It Was Twenty Years Ago Last Week....

[John A Arkansawyer]

When it comes to The Band, you can make a lot of argument that after Robbie, all members were equally important. I have a hard time elevating Levon over Danko, Manuel, or Hudson. He's certainly gone on to the best post-Band career and continues to play an important role in music, but if there was ever a group where you couldn't really replace someone, that's it.

Surely I'm not the only person who found his first two records boring and hasn't bothered listening to anything new by him since. Whereas the post-Robbie Band records are very listenable if not bottled lightning and the live performances as good with him as without him.

For my money, the most important member of The Band was Garth Hudson.

[Iowan]

When it comes to The Band, you can make a lot of argument that after Robbie, all members were equally important. I have a hard time elevating Levon over Danko, Manuel, or Hudson. He's certainly gone on to the best post-Band career and continues to play an important role in music, but if there was ever a group where you couldn't really replace someone, that's it.

Surely I'm not the only person who found his first two records boring and hasn't bothered listening to anything new by him since. Whereas the post-Robbie Band records are very listenable if not bottled lightning and the live performances as good with him as without him.

For my money, the most important member of The Band was Garth Hudson.

Songwriting is the most important thing for me, so that alone puts Robbie at the top. I see your point, and I don't think there's any argument that what Garth brought to the table really separated The Band from the pack.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Surely I'm not the only person who found his first two records boring and hasn't bothered listening to anything new by him since. Whereas the post-Robbie Band records are very listenable if not bottled lightning and the live performances as good with him as without him.

Damn. I love both those records and still listen to them often but the post RR Band records? Umm not so much. Mainly cover songs and just kind of sad IMHO.


Don't feel that way at all about Levon's recent work though. That stuff is heartfelt and awesome.

[John A Arkansawyer]

Surely I'm not the only person who found his first two records boring and hasn't bothered listening to anything new by him since. Whereas the post-Robbie Band records are very listenable if not bottled lightning and the live performances as good with him as without him.

Damn. I love both those records and still listen to them often but the post RR Band records? Umm not so much. Mainly cover songs and just kind of sad IMHO.

The post-Robbie Band records grew on me. I didn't care at all for their version of "Atlantic City" at first. Then I realized it was just that I liked the original better.

I haven't gone back to the early Robbie solo stuff in a long time. I remember thinking then, "If I want to hear Daniel Lanois, I'll put his record on and not this." I also remember walking some distance through the snow, answering what was more or less a booty call, finding one of those records playing, having it kill the mood, and eventually walking back home dissatisfied, as much about the music as about anything. I'm not unaware of the possibility that it was me who killed the mood or who misunderstood the purpose of the call, and that I developed a bias as a result. If they come to hand, I'll give them a spin.

Don't feel that way at all about Levon's recent work though. That stuff is heartfelt and awesome.

Dirt Farmer just kills me, every time. I haven't bought Electric Dirt yet, and I'm hoping I don't develop a bias against it. When I drove up to Fayetteville to see him play, I'd planned to buy the CD directly. But twenty dollars? I bet he sold a bunch to drunken old hipyups, but not to me. I'm waiting for it to fall into my hands cheap.

[Tequila Cowboy]

How about Hot Tuna? An underrated band with quite a legacy.

Without question, and still playing great shows in their damned seventies! Jorma is underrated guitar god.

On another note, I guess I missed most of this thread entirely until the last couple of days. First, I was there on that hot and sticky July 4th when The Replacements went out with a wimper. I wasn't angry about it, but I was sad. The thing about my beloved Mats was that they never gave a shit from beginning to end and still produced some of the greatest music I've ever heard and made me feel like it was MY music. The only other band who have touched me that personally, on that deep a level is DBT and they care more than any rock band I've ever known. That dichotomy is endlessly fascinating to me.

On the subject of American bands, we created rock and roll and, IMHO, always did it better than the Brits. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Stones, Who, Clash, Faces and others as much as the next guy but I truly relate to the music created by Americans. Watch the Petty documentary, Running Down A Dream, sometime and I think you'll get it. I can relate to that. Parties and girls and most of all just rock & roll. Organic, beautiful and distinctly American. Now to be honest I have to throw the Canadians in with us as well (sorry for doing that to you my Canuck friends, it's just the truth) because much of that music touches the same type of small town or suburban notes that US bands do, in a way the Brits never did. Everyone grew up knowing people like those who became famous in bands. Paul Westerberg was an arrogant rock snob who just happened to be a brilliant songwriter and liked to hang out with other musicians who just didn't give a flying fuck about anything. They became noteworthy and great despite their best efforts to fuck it up. See but most guys like that did fuck it up and ended up being bitter rock snobs. Bruce Springsteen was like the blue collar kid who did something extraordinary to break out and make it huge. Could have easily been baseball or NASCAR but it was rock & roll and we all benefited. We all knew that guy too but chances are he's fixing cars not playing stadiums. Chrissie Hynde was a punk chick that had to go to England to get her groove on and play great R&R, but in the end she was really just an American girl not unlike the one one in Petty's song. We all knew her too, but our version probably raised kids, works in marketing or cuts hair somewhere. Chrissie made it happen and for a good long while made great American music with a band full of Englishmen.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. American rock & roll is the story of us. It's small town and suburbs, city high rises and mean streets and it's all familiar because we've seen it since we were kids. It's special and great and yet only a small fraction of us really get it. Here's to us, long live American Rock.

[Smitty]

How about Hot Tuna? An underrated band with quite a legacy.

Without question, and still playing great shows in their damned seventies! Jorma is underrated guitar god.

On another note, I guess I missed most of this thread entirely until the last couple of days. First, I was there on that hot and sticky July 4th when The Replacements went out with a wimper. I wasn't angry about it, but I was sad. The thing about my beloved Mats was that they never gave a shit from beginning to end and still produced some of the greatest music I've ever heard and made me feel like it was MY music. The only other band who have touched me that personally, on that deep a level is DBT and they care more than any rock band I've ever known. That dichotomy is endlessly fascinating to me.

On the subject of American bands, we created rock and roll and, IMHO, always did it better than the Brits. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Stones, Who, Clash, Faces and others as much as the next guy but I truly relate to the music created by Americans. Watch the Petty documentary, Running Down A Dream, sometime and I think you'll get it. I can relate to that. Parties and girls and most of all just rock & roll. Organic, beautiful and distinctly American. Now to be honest I have to throw the Canadians in with us as well (sorry for doing that to you my Canuck friends, it's just the truth) because much of that music touches the same type of small town or suburban notes that US bands do, in a way the Brits never did. Everyone grew up knowing people like those who became famous in bands. Paul Westerberg was an arrogant rock snob who just happened to be a brilliant songwriter and liked to hang out with other musicians who just didn't give a flying fuck about anything. They became noteworthy and great despite their best efforts to fuck it up. See but most guys like that did fuck it up and ended up being bitter rock snobs. Bruce Springsteen was like the blue collar kid who did something extraordinary to break out and make it huge. Could have easily been baseball or NASCAR but it was rock & roll and we all benefited. We all knew that guy too but chances are he's fixing cars not playing stadiums. Chrissie Hynde was a punk chick that had to go to England to get her groove on and play great R&R, but in the end she was really just an American girl not unlike the one one in Petty's song. We all knew her too, but our version probably raised kids, works in marketing or cuts hair somewhere. Chrissie made it happen and for a good long while made great American music with a band full of Englishmen.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. American rock & roll is the story of us. It's small town and suburbs, city high rises and mean streets and it's all familiar because we've seen it since we were kids. It's special and great and yet only a small fraction of us really get it. Here's to us, long live American Rock.

[Slipkid42]

Nice post TC. I do agree that we Americans invented R & R, and other than about a 10 year stretch from 64- 74; most of the best stuff has come from us colonists.

[Gator McKlusky]

I love both American and British bands equally and to say one is better that the other seems kind of silly to me. just my opinion. (I also have a thing for quite a few Aussie and Jamaican atists as well)

I loved The Replacements and envy you guys who got to see them live--I have written several times on here about my misfortunate attempts to see The Mats live--still very pissed about it all.

Check this link out: The Replacements July 4, 1991 in Chicago. Sounds pretty good and I think I hear TC and Joelle.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=80LTYTF9

[Tequila Cowboy]

My top twenty five American bands and some honorable mentions. order subject to change upon my daily whims.

DBT
The Replacements
Centro-Matic
Slobberbone
The Grateful Dead
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
Uncle Tupelo
Son Volt
TP & The Heartbreakers
Widespread Panic
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Allman Brothers Band
R.E.M.
Dinosaur Jr.
Nirvana
Pearl Jam
Velvet Underground
Husker Du
Talking Heads
The Ramones
Buffalo Springfield
The Pixies
X
Cheap Trick

Honorable mentions:

The Db's
CCR
Dexateens
Glossary
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Hot Tuna
Los Lobos
NRBQ
The Hold Steady
Poi Dog Pondering
The Byrds
Buffalo Tom
Smithereens
Material Issue
Screaming Trees
Sonic Youth
Soul Asylum
Jayhawks
Blue Oyster Cult
Bottle Rockets
Green Day
Flat Duo Jets
North Mississippi All Stars
Love Tractor
B 52's

[Slipkid42]

That's a solid list TC.

I love both American and British bands equally and to say one is better that the other seems kind of silly to me. just my opinion. (I also have a thing for quite a few Aussie and Jamaican atists as well)

I do feel a little childish to have gone there. I love music from everywhere, too.