Over two separate eras, The Band became one of the most important and influential acts in pop music over the second half of the 20th century. They began by playing with rock ‘n’ roller Ronnie Hawkins, became Bob Dylan’s backing band, and grew into their own legends. Their songwriting drew on everything from history to mythology to personal concerns, moving from comic to tragic with ease. The quintet of Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, and Richard Manuel would create something new, strange and captivating, eventually defining an era.
The group released 10 studio albums during their runs together (with a changed lineup in the 1990s), with each record offering something a little different. From their 1968 debut to their 1998 swan song, The Band worked their country, rock, and R&B into new forms, restlessly exploring their art. Not all their ideas worked, but when they did, few bands could match them. Considering them altogether allows for deeper insight into what was happening to the act, and how they found their magic.
10
High On The Hog
1996
The Band’s 1978 split-up had been coming for some time, and the group took a few years off. A version of the act toured through much of the ’80s, but they didn’t return to the studio until 1993. When they did, it was without songwriters Richard Manuel (who had committed suicide) or Robbie Robertson. The group relied heavily on covers for their final three studio albums, and the act only sometimes seemed into it.
High on the Hog was the worst of these efforts. The Band rarely sound enthused here; it’s the flattest performance of their career. Song selection is an issue, too. Their version of En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind” almost works, but it comes off as weird and a forced attempt at relevance (although it could have been a fun surprise on tour). “Forever Young” sounds dated; they’d already done a great version with Bob Dylan. Bringing in Champion Jack Dupree for “Ramble Jungle” just highlights the group’s lack of direction at the time.
9
Jericho
1993
The group’s first post-reformation album, Jericho sounds much more energetic than High On The Hog. The music lacks Robertson’s personality and playing, but The Band nearly makes up for it. The abundance of covers is no problem. This time revisiting Dylan (“Blind Willie McTell”) works, and their folk rock version of “Atlantic City” sounds as if Bruce Springsteen had written it with them in mind. Not everything works, but at least the group sounds enthused to be in the studio.
Opener “Remedy” shows The Band ready to go with new material, too, and the bouncing rhythm sounds like an update on their old sound. If fans were worried, just a couple of minutes would relieve them of concerns about the reunion. Rick Danko turns in a fine performance on “Too Soon Gone,” written by Jules Shear and new member Stan Szelest. The track nearly gets too sentimental, but it avoids the trap; Danko’s voice maintains that vulnerable sound that has served him well for so many years.
8
Islands
1977
Islands works better than it should. The Band had essentially broken up by this point. Internal issues had led Robertson to put an end to things, with The Last Waltz capturing one final celebration. The group realized it owed label Capitol one more album, so they worked from unfocused recordings made after Northern Lights – Southern Cross and eventually patched together a record. The album has its moments, like “Christmas Must Be Tonight,” but it generally feels like a lackluster presentation.
Many artists have recorded versions of “Georgia On My Mind.” The original was recorded by Hoagy Carmichael in 1930, but Ray Charles’ 1960 version remains the best rendition.
It’s telling that one of the most memorable performances here is a cover, in this case, of “Georgia On My Mind,” which The Band did seem willing to turn into its own thing. Fortunately, even though the group was splitting apart, there were still moments of the old magic. “The Saga of Pepote Rouge” sounds like classic Band material, with its groove, its general atmosphere, and Robertson’s somewhat inscrutable writing of mythology. The Band was at its end, but even so, there were hints of what could have been.
7
Jubilation
1998
Oddly, The Band’s finest album from their second era turned out to be their last. The group sounds at ease throughout Jubilation, maybe because this version of the ensemble had been together for a while or maybe because they were settling back into their own songwriting. Levon Helm’s voice shows its age (he’d soon be diagnosed with the throat cancer that would take away his singing for years), but it hardly matters, since it suits the music. His daughter Amy Helm adds backing vocals, one step before her own career would get properly underway with Ollabelle.
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Guest stars like Eric Clapton and John Hiatt help keep the energy up, but Jubilation doesn’t need any assistance. It’s not a perfect album, but the artists have direction and drive for this one. Cuts like “White Cadillac (Ode to Ronnie Hawkins)” are just fun, an element largely missing from the album’s predecessor. Tragically, Danko passed away just a year later, ending The Band’s second run.
6
Moondog Matinee
1973
The Band’s late output suffered from its overreliance on covers, but in 1973, The Band succeeded unexpectedly well by going all-in on an entire covers album, titled Moondog Matinee. The group was at odds with itself, so instead of trying to force out some new music, they went back to their joyful days as the Hawks, performing those sorts of songs. The idea worked; The Band sounds loose and like they’re having a blast. It’s easy to get sucked into the lighthearted record.
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It opens with Helm and a bit of a joke, using a talk box to get a frog sound on “Ain’t Got No Home” (a Clarence “Frogman” Henry original). They get funky for their take on “Mystery Train,” and dive into Fats Domino’s sound for “I’m Ready.” It’s not all a party, though, and Manuel’s vocals on “The Great Pretender” and Danko’s on “A Change Is Gonna Come” show their softer, artful side. It was a good break for the band, and a fun switch for the fans (even if many of them weren’t so sure about it at the time).
5
Cahoots
1971
Cahoots only falls this far down the list because the rest of The Band’s output was simply so good. Released in 1971, it was the group’s fourth album in four years (they’d take a pause on original material after this one). The record opens with a pair of classics: the Allen Toussaint-enhanced “Life Is A Carnival” and the Bob Dylan-penned “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” A story of drunken musicians/cowboys, “4% Pantomime” delivers another highlight, a comic romp that features Van Morrison as a perfect fit.
The Band’s version is the best, but you can hear Dylan rework his own “When I Paint My Masterpiece” on his own album Shadow Kingdom (2023).
Most of the other songs are fine, but don’t stack up to the rest of the album or the releases that came before it. Both “Last Of The Blacksmiths” and “Shootout In Chinatown” should have been scrapped, but hidden gems remain. “Thinkin’ Out Loud” deserves more consideration than it’s gotten, and “Smoke Signal” still holds up. Fans and critics might have been disappointed that The Band could maintain a peak for four years, but Cahoots by any other measure stands as a strong record from a top act.
4
Northern Lights – Southern Cross
1975
After The Band’s internal frictions increased, and they took a break from regular programming with Moondog Matinee, it might have seemed as if they’d lost their way. Instead, they rebounded in 1975 with one of their best albums, Northern Lights – Southern Cross. Robertson finds his strongest writing voice of the decade, talking about displacement, history, and personal emptiness. It’s the sort of visionary writing that drove the early albums, and The Band’s music matches it.
It takes more than a handful of cuts to make a great album, and Northern Lights – Southern Cross never falters.
At least three of the group’s best tracks appear here: “Ophelia,” “Acadian Driftwood,” and “It Makes No Difference.” Their legacies are secure, but it takes more than a handful of cuts to make a great album, and Northern Lights – Southern Cross never falters. “Jupiter Hollow” and Garth Hudson’s synthesizers add some unexpected modernity to the act, and “Rags and Bones” takes the countryside act into the city. The Band was starting to wind down by now, but there’s not a hint of that in their sound, which put them back near the top of their game.
3
Stage Fright
1970
The Band began their career by releasing two perfect, legendary albums. Following them up would be no easy task, but Stage Fright nearly matched those releases in its power and musicality. The group turns more inward, dealing with anxiety and the internal stresses that were beginning to appear (a shift from Robertson’s plan to write a more fun album). The mix of myth and Americana remains, most notably on the carefully constructed “Daniel And The Sacred Harp.”
The Band also looked more toward rock, although the shift in sound can be overstated (and it actually points back to their roots). “Strawberry Wine” sets that tone perfectly and the first side of the album plays out steadily. It might be underrated by fans, but largely because the second half of the record is so exceptional, featuring the title track and “The Shape I’m In,” one of Richard Manuel’s finest vocals. The Band felt the pressure of their early success, but they used it to create one of their best albums.
2
The Band
1969
Many fans would call The Band’s 1969 self-titled album their finest work, and it would be hard to argue. “The Brown Album,” as it’s informally known, is essentially flawless. The group had been together for some time, and after touring with Bob Dylan, woodshedding early material, and properly releasing a debut. They were ready for a serious release, and The Band turned out to be their big artistic statement, full of songs that remain essential to rock history nearly six decades later.
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Robertson’s writing created a sort of mythic rural America. His songs could be epic (“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”), lascivious (“Rag Mama Rag” and “Jemima Surrender”), or haunting (“Whispering Pines”). The Band gave a big, empathetic voice to regular folks, and tracks like “Up On Cripple Creek” maintain the legacy, all wrapped in adventurous arrangements, technical proficiency, and high melodicism.
1
Music From Big Pink
1968
Before 1968, The Band had already had quite a run, backing Ronnie Hawkins, touring with Bob Dylan, and then casually recording with the folk icon (those sessions would eventually become The Basement Tapes). But when Music From Big Pink came out in 1968, it was almost as if they’d appeared from some lost history of America. Their blend of nearly every form of popular music – including, but not limited to country, rock, folk, R&B, and blues – gave them a distinctive sound, and their songs expressed an idiosyncratic vision, the world that Greil Marcus would describe as “old, weird America.”
At the center of their record lies the best song The Band would ever record, “The Weight.” Its catchiness draws the listener into a world only partially revealed, but realer than fact. Overlooked number “We Can Talk” shows the group in unison, its three vocalists trading parts perfectly.
The record closes with “I Shall Be Released,” Manuel’s high, pained vocals supported by his bandmates, the summation of a vision brought to magnificent fruition. The Band would make a string of stellar records, growing and changing, but their debut Music From Big Pink stands as not only their best, but also one of the best in rock history.
