Customer Reviews

Jericho

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

 

 

If you were to own one CD by The Band since the departure of Robbie Robertson then this is it. Blind Willie Mctell and Atlantic City are outstanding covers but the original material is by no means to be overlooked. There isn't a bad song on here and the sound and feel of this recording is well as if they showed up to record and picked up their instruments up off the floor where they left em 20 odd years ago and just started jamming. Like an old friend whom you haven't seen in a while this CD is one to sit down to and get re-acquainted. An outstanding offering and in my opinion the best work they have done post Robertson,yes even better than Jubilation.

Tracks 2-6 are easily as good as anything The Band ever did, and that is saying something. They are essential listening, and not just for people who know they love The Band- this is brilliant and wonderful music.

The previous reviewer is absolutely right about Atlantic City and Blind Willie McTell- they take on new lives here and are simply mesmerizing.

I can't comment on an mp3 download because I didn't try this. Buy the CD, though, and you'll be delighted.

If you could pick a group where everyone was a formidable contributor in one way or another, The Band would certainly qualify. When this thing came out, I was thinking.......hmmm the band without Robbie Robertson and Richard Manuel? Turns out there is still a fine core of Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and the Garth Hudson. For Jericho they brought in the Producer from their classic album- music from big pink. The production is good, the sound natural, and the songs well up to snuff- I prefer this album to some of the ones from their heyday. So many have covered the Bands songs, but they do some distinguished borrowing themselves- the Dylan and Springsteen tunes are well chosen and right in line with The Band's essence- it's not going out on a limb to say these are beyond the original versions. As they did with Marvin Gaye's "Baby Dont you do it" back in their prime, The Band have a way of making a tune their own. Some strong original material by the group round out the batch. Musically they were still adept even at this late stage, but emphasis on the pen of others is where the absence of Robbie Robertson is most noticed. All in all an excellent album. "Jericho" made me want to go see them again, I did in 1993 at DC's historic Lincoln theater, and they still had "It". Recommended to fans of the group or anybody interested in American rock and roll.

The picture of "Big Pink" on the cover done by Peter Max says it all--this was something of a fresh start for The Band.

Robbie Robertson wanted to stop touring and leave The Band. "The Last Waltz" was Robertson closing the door on his tenure in the group. That didn't mean the rest of the members didn't want to continue making albums and touring.

In 1993 after touring on and off over 9 years Levon Helm, the late Rick Danko and Garth Hudson returned under their well known moniker with an album that more than holds its own with their earlier work. Although it may have missed Robertson's stinging guitar (although new guitarist Jim Weider did a terrific job of filling those shoes)and songwriting, the band members put together a strong collection of outside songs and a pair of originals co-written by Levon Helm.

This album captures the magic that made The Band special. The addition of a track from 1985 by the late Richard Manuel singing "Country Boy" and tastefully completed by the members of The Band does a nice job of tying their present into the past.

This 24 bit 2006 remaster is slightly lounder than the original 1993 CD. Is it better? It's different. If you have the original there's really no reason to pick this up but if you don't, this is well worth while and sounds quite good. Keep in mind that you AREN'T getting a 24 bit CD because CD's when mastered are "dithered" down to 16 bits the standard for ALL CDs. Having said that, the original source used for the CDs would be more digitally "accurate". Either way, this version sounds just fine with some good mastering done by Kurt Wipfli (the original was mastered by Robert Ludwig).

Either way, this is a strong return from The Band minus Robertson (and Manuel except for his "cameo")and proves that The Band WASN'T just Robbie Robertson but the magic of those original musicians.

Of the trio of studio albums this line up of The Band made this is the best (although "

The first (and last) good album by the reformed Band post-Robertson. Some of the sillyness of the songs on Cahoots is present here (Amazon, River of Dreams & Move To Japan), but then there's a lot of really great gems. The Band really made Bob Dylan's 'Blind Willie McTell' and Bruce Springsteen's 'Atlantic City' their own songs...you'd never expect a southern voice like Levon's to apply to a northeastern song about gambling and gangsters, but it fits perfectly with the overall mood of desperation. Excellent cover of Same Old Thing, as well.

I'd avoid downloading the full album, especially 'Caves of Jericho' and 'Amazon', as there are glitches in the transfer from the CD to MP3 that screw up the flow of the song by skipping ahead a second or more. I've tried redownloading it and playing it on different devices, including my Mac, my PC, my Car, my Phone...the files themselves have problems. Jericho is easily in The Band's top 5 albums, and it's a shame that the audio has problems.

I will update and revise this review if Amazon responds to my request for a fix. 5 stars for the album, -3 for Amazon.