The tie that binds (Levon Helm) (LP 2716)

Levon Helm and The RCO All-Stars  Levon Helm and The RCO All-Stars (Vinyl, ABC Records, 1977) ****  

Genre: Rock

Places I remember: Slowboat Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Tie That Binds

Gear costume: Rain Down Tears 

Active compensatory factors: The All-Stars are certainly that: all of Booker T and MGs, The Blues Brothers horn section, Paul Butterfield on harmonica and Dr John. Phew. A heavy crew!

This was Levon's first solo album away from the band, but even so, Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson both make cameo appearances.

Given all that, the songs and Levon's performance tend to sound like a bit of a neglected element. What should have been a landmark album is merely a quite good one.

Where do they all belong? Back to The Band.

Let the good times roll (Muddy Waters) (LP 694 - 697)

Muddy Waters The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album (CD, Chess Records, 1975) ****
Muddy Waters Live '76 (CD, Echoes, ?) *** 

Muddy Waters Hard Again (CD, CBS Records, 1977) ****

Muddy Waters I'm Ready (CD, CBS Records, 1978) ****

Genre: Blues

Places I remember: HMV (East Croydon); The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Going Down To Mainstreet (TMWWA)

Gear costume: The Blues Had A Baby And They Called It Rock And Roll (Hard Again), 33 Years (I'm Ready)

Active compensatory factors: The Woodstock Album is Muddy's final album for Chess and he ends things on a high thanks to Levon Helm and cronies, including Garth Hudson and Paul Butterfield on some blistering harmonica.

In between that and the late career albums with Johnny Winter, comes Live in '76 - a raw set of songs broadcast on the radio from Pall's Mall in Boston.

Of the trio of Johnny Winter curated albums I have the first two essential albums (must get King Bee sometime). The band is HOT and Muddy has full command of his extraordinary powers.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Muddy on CD. Your best bet if new to Muddy remains a Chess compilation.

Forever Young (Bob Dylan and The Band) (LP 112)

The Band The Last Waltz (CD - Warner Brothers, 1978) *****

Genre: Canadian pop/ rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse CD copy replaced the cassette tape that (I think) Greg Knowles gave me.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Who Do You Love (with Ronnie Hawkins) gets the set off to a storming start after the haunting Theme from The Last Waltz. Big time Bill! Big Time!




Gear costume: Plenty of other gear highlights - maybe the best Band moment is one of my favs - Life Is A Carnival. At the time, Greg and I were very taken with Van the man's spots as well.

Active compensatory factors: G.K. and I went and saw the movie in Queen Street while we were at Auckland University. I had the tape for years, thanks to him, but when I saw it going cheap at The Warehouse, I couldn't resist an upgrade. It is a classic, after all! 

The set shows off the best of both The Band as The Band and how great they were as a band, backing other talented individuals.

The special guests are very very special and his Bobness is in prime form. 

All that and Levon Helm has surely one of the best voices in rock and roll.

Only down point (still) for me is Neil Diamond. Levon was right, Robbie - you shoulda nixed that one.

Where do they all belong? As a high water mark for the seventies, it's pretty much untouchable. 

Endless Highway (The Band) (LP 88)

The Band Live At Watkins Glen (CD - Capitol, 1995) **

Genre: Canadian rock

Places I remember: Kings Recording - Abu Dhabi.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Up On Cripple Creek - Levon Helm in fine form!




Gear costume: Don't Ya Tell Henry

Active compensatory factors: I've deducted a point for the fraudulent nature of this collection. A few tracks are from the actual concert but the vast majority are studio outtakes with an audience noise super imposed over them.

Crazy! The music is okay and my two featured tracks are the pick of the bunch but really...how cynical are Capitol records?

Crappy cover too! looks like someone has shot up the sign, which would be appropriate.

Where do they all belong? In a completist Band fanatic's collection (which I am not).

Endless highway (The Band) (LP 32-33)

The Band Music From Big Pink ****/ The Band **** (CD Twofer pack - Capitol Records, 2000) 


Genre: Canadian pop/rock

Places I remember: Big Pink and I have a chequered past. Initially I bought it on vinyl but somehow it was let go in a move. Instead I opted for Greatest Hits sets until grabbing this Twofer on CD from the Warehouse. I'm not proud of it.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Weight. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Two classic songs sung by the incomparable Levon Helm.




Gear costume: Chest Fever. Rag Mama Rag.

Active compensatory factors: All the hoopla about Dylan/Band/Basement Tapes/Big Pink is a slight mystery to me, still.

When Dylan reconvened to the West Saugerties area of New York with The Band and workshopped the chunes that would eventually end up as The Basement Tapes they essentially created Americana and influenced everyone.

Not bad considering nothing was officially released at the time.

Big Pink followed on from that experience and has the same feel as The Basement Tapes.

For me, the first example of 'getting it together in the country' (Traffic followed suit by moving to the Sheepcott farm cottage around the same time). Although there are some terrific stand out songs, as a whole I fail to see what the fuss about these works in progress is all about. 

The brown album feels like it mines the same areas but in a slightly more sophisticated way. More confident, they look directly at us from the cover, rather than behind a piece of Bob's art (Big Pink).

What is beyond dispute is the individual brilliance of some of the songs on these two albums. For me, just not albums that contain wall to wall genius. The bonus tracks don't help either - I don't need all those alternative takes thanks very much.

Where do they all belong? The Complete Basement Tapes is what it says on the tin.

Spare a thought for the working drummer (Headband)

Concerning the case of the singing drummer.

I don't know but I'm guessing that it is pretty tricky to play drums and sing at the same time. Every limb is doing something different and then the brain has to remember lyrics. Quite a trick but then again - maybe it's easy?

I'm leaning towards the view that it's tricky because I can count great singing drummers on one hand, and it pains me to say that Ringo can never be considered a great singer so I can't include him even though I love him to bits. Play drums well and sing well - now that is quite a thing.

Okay so the tight five?

Levon Helm who passed away recently is definitely a member. Best moment for me is Life Is A Carnival when he sings - buddy would you like to buy a watch, real cheap! His shuffling drum beats motivated some of the best songs ever recorded - The Weight, The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down, Up On Cripple Creek and on and on.

Karen Carpenter who died tragically distinguished herself on vocals but also was a mean drummer.

Mickey Dolenz is still with us thank goodness. Maybe not the greatest drummer ever but he was certainly talented in that area and one listen to something like Last Train To Clarksville and you know he could sell a song in a unique way.

Andy Sturmer - also still with us - Andy was the lead singer, lead writer and drummer for the American powerpop band Jellyfish who produced two superb albums in the early 90s - Spilt Milk and Bellybutton.

Dennis Wilson - another tragic death to add to the list. Denny was a great talent - just dig out The Beach Boys' Sunflower album (his four songs are the standout cuts on that album - one of The Beach Boys best) or try his solo album Pacific Ocean Blue.

Okay - you're probably thinking that there are some other notable absences -  Phil Collins? I'm not a fan of his singing at all but there is no denying his talent as a drummer.

And Don Henley? Yeah okay - Don is at number six so I do need to use my other hand after all.