Customer Reviews

High on the Hog

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

 

 

Of the three 1990s Band releases, this is widely regarded as the weakest...but it's not without its pleasures (Back to Memphis, Free Your Mind, Rick Danko on Where I Should Always Be and Richard Manuel's She Knows). If you have the classic Band albums from 1968-1976 and want to give their 90s albums a try, I recommend starting with Jericho or Jubilation. But if you have everything except this album, I'd say it's still worth picking up...as has been said many times before, even the worst of the Band is better than most groups at their best.

If you're looking for the good-timey, not-too-heavy-on-the-lyrics, straight-ahead music Band, you'll enjoy this. But Jericho it's not: if you're looking for more thoughtful lyrics, more complex arrangements, that's the album to get from this period. Overall, this feels most like Rick's album. Fun but not life-changing.

OK, so the re-formed Band's second low-budget disc wasn't quite up to the quality of their first, "Jericho," but there's still a lot to like here: Danko's beautiful falsetto on the gorgeous Blondie Chaplin tune "Where I Should Always Be"; the bluesy "Back to Memphis"; a slow-cooking "Crazy Mama"; the fast-boiling "Love You Too Much"; and another archival Richard Manual recording. If only other groups with 10 times the budget could consistently come up with music this good.

What a rare treat: a disc which begins with Levon barking about a "Smilin' Mona Lisa / [Who] loaded up my Visa / [Then] took the bartender home" and concludes with a most geriatric guest singer urging listeners to "shake yourselves / like I shake mine." Suitable for evenings around the hearth or long distance roadtrippin'. As hard to lose as a tattoo. Released in 1996 with the high-end assistance of Professor Louie, and bringing in some instrumental help from the bullpen -- Jim Weider on six string, Randy Ciarlante on skins, Richard Bell on keys -- it has a thoroughly contemporary sound. Levon and Rick are in fine form vocally, swapping whole tracks like they once swapped lines, even crafting a bit of a duet on #3. Richard is resurrected to carry one song home, "She Knows," as only he could. Garth doesn't disappoint; as all fans would expect, his talented presence adds a most welcome dimension to the music. Each song boogies! A well-crafted gift to us mortals from the gentlemen of rock & soul.

The Band is a great band, and still has a small amount of magic back. Some tracks shines more than others, but there are to many tracks who dissapoints. Track 1 Stand Up, in it`s "walkalong" tempo glimmers right trough. It shows creativity and has flair. Track 2 Back to Memphis is a letdown, sorry to say. It`s too slow, and a weird vocaljob that sounds like Bob Dylan on a bad day, doesn`t help either.

Track 3 Where I should always be, has more power as a nice ballad, with a very "airy and open" soundpicture all trough. Track 4 Free your mind, is a more uptempo song, with a "bigband beat" that has a certain "sting". It delivers, but nothing special . But hey, on Track 5 Forever Young we are back in "god ole Band mood". This has the trademarks of a The Band. It`s written by Bob Dylan, and it`s a tribute to Jerry Garcia. Garth Hudson`s organ play sneak`s in to your`e soul, as on every "great" Band song`s. Track 6 The High Prize of Love, is a little let down, once again. It`s very "muddy" and to distorted to have a great listen too. Track 7 Crazy Mama, is a different cup of tea. As a blues rocker this one delivers, with a good strong backbeat that pushes the song forward in the right direction to the end. Track 8 I must love you to much, is a fast rocker, that has a enough tempo and beat to make you put on your`e rock and roll shoes.

Track 9 She knows, is a traditonal ballad, which delivers in a slow jazzy mood, but it`s not up there. It`s anyway nice to

listen to as a "late night gem" but nothing special. Track 10 Rumble Jungel, is a "musical rumble to the jungle" and sounds like it, with a weird vocal to carry it trough. Track 11 Young Blood, is a Leiber/ Stoller Classic. The Band does it in a "slow up tempo beat" . Quite okei. Anyway. This is The band, with`too many up`s and downs on a variable CD.

Ok this album ranges on the crap to ok pile. There version of "Forever Young" I doubt any body will ever be able to do again. "She Knows" Richard Manuel's great solo voice in a Band concert a year before he died is incredible. Every band has there up's and down's. No one is exempt from this not even the Beatles. The Band was always a under dog to some one else in one way they started off as Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks, then Levon & The Hawks, then Bob Dylan & The Band then Robbie Robertson & The Band. Never being able to show off their own talents until 1993. Of course by then Richard was gone. And without Robbie they couldn't prove themselves as good as they were in the 60's. But they made up for it on Jubilation. To a reviewer who said leave Robertson alone just because Rod Stewart covers one of your songs does not mean you're one of the greatest musicians ever to live. Robbie has had a tough time since the Band broke up they all have. The only good album Robbie ever did was Music For The Native Americans.

I have not listened to this CD. However, I feel compelled to comment on reviewer Geoffrey Himes' assertion that former Band member Robbie Robertson's solo efforts have been "embarrassing duds". I was completely dumbfounded when I read this statement. Robbie Robertson's debut CD, released in 1987 and containing songs such as Somewhere Down the Crazy River and Broken Arrow (later covered by Rod Stewart), is a fine CD. His second effort, Storyville, released in 1991 and containing songs such as Night Parade, Go Back To Your Woods, and What About Now, is a masterpiece. Is the reviewer at all familiar with these efforts? Embarrasing duds? Outrageous.

I too was astounded to read Mr. Himes' comments on Robbie Robertson's first two solo albums...the first one has several fantastic songs and Storyville is truly a classic...i played it for three months straight and the songs would not leave my head....Any reviewer who would make such a comment really is not worth reading any more....it is simply ridiculous....and by the way, I love the Band and will always love them....before and after Robbie Robertson left...but let's at least be fair....

First off, it seems that there are two camps out there: One hate Robbie Robertson and love the new Band and the other hate the new Band and love Robbie Robertson. While both artists have their good points and bad points, they obviously need each other. Robertson's output has been better in recent years. His first two efforts were half-baked Peter Gabriel rock (which is well done only by Peter Gabriel) but his last two servings have been nothing short of brilliant. The Band, on the other hand, released the surprisingly good Jericho in 1993 and got off on the right foot. No longer a group that relied on both solid music and great lyrics, the Band have become nothing short of an excellent roadhouse rock band. It is a pity, then, that their second post-Robertson effort, High on the Hog, should be so bad. Half of the tunes don't suit them (Free Your Mind...come on) and others are just plain sappy (their maudlin version of Forever Young is forgettable...and dedicated to Jerry Garcia...goose bump inspiring). The post-mortum Richard Manuel inclusion this time around is unnecessary due to the fact that it is on the Across the Great Divide box set AND really isn't the Band at all; it's just Manuel, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson at a bar shortly before Maunel's suicide. There also seems to be a lack of confidence in this release. It is almost as if Levon Helm (who seems to hate Robertson with a purple passion) has a bad case of an inferiority complex. In the wake of Danko's recent death and the Band's all but inevitable demise, this album may be worth having for the moments that will no longer be at our disposal, but, truth be told, it is a genuine shame that this recording mucks up their respectable discography.