Customer Reviews

The Last Waltz

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't have this CD set, but i have the cassettes of the original release, and they are played so often that i might have to actually buy the discs.

Enough has been written about the event itself. Many people are critical of the concept of "farewell concerts," of a group of musicians getting "tired" of touring -- when that is their whole point of existence. Others are critical of the actual music itself, saying that the performance was luke-warm or even sloppy. If one can get past these criticisms, they might just enjoy something special.

I caught a showing of the film on TV in the Mid-90's and was hooked. Not only did the concert make me a fan of The Band, but also of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and Paul Butterfield. I may have been aware of most of the artists (who *hadn't* heard of Clapton by 1979 or later?), but had not really given their work much thought. Admittedly, i am STILL not a fan of Neil Diamond's, but his inclusion in the show was welcomed and stirring, and displays the talent of the Band as well as their appreciation for the music of others. They are real musicians; i am not. Each guest star came to the stage with a composition of their own - the Band took it, made it better without upstaging the artist, and turned it into a great live performance.

You can disagree with the motivation behind the show, or allude to its artificiality, but you can't argue with serendipity. This event was an important moment in 20th-Century music. Some of the best examples of recorded-live music are here, especially Van Morrison's Caravan, Joni Mitchell's Coyote, and the Band's own Up on Cripple Creek. Good stuff.

This review is for the 2003 remastered version. I have owned the original CDs for The Last Waltz for years now. I just upgraded to the remastered version and the fidelity is incredible. It was well worth the money to get this concert on a CD on which the quality of the fidelity is equal to the music The Band and its musical guests performed at this Thanksgiving Day concert. It even makes up for the fact that I gave my tickets to The Last Waltz to a friend so I could keep a Thanksgiving dinner date with my Dad and his girlfriend. Oh well. Live and learn. 8-)

Alright first things first I agree Neil Diamond is not a worthy addition among this line up of musical gods. Thank god for the skip button. Ok the review. Album? Concert? Musical artifact take your pick. What ever it is ,its brilliant. A farewell party for the retiring former backing band for Dylan humbly named The Band. The line up, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison all legends, all on fire. I mean seriously every performance is gold, heart felt and full of energy. Unlike most "all star" concerts it seems they all wanted to be there. To single one artist out as a stand out would be impossible. Then there's the hosts of the party The Band. Every song from this concert has become the definitive version for The Band. The Weight has to be one of greatest recordings of any song ever. Ok I could rave on about the artists performances for ever, trust me their amazing. Which brings me to the most important element regarding this recording which is exactly that, the recording. There cant be a better live recording of a concert from this period, you simply cant top perfect. Add the digital remaster and your in the front row. (the DVD sound and picture recording is perfect also, highly recommended). So if you've been living under a rock or are under the age of 30 and dont own it already, buy this album and the DVD. A true musical artifact from this period.

This reissue of THE LAST WALTZ is absolutely wonderful. The Band had decided to go out in style, and they invited plenty of guests to join them for a gala concert at San Francisco's Winterland Auditorium, plus additional music made in New York, to create a recording and movie that makes you wish that it had never ended. Ronnie Hawkins, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, the Staple Singers, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Dr. John, and Emmylou Harris are in the Band's ballpark, but making sense of Neil Diamond is nothing short of a small miracle. Moreover, the fact that the surviving members oppose countries falsely jailing foreign visitors for trumped-up crimes, as well as advocating high-school community-service requirements, makes this reissue of THE LAST WALTZ an essential purchase for both your ears AND your conscience.

Cut in the mid seventies,this milestone album is a most loved request by my partner. It features the 60s greatest living troubadours at their seasoned best, so within this music box time capsule there is the echo of the eternal. If you had never heard of the era or its music, this might be a good place to begin a survey.

1. It was de rigeur for the "hip" of the day to dis Neil Diamond. Some have evidently failed to get over it. Neil Diamond may have his egotisms, but his performance here makes it clear why he made ten times the cash The Band ever made. However hyper-dramatic his writing may be, the man had a -remarkable- voicebox. 2. I had no difficulty hearing Rick's EBO whatsoever.

Okay, now that -that's- over, this 25th anniversary re-issue is more than worthy, even if you already have the DVD... and -far- moreso if you're still suffering along with the old VHS. The sound here is pretty crisp and discriminate, and it includes a lot of little auditory "DISCoveries" for those accustomed to the mud on the audiotape versions circulating until the early '90s. It simply was not possible in the analog era to take tape masters and dump them on those simple light-decoded stereo tracks on celluloid. (Lordy, folks, it's technology from before The First World War, ya know.)

Get your hankies out, though. This is not a bunch of angry, millennial era sterility. Rick, Richard and Levon were -emotional- boys, and they deliver the affective stimulations here far better after years of rendering these tunes on stage than they ever did at the house in Woodstock. Add that to what the Neil's, Van, Emmy Lou and The Staples have to say, and you've got one mighty fine hour and a half here. (Joni's "Coyote" is almost worth the price of admission by itself.)

Turkey dinner and some of the greatest musicians of our time? Sign me up! This album/DVD is really really really good. I liked some of the band's stuff before, and I liked Dylan and Van Morrison, but this blew me away! This album would be good for people just getting into good music; it's kind of a "greatest hits" of Rock-n-roll history. This album got me into Dr. John and The Staple Singers, And my favorite tracks are probably Van Morrison doing Caravan, Dr, John's such a Night, And Ophelia. I would also recommend watching the DVD first, it makes the context of the cd fresher and better (I love seeing how over the top Dr. John was, And when Van the Man walks off the stage before Caravan is over. Clapton and Muddy Waters were really entertaining to watch too.)
Get this album! or I guess the box set, I hear this is harder to find now.

It's to great for words -- so no words -- anyone who doesn't flip out oveer this in particular; Dylans and Rick Danko's guital dual ---- I pity that person.

I just wanted everyone to know that this is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I've now bought the film twice: first in DVD form and just recently in Blu-Ray ($12.75 delivered, from Amazon, now online for $9.99 + shipping). The Blu-ray is easily worth ten bucks and is a step-up from the DVD version (I kept my DVD in perfect condition and thus had the pleasure of gifting it to a non-Blu-rayer). As someone else said, this concert really is a historical artifact. I watched the movie when it first came out in the theaters and had not been a fan of The Band, but I was by the end of the movie. Now I run it in my home theater and let my friends become fans in the same way. It's a treasure for the ages. By the way, Amazon, please use your marketing leverage to get "Concert for George" marketed on Blu-ray, OK? I've already requested here: [...]

When you purchase this you will be thrilled. One of the best releases of its day. I tried to get tix but was unable. The video is even better.