Wikipedia

Music from Big Pink

Music from Big Pinkis the debutstudio albumby Canadian-Americanrockbandthe Band.[2]Released on July 1, 1968, byCapitol Records,it employs a distinctive blend ofcountry,rock,folk,classical,R&B,blues,andsoul.The album's title refers to a house inWest Saugerties, New Yorkcalled "Big Pink",which was shared by bassist/singerRick Danko,pianist/singerRichard Manueland organistGarth Hudsonand in which the album's music was partly composed. The album itself was recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles in 1968,[3]and followed the band's stint backing ofBob Dylanon his1966 tour(as the Hawks) and time spent together in upstate New York recording material that was officially released in 1975 asThe Basement Tapes,also with Dylan. Thecover artworkis a painting by Dylan.

Music from Big Pink
Studio albumby
the Band
ReleasedJuly 1, 1968
RecordedEarly 1968
Studio
Genre
Length42:22
LabelCapitol
ProducerJohn Simon
The Bandchronology
Music from Big Pink
(1968) 		The Band
(1969)
SinglesfromMusic from Big Pink
  1. "The Weight"/"I Shall Be Released"
    Released: August 1968

In 2000, the album was rereleased with additional outtakes from the recording sessions, and in 2018, a "50th Anniversary Super Deluxe" edition was released with a new stereo mix byBob Clearmountain.

Background and Big Pink house

edit
"Big Pink" in 2006

The Band's members included Danko, Manuel, Hudson, guitaristRobbie Robertsonand drummer/singerLevon Helm.They began to create their distinctive sound during 1967 when they improvised and recorded withBob Dylana huge number of cover songs and original Dylan materialin the basement of a pink house inWest Saugerties, New York,located at 56 Parnassus Lane (formerly 2188 Stoll Road). The house was built by Ottmar Gramms, who bought the land in 1952. The house was newly built whenRick Dankofound it as a rental. Danko moved in along withGarth HudsonandRichard Manuelin February 1967. The house became known locally as "Big Pink"for its pinksiding.The house was subsequently sold by Gramms in 1977, and since 1998, it has been a private residence.[4]

Widelybootleggedat the time, initially asGreat White Wonderin July 1969, some of the recordings Dylan and the Band made were officially released in 1975 onThe Basement Tapes,and then in their totality in 2014 onThe Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete.By the end of 1967, the Band felt it was time to step out of Dylan's shadow and make their own statement.[5]

Recording

edit

The Band's managerAlbert Grossman(who was also Dylan's manager) approachedCapitol Recordsto secure a record deal for a group still informally described as "Dylan's backing band". Alan Livingston at Capitol signed the Band, initially under the name the Crackers. Armed with news of a recording deal for the group, they luredLevon Helmback from the oil rigs where he had been working to Woodstock where he took up his crucial position in the Band, singing and playing drums. Helm's return coincided with a ferment of activity in Big Pink as the embryonic Band not only recorded with Dylan but also began to write their own songs.[5]

After meeting with producerJohn Simon,the Band started to record their debut album inManhattanatA&R Studios,at 799 7th Avenue in the early months of 1968. The Band recorded "Tears of Rage","Chest Fever","We Can Talk","This Wheel's On Fire"and"The Weight"in two sessions. Robertson has said that when Simon asked them how they wanted it to sound, they replied," Just like it did in the basement. "[6]

Capitol, pleased with the initial recording session, suggested that the group move toLos Angelesto finish recording their first album atCapitol Studios.They also cut some material atGold Star StudiosonSanta Monica Boulevard.The songs onBig Pinkrecorded in L.A. were "In A Station", "To Kingdom Come", "Lonesome Suzie","Long Black Veil"and"I Shall Be Released".[7]

Artwork

edit

Dylan offered to sing on the album, but ultimately realized it was important for the Band to make their own statement. Instead, Dylan signified his presence by contributing a cover painting.Barney Hoskynshas written that it is significant the painting depicts six musicians. The cover ofMusic from Big Pinkwas intended to establish the group as having a different outlook from thepsychedelic cultureof 1968. PhotographerElliott Landyflew toTorontoto photograph the assembled Danko, Manuel, Robertson, and Hudson families on the Danko chicken farm. A photo was inserted of Diamond and Nell Helm, who lived inArkansas.The photo appeared on the cover with the caption "Next of Kin".[8]The overall design of the sleeve is byMilton Glaser(who also did the poster that was packed with the 1967Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits).

Reception

edit
Professional ratings
Retrospective reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
DownBeat[10]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]
Entertainment WeeklyA[12]
Goldmine[13]
MusicHound Rock5/5[14]
Pitchfork9.4/10[15]
Q[16]
Rolling Stone[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]

The initial reception to the album was positive.[9][19]It received praise for the organic quality of the instrumentation, which had been recorded live withoutoverdubbing.[20]InRolling Stone,Al Kooper's rave review ofBig Pinkended with the words, "This album was recorded in approximately two weeks. There are people who will work their lives away in vain and not touch it."[21]This helped to draw public attention to it (Rolling Stoneeven referred to them as "the band from Big Pink"[22]instead of just "the Band" ). The fact that Bob Dylan wrote one and co-wrote two of the songs on the album also attracted attention.Robert Christgauwas less enthusiastic inThe Village Voice,crediting the music's original evocation of "country-soul feeling without imitating it" and the "human roughness around the edges",[20]yet stating that he "always admired that album" but "from a distance".[23]

In 1968, "The Weight"peaked at No. 63 onBillboard's Hot 100 singles chart in the US. The song was a bigger hit elsewhere, peaking at No. 35 in Canada, and No. 21 in the UK. The album peaked at No. 18 inCanada[24]and reached No. 30 onBillboard'sPop Albumschart in 1968, and then recharted as a No. 8 hit on the Top Internet Albums chart in 2000. "The Weight" gained widespread popularity from the Band's performance of it atWoodstockon August 17, 1969, and due partially to its inclusion in the filmEasy Rider,though it was omitted from the soundtrack because of licensing issues. A cover version by the bandSmithwas included on the soundtrack album instead.

The laid-back feel of the album attracted the attention of other major artists. For example,Eric Claptoncites the album'sroots rockstyle as what convinced him to quitCream,and engageDelaney and Bonnieand friends as "Derek and the Dominos"on hisdebut solo album.George Harrisonwas also impressed by the album's musicianship and sense of camaraderie, andRoger WatersofPink Floydcalled it the second "most influential record in the history of rock and roll", afterthe Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,and said that it "affected Pink Floyd deeply, deeply, deeply". According toTerry Burrows,the album spawned theAmericanagenre,[25]while music academic Chris Smith said its songs laid the groundwork for roots rock music.[26]The music writerIan MacDonaldcalled it "...the most influential record of its time – probably the most influential in rock history", citing its influence on the Beatles,Elton John,Traffic,Fairport Convention,the Byrds,the Grateful Dead,Little Feat,and 1970scountry rockin general.[27]

Music from Big Pinkwas voted No. 452 in the third edition ofColin Larkin'sAll Time Top 1000 Albums(2000).[28]In 2003, it was ranked 34th onRolling Stone's list ofthe 500 greatest albums of all time,[29]a ranking it maintained on the magazine's 2012 revised list,[30]before dropping to number 100 in a 2020 revised list.[31]OnMetacritic,the expanded 50th anniversary edition of the album has an aggregate score of 99 out of 100, based on seven reviews, a rating that the website defines as indicating "universal acclaim".[32]

Re-releases

edit
"Big Pink" in 2023

The originalLP recordissue included a gatefold cover in 1968, duplicated 40 years later in 2008 as a remastered 180 gm LP. Oncompact disc,it was remastered as agold CDin 1989, as aDVD-audioin 2001 and as a remastered numbered editionSACDin 2009. On August 29, 2000, it was reissued byEMI Recordsas a standard compact disc with ninebonus tracks.In 2012,Mobile Fidelityreleased a remastered, numbered, limited edition, Half-speed Mastering from the originalmaster tapes,180g LP pressed at RTI.

In 2018, a 50th Anniversary Edition was released with an entirely new stereo mix and 5.1 mix byBob Clearmountain,mastered byBob Ludwig.It also included some of the additional tracks from the 2000 re-release, and a new vocal-only mix of "I Shall Be Released".[33]

Track listing

edit
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalLength
1."Tears of Rage"Bob Dylan,Richard ManuelManuel5:23
2."To Kingdom Come"Robbie RobertsonManuel, Robertson3:22
3."In a Station"ManuelManuel3:34
4."Caledonia Mission"RobertsonRick Danko2:59
5."The Weight"RobertsonHelm with Danko4:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalLength
1."We Can Talk"ManuelManuel, Helm, Danko3:06
2."Long Black Veil"Marijohn Wilkin,Danny DillDanko3:06
3."Chest Fever"RobertsonManuel5:18
4."Lonesome Suzie"ManuelManuel4:04
5."This Wheel's on Fire"Dylan, DankoDanko3:14
6."I Shall Be Released"DylanManuel3:19
  • Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–11 on CD reissues.

Personnel

edit

The Band

Additional personnel

2018 remix

References

edit
  1. ^Goldstein, Richard(August 4, 1968)."'Big Pink' Is Just a Home in Saugerties ".The New York Times.p. 20D – viaTimesMachine....we needn't wait for The Byrds [to releaseSweetheart of the Rodeo] to understand what the country-rock synthesis is all about. Already, the movement has its first major album:Music From Big Pinkby The Band.
  2. ^"25 best Canadian debut albums ever".CBC Music.Retrieved2024-05-27.
  3. ^Bowman, Rob."History of The Band: The Debut Album".theband.hiof.no.Retrieved2009-11-03.
  4. ^Wilson, William."Historic Buildings in Rock'n'Roll History".rocknrolltravel.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon October 24, 2019.RetrievedAugust 5,2016.
  5. ^abHoskyns, 1993,Across The Great Divide,pp. 141-145
  6. ^Hoskyns, 1993,Across The Great Divide,pp. 146-155
  7. ^Hoskyns, 1993,Across The Great Divide,pp. 156-159
  8. ^Hoskyns, 1993,Across The Great Divide,pp. 163-166
  9. ^abRuhlmann, William.Music From Big PinkatAllMusic.Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  10. ^"The Band:Music from Big Pink".DownBeat:66. October 2001.
  11. ^Larkin, Colin(2011). "Funkadelic".Encyclopedia of Popular Music(5th ed.).Omnibus Press.p. 2390.ISBN978-0857125958.
  12. ^Scherman, Tony (September 1, 2000)."Music Review: 'The Band'".Entertainment Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon 2019-04-17.RetrievedApril 16,2019.
  13. ^"The Band – Music from Big Pink CD Album".CD Universe.Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-05.RetrievedJuly 5,2011.
  14. ^Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999).MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide.Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p.72.ISBN1-57859-061-2.
  15. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."The Band: Music From Big Pink Album Review".Pitchfork.Retrieved22 March2019.
  16. ^Bauldie, John (April 1996). "The Band:Music from Big Pink".Q:120.
  17. ^"The Band:Music from Big Pink".Rolling Stone.August 31, 2000. pp. 69–73.
  18. ^Brackett, Nathan, with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide(4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside. p. 42.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  19. ^Multiple sources:
  20. ^abChristgau, Robert(December 1969)."In Memory of the Dave Clark Five".The Village Voice.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
  21. ^Kooper, Al (10 August 1968)."Records".Rolling Stone.Retrieved2 October2013.
  22. ^"Big Pink Band To Tour U.S.".Rolling Stone.No. 30. April 5, 1969. p. 9.
  23. ^Christgau, Robert (1981)."Consumer Guide '70s: L".Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.Ticknor & Fields.ISBN089919026X.RetrievedMarch 1,2019– via robertchristgau.
  24. ^"RPM Top 50 Albums - October 21, 1968"(PDF).
  25. ^Burrows, Terry(2015).The Stratocaster Manual: Buying, Maintaining, Repairing, and Customizing Your Fender and Squier Stratocaster.Voyageur Press.p. 176.ISBN978-0760349229.
  26. ^Smith, Chris (2009).101 Albums that Changed Popular Music.Oxford University Press.p. 61.ISBN978-0195373714.
  27. ^MacDonald, Ian(2003).The People's Music.Internet Archive.London: Pimlico. pp. 82–83.ISBN978-1-84413-093-1.
  28. ^Colin Larkin(2006).All Time Top 1000 Albums(3rd ed.).Virgin Books.p. 163.ISBN0-7535-0493-6.
  29. ^"The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time".Rolling Stone.2010-01-12. Archived fromthe originalon June 12, 2010.Retrieved2010-06-19.
  30. ^"500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time".Rolling Stone.2012.RetrievedSeptember 23,2019.
  31. ^"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".Rolling Stone.2020-09-22.Retrieved2021-10-09.
  32. ^"Music from Big Pink [50th Anniversary] by The Band Reviews and Tracks".Metacritic.Retrieved6 September2021.
  33. ^Morris, Chris (24 August 2018)."Album Review: The Band's 'Music From Big Pink: 50th Anniversary Edition'".Variety.Retrieved31 December2018.

Sources

edit
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Music_from_Big_Pink&oldid=1259570928"