Oh, yeah! Levon = The Best

Nice find.

That was in the juke box in the lounge in my high school.

Got played a lot.

if that was released now, would it have to be up on individual with a disability creek?

Levon Helm = God

Danko, Hudson, Manuel rock as well. Robertson, however, is a douchebag.

They've been playing the shiat out of The Last Waltz on DirectTv lately.

You all know the Dr, Dr John? (new window)

/with the Band
//At the Last Waltz
///I know you've seen it
//But it is great
/sorry

Levon Helm has a new album out. Dirt Farmer. Google will find it for you.

/XM12 is playing it

Robertson, however, is a douchebag.

He certainly has an exaggerated sense of self, and of his place in musical history, but I still think he was a pretty talented musician.

...and this morning in Cripple Creek, CO... -33 after wind chill.

Lake Charles louisiana, as mentioned in the song, was a hole when I moved there from new orleans in 1997, cannot imagine it now.

But I can say they do have some hot women due to the proximity of texas.

And Darrels has great food.

There was a place called Fat Woodys that rocked as a booty shaking club.

Saw LEvon live a few times, ROCKS.

Lake Charles, Louisiana was a hole when I loved there from Ohio and lived there from 1966 to 1976, and all the times I went back to visit my family during college and beyond.

However, they were within listening distance of the once-great KLOL, which played ZZ Top, Yes, Minnie Ripperton, Kraftwerk, and Zappa. Now THAT'S a radio station to grow up with.

My favorite comic book store, in Lake Chuck, has a sign in front advertising it as the local headquarters for the White Aryan Resistance. Sigh. Had to stop going there once I figured out what the sign meant.

/Levon's great
//Danko's greater
///Garth's greatest

Heh. "Lived" there, not "loved" there. Although...

Bwow-wow twang diddy twang dang.

Yeah, I like it, even if it is agonizingly bwow-wow twang diddy twang dang.

words cannot describe the awesomeness

Cripple Creek's not as much fun for gambling as Black Hawk is. And the road to Cripple Creek sucks.

Amazing band...amazing song. Nice to know that other people have the same enthusiasm/appreciation. Sometime New Year's tradition for me to watch The Last Waltz. Good fun if only for Van Morrison's jumpsuit and dancing.

Saw a kid the other night with a hat that said Half Past Dead on it. Could only think of The Weight. Then, after googling, turns out that it was some lousy movie...how disappointing.

dmax
///Garth's greatest

Not for me, he isn't. I hate his tone-bendy organ. He over-used it. A lot. He has good technical ability, but the sound and tone of his organs just don't cut it for me.
[I do really like his work on the studio version of "Chest Fever", though]

Ron Bennington
Name one drummer/singer who could touch Helm.

I can name two.
Phil Collins
Don Henley

Ron Bennington: Name one drummer/singer who could touch Helm.

I can hear it coming in the air tonight.

/hold on

Ron Bennington: lol Phil Collins? You're dismissed.

What do you have against Phil Collins? I'd say he matches up with any singer/drummer.

dmax:

However, they were within listening distance of the once-great KLOL, which played ZZ Top, Yes, Minnie Ripperton, Kraftwerk, and Zappa. Now THAT'S a radio station to grow up with

You could pick up KLOL in Lake Charles??? Awesome. 2 things I remember: Crash, the particularly stoned, deep-voiced DJ; and the live studio recording they had of Bruce Springsteen doing "Fever" with his original band (included David Sancious and Vinny Lopez). I think he hardly ever played it live for a long time, but whenever he came to Houston, people would scream bloody murder until he did it.


Gunny Highway:

What do you have against Phil Collins? I'd say he matches up with any singer/drummer.

Umm... please don't take offense to this, but I think you're probably in the wrong thread. Whatever his merits, Phil Collins is a universe or three away from Levon in just about every way I can imagine.

Name one drummer/singer who could touch Helm.

Roxy Petrucci from Vixen could touch my purple Helm anytime.

/wait...what?

Oops. I always thought it was "a trucker's dream if I ever did see one..."

/lo lo hooo
//lo ooh woh ooh woo ooh hoo

DrBenway:

I dont get offended on the internet first and second it is cool that you think that. I enjoy Phil Collins and the Band and i think Phil is pretty awesome musician. To each his own.

Ron Bennington:

Name one drummer/singer who could touch Helm.


Third_Uncle_Eno:

I can name two.
Phil Collins
Don Henley


Ohhhhh, Third_Uncle_Eno! You disappoint me deeply, my son. Better you had named Karen Carpenter than defile this blessed thread with those two charlatans.

bwahahaha!!!
You guys fell for my troll!! LOL

Uh oh. oh boy. Looks like I have some explaining to do.....

I don't really like Don Henley or the Eagles (that one was a joke), [ok ok i like one or two Eagles songs, and that "boys of Summer" solo Henley song]

and I only meant Phil Collins, in the Good genesis era (1971-1977) and Brand X era. What? he's a good singer and a good drummer, even when he drummed and sang at the same time! C'mon people!

And of course I like Levon Helm!! He's a very unique and talented [but old-time basic] drummer. And he's a good expressive singer [even with his southern accent.... it's neat.]

I'm fine with Phil Collins as a drummer (hey, he played on Another Green World, c'mon!), and even as a back-up singer. As a front-man, though, all the gin runs down the drain in my bathtub. I just find him unbearable in that role. Granted, there's a pretty distinct line marking "with Peter Gabriel" and "without Peter Gabriel." I get that some people much prefer the latter, finding the PG version of the band too weird. There's a handful of people who love it all, but generally, it seems to me that most folks either like one or the other.

The thing I especially love about Levon is the way he plays, even while singing. His stick work is just a marvel to me. And his voice alone should have its own historical marker.

DrBenway
I happen to like both PG and PC incarnations of Genesis, though I like the PG version quite a bit better... I think that Genesis was in its death throes by the time of and after "Invisible Touch". Still, popGenesis of 1980-1983 was still pretty good and catchy. And they still hung onto their prog roots for "Trick" and "Wind and...". [I think that "Trick" is one of their top five albums ever.... great lyrics/music/arrangement/performance]
I still F****ing hate "And then there were three", though. Ugh.
Sure, some people think that PG Genesis is "weird" but they're missing out... and hey, it WAS the prog era. I bet somepeople (the squares) think that The Mighty Crimso and Yes and ELP were pretty weird too...
I admire Levon's drumming while he's singing too. I'm a drummer, and for the life of me, I just can't hold the stick in my left hand the way he does [sideways-like] and drum properly. I like to grip my drumsticks like I do a pen or a pencil, both hands the same.

goofoffgoose: Oops. I always thought it was "a trucker's dream if I ever did see one..."

/lo lo hooo
//lo ooh woh ooh woo ooh hoo

Glad I'm not the only one.

kungfu jesus with a side of lime: if that was released now, would it have to be up on individual with a disability creek?

'Up on Differently Abled Creek'?

The Band is getting a lifetime Grammy awards at the upcoming 50th Grammy awards:

Link (new window)

Miss you Richard.

And yes Robbie is a douchebag!

Any fans of The Band who don't have Levon's latest, "Dirt Farmer", need to go out and get it.

IMHO, the 2nd best album of the year.

why is robbie a douche ?

Read Levon Helms book 'This Wheels on Fire'

I've drummed and sang, it's tough because you get all breathy...

/Getting a kick drum out of these replies

zvoidx: I've drummed and sang, it's tough because you get all breathy...

/Getting a kick drum out of these replies

I've drummed and sang too. That's why I play guitar and STFU.

pope183: why is robbie a douche ?

Read some of the comments here:

Link (new window) (new window)

But alas he wrote most of their songs so he gets to rake in the cash and say what happens to them. Anyone notice on Festival Express how Robertson is mouthing along to the words?? Tee hee!

100% awesome, thanks subbey!!

goofoffgoose: Oops. I always thought it was "a trucker's dream if I ever did see one..."

It's "drunkards", or course, but the song is apparently about a trucker with a wife at home and a mistress "Bessie" who he sees while out on the road.

Pootie-Poot: Anyone notice on Festival Express how Robertson is mouthing along to the words?? Tee hee!

I read Levon Helm's book (if you are a fan of the Band, you really owe it to yourself to read this book - it's very, very good) and if I remember correctly, they had Robertson's vocals through the monitors, but not the mains.

The were in their prime and wanted to keep going and getting better, but Robertson was afraid of dying like all the other rock stars around him and decided to hang it up and stay in the studio. It caused lots of bad blood between all and as much as I like them all, there is two sides to this story. However, making him the music director and main guy in the Last Waltz pissed a lot of people off.

There's no way you can have played music for a while and not be influenced by this band. If you pay attention to Helm's playing, he truly is a stud drummer. He was in demand because of his drumming - not his singing. It isn't flash and monster tones - it was tight, solid playing. Listen to the way he puts the small rolls and triplets into what he plays. You can't fake that shiat.

/drummer in a guitar player's body

Farkomatic: There's no way you can have played music for a while and not be influenced by this band.

True dat. They started in the day where you played out six nights a week, three hours a night -- and did that for 8 years straight. Ya know what happens when you play that much? You get REAL GOOD.

They were the last pop act to be weathered in that folk music tradition (and I mean the literal definition of folk music, not the "marketing of acoustic music" definition). They learned their craft in the woodshed, jamming with other musicans, and developing TASTE -- not just running scales with a metronome till you can rip. I don't think many bands do that anymore -- and in fact I can't imagine ther are many club bands who play more than once or twice a week these days.

And they made all those great records without Pro Tools!

wouldestous: Read Levon Helms book 'This Wheels on Fire'

I read the book this fall and it is truly a great read.

Excuse me people but that's "Physically Challenged Creek" thank you very much!

robbie is a douchebag . because he is an egomaniac, and can't sing and thinks he can. Ok, a decent guitar player, and a good songwriter.

he is a scumbag because he rerecorded ALL of the Band's parts (except for Levon's drumming and vocals) for The Last Waltz.

Robbie is a douchebag because he attempted to steal the rights to the music of The Band as soon as the members began to die. I never considered him to be anything more than a marginal guitar player. Plus, hes got unoriginal parents who couldn't think of more than one name for him, and he looks like a complete loser.