Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Band- The Last Waltz

The Last Waltz
I have mixed feelings about this record. On the one hand, there are precious few official live recordings of the Band, which was a truly remarkable outfit in its day. So from a certain perspective it's a must-own.

Unfortunately, it's also an infuriating record. For starters, it doesn't really sound like the Band. For the life of me, I don't know why Robbie Robertson felt a need to add horns to the official live records, all they do is step on Garth Hudson, who is virtually nowhere to be found here.

Also nowhere to be found here is the late, great Richard Manuel, who by this point was lost in a fog of alcoholism. Is voice -- once so lilting and gorgeous -- is reduced to a raspy bark on the few tracks he's allowed to sing.

The final problem is acute for those who have read Levon Helm's autobiography, and thus who know the infuriating backstory of the concert -- e.g. how they wanted to drop Muddy Waters but include Neil Diamond. Ridiculous.

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