"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".


 

I am very fortunate in having heard this amazing song performed live by The Band on their tour in support of the s/t "brown" album. The only other live music experience I’ve had that equals it was hearing Little Village perform John Hiatt’s "Lipstick Traces" on a soundstage in Burbank in ’92. The Little Village album was not so hot, but they sure were!

The Beatles? Saw them in ’65. Hendrix? Saw him in ’68 and ’69. Cream? Saw them in ’67 and ’68. The Who? Saw them in ’68 and ’69. Who else ya wanna name? Sorry, hearing The Band live spoiled me for just about EVERYONE else. Not Iris DeMent, whom I just saw this past Thursday. Stunningly great!

 

Here’s J.R. Robertson, Eric Levon Helm, and some other guy talking about the song and its’ creation:

 

https://youtu.be/nVYBW_zCvOg?t=1

 

 

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Showing 1 response by relayer101

Just listened to the Brown Album and Stage Fright yesterday in memory of Robbie. I can still remember listening to Big Pink for the first time when it was initially released and thinking that I had never heard anything like it in my life. The Weight, Chest Fever, Crippled Creek and on and on are all timeless. 

laid the groundwork for some of my favorite bands many years later like Uncle Tupelo and the Jayhawks.

As far as John Hiatt’s Slow Turning love the album. Waiting and hoping someone would release a proper remaster on an LP.