Released on the heels of the stilted, static Cahoots, the double-album Rock of Ages occupies a curious yet important place in Band history. Recorded at a spectacular New Years Eve 1971 gig, the show and album were intended to be a farewell of sorts before the Band took an extended break in 1972, but it turned out to be a last hurrah in many different ways, closing the chapter on the first stage of their career, when they were among the biggest and most important rock & roll bands. That sense of importance had started to creep into their music, turning their studio albums after The Band into self-conscious affairs, and even the wildly acclaimed first two albums seemed to float out of time, existing in a sphere of their own and never having the kick of a rock & roll band. Rock of Ages has that kick in spades, and it captures that road warrior side of the band that was yet unheard on record. Since this band -- or more accurately its leader, Robbie Robertson -- was acutely aware of image and myth, this record didn't merely capture an everyday gig, it captured a spectacular, in retrospect almost a dry run for the legendary Last Waltz. New Orleans R&B legend Allen Toussaint was hired to write horn charts and conduct them, helping to open up the familiar tunes, which in turn helped turn this music into a warm, loose, big-hearted party. And that's what's so splendid about Rock of Ages: sure, the tightness of the Band as a performing unit is on display, but there's also a wild, rowdy heart pumping away in the backbeat of this music, something that the otherwise superb studio albums do not have. Simply put, this is a joy to hear, which may have been especially true after the dour, messy Cahoots, but even stripped of that context Rock of Ages has a spirit quite unlike any other Band album. Indeed, it could be argued that it captured the spirit of the Band at the time in a way none of their other albums do.
....I've been having computer problems of late....I think they're gone (for now, says inrumford)....but something is different in my music icons. So I'm posting one of my favorite songs by The Band. This song is a true masterwork, as an ensemble performance & lyrically. Perhaps more so lyrically. Robbie Robertson's economic but richly evocotive little bridges....."Scarecrow in a yellow moo...
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I think I'm gonna use Wednesday for live music tracks. I like live music as a theme because just like our **Sunday Under The Covers**, I am not limited to genre, time, or place.>>>All of which may just be justification for reposting this track,... "I don't know, I don't really care, let there be songs to fill the air"The story goes that the great **Allen Toussaint** had been sent some tapes...
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The Band's place in rock n roll history is secure. An extraordinary band of musicians and singers, they carved out a niche for themselves as a true ensemble in a time of shameless star-turn showboating. When the rock world was wrapping itself in the endless guitar slop of the blues revival, the Band decided on a different route. Theirs was a true band. They were country without a trace of the...
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A minor gem from The Band's catalog, this song explores the endless mysteriesand the foreign landscape of the vast gulf that exists between the sexes.
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I finally saw The Last Waltz today. What a fantastic film. This was my favorite bit. I have always liked this song, and I always like those songs at shows like this where all the guests come out and they are all singing together in the ultimate jam session sort of thing.
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 "Rock of Ages")
