This is a companion piece to a similarly-themed article on Pete’s site which, all things being equal, should be published at roughly the same time.
Caledonia Mission from Music From Big Pink – Starts all jangly blues, immediately slows right down and becomes tuneful and pretty. Nice piano stuff going on. A song the way they used to make ‘em.
Up On Cripple Creek from The Band – More guitary bits than the last one; this is the one that has been sticking in my head all week – that catchy chorus and the fact that it reminds me of the similarly-named Neil Young song, but is so much less whiney.
Whispering Pines from The Band – Talking of whiney, this one has rather more of a Neil Young vibe about it. Is this not the same tune as Jealous Guy?
W. S. Walcott Medicine Show from Stage Fright – This one makes my feet dance. When I have drifted into not-listening-to-the-background-music, this one brings me back.
Chest Fever from Music From Big Pink – Weird organ music at the beginning makes you think they’re about to launch into Toccata. But they never do. Instead, the opening bars of Tunnel of Love by Bruce Springsteen then form the main tune of the song.
King Harvest from The Band – Another song that grabs my attention, reminds me of various other artists who were presumably heavily influenced by Robbie Robertson, and makes me tap my feet.
It Makes No Difference from Southern Cross – See above. Perhaps that makes these songs ‘classics’ – the feeling that I have heard them all many times before, when in fact I don’t think I have. This is all very much the dad-music kind of stuff, but funnily enough, not something I remember anything about from my teenhood. This one’s clearly a Tom Petty influence.
The Shape I’m In from Stage Fright – See above.
Don’t Do It from The Last Waltz – I think Pete is going to write about how he likes this list, but finds it hard to write about the songs. I am experiencing the same thing. All of these are very listenable, and vastly better than most of the rubbish we’ve had to write about. Apparently we only get wordy when we have something negative to say. And that’s just sad.
All La Glory from Stage Fright – Sweet. See all above remarks. Plus Bob Dylan.
Ooh, one of our favourites!