4 of the Best Non-Bob Dylan Albums That Featured or Were Produced by The Band

When Bob Dylan infamously went electric in the mid-1960s, he employed Canadian-American roots rockers The Band as his backing band. Composed of Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, and Levon Helm, the group blended elements of folk, rock, jazz, and country to create a distinct sound that helped shape iconic Dylan albums like The Basement Tapes and Planet Waves.

Indeed, the connection between Bob Dylan and The Band is strong. But this is hardly the only musical collaboration worth celebrating. The Band, in its entirety and its individual members, played significant roles in other incredible albums, including the four below.

‘Court And Spark’ by Joni Mitchell

Court And Spark saw Joni Mitchell at a musical peak, boasting timeless classics like “Help Me”, “Free Man In Paris”, and “Raised On Robbery”. This album blended the best of Mitchell’s earliest works (à la “Big Yellow Taxi”) and her easement into a more complex, jazzier sound. The Band’s Robbie Robertson helped contribute to this unique sonic blend by tracking guitar for the harmony-driven folk-rocker, “Raised On Robbery”.

‘On The Beach’ by Neil Young

Released the same year as Court and Spark, Neil Young’s fifth studio album, On The Beach, featured multiple members of The Band. Levon Helm provides drums on “See The Sky About To Rain” and “Revolution Blues”, the latter of which also features Rick Danko on bass. This album was part of Young’s “Ditch Trilogy,” which saw Young push away from the mainstream success of his 1972 album Harvest.

‘Southern Accents’ by Tom Petty

Sometimes, members of The Band contributed to albums in a non-instrumental sense. For example, Robbie Robertson served as a producer on Tom Petty’s 1985 album Southern Accents, which includes Petty’s Top 20 hit, “Don’t Come Around Here No More”, inspired by Stevie Nicks and Joe Walsh. (As an extra aside, this is also the album Petty was working on when he infamously broke his hand so badly he thought he might lose his ability to play.)

‘Hotcakes’ by Carly Simon

The Band’s Robbie Robertson also played electric guitar on one of Carly Simon’s most ubiquitous hits, “Mockingbird”, from 1974. The single from her fourth studio album, Hotcakes, also features Simon’s then-husband, James Taylor. The track peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 in Canada, cementing its place as one of Simon’s most beloved tracks.

Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns