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Music from Big Pink is the 1968 debut album by rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 band The Band
The Band

The Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and one American, Levon Helm ....
. It features one of their best-known songs, "The Weight
The Weight

"The Weight" is a 1968 song by The Band. The song appears originally on The Band's first album, Music from Big Pink."The Weight" is one of the group's best known songs and among the most popular songs of the late 1960s Counterculture of the 1960s....
."

a rough sound, seemingly chaotic arrangements, and a distinctive blend of country
Country music

Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
, rock, folk, classical, R&B, and soul, Music From Big Pink is generally considered one of the best albums by the Band, along with their 1969 second album The Band
The Band (album)

The Band is the eponymous second album by The Band, released on September 22, 1969....
. The album follows the band's backing of Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour (as The Hawks) and time spent at a shared house in upstate New York recording what would become The Basement Tapes
The Basement Tapes

The Basement Tapes is a studio album by Bob Dylan and The Band, released in 1975 by Columbia Records.As Dylan recovered from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in July 1966, he summoned the Band and began to record both new compositions and traditional material with them....
, also with Dylan.

The initial critical reception of the album was generally positive, though sales were slim; Al Kooper
Al Kooper

Al Kooper is an United States songwriter, record producer and musician, probably best known for organizing the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, though he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity....
's rave review of the LP in Rolling Stone helped draw public attention to it.






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Encyclopedia


Music from Big Pink is the 1968 debut album by rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 band The Band
The Band

The Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and one American, Levon Helm ....
. It features one of their best-known songs, "The Weight
The Weight

"The Weight" is a 1968 song by The Band. The song appears originally on The Band's first album, Music from Big Pink."The Weight" is one of the group's best known songs and among the most popular songs of the late 1960s Counterculture of the 1960s....
."

Reception

With a rough sound, seemingly chaotic arrangements, and a distinctive blend of country
Country music

Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
, rock, folk, classical, R&B, and soul, Music From Big Pink is generally considered one of the best albums by the Band, along with their 1969 second album The Band
The Band (album)

The Band is the eponymous second album by The Band, released on September 22, 1969....
. The album follows the band's backing of Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour (as The Hawks) and time spent at a shared house in upstate New York recording what would become The Basement Tapes
The Basement Tapes

The Basement Tapes is a studio album by Bob Dylan and The Band, released in 1975 by Columbia Records.As Dylan recovered from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in July 1966, he summoned the Band and began to record both new compositions and traditional material with them....
, also with Dylan.

The initial critical reception of the album was generally positive, though sales were slim; Al Kooper
Al Kooper

Al Kooper is an United States songwriter, record producer and musician, probably best known for organizing the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, though he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity....
's rave review of the LP in Rolling Stone helped draw public attention to it. The fact that Bob Dylan had composed three of the songs also helped to increase sales.

At the time, "The Weight" peaked at #63 on Billboards Hot 100 singles chart (North America). The album peaked at #30 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart in 1968, and then recharted as a #8 hit on the Top Internet Albums chart in 2000 (see 2000 in music
2000 in music

See also:* 2000 in music * :Category:Musical groups established in 2000* :Category:Record labels established in 2000...
). The song "The Weight" has gained widespread popularity, in spite of its dismal chart ranking, due partially to its inclusion in the cult favorite film Easy Rider
Easy Rider

Easy Rider, a Cinema of the United States road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern and directed by Hopper, about two bikers who travel through the Southwest United States and U.S....
, though it was left off of the soundtrack due to a licensing issue (a cover version by the band Smith
Smith (band)

Smith was a one-hit wonder United States rock music musical ensemble, formed in Los Angeles, California, California in 1969. They had a blues based sound and had a Top 40 hit record in 1969 with a cover version of The Shirelles, "Baby It's You ", with the human voice singing by Gayle McCormick....
 was included on the soundtrack album instead).

In 2003, the album was ranked number 34 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
 magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles:* The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums....
.

The laid-back feel of the album drew the attention of many other artists. For example, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton Order of the British Empire is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. He is "probably most famous for his mastery of the Stratocaster guitar." Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, of Cream , and as a solo performer, being the only person to...
 cites the album's roots rock
Roots rock

Roots rock is a term recently used to describe "a style of rock music that draws material from various American musical traditions including country music, blues, and folk." The term is sometimes used in a broader sense to encompass other Americana , including early rock and roll, country rock, and other genres of rock with traditional roots....
 style as what convinced him to quit Cream
Cream (band)

Cream were a 1960s United Kingdom blues-rock Musical ensemble consisting of bassist/lead vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker....
, and pursue the styles of Blind Faith
Blind Faith

Blind Faith were an England blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton , Ginger Baker , Steve Winwood and Ric Grech . The band, which was one of the first "supergroup ", released their only album, Blind Faith in August 1969 in music....
, Delaney and Bonnie and his debut album
Eric Clapton (album)

Eric Clapton is the eponymous debut solo album from Eric Clapton. It was released in August of 1970 in music....
. George Harrison
George Harrison

George Harrison Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer. He achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles, and is listed number 21 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of "The 100 Best Guitarists of All Time"....
 also took note of this style as well as the down-home camaraderie as he was becoming more disgruntled with the constant rifts between The Beatles
The Beatles

The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
 at the time.

Inspiration for the title

"Big Pink" is a pink house in West Saugerties, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 located at 56 Parnassus Lane (formerly 2188 Stoll Road). In 1967, the house was purchased by Rick Danko
Rick Danko

Richard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canada musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band....
 of The Band
The Band

The Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and one American, Levon Helm ....
. Danko, along with bandmates, Richard Manuel
Richard Manuel

Richard George Manuel was a Canada composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his contributions and membership in The Band....
 and Garth Hudson
Garth Hudson

Eric Garth Hudson is a Canada musician. As the organ and keyboard instrument for Canada-American Rock music group The Band, he was a principal architect of the group's unique sound....
, moved into the house and dubbed it Big Pink. The house became the site of the rehearsing of the album. The actual recording of the album took place in New York and Los Angeles. The house was also the headquarters of Parnassus Records a label specializing in classical music
Classical music

Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of Western art history Religious music and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to present times....
. According to the official Big Pink website it is currently a private residence.

Track listing


Side one

  1. "Tears of Rage
    Tears of Rage

    Tears of Rage is a song written by Bob Dylan and Richard Manuel of The Band, the former writing the lyrics and the melody being provided by the latter....
    " (Bob Dylan, Richard Manuel
    Richard Manuel

    Richard George Manuel was a Canada composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his contributions and membership in The Band....
    ) – 5:23
  2. "To Kingdom Come" (Robbie Robertson
    Robbie Robertson

    Robbie Robertson is a singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership in The Band. He was ranked 78th in Rolling Stone magazine?s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time....
    ) – 3:22
  3. "In a Station" (Manuel) – 3:34
  4. "Caledonia Mission" (Robertson) – 2:59
  5. "The Weight
    The Weight

    "The Weight" is a 1968 song by The Band. The song appears originally on The Band's first album, Music from Big Pink."The Weight" is one of the group's best known songs and among the most popular songs of the late 1960s Counterculture of the 1960s....
    " (Robertson) – 4:38

Side two

  1. "We Can Talk" (Manuel) – 3:06
  2. "Long Black Veil
    Long Black Veil (song)

    "Long Black Veil" is a 1959 country music ballad about a man suspected of murder. The alleged refuses to provide an alibi, because he was having an affair with his best friend's wife at the time, and would rather die than reveal this....
    " (Marijohn Wilkin
    Marijohn Wilkin

    Marijohn Wilkin , nee Melson, was an United States songwriter, famous in the Country Music genre for writing a number of hits. Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," as chronicled in her 1978 biography from Word Books--Lord, Let Me Leave a Song ....
    , Danny Dill
    Danny Dill

    Horace Eldred Dill professionally known as Danny Dill was an United States country music songwriter. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975....
    ) – 3:06
  3. "Chest Fever
    Chest Fever

    Chest Fever was a song recorded by The Band on its 1968 debut, Music from Big Pink. It is, according to Peter Viney, a historian of the group, ?the Big Pink track that has appeared on most subsequent live albums and compilations,? second only to ?The Weight.? ...
    " (Robertson) – 5:18
  4. "Lonesome Suzie" (Manuel) – 4:04
  5. "This Wheel's on Fire
    This Wheel's on Fire (song)

    "This Wheel's on Fire" is a song written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko. It was recorded by Dylan and appeared on his 1975 album The Basement Tapes, as well as on The Band's 1968 album Music From Big Pink....
    " (Dylan, Rick Danko
    Rick Danko

    Richard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canada musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band....
    ) – 3:14
  6. "I Shall Be Released
    I Shall Be Released

    "I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan.The Band played it on their debut album, Music from Big Pink , with Richard Manuel singing lead vocals, and Rick Danko and Levon Helm harmonizing in the chorus....
    " (Dylan) – 3:19


A remastered version of this album was released in 2000 and in addition to the above, the following alternative and outtakes appeared:

  2. "Yazoo Street Scandal" (Robertson) – 4:01
  3. "Tears of Rage" (Dylan, Manuel) – 5:32
  4. "Katie's Been Gone" (Manuel, Robertson) – 2:46
  5. "If I Lose" (Ralph Stanley
    Ralph Stanley

    Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is a legendary United States of America Bluegrass music artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing....
    ) – 2:29
  6. "Long Distance Operator" (Dylan) – 3:58
  7. "Lonesome Suzie" (Manuel) – 3:00
  8. "Orange Juice Blues (Blues for Breakfast)" (Manuel) – 3:40
  9. "Key to the Highway" (Big Bill Broonzy
    Big Bill Broonzy

    Big Bill Broonzy was a prolific United States blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s when he played Country blues to mostly black audiences....
    ) – 2:28
  10. "Ferdinand the Imposter" (Robertson) – 3:59


Personnel

  • Rick Danko
    Rick Danko

    Richard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canada musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band....
     – bass
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    , fiddle
    Violin

    The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
    , Vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
  • Levon Helm
    Levon Helm

    Mark Lavon Helm , better known as Levon Helm, is an United States rock and roll musician and actor most famous as the drummer for the rock group The Band....
     – drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
    , acoustic guitar, percussion
    Percussion instrument

    A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration....
    , Vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
  • Garth Hudson
    Garth Hudson

    Eric Garth Hudson is a Canada musician. As the organ and keyboard instrument for Canada-American Rock music group The Band, he was a principal architect of the group's unique sound....
     – organ
    Organ (music)

    The organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard played either Manual or Pedal clavier. The organ is one of the oldest musical instruments in the European classical music....
    , piano
    Piano

    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
    , clavinet
    Clavinet

    Not to be confused with clarinetA Clavinet is an electrophone keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar....
    , soprano and tenor saxophones
    Saxophone

    The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
  • Richard Manuel
    Richard Manuel

    Richard George Manuel was a Canada composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his contributions and membership in The Band....
     – piano
    Piano

    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
    , organ
    Organ (music)

    The organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard played either Manual or Pedal clavier. The organ is one of the oldest musical instruments in the European classical music....
    , drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
    , Vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
  • Jaime Robbie Robertson
    Robbie Robertson

    Robbie Robertson is a singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership in The Band. He was ranked 78th in Rolling Stone magazine?s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time....
     – guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    s, Vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
  • John Simon
    John Simon (record producer)

    John Simon is an United States musician, record producer, and composer. He is best known for his work with The Band as producer and musician on Music from Big Pink and The Band ....
     – producer
    Record producer

    In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
    , baritone horn
    Baritone horn

    The baritone horn, or simply baritone, is a member of the brass family of instruments. Like others of the family, the tuba, euphonium, alto horn, flugelhorn and bugle the instrument has a conical bore....
    , tenor saxophone
    Tenor saxophone

    The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the Alto saxophone, is the most common size of saxophone....
    , piano
    Piano

    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
  • Don Hahn
    Don Hahn

    Don Hahn is a film producer who has produced some of the most successful Walt Disney animated films of the past 20 years.Hahn began his career in animation working for Disney Legend Wolfgang Reitherman as an assistant director....
     – engineer
  • Tony May – engineer
  • Shelly Yakus
    Shelly Yakus

    Shelly Yakus is considered as one of the best engineers and mixers in the music industry. Formerly Vice President of A&M Records, Shelly has engineered some of the most successful recordings from John Lennon's ?Imagine? to U2?s ?Rattle & Hum"....
     – engineer
  • Bob Dylan – cover painting
  • Elliott Landy
    Elliott Landy

    Elliott Landy is a photographer best known for his iconic photographs of rock musicians. A 1959 graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, ten years later he was the official photographer of the 1969 Woodstock Festival....
     – photography


Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)
YearChartPosition
1968Pop Albums30
2000Top Internet Albums8


Singles - Billboard (North America)
YearSingleChartPosition
1968"The Weight"Pop Singles63

External links