| Music from Big Pink | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by The Band | ||||
| Released | July 1, 1968 | |||
| Recorded | Early 1968 | |||
| Genre | Roots rock, Americana | |||
| Length | 42:22 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | John Simon | |||
| The Band chronology | ||||
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Music from Big Pink is the 1968 debut album by rock band The Band. It features the well-known song, "The Weight". The music was composed partly in 'Big Pink', a house shared by Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, in upstate New York. The album itself was recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles in 1968.[1]
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.
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
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 in the US. The song was a bigger hit elsewhere, peaking at #35 in Canada, and #21 in the UK. 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.
This album published in UK as LP record in 1968 and as CD in 1988. It was reissued as an 180 gram LP in 2001.
This album published in US as LP record with gatefold cover in 1968, as remastered gold CD in 1989, as DVD-audio in 2001 and as remastered numbered edition super audio CD in 2009. It was reissued as a remastered 180 gm LP with gatefold cover in 2008.
"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, play them and experiment with other songs, in its large basement. The 2-track recordings made by them, as a sort of audio sketch book, in the basement itself, came to be 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 cover illustration for the album is by Dylan.
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.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tears of Rage" | Bob Dylan, Richard Manuel | 5:23 |
| 2. | "To Kingdom Come" | Robbie Robertson | 3:22 |
| 3. | "In a Station" | Manuel | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Caledonia Mission" | Robertson | 2:59 |
| 5. | "The Weight" | Robertson | 4:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Can Talk" | Manuel | 3:06 |
| 2. | "Long Black Veil" | Marijohn Wilkin, Danny Dill | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Chest Fever" | Robertson | 5:18 |
| 4. | "Lonesome Suzie" | Manuel | 4:04 |
| 5. | "This Wheel's on Fire" | Dylan, Rick Danko | 3:14 |
| 6. | "I Shall Be Released" | Dylan | 3:19 |
A remastered version of this album was released in 2000 and in addition to the above, the following alternative tracks and outtakes appeared:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Yazoo Street Scandal" | Robertson | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Tears of Rage" | Dylan, Manuel | 5:32 |
| 14. | "Katie's Been Gone" | Manuel, Robertson | 2:46 |
| 15. | "If I Lose" | Charlie Poole | 2:29 |
| 16. | "Long Distance Operator" | Dylan | 3:58 |
| 17. | "Lonesome Suzie" | Manuel | 3:00 |
| 18. | "Orange Juice Blues (Blues for Breakfast)" | Manuel | 3:40 |
| 19. | "Key to the Highway" | Big Bill Broonzy | 2:28 |
| 20. | "Ferdinand the Imposter" | Robertson | 3:59 |
The 2000 remaster has also been packaged as a double CD with the 2000 remaster of The Band.
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 |
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