The Last Waltz [Remaster] - Band (The) (CD 2003)

(Disclaimer: Those looking for a brief description of the album will find what their looking for in the "Review Body" section. The section titled "Track Reviews" is meant only for those who want to read detailed descriptions of the songs, and they do not constitute the essence of this review. Lastly and most importantly, this review is not necessarily written by the point of view of a Band fan.)

Overall Score: 5/5
Best song: Forever Young
Worst song: The Last Waltz Suite Evangeline

Review Body:

This triple album is often considered one of the great live albums in rock 'n' roll history, but it's not even the best live album in The Band's discography! (Seriously... for the ultimate live Band experience, nothing shall ever top Rock of Ages.) However, the events that surrounded this concert were certainly noteworthy.

This was the point where Robbie Robertson decided to call it quits and dissolve The Band. To celebrate, they gave a huge concert with a plethora of guests! Their first guest was Ronnie Hawkins, who was the first person to work with The Band. They invited the likes of rock 'n' roll bigguns, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. They invited two notable blues musicians Muddy Waters and Paul Butterfield. They even invited two renowned Cajun musicians Dr. John and Bobby Charles! (And, they brought in Ronnie Wood and Ringo Starr at the very end, probably as a joke.) That's a FREAKING HUGE CAST! This event was huge enough that, as 99.9% of the world's population is already aware, Martin Scorsese decided to film it. And The Last Waltz became the most famous concert video ... ever.

So yeah, all those musicians come on the stage at some point to sing some of their ditties. The Band interrupts a few times to perform seven of their own songs. I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed with their renditions of their enduringly popular songs Up on Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down although both nonetheless sounded great! The biggest surprise was their rendition of Stage Fright. I was absolutely unimpressed with the original, which I thought sounded flat and boring. But this version has life injected into that tune. In the track reviews, it moved from a C to an A! It manages to overwhelmingly outshine Neil Young's performance of Helpless that came before it, which is saying something. They also do excellent performances of Ophelia and It Makes No Difference from Northern Light, Southern Cross, and there's a rousing rendition of Life is a Carnival!

Somehow the weakest of the guest musicians ended up being Van Morrison. Can't say why that is, because I like hearing his studio albums just fine. But somehow the two songs he contributes Tura-Lura-Lural and Caravan don't quite cut it for me. The former came off as slow and a bit overblown. The latter was more exciting, but a bit too long. I'm sorry! But I loved Joni Mitchell's performance of Coyote (it's always a pleasure to hear her). Neil Diamond's performance of Dry Your Eyes was incredibly rousing!

The whole point of Eric Clapton's performance was to showcase his guitar abilities. Legend has it that Clapton wanted to join The Band in the '60s, but they wouldn't let him. Probably because he'd always want to be showcasing his guitar!!! But anyway, very few guitarists could ever hope to top those fingermelting solos that he does! Muddy Waters' contribution could be the most out-of-place one here, because it's an incredibly repetitive blues song that uses the most commonly used riff in history. But it's that's guttural, on-your-seat vocal performance that makes you take notice. The blues is outside of my area of expertise (to the extent I have expertise ) and I usually can't stand the blues ... but when it's done this well from one of the original masters, it makes me want to delve a bit deeper into the genre.

Naturally, the centerpiece of the whole concert was BOB DYLAN. He's not only the most well-revered figure who showed up there (especially considering the audience), but he's the guy who made The Band famous. The Band was with Bob Dylan right there when Dylan went electric. So, he got to do four songs! One of them was Baby, Let Me Follow You Down, which is a cover that he originally performed on his debut album. (And it's a HECK OF A LOT BETTER here than it was there, I might add). However, Dylan's performance of Forever Young is the major highlight of his set ... and the highlight of the whole album if you ask me. Not only is the melody incredible, but the backing instrumentals are juicier than ever!!! ... And those who saw the film probably still remember that everyone came on the stage at the end to sing I Shall Be Released. It's overwhelming to hear so many voices, so that's certainly a moment that best experienced while watching the movie.

This review has officially gone on for too long, and I haven't even mentioned that there's an EP's worth of studio-recorded material here! But that's what I write track reviews for! I'll tell you that the studio stuff isn't that good, for the most part. It's uncharacteristically very derivative and done in styles that The Band aren't known for at all. I'd imagine that most people who bought this album rarely listen to to that stuff...

Track Reviews:

A triple album! Woohoo!!!!

Theme From the Last Waltz B
This is a literal waltz! Well, that's just cute innit? Admittedly, this isn't very interesting and it's really the last thing you would expect to hear in a Band album, but they make an entirely decent stab at it though they do seem to resort to enough cliches... Eh, but let's not dwell on it. This is not why they're called The Band!

Up on Cripple Creek A-
Getting to the biggest hit right away! It's played quite a bit looser than the original version, and it's not necessarily better for it. I suppose this is evidence that these guys were tired. But anyway, this is always a good song no matter how they play it. If you don't know it by heart by now, then you should!

Who Do You Love (with Ronnie Hawkins) A-
They introduce Ronnie Hawkins as the guy who got The Band started! But The Band is more famous than Ronnie Hawkins!!! Anyway, they perform a very danceable rockability tune! Hawkin's voice is maniacal, and he eventually belts out these crazy screams. ...Funny!

Helpless (with Neil Young) A-
Now, The Band does a duet with Mickey Mouse. However they got Disney to license him for a rock concert will remain forever a mystery. Anyway, I like this song, and for some reason I like it better here than it was on the original album. Part of it is because The Band contributes some gorgeous instrumental backing, and it comes across as spirited and soulful. Plus, there's someone singing in a Lion Sleeps Tonight -style vocal! Can't be bad.

Stage Fright A
Wow... That keyboard is just about the nuttiest thing I ever heard. It sounds like he had it programmed to play slightly off key, and that thing is going all over the map! ... Well, that's kind of cool! I also love those bold horns, which are incredibly spirited and fun. The electric guitar solo is absolutely finger-blasting. ... Geez. Here's another moment that surpasses the studio version! To a great extent, even. After hearing this, I can't believe I gave a C to the original.

Coyote (with Joni Mitchell) A
When it's all said and done, absolutely nothing can be better than Joni Mitchell. Except maybe Count Chocula, but I happen to like Count Chocula very very much. I can state, however, that to my ears, nothing can be better than Joni Mitchell. Count Chocula sounds a lot like the other breakfast cereals, such as that Oreo cereal, which was a joke. .......... Where was I? Oh yes. Joni Mitchell. I like Joni Mitchell!!! I like the song Coyote!

Dry Your Eyes (with Neil Diamond) A-
There are two types of people in the world: those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't. The Band loves Neil Diamond. He seemed the most out of place among all the guests invited to the concert, because people don't always respect him. But the man had more than his fair share of great songs, and this is one of them. I love his voice, as he belts out this incredibly tuneful, dramatic and soulful ditty! In the end, it was a fitting and memorable addition to the album.

It Makes No Difference B
I like this song, too! It was taken from their under-loved Northern Lights, Southern Cross album even though it wasn't my favorite song there. It's a normal and very tuneful ballad that they play completely straight.

Such a Night (with Dr. John) B
I honestly don't know much about Dr. John other than he appears in The Last Waltz. It's funny that I still remember what I was thinking when I first saw the movie probably around 1998 or so. I didn't know much about the performers other than vague name recognition. I can still remember thinking that Dr. John was probably a great rock figure amidst all the other performers. (Though I could have been confusing him with Elton John who I was vaguely aware of.) However, ever since I started listening to so many rock albums, and reading about rock music, I never hear about him! Scanning his discography, he was quite prolific... Anyway, he contributes a catchy Americana tune with some of that bar-room piano. It's not too unique, but the performances are enjoyable.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down A
Here's another one of The Band's GREAT songs that I'm sure we all know by heart. You'll notice a horn section that's tucked away a little bit in the background!

Mystery Train (with Paul Butterfield) A
Paul Butterfield was a blues musician who was reportedly a huge influence of blues-rock! His blues is pretty dang good if this performance is anything to judge. Even though it's blues and sounds a lot like the other blues songs, this one is incredibly fresh and vibrant. The instrumentals have never been more energetic! Butterfield can be heard on the harmonica, and I'm sure the harmonica lost the use of its legs after that performance.

Mannish Boy (with Muddy Waters) A-
While I admit I'm not too familiar with Paul Butterfield, everybody's familiar with Muddy Waters! (Well, I don't think I've ever heard any of his albums, but ... I should.) Butterfield was more blues-rock, but Waters is BLUES. Yup. And he uses one of the most common riffs in the history of mankind. I think one of the reasons I don't like blues that much is because I'm always hearing these wussy interpretations from these wimpy little pop bands... Well, here's who they're imitating!!! And it's easy to see why they would want to.

Further Up On the Road (with Eric Clapton) A-
I almost forgot how well Eric Clapton can play the guitar! I guess he's not a god for nothing, eh? This is a very ordinary bluesy song whose sole purpose is to showcase that guitar. That's good enough for me, baby!

The Shape I'm In A
Here's yet another song that's better here than it was on the regular album! I think they were feeling pretty energized after performing these other songs, which really comes through here. The melody was good to begin with, and it never sounded better here.

Down South in New Orleans (with Bobby Charles) B
Bobby Charles' scene was cut from the movie, but that doesn't make his contribution any less enjoyable. He likes Cajun music, and this is a typical example of one. You already know how this sounds like. Skiffle guitars and a crunchy accordion. They add in some violin and a bit of piano for good measure.

Ophelia A-
Another song from Northern Light, Southern Cross. Have I stressed enough how good that album is? This is an incredibly upbeat and danceable rendition of the song that sounded much the same on the album.

Tura-Lura-Lural (with Van Morrison) B
This scene was also cut from the film (although the other Van Morrison performance, the track below this, was shown in the movie). Morrison had some EXCELLENT chops and he's pretty obviously baring his soul for this! The slowness of it does seem to have a negative effect on me... and sometimes I think that Morrison was going a little overboard. But who cares? It's rousing!

Caravan (with Van Morrison) B
This is much more poppy and upbeat than the last song, which is undoubtedly the reason they kept this one over the other. Again, I really like that voice of his! He can sing really loudly, and make it seem like it's not just a bunch of noise. This is a pretty good song, but six minutes did seem a little much for it. Though it's better actually watching Morrison sing it! I can still remember that scene pretty vividly!

Life is a Carnival A
This was one of the best things about Cahoots, and I love hearing it! Those horn arrangements are what defines brassy, which is easily the most notable thing about this song. I believe The Band does those horn arrangements better than many funk bands! Plus, the melody is very catchy, and the pace is extremely spirited and upbeat. Also, you can expect a handful of fingermelting electric guitar solos!!!!!

Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (with Bob Dylan) A
BOB DYLAN!!!! ... That cheeky old bastard sings Baby, Let Me Follow You Down, which was a song he covered in his 1962 debut album. It sounded terrible on that album. But 15 years after-the-fact I guess he wanted to finally do it justice! Of course, keeping the spirit of the album, this is an upbeat rock 'n' roll version of it. And it's hella fun!

I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) (with Bob Dylan) A-
Here's another song Dylan originally did before he was even associated with The Band. Does anyone else find that weird? Oh, and this song didn't appear in the film, either. I guess Martin Scorsese thought that was weird, too!

Forever Young (with Bob Dylan) A
Here is Bob Dylan covering Alphaville. ................................... OK, not really. But this song was originally recorded in the 1974 album Planet Waves, the collaboration between Dylan and The Band, and it was one of the best songs from that as I remember it! Dylan delivers an utterly soulful vocal performance, and the melody is just about as memorable and sweet as anything on this whole album. FREAKEDLY AWESOME!

Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (Reprise) (with Bob Dylan) A
I guess he didn't think it was enough the first time! His guilty conscious for the assault on Bob Dylan was still baring down on him! Well... it's about as good as the earlier version, which is to say ganpankurlipging wonderful!! Again, the electric guitar performance in here is excellent!!

I Shall Be Released (with EVERYBODY) A
They brought out all who previously participated in this concert to sing this rousing version of I Shall Be Released from Music From Big Pink. They even bring out two people who hadn't participated in the program so far: Ronnie Wood and Ringo Starr. (Unfortunately, I guess, they ran out of time for Ringo to do Back Off Boogaloo, which I might add, would have been sweet.) Naturally, Dylan takes the lead vocals, since he wrote it. While I really enjoy hearing this, this is another moment that's best heard while watching the film. And this concludes the live stuff.

The Last Waltz Suite The Well B
The concert might be over, but that's no reason for the music to stop! It's easy to forget that The Band wrote an EP's worth of studio material for the album as well. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most audiences sneakily turn off the album at this point...... But this is certainly a weird thing. That is to say, there is a bizarre echo effect they put on the vocals. Also, the instrumentals seem a little bit disjointed at times ... especially at the end, when every band member comes in and starts soloing ... probably making it up on the spot.

The Last Waltz Suite Evangeline (with Emmylou Harris) B-
I'm feel weird, because I did a Yahoo! Image search on Emmylou Harris and discovered that the now-60-year-old is a babe!!!!!!!! .... But this song ain't so hot. It's an incredibly trite folk song that's boring. The only thing that keeps this one listenable is undoubtedly The Band's frilly instrumentation, which I am now fully confident could save anything. Forget the vocal melody and listen to that accordion, for pete's sake!!! That thing is going over all over the place... up and down and around corners. Yes, you shall be impressed with the accordion!

The Last Waltz Suite Out of the Blue B-
Here's another Robbie Robertson original... This is just a pop ballad that could very well have been written and performed in the early '60s, and it wouldn't have been a remembered one. I can't understand why he's resorting to these old cliches! Again, hearing the instrumentation is what keeps this generally fresh... This time, I point out that very quiet, pure synthesizer sound. I like it!

The Last Waltz Suite The Weight (with The Staple Singers) A
Yeah... they were pretty hard-up for material if they're just going to re-record this old classic! But anyway, a great song will always remain a great song! Plus, they bring in The Staple Singers, which was a vocal group from the '60s. That girl that sings at the beginning sounds a little demented, but it's all good.

The Last Waltz Suite The Last Waltz (Refrain) A-
Here is a very brief and very sparse bluesy song that has a rather sweet melody. A very heartfelt vocal performance here... you almost feel sad! (Of course, The Band would end up officially reforming without Robertson four years later, but as Robertson's final moment with The Band, it's bittersweet!)

The Last Waltz Suite Theme From The Last Waltz B
Isn't this where we came in? Oh yes. The beginning of the album. I remember that. THAT WAS LIKE A BILLION YEARS AGO. Not that I regret it... or anything... I'm tired as hell now, but this has been great. Thanks guys!!!

Concluding Remarks:

This is one of the most famous live albums in the history of rock 'n' roll! It's The Band's farewell performance, and the number and caliber of guest musicians they recruited to perform is nothing but staggering.