Customer Reviews

Endless Highway - The Music Of The Band

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This tribute is long overdue, but turns in some outstanding renditions of the Band's most popular songs. Among the best are Widespread Panic's rocking version of "Chest Fever", The Allman Brothers Band's live cover of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", but perhaps the best song on the entire CD is from My Morning Jacket, with their version of "It Makes No Difference". This is a really great CD.

The Band is a musical icon, covering/replicating their songs seems to me to be virtually impossible. They are perhaps the group that most understood and reflected the roots and sensibilities of American music in our time. The Big Pink album is among the top few records that I consider most influential on me. But, what a surprise "Endless Highway: The Music of the Band," does what I considered not to be possible. The versions of The Band songs are a credit to both artists who interpret the music with reverence and the timelessness of the songs themselves. Think of the songs that really stand the test of time, there are mighty few. There is danger in trying to cover definitive versions of songs, but this record succeeds mightily. I just can't pick a favorite track, but some are standouts; the Allman Brothers live performance of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and Blues Traveler's "Rag Mama Rag." My Morning Jacket nails "It Makes No Difference," and The Roches version of "Acadian Driftwood" is inspiring. Lee Ann Womack's amazingly powerful version of "The Weight" is most unexpected. Death Cab for Cutie's take on "Rockin' Chair" is stunning and Steve Reynolds' "Stage Fright" adds surreal spookiness that works perfectly. I always thought the definitive version of "Chest Fever" was Three Dog Night's version, now I have a new favorite - Widespread Panic.
For fans of the band, this record is a treat, for those unfamiliar with The Band, this record will make them a fan.

There are 2 standouts in this potpourri. They are MY MORNING JACKET & THE ROCHES. The songs are "Makes No Difference" & "Acadian Driftwood". These 2 are worth the disc. Although the other covers are good, they just don't seem to have that breath of inspiration. These 2 bands add something to the songs that make tributes worth checking out. They don't rework the song, they deliver the song in their own style while paying tribute to a group of musicians who were true pioneers in incredible songwriting.
All in all, this is a great tribute with some great songwriters and musicians in their own rite. But I feel it is the above 2 bands who really ran with this project and delivered what THE BAND did over 3 decades ago.

Of course these renditions aren't going to be as good as the originals. As noted in some of the other reviews, the Band's strength lies in more than just great songwriting; their performance skills were special and really cannot be duplicated. That being said, this is a very good album. Almost every song is done justice, except for the so-called Allman Brothers Band. Death Cab for Cutie's "Rocking Chair" and Guster's "Wheel's On Fire" really add something new. The Roches "Acadian Driftwood" sounds like Robbie was thinking of them when he wrote it. It seems like Buddy Miller's time on the Sweet Harmony Traveling Review was time well spent considering how much he adds to Lee Ann Womack's "The Weight". My Morning Jacket's "It Makes No Difference" is surprisingly close to the Band's without being a slavish imitation. Even the lesser performances are worth a listen.

Please note that the order of the tracks as posted on Amazon is completely wrong.

This is a cd I've been waiting for for a long time. Here goes, track by track:

This Wheel's on Fire, by Guster: Guster is a band that seems to be successful, and gets a lot of attention, for reasons I don't really understand. They continue to leave me unimpressed with their dirge-like version of a song that deserves a lot more life. There are some cool banjo moments, but that's about it. In The Band's version, Levon Helm attacks his snare drum; in this version, the Guster drummer gives some gentle nudges. I prefer the attack.

King Harvest, by Bruce Hornsby: Hornsby bebops his way through an otherwise jam-bandish version of another great song. This also suffers from the lack of the aggressive drumming that contributed to The Band's greatness.

Makes No Difference, by My Morning Jacket: MMJ is a younger band that I like, even though sometimes I get them mixed up with Kings of Leon. I like this version, it does a great job of capturing the spirit of The Band, in part because of the multiple vocalists. This was recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock.

I Shall Be Released, by Jack Johnson: Pretty much the low point, as Jack Johnson whispers his way through a song that I don't think is meant to be whispered through.

The Weight, by Lee Ann Womack: I really can't stand commercial country music, but I like authentic country, and I wasn't quite sure which category Womack fit into, as I know she's a high profile artist. Based on this, she's the real thing, though, as she gives a sweet version of the song. Initially, I was also struck by how great the back-up vocals were. On review, they were provided by Buddy and Julie Miller, which explains the greatness. If you can't have the Staples Singers singing back-up, the Millers are pretty fine.

Chest Fever, by Widespread Panic: Unsurprisingly, this is my favorite track, as it's one of my favorite songs by The Band, and I also love Panic. John Hermann's keyboards are similar to Garth Hudson's originals, with some cool variations. Widespread Panic seems to have the rare ability to put just the right amount of jamming into their songs. Listening to this song, you realize what a great lyricist Robbie Robertson was: She's stoned said the swede, and the moon calf agreed, I'm like a viper in shock, with my eyes on the clock. I don't know what the hell that means, but I know it's great and I want to listen to it over and over.

Up on Cripple Creek, by Gomez: Gomez is a roots band from the UK. I haven't listened to a lot of their music, but everything I've heard I like. And I like this, too.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, by the Allman Brothers Band: This is recorded live, and I'd heard it live before. As much as I want to really love it, Greg Allman's vocals are a little too world weary. There are some great guitar moments, though, and, unlike some of the other tracks on this collection, the drumming does Levon Helm proud.

Stage Fright, by Steve Reynolds: I'd never heard of Steve Reynolds before. His website describes him as "mercurial," and a "Canadian expat troubadour." Alrighty. Rick Danko firmly established ownership of this song, so this is a tough task, and Reynolds falls short in this raspy, slowed-down version, that doesn't really capture an emotion, unless you consider whininess an emotion. They both may be Canadian, but Reynolds is no Rick Danko.

Raga Mama Rag, by Blues Traveler: Blues Traveler makes this sound like a post-Lowell George Little Feat song, with, surprise, a big harmonica solo. Pass.

Whispering Pines, by Jakob Dylan: This is a beautiful song, and Jakob Dylan does it justice, no doubt helped out by Jim Keltner on guitar and the production of Joe Henry. There are a lot of nice little instrumental things going on, that makes it something you want to listen to often.

Acadian Driftwood, by The Roches: The Roches clearly "get" The Band, and they do a nice version of this song. Lisa Morsberger plays whistles, which adds to the old-timey sound of the track.

The Unfaithful Servant, by Roseanne Cash: On its own, this is a perfectly fine song, but it doesn't hold up well compared to the original. It's a slow song to begin with, and it's slowed down even more, which appears to be a recurring theme throughout the collection.

When I Paint My Masterpiece, by Josh Turner: Like Lee Ann Womack, Josh Turner is apparently a big name in country music, which made me nervous. But this is good, he's got a nice deep, no frills voice. Combine the voice, which sounds similar to Kevin Russell's, and the banjo and mandolin, it almost sounds more like Turner's doing a Gourds version of a song by The Band. But that's OK by me.

Life is a Carnival, by Trevor Hall: Hall, a 19-year old from South Carolina, provides another minimalist version of a song that was made great by it's intricacies. His voice is what they say is full of character, which in this case isn't really a good thing.

Look Out Cleveland, by Jackie Greene: This is an earnest effort, I guess, and it sticks pretty close to the original. If you tied one of Levon Helm's arms behind his back.

Rockin' Chair, by Death Cab for Cutie: I've never really gotten this band, and the only word I can come up with to describe this version is "sleepy." There's really nothing special about it, I don't even know why they bothered. The cleverness of having unusually long pauses at the end of phrases eludes me.

There you have it. So there are six songs I really don't like, and a couple that I can take or leave. And some great ones. As a set, it shows how great The Band was, just a rare combination of great songwriting and overall musicianship. Their retirement seemed heroic at the time, but in its aftermath, it just seems sad. Richard Manuel and Rick Danko, whose post-Last Waltz recordings with Eric Andersen and Jonas Fjeld were great, are both gone. Garth Hudson is 70 years old, and presumably still making some keyboards sing somewhere. And Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson hate each other. That hurts.

This is a fantastic album. A great mix of country, rock, pop covers of some classic Band songs. Not often do you find a cover album that you can listen to all the way through, but this is one. Highlights: Morning Jacket's cover of It Makes No Difference, the Allman Bros singing the Night they Brought Old Dixie Down, the Roches singing Acadian Driftwood. Great variety and a fresh take on some songs that haven't gotten the attention they deserve recently. Highly recommended!

There seem to be a plethora of tribute albums coming out over the last few years -- record labels seem to be trying to milk every excess dollar they can out of their catalog. So it's a welcome relief when the results are as consistently excellent as this collection. Every song on here seems to be labor of love -- from Lee Ann Womack's sweet take on "The Weight", to a powerful "Chest Fever" by Widespread Panic, to the Allman Brothers doing justice to "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". Even the weak points of this album are still as good as anything that's come out lately... this could be the Americana album of the year.

Some of my favorites, "Cripple Creek" by Gomez, "Unfaithful Servant" by Roseanne Cash, "Whispering Pines" with Jakob Dylan and Lizz Wright, and "Weight" with Lee Ann Womack. These are all different enough from the original music that they're interesting. Still, nobody does the Band like the Band no matter how under-appreciated this group is. So, buy the Band if you don't have them and get this CD if you're interested in hearing covers of their music afterward.

I do like this album a good deal but let me start with the low points.

The Lows:

The Allmans: A band I love but Greg, learn the words brother. He clearly forgets a bunch of vocals on "The Night They Drove Ole Dixe Down". I can't believe they even put this version on the album.

Gomez: Don't know much about this group but their version of "Up On Cripple Creek" is crapola.

Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers: A solid attempt by Bruce but the band is missing the low end groove that really makes "King Harvest" the great song that it is. Listenable but doesn't do justice to an incredible song.

The Highs:

The Roches: Beautiful harmonies on Acadian Driftwood. My favorite cover on this album.

Death Cab for Cutie: I've heard a lot about these guys and I think it's time for me to check them out. Excellent rendition of Rockin' Chair.

Jack Johnson: I read someone say that his vocals are weak on "I Shall Be Released" but I disagree. I think this song is a case of the right singer for the right song.

Outside of that the rest of the album is pretty solid. I don't regret shelling out 10 clams for it.

My Morning Jacket's take on "It Makes No Difference" may well be worth the cost of the album, and the body of work captured in the disc validates the powerful and influential song writing of The Band. Unfortunately, the disc is a collection of artists whose interpretations may find you fumbling quickly for the skip button as the performances range from pleasant, to dull, and then irritating. Now you'll have an incentive to sit down and learn how to create a play list for your player.