Hey folks--
These two covers were a long time in coming and, in all truth, they're a long way from sufficient. As with Neil Young on the last post, what can I say about the Band and the crater-sized impression they left on me? I've ripped SO MUCH off ALL of those guys that I barely know where to start. I guess the only exception maybe is Garth Hudson on the organ, because he inhabits such another universe that I can barely wrap my head around how good he is. But rarely a day passes when I'm not trying to pull off some Band harmonies, or lift something off Robbie Robertson's stinging guitar, Richard Manual's in-the-pocket piano, Rick Danko's thumping and off-kilter bass and, first and foremost, Levon Helm's drums.
Levon. Of them all he was/ is/ will be The Man, for his drumming, singing, occasional mandolin picking and mostly for his genuine Levon-ness. I was sad to hear about Richard's suicide back in my first year at JHU in '86 and Rick's slow-motion self-induced death over ten years ago, but learning of Levon's recurrent illness and then his death last spring was an absolute punch in the gut. I thought it would barely make a wider ripple, but was amazed to hear the outsized response that his loss engendered from all corners of the media, mainstream and other wise. It really renewed my faith in people, this expression of so much gratitude and respect and remembrance and sorrow and joy. So I set my mind on quickly posting a few covers and now, nine months on, here they are. And neither of them primarily sung by Levon. Go figure!
I hesitated to even try recording "It Makes No Difference" on account of just what the song means to me. It's late-era Band (1975), by which time the SoCal rock star life had splintered them and left them often musically scattershot, sterile and flabby. But they could still bring it, both live and in the studio--- in this case the stately progression and the broken narrator accompanied by the instantly recognizable harmonies and what are basically perfect guitar and soprano sax solos. It might be Rick's best vocal performance. I guess some would regard it as saccharine but it always seemed to me that there was really something at stake for the guy in the song. Stops me in my tracks every time. I've included both "full" and "bare bones" versions below.
"Katie's Been Gone" is lighter fare, dating (aside from maybe some overdubs) back to the 1967 Saugerties "Basement Tapes" days of Dylan and the Hawks/ the Band, with a fantastic, lovelorn vocal by Richard Manuel. It tells a great story. The very Band-y half-time/ minor and double-time/ major parts just about tell the tale on their own, with the fancy little bridge section adding a nice something.
jk
It Makes No Difference (full): https://www.box.com/s/wb5afi9hd9vc3fpgy7gq
Katie's Been Gone: https://www.box.com/s/xlsacqxr6e1m5dobny5a
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