make myself the time to listen to some The Band
albums, at least until Robbie left the band.
JohnB
Music From The Big Pink is supposed to be the best, though their
eponymous second album is also highly rated. For me, the Band is just
so so. I always thought their sound was a bit muddled, not enough high
and low tones, and the voices aren't to everybody's taste. Still, if
the critics say they're good, who am I to disagree?
Nil
rec.music.beatles:
> Music From The Big Pink is supposed to be the best, though their
> eponymous second album is also highly rated. For me, the Band is
> just so so. I always thought their sound was a bit muddled, not
> enough high and low tones, and the voices aren't to everybody's
> taste. Still, if the critics say they're good, who am I to
> disagree?
I love The Band's first three albums and their live album, "Rock of
Ages". They were very "democratic" in sound and approach, with few
show-off solos and three excellent singers who were all equally
featured. The focus was always on serving the song, and the songs were,
for the most part, great.
I turned my attention elsewhere after those three records, but the
little I heard after that didn't interest me as much. And I find it
hard to like "The Last Waltz" due to the strong stench of egotism that
pervades it. I don't much like the way they accompany their guests at
that show, either. It has its moments, but there's something about it
that galls me. Whenever I'm told in advance that the occasion will be
"classic," "momentous," "important" and such, I'm immediately get
defensive. put off. Those adjectives are for ME to assign after
evaluation. You don't tell me what to think.
I liked Robertson's first solo album at the time, but I listened to it
again recently, and I wondered what I saw in it then. Too much 80s
production style, and the songs are very pretentious.
rwalker
No question about the songs, but there is some question about how much
they really were just his songs.
To stay on topic: The Band were on "Ringo" and Levon Helm and Rick
Danko (and occasionally Garth Hudson) were part of the first All-Starr
Band.
rwalker
<redn...@REMOVETHIScomcast.net> wrote:
>I liked Robertson's first solo album at the time, but I listened to it
>again recently, and I wondered what I saw in it then. Too much 80s
>production style, and the songs are very pretentious.
Robertson's Post-Band career is one of the things that make me lean
toward Levon Helm's side of the story.
mcnewsxp
"ermitano" <maikel...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:92bcc1c8-a97b-43aa...@d2g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
somehow those guys are pretty influential, but i never could stand them.
the organ player did some neat things, their music is very dull and their
voices grate. kind of a half-assed grateful dead if you ask me.
Alert
I can't help but suspect that by shaving his mustache, ditching his
glasses for contact lenses and going with the blow-dried look in the
mid-seventies helped direct some of the focus in his direction. He was
also the obvious on-stage musical director in "The Last Waltz" which
made him even more "attention worthy." His interview segments in the
movie -- though mildly self-satisfied -- were generally very
interesting (and sometimes funny!).
Robertson parlayed his exposure in "The Last Waltz" into a brief
Hollywood acting career. He starred as one of the leads in the movie
"Carny" in 1980. The film also starred Jodie Foster.
I remember the movie -- and Robertson -- as both being pretty good. I
was surprised he didn't act much afterwards.
I was a big fan of The Band's ("Chest Fever" from Big Pink being an
all-time favorite of mine).
Also, I've long appreciated his work on Joni Mitchell's "Raised on
Robbery" from Court and Spark.
The Band has released some worthwhile things after Robertson departed.
I was particularly impressed by their rendition of Bruce Springsteen's
"Atlantic City" from their Jericho album in 1993.
rwalker
<aler...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>The Band has released some worthwhile things after Robertson departed.
>I was particularly impressed by their rendition of Bruce Springsteen's
>"Atlantic City" from their Jericho album in 1993.
I agree. I really liked Jericho. I saw The Band open for Crosby,
Stills and Nash in the '80s. It was before Richard Manuel's death,
but after Robertson had left. They were incredible, and got bigger
ovations than CSN did.
who?
> "ermitano" <maikelbur...@gmail.com> wrote in message
I read here a few years ago that somebody said at some point
that Harrison was copying Robbie's style.
Eric Ramon
>
> I read here a few years ago that somebody said at some point
> that Harrison was copying Robbie's style.
it was probably Robbie Robertson who said that.
King Size Johnson
<rim shot>
t...@aerovons.com
songs, "Your Mother Should Know" type songs. "
Yeah. Well, I would rather listen to "Your Mother Should Know" one
hundred thousand times in a row that 30 seconds of voices desperately
trying to sing in key on "Knockin' Lost John" pal.
TH
jtees4
<belly...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Q. What do you think of the Beatles' new album?
>
> There's only one real good song, and two or three that are OK. The
>Get Back album isn't good. Some of the songs sound like they just
>wrote them and immediately recorded them.
>
> It's not really valid. It's their way of being spontaneous. But
>anybody can do that. You know, "Come on, dig it, dig it." But their
>other album, Abbey Road, is much better. It's got about three things
>that are really exceptional. The very first song on the album, a John
>Lennon one...about holy rollers, or something. He sings a few phrases.
>The next one's a drag. It's one of those Paul McCartney pinkey-dew
>songs, "Your Mother Should Know" type songs. But the one after that is
>probably the best song George Harrison has ever written. Called
>"Something," it's really pretty. The next one is good too. Paul
>McCartney really screams it. There's a couple other good ones too, and
>there's some noisy shit. They're still really good.
>
>Q. Do they play for their friends?
>
> They play in a room, they don't perform while we sit down and
>look. We all play. John Lennon always is playing. If he's not talking,
>he's sitting at the piano, singing...uh, Love is the answer.
>
>
>
>Full interview:
>http://theband.hiof.no/articles/rr_intreview_rs1969.html
Well he certainly got Let it Be correct. Wrong about Abbey Road
though...it was great through and through (well almost).
ermitano
i almost agree with him about Maxwell
rwalker
<maikel...@gmail.com> wrote:
>i almost agree with him about Maxwell
It may not be the best, but, damn it, it makes me laugh every time I
hear it. The whole notion of a song about a serial killer set to what
is practically a children's song melody is just ludicrous enough to
appeal to me.
ermitano
> On Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:37:01 -0800 (PST), ermitano
>
> >i almost agree with him about Maxwell
>
> It may not be the best, but, damn it, it makes me laugh every time I
> hear it. The whole notion of a song about a serial killer set to what
> is practically a children's song melody is just ludicrous enough to
> appeal to me.
yes... i like the lyrics too, but i don't like much those kind of
songs by Paul, like GoodDay Sunshine, Whem I'm 64, Your Mother Should
Know, Maxwell, Honey Pie.
John Doherty
>
> I've never listened to The Band, I do not know who is Robbie
> Robbertson, all I knew is that they were at some point the supporting
> band of Bob Dylan. You've been talking so much about him that I
> googled and I found that I do know the guy. He's one of the usual
> guitar players in those all-star concerts very famous at the 80s and
> 90s. For me, he always was the most boring rock star on stage in those
> concerts.
> Anyway, I'm gonna make myself the time to listen to some The Band
> albums, at least until Robbie left the band.
The Band was great: all but one of them Canadian, but they made the
best records of Americana.
With Dylan, they were his collaborators in "The Basement Tapes", only
some of which has been released to date.
George Harrison came back from hanging with Dylan and the Band raving
about the vibe and the music, and hoping he could bring some of that
to the Let It Be sessions, only to run into the buzz saw of
JohnandYoko and Paul trying to become leader.
There are some great outtakes form the Get Back sessions where George
is woodshedding some Dylan tunes: "Mama, You've Been On My Mind", and
there are a few of the Beatles tackling some, like "I Shall Be
Released" and a funny, one minute swing at Rainy Day Women #s 12 & 35
(aka "Everybody Must Get Stoned").