Music From Big Pink Reviews
Music From Big Pink
Music from Big Pink stands as one of those rare albums that turned the rock world on its axis. On this record, released in 1968 at the height of the psychedelic revolution, the five members of the Band (along with producer-sideman John Simon) eschewed spacey diversions, opting for an earthier route. Soon enough, wah-wah pedals and tape loops were making way for fiddles and mandolins. The group’s most democratic effort (Robbie Robertson would soon emerge as the ensemble’s mouthpiece), the debut’s
Rating: 
(out of 80 reviews)
List Price: $ 11.94
Price: $ 5.21
5 Responses to “Music From Big Pink Reviews”
Leave a Reply
Review by David Wheeler for Music From Big Pink
Rating:
Before I bought this CD I had only heard The Weight and it was the main reason I bought this CD. To put it simply I was blown away by it. This album is the reason Eric Clapton disbanded cream and it is easy to see why. Every aspect of this album is beautiful and every song is great, not one stands out above the rest. I have since compiled a large collection of The Band, but this one will always be my favorite. The blending of the three voices is heard most on this album, with Richard Manuels standing out the most. In my opinion his voice is one of the most beautiful ever, and one listen of I shall be released should convince anyone of this. The album is a drastic departure from anything being recorded around the same time. It starts of with a slow song, Tears of Rage, very uncommon for the day. The songs all have a very old feel to them, and there is a lot of gospel flavor incoporated into them. It is basically the perfect album. Every band member was equally important to every song and each is one of the best at their respective instrument. In my opinion this is one of the best albums ever and this new remastered version is even better. The bonus tracks are pretty interesting especially if you don’t already own the basement tapes. If you are looking to get into The Band start with this album and work your way through their catalog. It is the kind of album that gets better each time you listen to it and no music fan should be without it.
Review by Steve Bottino for Music From Big Pink
Rating:
It’s great to see such a terrific album finally get the treatment it deserves-remastered sound quality, an expanded CD booklet, and the real “gravy”-all the bonus tracks! This is the album that created a musical revolution in 1968 (no small feat for the 60′s!) Influencing everybody from the Beatles to Eric Clapton (whom even went so far as to make a pilgrimage to Big Pink to hang out and jam!) This was honest, well-written (by Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan , Richard Manuel, Rick Danko) well-played (three superb singers), just plain great music! The classics are here “The Weight”, “I Shall Be Released”, “This Wheel’s On Fire”-but others in the original line-up are just as good: “We Can Talk”, “Long Black Veil”, and ” Tears of Rage” also standout. The bonus tracks are reason to buy this CD alone!-These are rare songs that only collectors have been able to hear: “Ferdinand The Imposter”, “If I Lose” and “Orange Juice Blues” are finally available in pristine CD quality! Can we give this album 6 stars?!!
Review by Nathaniel D Grotte for Music From Big Pink
Rating:
Allow me to preface this review by saying that I’m not any sort of Band scholar, more of just a casual patron of the arts…but hot damn, is this one hell of a CD. In my vast collection of albums, I can’t think of one that boasts instrumentation as innovative as “Big Pink.” Each song’s a symphony in itself, seemingly composed by a roots-rock Phil Spector or something. There’s not a single bad song on here, although they’re all very different; if you’re only familiar with the acoustic sound featured on “The Weight,” you may be surprised to hear the lush organs, synths and strings on all of the other tracks. Believe me though, it works perfectly. The scope of this album is so vast that you wouldn’t believe it was possible to achieve, but The Band really pulls it off. Truly, The Band is the superlative example of a band, where each member contributed equally to the group effort. This reissue is so clutch, too: the sound is great, and the bonus tracks add what is essentially a companion album to the original tracks. Whomever was in charge of compiling the tracks really knew his stuff. Kudos for including “Ferdinand the Imposter,” a terribly recorded favorite from “The Genuine Basement Tapes,” because it is such a damn fine song.
Review by Greg Tobias for Music From Big Pink
Rating:
A highly respectful remix and repackaging, with great liner notes. The Band declined rather quickly once the 60s ended, but “Big Pink” and the eponymous followup album “The Band” are essential recordings that everyone should own.A word about the bonus tracks: in my opinion, these are rarely a good idea with CD re-releases. The artists chose a song lineup and song order with a particular flow, and the bonus songs tend to feel rather jarring. Surely a lovely silence should follow the majestic “I Shall Be Released”! In addition, about half the outtakes here are songs that appear in very similar versions on the seminal Band/Dylan collaboration, “The Basement Tapes”. In all, I would have preferred a simple repackaging of the original lineup of songs.Having said that, this is a record everyone should have.
Review by G. M. Jenkins for Music From Big Pink
Rating:
This album changed my life, changed the way i think about music, and opened my musical horizons. From the first song, “Tears of Rage”, i was blown away by the passionate, tortured, and beautiful vocals of pianist Richard Manuel. Some of the other highlights are the rocking “Chest Fever”, the emotionally powerful “The Weight”, and the crazy “This Wheel’s On Fire”. The musicianship on this album is incredible from all 5 members, with Garth Hudson on organ, Robbie Robertson on guitar, Rick Danko on bass, and Levon Helm on drums, including when they switch around instruments. This album captures so many emotions and successfully merges so many American traditions in music. In addition, the bonus tracks are great too. It’s cool to hear alternate versions of songs, as well as songs that weren’t even on the album. “Orange Juice Blues” is great, as well as “Long Distance Operator”. This album has great liner notes which really provide insight into the workings of this (at the time) pretty mysterious band. This album is well worth the cost, and the extra stuff you get makes the deal even sweeter.This album might take a few listens before you really get into it, but it is well worth it, as this album is one of the greatest albums of the late 60s, and remains one of my favorites.