Customer Reviews

The Band (Limited Edition)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As crucial and important as any work by the great American composers Virgil Thompson, Aaron Copeland and Leonard Bernstein, these four Canadians and one Arkansas farm boy created a perfect piece of musical Americana. Heck, for that matter it ranks right up there with Steinbeck, Thomas Hart Benton, the films of John Ford and the plays of William Inge in terms of capturing North American mythology, legend and character. The rich tapestry that is the land, the people and the music of Canada and America is beautifully fused into one pot with "The Band". Just like those two countries, the music is filled with heartache, rich optimism, adventure, passion, sentimentality (without resorting to maudlin posings), recklessness (just listen to Richard Manuel's drumming on "Rag Mama Rag"!)and utter romance.

One the finest creations ever to come out of Rock Music, this album actually transcends the genre and, like the equally great Van Morrison work Moondance, probably is beyond labelling. Although written in 1969, the music is timeless in the truest sense: it could have been written today as easily as one hundred and fifty years ago. All five original Band members were superb musicians and this work is a testament to that fact. There is not a false note or misstep to be heard on this work of art. An indespensable 10 out of 5!

THE BAND (also known as The Brown Album) is as good as any album ever made! The quality of the muscianship is absolutely incomparable. There is a casual and homey feeling, like a bunch of friends sitting around a fire just pitching in on whatever instruments they have handy. A closer listen will reveal the unbelievable focus and intensity of the performances. The songwriting is of a caliber matched only by Dylan or the Beatles. It's hard to single out songs on an album of standouts: "Across the Great Divide" is a rousing but bittersweet hymn to the wanderlust at the heart of the American spirit. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is perhaps the most vivid and heartbreaking slice of American history ever recorded. "Whispering Pines", with Richard Manual's finest vocal, is a soulful prayer for faith to overcome lonliness. "King Harvest (Has Surely Come) is an epic tale of the power of hope and resiliance over injustice and tragedy. With The Brown Album, The Band create an album as rich and as powerful as the American Spirit itself.

Four Canadians and one American made just about the finest recording ever made. They captured Americana through the ears of those born north of the 49th. Longing for the sounds and smells of the south and the hills of Upstate New York. Rip Van Winkle met the Robert E. Lee when this album was recorded. Everyone from Al Kooper to Eric Clapton love this record. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. Then again......how appropriate. There were indeed 5 stars in this Band. Levon Helm from Marvel Arkansas, Garth Hudson from London Ontario, Rick Danko from Simcoe Ontario, Richard Manuel, from Stratford Ontario and Jamie Robbie Robertson from Toronto Ontario.

I brought this album for half price, and not knowing any but the main two tracks at all, and those I did not that well, iwas worried i was not gong to like it. Instead i found one of the most instantly likeable albums i have ever heard. I momentus achievement only better by dylans blonde on blonde, but surely the best album by a band ever. and the cover makes them look even cooler than dylan, a rare thing.

Considering the creative peak of rock-pop music when this album wasfirst released in 1969, it is truly amazing that many serious music fansconsider this album the best of them all. It is a masterpiece! 12 masterpiecesof timeless Americana with wit, wisdom and so rich in character. Every song takesyou to a special time or place and yet this record never sounds dated, because asseen on the cover photo, you might think this album was recorded in 1880. Noneed to go into standout tracks, all 12 are outstanding. The playing of Robertson,Danko, Manuel, Hudson and Helm are of the highest creative order and eccentric andeclectic too. Without a doubt, one of the top 10 albums of the century!

This is my favorite CD, and contains some of the greatest music ever performed.

If you like Southern folk music, heavy with the influence of the Louisiana Delta, this is the album. Probably the best that The Band ever produced.

This is the best album by the best American rock band of all time. It is a perfect, magical, and indispensable record. Nothing will ever compare to this. EVER.

There should be more than 5 stars to award this album. Simply the best album ever made by an American band. My favourite.

This was a great album in 1970, ( when it released _ it even got the guys on the cover of Time, believe it or not. It hasn't aged a bit. The sequencing is incredible and the most popular iitems, like "Cripple Creek,'' are probably the weakest on it. For those of you who like the one-chord contemporary stuff, try this. You'll like it.