Music from Big Pink

Music from Big Pink
Studio album by The Band
Released	July 1, 1968
Recorded	Early 1968
Genre	Rock
Length	42:22
Label	Capitol
Producer	John Simon
The Band chronology
Music from Big Pink (1968) The Band (1969)

Music from Big Pink is the 1968 debut album by rock band The Band. It features their best-known song, "The Weight". The album was recorded in 'Big Pink', a house shared by Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, in upstate New York. The album, Music From Big Pink, was, in fact, recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles in 1968.^[1]

Contents 1 Reception 2 Inspiration for the title 3 Cover art 4 Track listing 4.1 Side One 4.2 Side Two 4.3 Bonus Tracks 5 Personnel 6 Charts 7 References 8 External links

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]

With a distinctive blend of country, rock, folk, classical, R&B, and soul, Music From Big Pink was the first album released by The Band in the summer of 1968. The album 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 initial critical reception to the album was positive,^[4][5] though sales were slim; Al Kooper's rave review of the LP in Rolling Stone helped to draw public attention to it. The fact that Bob Dylan co-wrote three songs on the album also attracted attention to the album.

In 1968, "The Weight" peaked at #63 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart (North America). The album peaked at #30 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart in 1968, and then recharted as a #8 hit on the Top Internet Albums chart in 2000 (see 2000 in music). The song "The Weight" gained widespread popularity, due partially to its inclusion in the film Easy Rider, though it was omitted from the soundtrack due to licensing issues. A cover version by the band Smith was included on the soundtrack album instead.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 34 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[6] The laid-back feel of the album attracted the attention of other major artists. For example, Eric Clapton cites the album's roots rock style as what convinced him to quit Cream, and pursue the styles of Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie, Derek and the Dominos and his debut album. George Harrison was also impressed by the album's musicianship and sense of camaraderie.

Inspiration for the title

"Big Pink" is a pink house in West Saugerties, New York located at 56 Parnassus Lane (formerly 2188 Stoll Road). The house was built by Ottmar Gramms, who bought the land in 1952. The house was newly built when Rick Danko, who was collaborating with Bob Dylan at the time, found it as a rental. It was to this house that Bob Dylan would eventually retreat to write songs and play them and try others, in its large basement. The 2 track recordings made by them, as sort of audio sketch book, in the basement itself, came known as The Basement Tapes. These tapes were circulated among other musicians at the time, and hits were made of "Too Much of Nothing" and "Mighty Quinn" as recordings by other artists, Peter, Paul and Mary and Manfred Mann respectively. The house became known locally as 'Big Pink' for its pink siding. Members of Dylan's band (with Dylan himself writing one and co-writing two ) wrote most of the songs on Music From Big Pink at or around the house, and the band then adopted the name, The Band.

The house was sold by Mr. Gramms in 1977 to M. Amitin, who rented the house to Parnassus Records a label specializing in classical music which used the basement as its headquarters. In 1998, Mr. Amitin sold the house to Don & Sue LaSala, who maintain the house as a private residence and keep the creative tradition alive by creating music in the Basement with friends from the Woodstock area and beyond.

Cover art

Bob Dylan was responsible for the cover art of Music from Big Pink.^[7]

Track listing

Side One

Side Two

A remastered version of this album was released in 2000 and in addition to the above, the following alternative tracks and outtakes appeared:

Bonus Tracks

Personnel

• Rick Danko – bass, fiddle, Vocals
• Levon Helm – drums, acoustic guitar, percussion, Vocals
• Garth Hudson – organ, piano, clavinet, soprano and tenor saxophones
• Richard Manuel – piano, organ, drums, Vocals
• Jaime Robbie Robertson – guitars, Vocals
• John Simon – producer, baritone horn, tenor saxophone, piano
• Don Hahn – engineer
• Tony May – engineer
• Shelly Yakus – engineer
• Bob Dylan – cover painting
• Elliott Landy – photography

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1968	Pop Albums	30
2000	Top Internet Albums	8

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1968	"The Weight"	Pop Singles	63

References

External links

• Sheet music

The Band Rick Danko • Levon Helm • Garth Hudson • Richard Manuel • Robbie Robertson 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 • 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 Songs "The Weight" • "This Wheel's on Fire" • "I Shall Be Released" • "Chest Fever" • "Up on Cripple Creek" • "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" • "Look Out Cleveland" • "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" • "Stage Fright" • "The Shape I'm In" • "Life Is a Carnival" • "Don't Do It" • "Acadian Driftwood" • "Tears of Rage" Related topics Discography • Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour • The Last Waltz • Festival Express • This Wheel's on Fire • Summer Jam at Watkins Glen • Endless Highway: The Music of The Band