Pictured above: The Band, 1968
In June of 1967, Bob Dylan and his backing band for the Blonde On Blonde tour The Hawks got together in the basement of a house in West Saugerties, New York known among them as “Big Pink” to record, jam, and work on new compositions, some by Dylan, some by members of The Hawk. Over the course of 6 months, the group recorded well over 100 songs, some improvised jams, some classic standards and old Bob Dylan songs, and some entirely new songs.
“I wrote the music on piano and the phrasing, and Bob wrote the verses, the more we got together, the more we put into it, the more we got back from it.”
- Rick Danko, 1975
Near the end of the 6 months, Bob Dylan made a proposal to the rest of the group: The possibility of him joining The Hawks as a full-time member. There was a clear worry of Bob Dylan’s presence leaving the rest of the band on the sidelines, however Dylan assured them that if anything he would be in the sidelines, letting the other members be in the spotlight with their own compositions.
“When we went to Columbia with the new band, they suggested some shit like ‘Why not call it Bob Dylan and the Hawks’ which pissed me off of course, so I shouted back ‘Are you fucked in the head, that is ego shit, man!’. I don’t remember what happened next, but it involved me bein’ taken out of the building by security. Fortunately around that time George Harrison was in America, on vacation haven finished recording his parts for that Merseyside Beatles movie. He told me about this new thing The Beatles were doing called Apple Corps, and how he could probably get us signed with them.”
- Bob Dylan, 1997
An issue with Harrison’s suggestion was the fact that Apple Corps was established in the UK, with almost no presence in America at the time. After months of back and forth between Bob Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman and Apple Corps’ CEO Brian Epstein in the UK, Red Maple Records was officially open as Apple Records’ North American branch, with Grossman at its helm.
“Soon after, we got artists and bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, James Taylor, and Harry Nilsson hooking up with Red Maple, and it really was all thanks to Bobby Dylan (laugh)”
- John Lennon, 1975
Soon enough recording for The Hawks’ (now renamed The Band) debut album, Music From Big Pink, started in October of 1967, with the single All Along the Watchtower (with B-side This Wheel’s on Fire) being released December 27th, 1967. Recording for the album was concluded in March of 1968, and the album was finally released on July 1st, 1968.
Music From Big Pink
01. Tears of Rage (5:23) [1]
02. As I Went Out One Morning (2:52) [2]
03. To Kingdom Come (3:22) [1]
04. In a Station (3:34) [1]
05. All Along the Watchtower (2:34) [2]
06. Caledonia Mission (2:59) [1]
07. The Weight (4:38) [1]
08. Drifter’s Escape (2:48) [2]
09. This Wheel’s On Fire (3:14) [1]
10. We Can Talk (3:06) [1]
11. Long Black Veil (3:06) [1]
12. Chest Fever (5:18) [1]
13. I Am a Lonesome Hobo (3:24) [2]
14. I Pity the Poor Immigrant (4:16) [2]
15. Lonesome Suzie (4:04) [1]
16. I Shall Be Released (3:19) [1]
17. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (2:39) [2]
Released: July 1st, 1968
Track sources:
[1] - Music from Big Pink, 1968
[2] - John Wesley Harding, 1967
Wow! Wasn't expecting this! Dylan always made great music with the Band so this is nice to see! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, if you ask me it only makes sense considering how close of a connection Bob Dylan and The Band had.
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