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Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

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weimy froob
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Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by weimy froob »

Robbie Robertson is a stoic, imposing figure, but as he sits with Yahoo Entertainment discussing Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, the new documentary executive-produced by his longtime cinematic collaborator Martin Scorsese, he can’t help but get a little choked up. At the very top of the film, which premiered last year at the Toronto Film Festival and hits theaters nationwide this week, Robertson describe the kinship between his former Band-mates thusly: “It was so beautiful, it went up in flames." It’s a quote that resonates with both the viewer and the subject.

“We had one of the most unusual and extraordinary stories of any group in music history. There is nothing comparable to it,” muses Robertson. “Where we started out from, the combination of things — it's so much to go into, you’ve got to see the movie. But in this relationship, and what this documentary is about, is really a lot about the brotherhood. We were so locked in, in a musicality, and in a personal way, that we invented something that had a big effect on the course of music.”

Once Were Brothers traces Robertson’s story from his childhood growing up on a Native American reservation; to Robertson’s then-little-known Hawks (who later evolved into the Band) backing Bob Dylan on tour during Dylan’s “Judas” period (as seen in the exclusive movie clip below); to the creation of the Band’s landmark albums Music From Big Pink and The Band; to their Scorsese-directed farewell concert film The Last Waltz. The documentary is a welcome remind of the Band’s legacy and influence, which extended to the their A-list peers of the day.

“When we came to make our first record, Music From Big Pink, when it came out, people were like, ‘Oh my God. Where did this come from? What's going on?’” Robertson says with a chuckle. “Because it had nothing to do with what was happening in music. It completely separated itself from the pack. …We went into a world, into a dimension of music, and all the things that we had gathered over these years, we put it all in our own gumbo and stirred it up. And when we made this music, it was just about the honesty of what we had gathered in this. So, it had such a strong identity, it had such a strong look, it changed the way people were dressing. We were like, What's going on here?’ These people came, Eric Clapton said, ‘I heard this record, I'm leaving Cream.’ I was like, ‘I don't want that responsibility!’ It sent ripples through music, and through the culture.”

Image

Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson of The Band pose for a group portrait in London in June 1971.

(to finish story click link.)

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/rob ... 35745.html

also levon put the blame squarely on robbie's shoulders for the band's demise in his book.
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Beef Supreme
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by Beef Supreme »

I like “The Band,” but every time I hear some shitty indie rock band featuring a mandolin I think their legacy tarnishes just a little...
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by Lightning »

Never has a less significant group been hyped so much. The Blue Jean Committee is more relevant to me.
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

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I’m currently reading Helm’s book, “This Wheel’s On Fire.” I’m at the point where Helm is rejoining the group, after leaving because he couldn’t handle them getting booed at the Dylan shows when he started going electric.

They were known as Levon and The Hawks, after they split from Ronnie Hawkins. I’m digging it so far, and they haven’t officially become The Band, yet.
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cmd24
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

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I’m currently reading Helm’s book, “This Wheel’s On Fire.” I’m at the point where Helm is rejoining the group, after leaving because he couldn’t handle them getting booed at the Dylan shows when he started going electric.

They were known as Levon and The Hawks, after they split from Ronnie Hawkins. I’m digging it so far, and they haven’t officially become The Band, yet.
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weimy froob
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by weimy froob »

cmd24 wrote: Sat Feb 22, 2020 7:47 pm I’m currently reading Helm’s book, “This Wheel’s On Fire.” I’m at the point where Helm is rejoining the group, after leaving because he couldn’t handle them getting booed at the Dylan shows when he started going electric.

They were known as Levon and The Hawks, after they split from Ronnie Hawkins. I’m digging it so far, and they haven’t officially become The Band, yet.
mickey jones takes over. i'd think there'd have to have been a tinge of regret for that decision. good book. when you finish it i suspect you'll have a couple more posts in this thread.
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Qman65
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by Qman65 »

They smoked just as much weed as the Grateful Dead.
"That's like uh, your opinion man"!
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by thinktank »

Beef Supreme wrote: Sat Feb 22, 2020 1:15 pm I like “The Band,” but every time I hear some shitty indie rock band featuring a mandolin I think their legacy tarnishes just a little...
:roll:

How wet-blanket if you. I’m shocked.
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by thinktank »

cmd24 wrote: Sat Feb 22, 2020 7:47 pm I’m currently reading Helm’s book, “This Wheel’s On Fire.” I’m at the point where Helm is rejoining the group, after leaving because he couldn’t handle them getting booed at the Dylan shows when he started going electric.

They were known as Levon and The Hawks, after they split from Ronnie Hawkins. I’m digging it so far, and they haven’t officially become The Band, yet.
Thanks for the tip. Reading Keef’s Life so I’ll read this next.
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by Lenny5160 »

I don't know a ton about The Band, but I watched "The Last Waltz" for the first time fairly recently and enjoyed it. (free on Amazon Prime Video, btw)

In reading a little bit about that and then some comments on this new movie, the common thread is everyone torching Robertson for forcing the break-up of the group and then making everything about him, i.e. the title of the new movie. It was never "Robbie Robertson and The Band" back in the day.

Guy was a hell of a guitar player though.
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weimy froob
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by weimy froob »

Lenny5160 wrote: Mon Feb 24, 2020 4:48 pm I don't know a ton about The Band, but I watched "The Last Waltz" for the first time fairly recently and enjoyed it. (free on Amazon Prime Video, btw)

In reading a little bit about that and then some comments on this new movie, the common thread is everyone torching Robertson for forcing the break-up of the group and then making everything about him, i.e. the title of the new movie. It was never "Robbie Robertson and The Band" back in the day.

Guy was a hell of a guitar player though.
the soundtrack from the show is much more extensive and worth the purchase if you enjoyed the movie. lots more music and cuts from practice sessions along with some other numbers that were never in the movie.
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

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What amazes me about Robertson is that while he was such a great musician, he was never an overpowering player w/in the band. He played what was needed, and blended in, in my opinion. Now, there's about a 95% chance that I'll be doing a much deeper dive in to their music (I only own one of their greatest hits albums), as is the norm for me whenever I read a book about a band or musician. It could be that I hear something that just wows me in his playing. The majority of the stuff that I have listened to, though, it's never anything that makes me think "That guy is amazing." It always felt like it was more about the sound of the band as a whole.
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weimy froob
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Re: Robbie Robertson on why the Band 'was so beautiful, it went up in flames'

Post by weimy froob »

cmd24 wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2020 10:14 am What amazes me about Robertson is that while he was such a great musician, he was never an overpowering player w/in the band. He played what was needed, and blended in, in my opinion. Now, there's about a 95% chance that I'll be doing a much deeper dive in to their music (I only own one of their greatest hits albums), as is the norm for me whenever I read a book about a band or musician. It could be that I hear something that just wows me in his playing. The majority of the stuff that I have listened to, though, it's never anything that makes me think "That guy is amazing." It always felt like it was more about the sound of the band as a whole.
great group of musicians working together. garth was a key to the sound imo. i think it's mentioned in levon's book that they muted robbie's mic at the finale though. :mrgreen:
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