The Band (album)

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The Band
Studio album by The Band
Released	September 22, 1969
Recorded	Early-to-mid 1969
Genre	Rock
Length	43:50
Label	Capitol
Producer	John Simon
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
The Band chronology
Music from Big Pink (1968) The Band (1969) Stage Fright (1970)

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

Contents 1 Album details 2 Track listing 2.1 Bonus tracks from 2000 CD re-release 3 Personnel 4 See also 5 Charts

[edit] 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.

In 1998 Q magazine readers voted The Band the 76th greatest album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 45 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums 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.

Greil Marcus suggests that "King Harvest" might be The Band's finest song, and the best example of their approach to songwriting and performing. The song's structure is unusual: the choruses (sung by Manuel and Helm) are subdued while Manuel's verses are more energetic. With increasing desperation, the narrator (an unnamed, poverty-stricken farmer) details the misfortune which has befallen him: there was no rain and his crops died, his barn burnt down, he ends up on skid row. A union organizer appears, promising to improve things, and the narrator tells his new associates "I'm a union man, now, all the way", but, perhaps ashamed of his station, begs them "just don't judge me by my shoes."

This is the album where Robbie Robertson emerged as The Band's primary songwriter. While Robertson and Richard Manuel largely shared songwriting duties on Music From Big Pink, Robertson wrote or co-wrote every song on this album, with Manuel receiving co-writing credit on three tracks. Robertson would write the majority of The Band's material after this album.

The Cripple Creek Theatre Company in New Orleans, LA is named after the song "Up on Cripple Creek".

[edit] Track listing

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

[edit] Bonus tracks from 2000 CD re-release

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

[edit] 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

[edit] See also

Classic Albums

[edit] Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1970	Pop Albums	9
2000	Top Internet Albums	10

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1970	"Rag Mama Rag"	Pop Singles	57
1970	"Up on Cripple Creek"	Pop Singles	25

v • d • e The Band Original members Robbie Robertson • Rick Danko • Richard Manuel • Garth Hudson • Levon Helm Other members and related people Ronnie Hawkins • Bob Dylan • John Simon • Allen Toussaint • Jim Weider • Randy Ciarlante • Richard Bell • Stan Szelest Studio albums Music from Big Pink • The Band • Stage Fright • Cahoots • Moondog Matinee • Planet Waves • The Basement Tapes • Northern Lights - Southern Cross • Islands • Jericho • High On The Hog • Jubilation Live albums Rock of Ages • Before the Flood • The Last Waltz (album) • Live at Watkins Glen • The Last Waltz (box) Compilations The Best of The Band • Anthology • To Kingdom Come • Across The Great Divide • The Best of The Band, Vol. II • Greatest Hits • A Musical History • From Bacon Fat to Judgement Day Songs The Weight • This Wheel's on Fire • I Shall Be Released • Up on Cripple Creek • The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down • Don't Do It • Acadian Driftwood • Tears of Rage Related topics The Last Waltz • This Wheel's on Fire • Capitol Records • Americana • Summer Jam at Watkins Glen