All Time Top 1100 Albums (Aerosmith - Big Ones) P265

[mancity2012_eamo]

A disingenuous claim...
===
"The night they drove ole Dixy down."

"Virgil, quick, come see, There goes Robert E. Lee!"


"Now, I don't mind chopping wood
And I don't care if the money's no good
You take what you need
And you leave the rest
But they should never
Have taken the very best"
===
The song is a lament for the South, decrying the Yankee North and extolling Robert E. Lee.

And that’s precisely how so many down south see things.
Still do apparently.

Like I said earlier, as a musical historical story, is it any worse than Irish rebel songs or does it depend on how far from memory the events are?

I don’t want to take this down a political rabbit hole, but I can think of examples as contentious in Irish Trad and Folk.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

And that’s precisely how so many down south see things.
Still do apparently.

Just so.

The Southern attitude is very much still, among many, Damn Yankees! The South was in the right!

The fact that the Civil War was largely about slavery is conveniently forgotten.

And the Civil War - was hence, a righteous cause: "The Night They Brought Ole Dixie Down."

 

[Hart of the Matter]

Classic album but problematic. Folk music often is. Going on the music and song writing alone this is a 9/10.

I chose to believe Robbie on this but understand why others wouldn't.

Interesting that it was written at the height of the civil rights movement of which Bob Dylan was a leading figure..

 

[AustinBlue]

Great muscianship, but as a Brit who came over to the USA to be a civil rights lawyer in the deep south, and now grappling with Texas politics, I just can't stomach the lyrical undertones. It wouldn't be fair for me to grade it as an album. I do love Americana tho without the racial subtext. Gillian Welch, Kathleen Edwards... but Mark Knopfler has ironically fully mastered it. His Sailing to Philadelphia album and Emmy Lou Harris collaborations are exceptional examples.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Great muscianship, but as a Brit who came over to the USA to be a civil rights lawyer in the deep south, and now grappling with Texas politics, I just can't stomach the lyrical undertones. It wouldn't be fair for me to grade it as an album. I do love Americana tho without the racial subtext. Gillian Welch, Kathleen Edwards... but Mark Knopfler has ironically fully mastered it. His Sailing to Philadelphia album and Emmy Lou Harris collaborations are exceptional examples.

And yet some see Knopfler as a homophobe!
Just shows, we all get different things from music.

 

[AustinBlue]

And yet some see Knopfler as a homophobe!
Just shows, we all get different things from music.

No doubt. But his lyrics don't glorify homophobia.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

No doubt. But his lyrics don't glorify homophobia.

I don’t think so either.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I don’t think so either.

They don’t glorify homophobia but as pointed out before two songs that stereotype and one that allows a character a slur (unnecessary lyrically) — within a span of four records — suggests to me his sensitivity was below par. Maybe he’s more enlightened now.

 

[RobMCFC]

The Band – The Band

I’ve got a couple of Robbie Robertson solo albums, but I can’t believe I’ve never listened to any albums by The Band before. This has got a lot going for it: the superb melodies and thoughtful story-songs lift this well above the average for the time it was recorded, and it’s easy to see why Bob Dylan sought them out as his backing band (although this album was recorded after they first got together with Dylan).

The usual bit of background reading that accompanies these listens is even more revealing: a regular rock and roll band they certainly weren’t with lead vocals shared between three of the members. How many nominal bassists also play the fiddle and trombone (Rick Danko)? How many times does the drummer also play the mandolin as Levon Helm does here? Richard Manuel plays piano, drums, sax and harmonica! Chief songwriter and guitarist Robbie Robertson is also the engineer and as for Garth Hudson, what didn’t he play?

It’s noteworthy that a lot of melodies and riffs are carried on keyboards, pianos and accordion, which give this record a sound that is anything but country rock. “Rag Mama Rag”, “When You Awake”, “Jemima Surrender” and “Rockin’ Chair” are all excellent, but “Jawbone” and “King Harvest” are even better.

I was going to give this an 8, but after 3 or 4 listens I’m still enjoying the melodies, and as the influence on a couple of my favourite artists, Counting Crows and Bruce Hornsby, is now clear, I’ll give my first 9/10 on either thread.

 

[journolud]

I’ve read some great reviews on this and the other thread and by this I mean reviews that really get into the music, analyse it , put it into context and crucially make me want to give it more than a cursory listen. Can I hear what others hear?

At the end of the day though it’s about whether the music resonates with you or not. I remember watching the Last Waltz and these guys are obviously held in the highest esteem by their peers and contemporaries.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down apart (and despite the connotations) though they have never really grabbed me. Sat here listening this morning bits of melody are seeping through but the delivery still just doesn’t do it. I can’t help feeling that like Dylan many of their songs could be improved by being covered by someone else (although Joan Baez didn’t do Dixie any favours).

I can appreciate the skill and artistry and the apparent very democratic nature of the Band but Dixie aside there is nothing here to make my playlists. Going to have to be a 5