Battle of The Band: Which Album Was Their Very Best?

The Band’s classic lineup released only six studio albums of original material together. One of them, Islands, satisfied contractual obligations and consisted of cutting-room floor material. Cahoots, released in 1971, underwhelmed compared to the three albums that preceded it.

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You just can’t deny the brilliance of the other four albums that The Band released. Choosing between them won’t be easy. But let’s go for it anyway.

‘Music From Big Pink’ (1968)

Music From Big Pink arrived amidst the psychedelic tumult of 1968 like it was beamed in from a much more soothing planet. The five men who made it seemed like they could handle just about any type of American music thrown at them, even though only one of them (Levon Helm) hailed from the US. Moving ballads (“Tears Of Rage” and “I Shall Be Released”) that they brewed with Bob Dylan bookended the album. But there’s also a lot of rollicking joy to be found on tracks like the gospel-flavored “We Can Talk” and the churning rocker “Chest Fever”.

‘The Band’ by The Band (1969)

The so-called Brown Album witnessed Robbie Robertson hitting his stride as a songwriter. Authenticity drips from the details of the songs that range from salacious (“Rag Mama Rag”, “Jemima Surrender”, and “Up On Cripple Creek”) to sentimental (“When You Awake” and “Rockin’ Chair”. Every vocalist gets a showcase worthy of their immense talents. Levon Helm plays Virgil Cane to the hilt in “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. Rick Danko adds slippery soulfulness to “Unfaithful Servant”. And Richard Manuel embodies devastating loneliness on “Whispering Pines”.

‘Stage Fright’ (1970)

Because the first two albums were so universally lauded, it felt like almost a foregone conclusion that Stage Fright was supposed to be a letdown. Yet listening to it now, you won’t find much separation in terms of quality. It’s just more of a downer than what we’d heard from them before. The title track and “The Shape I’m In” speak candidly about The Band’s road-weariness. Closing track “The Rumor” even suggests that the small-town life that they’d previously exalted could be quite damaging. You also get a stunning parable (“Daniel And The Sacred Harp”) and a touching lullaby (“All La Glory”) for good measure.

‘Northern Lights – Southern Cross’ (1975)

A live album, a covers album, and an album backing up old buddy Bob Dylan took up the interim between Cahoots in 1971 and Northern Lights – Southern Cross. Maybe Robbie Robertson needed the time to restock his creative juices. Most of the eight songs are lengthy, but the epic scale of the storytelling and musicianship generally warrants that length. “Hobo Jungle” acts as both a character sketch and a social commentary. “It Makes No Difference”, buoyed by Rick Danko’s monumental vocal, is a weeper for the ages. And “Acadian Driftwood” brings a historical saga down to a hauntingly personal level.

The Verdict

When assessing these four wonderful albums, you really must split some hairs. Stage Fright and Northern Lights – Southern Cross fall short because there are a couple of songs on each that don’t quite rise to a standout level. And you can’t really say that about the first two LPs.

Music From Big Pink, as stellar as it is, remains a bit beholden to Bob Dylan’s inscrutable lyrics from the Basement Tapes period. The Brown Album, earthy, unwavering, and true, belongs entirely to The Band. And it wins out as their best ever.

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