The Band Albums Ranked
The Band was a roots-rock group consisting of four Canadians and one American: Rick Danko (bass guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (keyboards, drums, vocals), Robbie Robertson (guitar, vocals), and Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar). Their influence on several generations of musicians has been substantial: Roger Waters called their debut album, Music from Big Pink, the second “most influential record in the history of rock and roll,” and music journalist Al Aronowitz called its “country soul….a sound never heard before. The original configuration of The Band ended its touring career in 1976 with an elaborate performance at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California, that featured numerous musical celebrities of the era. This performance was filmed for Martin Scorsese’s 1978 documentary The Last Waltz. Although the members of the group intended to continue working on studio projects, they drifted apart after the release of Islands in March 1977. The group was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2004 Rolling Stone ranked them No. 50 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time, and in 2008 they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, “The Weight” was ranked 41st on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Here are all The Band albums ranked.
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10. Islands (1977)
“Islands was released in March 1977 and was the last album to feature the classic line up. The album was released to finish off the group’s contract to Capitol Records. It’s made up of various songs that hadn’t been used elsewhere with The Band putting the finishing touches on them for this release. While the album tends to get mixed reviews, I really like this one.”
9. Cahoots (1971)
“Performed with astonishing power and propulsive virtuosity, Cahoots is a poetic and highly accomplished tour de force by The Band, and what you will get on the expanded edition are two alternate takes and three outtakes of. Bessie Smith and Don’t Do It, as it makes this timeless labour of love sound much
better from start to finish and gives it a lasting lease on life.”
8. Moondog Matinee (1973)
“This album is brimming with beautiful vocals, particularly Richard Manuel’s delicious takes on ‘The Great Pretender’ and ‘Share your love with me’ and Rick Danko’s reverent treatment of Sam Cooke’s ‘Change is Gonna Come’. Special mention has to be made to The Band’s wonderfully funky workout on ‘Mystery Train’: Garth Hudson lets loose on his Lowery organ to provide unexpected exotic touches of detail to add to the percolating groove.”
7. Jericho (1993)
” ‘The Caves of Jericho’ features a great vocal performance from Helm, and ‘Blind Willie McTell’ is The Band’s first version of a Bob Dylan song since 1971, and a rousing cover of Bruce Springsteen’s overlooked ‘Atlantic City’ is The Band at their best.”
6. Stage Fright (1970)
“Stage Fright’ is my favourite. For me, it’s a warmer album with a greater r&b element and the players sound as if they’re enjoying what they’re doing. I am not bowled over by ‘Big Pink’, an arid, lumbering album that owes much of its reputation to the Dylan connection (Basement Tapes is a great album though). ‘The Band’ is a classic and features some stand-out songs, whereas ‘Stage Fright’ is all of one quality, but it isn’t as carefree. ‘Time To Kill’ and ‘The Shape I’m In’ float in a way nothing on those earlier albums does. “
See more: Stone Temple Pilots Albums Ranked
5. Rock Of Ages (1972)
“They bridged the gap of country, bluegrass, ragtime, R&B, rock n’roll, and Americana and did it masterfully. In concert, they were one of the best bands when it came to mixing and volume control. This album has all their hits and has an excellent mix for a live album. With Levon Helm’s recent passing, this is a wonderful tribute album to his drumming and singing. For any fan of The Band, this CD is a MUST for the record collection. Clearly, 5 stars!”
4. Northern Lights – Southern Cross (1975)
“Northern Lights – Southern Cross is a surprisingly strong comeback in both writing and performance. The album kicks off with the rocking “Forbidden Fruit,” a cautionary tale sung by Helm. One thing I actually like about Robertson’s somewhat egotistical prominence in the later Band material is his up-front, gnarly guitar–he starts using the whammy bar on this album, and the results are wicked to say the least. He takes a few blistering solos in “Forbidden Fruit” that make you wonder if he sold his soul for his guitar skills.”
3. LAST WALTZ (1978)
“One would expect no less from Scorsese, but this is a genuine masterpiece. Levon Helms’ rendition of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” is alone worth the price of admission.”
2. Music From Big Pink (1968)
“Music From Big Pink has always been my favorite album by The Band, even over “The Brown Album”, which most people consider to be The Band’s masterpiece. Masterpiece or not, I absolutely LOVE “Big Pink”, I think because its essential spirit is much closer to the idiosyncratic, untamed, slightly crazy spirit of “The Basement Tapes.” It’s like a wild, untamed hair, whereas The Brown Album has a little bit more of a worked-out, cohesive, groomed (planned out) aesthetic. So, I just adore Big Pink. I think it truly, truly captures the authentic spirit of The Band. “
1. The Band (1969)
“Coming after the legendary Music From The Big Pink, the follow-up The Band 50th Anniversary Edition certainly hits the spot all these years later. Upon original release back in 1969, it even made the likes of George Harrison rethink his onward direction in music, such was The Band’s authentic approach to their album. While it includes songs that through time are fondly remembered as ‘hits’ for The Band including The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and Up On Crippe Creek, it was still the bands ‘story songs’ that connected so well to the music loving public and turned heads in many directions.”