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Thread: Levon Helm's new one

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    Default Levon Helm's new one

    For Levon fans out there, he just dropped a new release, "Electric Dirt," to follow up the fantastic "Dirt Farmer" from a couple years ago. The disc features lots of Levon's nice mandolin backup and bluesy picking among the rock, dixieland, gospel, and country numbers. His version of the Grateful Dead's "Tennessee Jed" alone is worth the price of admission.

    The making of Electric Dirt:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZDCGCtloQ4

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Rolling Stone says the same about "Tennessee Jed" in the current issue's Hot List, calling it "achingly perfect." You can hear the song at that link, and the review is here.

    Levon will be on Letterman next Thusday, 7/9.
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    Joe B mandopops's Avatar
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    How much Mandolin content on Levon's 2 "Dirt" CD's?

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by mandopops View Post
    How much Mandolin content on Levon's 2 "Dirt" CD's?

    The first one had some nice rhythm playing by Levon, and I think some by Larry Campbell as well...
    No hot leads or anything...
    Haven't heard the new one...

    Anyone who is interested in studying how recordings are made should grab "Dirt Farmer", though.

    It's an engineering touchstone for anyone wanting to incorporate drums into an entirely acoustic mix--a very difficult thing to do...
    And the way the instruments lay in the mix is pure genious, IMHO...

    I think that recording will highly regarded 50 years from now...

    Sorry to see Levon still smoking in that YouTube clip.
    You'd think throat cancer would change your ways...

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    Mike Parks woodwizard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    I know people that have had multiple heart surgery's and still smoke. Go figure.

    Levon Helm is a really cool Arkansas boy.
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    "Dirt Farmer" has to be one of my favorite releases of the last five years. And you nailed it, Spruce. The blend of acoustic instrumentation with a drumkit is the best I've ever heard. I've recently come to the conclusion that Levon was by far the brightest star in The Band. Without him, nobody would know who Robbie Robertson and the rest of those guys were.
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by onassis View Post
    The blend of acoustic instrumentation with a drumkit is the best I've ever heard.
    Yep...

    Quote Originally Posted by onassis View Post
    I've recently come to the conclusion that Levon was by far the brightest star in The Band. Without him, nobody would know who Robbie Robertson and the rest of those guys were.
    I dunno...
    They were one of the best ensembles that ever existed, really, in any genre.

    Watch (In my case 20-30 times) this amazing clip of the Band playing "King Harvest".

    The interplay, the fills, the tradeoffs on the vocals, the understated guitar solo, hell, everything is just perfect...

    Can you tell I love this clip?


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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by mandopops View Post
    How much Mandolin content on Levon's 2 "Dirt" CD's?
    Dunno, but there's a lot in the "Making of Electric Dirt" video, including his daughter Amy on mandolin ...

    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Check out his cameo role as a Tennessee gunsmith in "Shooter" with Mark Wahlberg. He's a good actor. He was the only non-Canadian member of The Band. The rest were all from Ontario.
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Thanks for the heads up David & Journeybear. I can't agree more Spruce no one else even comes close. There sound really anchors down a point in time for me, a very pleasant one that is often revisited.

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by Spruce View Post
    The interplay, the fills, the tradeoffs on the vocals, the understated guitar solo, hell, everything is just perfect...

    Can you tell I love this clip?
    Kinda got that impression, yep!

    That's from Festival Express? I have that DVD - gotta dig it out and give it another run-through. Great solo by Robbie. How he squeezes all that out of his guitar so effortlessly is beyond me. Shows how well he has learned his instrument, his level of craftsmanship. And Richard Manuel - what a singer, what a tragic loss. His suicide really shook me up, the first death of someone in rock to affect me so since that bad run in 1970-71.

    Back in the 60s, for a while my top three was The Band, Jethro Tull, and Traffic. This list changed over the years, but I always remember that lineup for some reason. Out of that list, I'll still take The Band. Learning their songs' chord progressions taught me more about songwriting than anyone else's repertoire, maybe even The Beatles. Big thrill for me, opening for them in the 90s - the reunited version - and also for Rick Danko, who was using an amp stencilled "Paul Butterfield Band." Easy to talk with, no airs or ego. Hard to grasp, sometimes, that they're really just people ...
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by journeybear View Post
    Kinda got that impression, yep!

    That's from Festival Express?
    No.
    I'm not sure where it's from.

    There's an incomplete version of "Cripple Creek" from the same session that appeared on one of the documentaries on the Band, and that's about it.

    I have no idea where the source of that film footage originates, and I've tried pretty hard to track it down....

    The beauty of YouTube...
    There's some really rare gems on there....

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by Spruce View Post
    ... The beauty of YouTube...
    There's some really rare gems on there....
    Yeah, I see now I read that wrong - the guy who put it up on youtube said "great video of the band playing king harvest has surely come in woodstock studio in 1970 and Long Black Veil from Festival Express."

    That's the danger of youtube - gotta read carefully and judge accordingly. There wouldn't be much reason to include that footage in a movie about a series of concerts in Canada.

    Perhaps it's possible to contact him through his youtube channel's user page?
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by Spruce View Post
    ...They were one of the best ensembles that ever existed, really, in any genre...
    Agreed, and the entire group seemed to have their part in every recording. If you read about how and why each member was brought in you kind of see the pieces that created the magic that was The Band. Not to take anything away from Levon, I love the guy, but without all the players the music wouldn't have been the same.
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Ironically I watched "The Last Waltz" a couple of nights ago and was impressed by how great a backup band these guys were. As all of the rock luminaries such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison came on, The Band changed their sound to back up the performer.
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Upon further reflection, I might have been a little hard on the rest of the Band. Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel are both pretty amazing, and the depth and complexity they bring to the sound is absolutely remarkable. The kinetic energy and enthusiasm of Rick Danko was also a big part of the mix. I guess I just really don't get into Robbie Robertson, though. Hard to say why. He just doesn't do it for me.

    But, honestly, for me the quintessential thing that IS the Band for me is the voice of Levon. All the songs that relly speak to me, they're sung in that voice. And since that time, none of the other guys has done anything that has resonated with me like the work that Levon has done. I guess that's why, for me, Band-wise, Levon is the man!
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    I think one of the things that made The Band's sound was the fact that they switched voices all over the place and nobody noticed.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    I think one of the things that made The Band's sound was the fact that they switched voices all over the place and nobody noticed.
    Man, I sure did...

    I remember listening to Big Pink about 20 times in a row trying to figure out how they were laying out their vocals...

    Back then we didn't know who-was-who in The Band anyway, so trying to figure out who-was-singing-what was damn near impossible...
    They stacked their vocals kinda like a good-singing bluegrass band (on acid), and--as haphazzard as those vocals sound--they were very worked out.

    I remember seeing them for the first time in '69 at Winterland, and things became clearer as to who-was-singing-what...

    Those early days were really cool because you didn't know who was playing what instrument, either.
    Richard played drums a lot, Levon would move over to mandolin, Rick would be on fiddle, etc.

    For you fans, there's a killer recording of the Band (AKA The Hawks) from the Onyx Club in OK City, OK, from early '66 that just kills.
    The ultimate bar band, with Richard as their main singer.

    Garth going off on "A Theme From A Summer Place" is memorable...

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    I think one of the things that made The Band's sound was the fact that they switched voices all over the place and nobody noticed.
    Huh? Their voices are pretty distinct - maybe not quite as distinct as John, Paul, and George's, but still ... once you matched up the voices with the names, it was pretty easy to tell who was who. You're right that they switched off the lead singing duties a lot, so there wasn't one clear lead singer (though Richard was arguably the best), and a lot of the time one person wouldn't be the lead singer for a whole song. For instance, in that video of "King Harvest," you see that Levon sings the refrains, but Richard sings the verses. But they had unique vocal characteristics, and though I don't know how they figured out who would sing what, they were very good at pairing singers to material. Listen how suited Levon was to "Rag Mama Rag," Richard to "Whispering Pines," Rick to "Stage Fright."

    Quote Originally Posted by onassis View Post
    Upon further reflection, I might have been a little hard on the rest of the Band. Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel are both pretty amazing, and the depth and complexity they bring to the sound is absolutely remarkable. The kinetic energy and enthusiasm of Rick Danko was also a big part of the mix. I guess I just really don't get into Robbie Robertson, though. Hard to say why. He just doesn't do it for me.
    One thing about The Band that gets overlooked by the guitar-lovin' world i that they had two keyboard players, with very different styles, and though they were sometimes down in the mix a little, they were a key component in their sound. Turning again to that "King Harvest" video (loveit, too), see how Garth hardly ever plays a chord? He's free to do that because Richar is holding it together, so Garth can throw in arpeggios and fills and all that good stuff. It's the equivalent of having rhythm and lead keyboard players. I don't think there were many other bands with two keyboard players till New Wave came along.

    As to Robbie ... I think he's one of the all-time great ensemble lead guitarists, in that he didn't dominate, but when it was his time to shine, he'd get it all done in his allotted time, then step back for the next guy's turn. Back then, I was into the flashier guitar gods - Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Jerry, Jorma, Alvin Lee, Jeff Beck, and the like - but as I matured, I gravitated toward team players. It was really Mike Campbell of The Heartbreakers who showed me this, and since then I've noticed how well this approach works, even with Elton John's guitarist Davey Johnstone, who really surprised me with how well he'd hit his eight or sixteen bars, when I finally saw EJ in the late 90s. That said, I found Robbie really annoying in "The Last Waltz." He seemed to be hogging the spotlight, commanding the interview segments, just generally being kind of egotistical. What was the deal with that scarf, anyway? I found out later that he and Martin Scorsese were roommates, so I suppose that may explain this somewhat, and this impression may not even have been gotten through his doing, but the director's.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Registered User KanMando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Speaking of Robbie Robertson and "The Last Waltz" - how about that Gibson semi-hollow body guitar/mandolin double neck he's playing on "The Weight"? The guitar even has a Bigsby. Incredible. Has anyone ever seen another like it?

    Bob

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    This has come up before. Is this it?

    According to this blogger:

    Gibson EMS 1235 Double Mandolin ( 1958 - 1968 )

    The Gibson Double Mandolin, despite its name, is not a mandolin at all. it was a double cutaway and it had a shortscale guitar neck (see pic to the right ) tuned one octave higher than standard pitch, it had one-piece mahogany necks with adjustable truss rods and rosewood fingerboards, both necks were 6 strings.

    The Gibson EMS 1235 double mandolins were also introduced in 1958 and were thinline hollow bodies until 61, in 1962 till 1968 they made them in sg style solidbodies.

    Later on in 1962 gibson introduced another double cut sg type solid body with a bass neck and guitar neck and called it the gibson ebs-1250.

    Vintage Prices For 2008 :
    1958 - 1961 > $17 000 to $20 000 ( Hollow Body)
    1962 - 1964 > $12 500 to $16 000 ( sg body )
    1965 - 1968 > $8 000 to $12 000


    I beg to disagree, and whoever posted that and pointed to the picture, must not have looked at the picture, as that is an eight-string mandolin neck. The instrument he's talking about is on the right.

    I haven't seen "The Last Waltz" in years, but I believe this is what he was playing on "The Weight." I remember being struck by two things: how cool that instrument was, and how odd it was that he didn't use the mandolin neck on the one song in the movie that featured this instrument!

    That reminds me - months ago on another thread I was sure I'd seen this occur in the Led Zep movie. I was mistaken; this is what I meant. Sorry for any confusion, if anyone noticed, or cared. I haven't seen either movie in a long time, and my memory is not a completely reliable source.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by journeybear; Jul-07-2009 at 12:35pm.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by journeybear View Post
    Huh? Their voices are pretty distinct -....
    I'm sorry to have put you in a state of disbelief. It's not real pretty to get old and sometimes I feel pretty stupid about all this but having followed these guys since Big Pink came out before anybody really knew who they were (I was a Dylan fan and saw them early and still have the well worn vinyl copy), and having performed these songs for about 40 years (still have the recordings), I pretty much feel that I can make the observation that they switched voices and that most casual listeners didn't realize there was a switch going on because they did it so well, and yes, they have very distinct voices. There are times when we must realize that others might know as much as we do on these things and just nod our heads.
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    My respect for Larry Campbell as a musician/producer has just gone thru the roof w/ these two records.

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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    ... I can make the observation that they switched voices and that most casual listeners didn't realize there was a switch going on because they did it so well ...
    OK, I see what you mean, or meant to mean. And it is true - most people think of bands as having one lead singer (Stones) or maybe two (Beatles), but the thought of there being three, or that the lead singing might be done by more than one singer in a song, is pretty foreign to most. Even with bands having two, like The Beatles, one person would usually sing lead for an entire song. Before George fans get all wound up, in the context of this discussion, bands with occasionally featured singers, or mostly harmony singing approaches, are other subjects.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Levon Helm's new one

    Quote Originally Posted by James P View Post
    My respect for Larry Campbell as a musician/producer has just gone thru the roof w/ these two records.
    He's awesome. Amazing work playing with Bob Dylan too.



    Larry

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