As Levon Helm, one of our favorite roots rock musicians of all time, begins to make his passage to that great bandstand in the sky, this seems like a good song to listen to as you send him your blessings.
And their final song on stage, sung by Levon and the late great Rick Danko:
ATIT sends love and prayers to Levon Helm, a great drummer, singer, mandolin player, writer, and spirit, whose music deeply moved us and carried us through many happy and not so happy times, and who helped transform our music, all for the good.
From Levonhelm.com:
"Dear Friends,
"Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey.
"Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration... he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage...
"We appreciate all the love and support and concern.
This is obviously film (it's 1971), but feels like it was shot by an amateur. On the other hand the sound is great, which argues against an amateur. Anyhow, The Band's cover of a great old Motown tune (not so old back then). It's always amazing seeing Levon drumming like crazy as he sings .On second thought, I bet they sync'd the music from the Rock of Ages live album, which came from those shows. BTW, the great Alan Toussaint arranged the horns for these shows. . .
The Hawk a/k/a Ronnie Hawkins, performs Bo Diddly's great "Who Do You Love?" at his ex-employee's--The Band's--final performance on Thanksgiving night, 1976. Great tune, great performance.
For their encore at their last show (documented in The Last Waltz), The Band covered Marvin Gaye's Don't Do It. Levon Helm and Rick Danko usually shared the vocals on the song. This is a short version (it was after midnight, leaving out a verse or two). . . ---o0o---
As their final song, after a very long concert with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neils Young and Diamond, Emmy Lou Harris, The Staples, Muddy Waters, and many more, The Band played their great cover of Marvin Gaye's Don't Do it, albeit in a shortened version. They'd been on stage for many hours. Rick Danko and Richard Manuel both died tragically years later. And the rest of them are still plugging along, but no one ever came close to the transcendent heights The Band achieved. The movie this clip is from, Scorsese's Last Waltz engendered a lot of hostility from the Band members (except Robbie Robertson). Rick Danko told a reporter that they usually turned Robertson's mike way down--because he couldn't sing. . .something easily verified by a listen to his solo recordings.
This video is a gnarly 1966 performance of Like A Rolling Stone in City Hall, Newcastle. Dylan is at his screaming best with a catalog of facial contortions. Some members of The Band are in his band that night. All I can see for sure are RickDanko (for one second) and Robbie Robertson. I know Levon Helm quit that tour, because he hated all the booing.
31 years ago this Thanksgiving, The Band played the last time on stage. I always think about the band on Thanksgiving because of that show and the movie.
Bill Graham put the show together (along with Thanksgiving dinner for the attendees). They brought along a few friends like Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Emmy Lou Harris, Neil Diamond, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, and others. Don't Do It was their encore. Martin Scorsese used it over the opening credits of the film The Last Waltz released in 1977. It is a great movie of an epic event by a great band (R.I.P. Rick Danko and Richard Manuel). Buy the DVD--on sale at Amazon for a paltry $7.99!
The Band often played Don't Do It as an encore. It was the last song they played (albeit in a truncated, one-verse version) at their Last Waltz in 1976. It was usually sung in a dual lead by Rick Danko and Levon Helm. If you'll excuse Robbie Robertson's posing here, this is a decent, but not definitive version. . .
Baby don't you do it, don't do it Don't you break my heart Pleeeeease don't do it, don't you break my heart
A sacrifice would make you happy if nothing for myself Now you wanna leave me for the love of someone else My pride is all gone whether I'm right or wrong I need you baby to keep on keepin' on
You know I'm trying to my best Oh i'm trying to do my best Don't do it, don't you break my heart Pleeeeease don't do it, don't you break my heart
My biggest mistake was loving you too much and letting you know Now you got me where you want me and you won't let me go If my heart was made of glass well then you'd surely see How much heartache and misery, girl, you've been causing me
While I've been trying to do my best Well I've tried to do my best Don't do it, don't you break my heart
Pleeeeease don't do it, don't you break my heart
Go down to the river and there I be I'm gonna jump in girl, but you don't care bout me Open up your eyes Can't ya see I love ya? Open up you heart, girl Can't ya see I need ya?
Oh baby don't do it, do it, do it Don't you break my heart Pleeeeease don't do it don't you break my heart
My biggest mistake was loving you too much and letting you know Now you got me where you want me and you won't let me go If my heart was made of glass well then you'd surely see How much heartache and misery, girl, you've been causing me
While I've been trying to do my best You know I've tried to do my best Don't do it, don't you break my heart Pleeeeease don't do it, don't you break my heart ---o0o---
This is not the best performance of the song, but it may be the most manic one. The backup band: The Band, all except Levon Helm, who quit for a while, because he couldn't take all the booing and catcalls on the tour. The folkie purists were still pissed off as late as this 1966 video because Dylan had gone electric. In the end, of course, Bob prevailed. The Band went on for ten more years creating a singular, indigenous, eclectic, body of music. 31 years after The Band's Last Waltz, Dylan continues his almost never-ending tour on the road. He's released some good music in the last ten years. The last song of Dylan's that truly knocked me out was probably Not Dark Yet.
Not Dark Yet By Bob Dylan
Shadows are falling and I've been here all day It's too hot to sleep time is running away Feel like my soul has turned into steel I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal There's not even room enough to be anywhere It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Well my sense of humanity has gone down the drain Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind She put down in writing what was in her mind I just don't see why I should even care It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Well, I've been to London and I've been to gay Paree I've followed the river and I got to the sea I've been down on the bottom of a world full of lies I ain't looking for nothing in anyone's eyes Sometimes my burden seems more than I can bear It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
I was born here and I'll die here against my will I know it looks like I'm moving, but I'm standing still Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from Don't even hear a murmur of a prayer It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
Once upon a time you dressed so fine You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you? People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall" You thought they were all kiddin' you You used to laugh about Everybody that was hangin' out Now you don't talk so loud Now you don't seem so proud About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel How does it feel To be without a home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely But you know you only used to get juiced in it And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it You said you'd never compromise With the mystery tramp, but now you realize He's not selling any alibis As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes And ask him do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns When they all come down and did tricks for you You never understood that it ain't no good You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat Ain't it hard when you discover that He really wasn't where it's at After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe You used to be so amused At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? ---o0o---