Customer Reviews

Live at Watkins Glen

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Yes, this album is somewhat fraudulent, but some of the material is actually from the concert. Both 'Back to Memphis' and 'Endless Highway' are in fact studio recordings (available on the 2001 reissue of 'Moondog Matinee') with overdubbed audience noise, and Bill Graham's actual introduction of The Band at Watkins Glen. 'Don't Ya Tell Henry', 'Time to Kill'(opening with Robbie tuning his guitar), 'Jam', and 'The Rumor' are from the rather extensive soundcheck The Band played earlier that day. 'Too Wet To Work' is from the intermission in the concert when it began to rain, but it features some dubbed-in thunder rolls at unnaturally frequent intervals and also seems edited, as in the concert Garth's organ solo led into 'Chest Fever'. The remaining three songs - 'I Shall Be Released', 'Loving You', and 'Cripple Creek' - are also from the Watkins Glen show, and are not 'Rock of Ages' outtakes as one reviewer stated. The Band simply played those songs at almost every concert they performed. Also recommended is the scorching bootleg recording from August 1, 1973 at Roosevelt Stadium in New Jersey, which is a much more complete representation of The Band's live sound in the summer of '73.

This 1995 release is now (thankfully) out of print because there is almost no sounds from the actual Watkins Glen concert. If you read the other one star review and then listen to the album, you will learn the truth: this album is merely a bunch of studio and Rock of Ages outtakes given a "live" feel with poorly overdubbed crowd cheers. The opening Bill Graham introduction IS actually from the concert, as well as a few other announcements and between-song chatter. However, the Band did NOT perform "Don't Ya Tell Henry" and "The Rumor" and Time To Kill." If you get a bootleg tape of the complete show (which is in extremely limited circulation), you will not find any of these songs, as well as the overly dramatic thunderstorm sounds. The liner notes state that the disc was produced using the most complete recording available, but it's a total lie. The Band successfully removed this album off the record store shelves, but only after they released several of these tracks on their own box set ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE (!)

Sure this release is a mish-mash and not the golden egg we all wanted it to be but anybody that says not to buy "Live At Watkins Glen" is an elitist record shop snob or they don't really enjoy the music of The Band. This recording is fun, refreshing and gives some insight into the experience that day. When the estates of Bill Graham and all the bands involved get together and agree on giving the public what they want, maybe then we'll get a nice DVD of the entire show? Don't hold your breath!

Don't bother tracking this one down, Its not what it claims to be - the first two tracks are studio outakes from MoonDog Matinee with audience noise overdubbed and the rest are outtakes from the Rock of Ages album (all of which is now available on the reissues)

We went to this concert after my second (long story) senior year in high school, and what a show it was. Held at the Watkins Glen grand prix motor speedway, just a stones throw from Yasgur's farm, the concert drew twice the number of people as Woodstock. The line-up was the Band, the Grateful Dead, and the Allman Brothers; all at their height. They had been appearing all over the east coast in different pairs all summer and we saw each combination: Dead and Abros in D.C., Dead and Band in Hartford, and the Band and Abros in Jersey City.

The show was set for August 28, 1973 and promoter Bill Graham expected no more than 150,000. By the 27th, more than 600,000 were on site; the largest gathering for a rock show in history. It was a good thing that the Band was unaware of the size of the crowd since they had such a bad experience at Woodstock that their manager refused to allow their performance on the album or movie. Strains within the band were starting to be felt. They had just finished recording their album of covers "Moondog Matinee" and this was supposed to be strictly a money date for them.
Despite the growing tensions in the band and the beginning of downward spirals for some of the members; they managed a memorable performance. The Band was famous for spot-on live performances and they did not disappoint.

Drummer Levon Helm sings lead on the album's liveliest tracks: Chuck Berry's "Back to Memphis", Dylan's whorehouse rumble "Don't Ya Tell Henry" (released later on the "Basement Tapes") and the inevitable "Up On Cripple Creek". Bassist Rick Danko proved his mettle with leading the cover of the Four Tops hit "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever", and takes a central role in the ensemble on the sober guitarist Robbie Robertsons original about small town talk, "The Rumor". Richard Manuel supplies a wrenching version of "I Shall Be Released", the song he co-authored with Dylan. Robertson played a superlative guitar throughout the set and had penned the then-new "Endless Highway", a forcast of the end of the Band. The Watkins glen instrumental honors belonged to keyboardist Garth Hudson, who literally rose to the occasion. About hanlf an hour into the set, the skies opened up above the festival site and, Helm recalled, "It began to rain like a cow pissing on a flat rock." The rest of the group scampered for the wings with the torrent but Hudson returned soon behind his Lowery organ to spin the magical improvised fantasia that customarily prefaced the number "Chest Fever". The imaginative solo is preserved as "Too Wet To Work" and it turned what could have been a disaster into moments of magic.

The album may not be as well known as their other live albums "Rock of Ages" and "The Last Waltz", but it still shows how the group, no matter what the internal difficulties, were one of the best live performers of the era.

Listen to "Loving You Is So Much Sweeter Than Ever" and you will see it is IDENTICAL to the version that was added as a 2001 bonus track to Rock of Ages. Avoid this disc. Get the other live albums -- Last Waltz and Rock of Ages -- then listen to the Band's many live shows at Wolfgang's Vault if that's not enough. This is a waste of $10.

the members of the Band were pioneers in their time and the music they left behind is timeless...what a great collection!

Take it from one who was there, this was surely not The Band's finest hour. In fact they didn't play more than forty five minutes before it bagan to rain as Levon Helm put it, "like a cow pissing on a rock". But even on a sub-par evening, they could blow the doors off just about any other Band of their day. "Cripple Creek" is always a blast and the boys do it justice with their usual dead on ensamble playing. Same goes for "The Rumor" and "Time To Kill", two standouts from the Stage Freight album. And Richard Manuel delivers an insipred version of "I Shall Be Released". I still get chills down my spine whenever I hear that song. The balance of the material, "Don't You Tell Henry", "Endless Highway", Back To Memphis and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" are all somewhat uneven. I guess the storm clouds that had gathered over Sullivan County were more than a minor distraction. But the crowd as I recall didn't seem to mind a bit. Heck, forty five minutes of The Band is worth more than an hour and a half from just about anyone else you can name. I'm so glad to have this CD to remind me of just how much fun I had on that rain soaked weekend in Watkins Glen back in 1973.

Well it was 20+ years after being there that I found this CD on shelf (pre-Amazon). The concert must rate as one fo the greatest rock events, given the 600k people there for enjoyment and the wonderful balance of true-blue musical bands - The Dead, The Allmans and The Band. Musical cousins. They came and boy did they all play.

The Bands set showed their earthy, soulful side - Levon and Rick inspired. The Dead's sound system, the 8th wonder of the world in 1973, and the outdoor air made the sound perfect.

As for the CD, the selected songs are much fun with Levon's Chuck Berry classic Back to Memphis leading off and blazing away. Two of Dylan's songs are delevered with Shall Be Released being the most memorable. Rick and Levon trade vocals on this great Motown thing Loving You is So Much Sweeter.." Of course the vocal harmonies of the band are superb - they were born to sing together.

The thunderstorm sequence Robby saying he was getting shocked and Garths braving the storm to improvise on organ really happened that way.

Only real negative to this album is that apparently the mix includes overlays of audience noise that seems artificial. I mean, people weren't screeming and clapping throughout all the numbers - we were just listening and glad to be alive and there that day...

This is the only official live recording of The Band playing as a quintet. Rock of Ages and the The Last Waltz have horns and other instruments augmenting proceedings.

You know you're going to enjoy this from the first track a stirring version of Chuck Berry's 'Back to Memphis'. Levon Helm's vocal is powerful and gritty and Robbie Robertson plays some mean variations on Chuck Berry's original rock 'n' roll guitar licks. 'Endless Highway' shows off the organ playing skills of Garth Hudson and the vocal by Rick Danko isn't bad either. Talking of vocals, the version of 'I Shall Be Released' on this album gives you the chance to hear Richard Manuel's unique singing voice. For this song its sung entirely falsetto, an amazing performance.

My favourite track on the album is 'Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever'. A great cover of a Motown song, which on this performance sounds like it was written for The Band (it wasn't). Danko's vocal is brilliant, aching and desperate, with the rest of the backing vocals fitting perfectly.

The reason it doesn't get five stars is the inclusion of 'Too Wet To Work' a Garth Hudson instrumental which is like an old fashioned Cinema interval. He's a brilliant musician but this sounds out of place.

The rest of the album is great and captures one of the most important American/Canadian Rock N Roll groups at the height of their career. Whether this is isn't the Watkins Glen concert doesn't matter to me its dam good regardless.