Listening

For whatever reason, I've been listening a lot to the Band lately, I even rented The Last Waltz recently, which I haven't watched in a long time. I think I'm even more impressed with them than I ever was, especially watching them play so effortlessly with such a variety of musicians--Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Paul Butterfield, Emmilou Harris, The Staples...who else am I missing? It's just great to watch. The DVD also includes an extended jam at the end of the show with most of the performers.
Then there's the Band's original material, which sound like traditional songs that have been around for over a hundred years, as opposed to being written in the 1960s and 70s. "Cripple Creek", "Ophelia", etc. Maybe I'm being subliminally influenced by hearing "The Weight" in, like, every other commercial that's on television.

If you don't already have it, I definitely recommend the soundtrack to the The Last Waltz. There's a studio track towards the end of the second disc called "Out of the Blue". It features a rare lead vocal by Robbie Robertson that is so damn souful.