The Band (album)

Infobox Album |
Name = The Band
Type = Album
Artist = The Band


Released = September 22, 1969
Recorded = Early-to-mid 1969
Genre = Rock
Length = 43:50
Label = Capitol
Producer = John Simon
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fq98b5p4tsqj~T1 link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theband/albums/album/232076/review/6068111/the_band link]
Last album = "Music from Big Pink"
(1968)
This album = "The Band"
(1969)
Next album = "Stage Fright"
(1970)

"The Band" is the eponymous second album by The Band, released on September 22, 1969 (see 1969 in music).

Album details

"The Band" peaked at #9 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart. In 2000, it recharted on Billboard's Internet Albums chart, peaking at #10. The singles "Rag Mama Rag" and "Up on Cripple Creek" peaked on the Pop Singles chart at #57 and #25 respectively.

The album includes many of The Band's best-known and critically acclaimed songs. RS500|45 In 1998 "Q" magazine readers voted "The Band" the 76th greatest album of all time.

According to the liner notes to the 2000 reissue of "The Band" by Rob Bowman, the album, "The Band", has been viewed as a concept album, with the songs focusing on people, places and traditions associated with an older version of Americana. [Bowman, Rob. (liner notes) "The Band", (remastered edition), 2000]

With "The Band", Robbie Robertson emerged as The Band's primary songwriter: While Robertson and Richard Manuel largely shared songwriting duties on the prior "Music From Big Pink", Robertson wrote or co-wrote every song on "The Band", with Manuel receiving co-writing credit on three tracks; Robertson would write the majority of The Band's material after this album. Robertson's songwriting also gained new sophistication and complexity, drawing from historic themes for "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" and composing "Jawbone" in the unusual 6/4 time signature.

Track listing

#"Across the Great Divide" (Robertson) – 2:53
#"Rag Mama Rag" (Robertson) – 3:04
#"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (Robertson) – 3:33
#"When You Awake" (Manuel, Robertson) – 3:13
#"Up on Cripple Creek" (Robertson) – 4:34
#"Whispering Pines" (Manuel, Robertson) – 3:58
#"Jemima Surrender" (Helm, Robertson) – 3:31
#"Rockin' Chair" (Robertson) – 3:43
#"Look Out Cleveland" (Robertson) – 3:09
#"Jawbone" (Manuel, Robertson) – 4:20
#"The Unfaithful Servant" (Robertson) – 4:17
#"King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" (Robertson) – 3:39

Bonus tracks from 2000 CD re-release

#

"Get Up Jake" (outtake - stereo mix) (Robertson) – 2:17
#"Rag Mama Rag" (alternate vocal take - rough mix) (Robertson) – 3:05
#"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (alternate mix) (Robertson) – 4:16
#"Up on Cripple Creek" (alternate take) (Robertson) – 4:51
#"Whispering Pines" (alternate take) (Manuel, Robertson) – 5:09
#"Jemima Surrender" (alternate take) (Helm, Robertson) – 3:48
#"King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" (alternate arrangement) (Robertson) – 4:28

Personnel

*Rick Danko – bass, fiddle, trombone, Vocals
*Levon Helm – drums, mandolin, rhythm guitar, Vocals
*Garth Hudson – organ; clavinet; piano; accordion; melodica; soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones; slide trumpet; bass pedals
*Richard Manuel – piano, drums, baritone saxophone, harmonica, Vocals
*Jaime Robbie Robertson – guitars, engineer
*John Simon – producer, tuba, electric piano, baritone horn, tenor saxophone, "high school and peck horns", engineer
*Tony May – engineer
*Joe Zagarino – engineer
*Elliot Landy – photography

ee also

Classic Albums

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)