Remembering Robbie Robertson

His music is here

Introduction

I was shocked to hear that Robbie Robertson died yesterday after a long illness.

He was another incredible Canadian musician responsible for many of the sounds that people would think were pure Americana. You can read more about the great man on his Wikipedia page here.

His web page is here

You can read about his life, his time with Ronnie Hawkins, Bob Dylan, The Band, The Last Waltz and his film work with Martin Scorsese in the links that I have shared here, but this is just a playlist to remember him by, with some of his memorable songs. Of course, most of this will be songs with The Band with a few solo pieces.

I remember being stunned by his first solo album, where he collaborated with U2 and Peter Gabriel but I shall now share a few of those incredible songs with you. You may think you don't know his music, but listen to these and you will know that yo do know him.

I reaally don't know how to start this. With The Band, Robbie had a perfect foil for his songs which sometimes were like history lessons, but as I write this I am listening to his debut solo album, so we will start here.

"Fallen Angel" from "Robbie Robertson"

This starts with an almost ominous drum sequence before the song starts properly and it's a beautiful album opener, that also features Peter Gabriel on keys and harmonics.

"Broken Arrow" from "Robbie Robertson"

Robbie has an indigenous heritage, and this is another beautiful love song with relevant references. This was covered by Rod Stewart and probably many others. I hope you can see this video because it includes American Indian Artwork (special thanks to Alexandra344), a Tribute to all Native American People.

Now we will go back to his work with The Band

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" from "The Band"

This a commentary from The American Civil War though written by Robbie was sung by the drummer Levon Helm on their eponymous album.

The lyrics tell of the last days of the American Civil War, portraying the suffering of the protagonist, Virgil Caine, a poor white Southerner. Dixie is the historical nickname for the states making up the Confederate States of America. The song's opening stanza refers to one of George Stoneman's raids behind Confederate lines attacking the railroads of Danville, Virginia, at the end of the Civil War in 1865.

"Daniel and the Sacred Harp" from "Stage Fright"

I love this song but the Band never played this live.

The lyrics tell a story similar to the Robert Johnson myth. They also have antecedents in the story of Faust. They tell of a man who acquires a famous harp but loses his soul to get it. Robertson has claimed that the inspiration for the song came from his early days as a guitarist when he was "stealing" techniques from earlier guitarists. Robertson has also described the song is about "greed in the context of Christian mythology."

Billboard Magazine used the song as an example of the religious-themed songs that were becoming popular at the time.

"The Weight" from "Music From Big Pink"

This is a song you will know even if you don't know who sings it. A number of The Band take lead vocal duties in the version I have shared from "The Last Waltz"

The 1969 movie Easy Rider used the song as recorded by The Band, but it was not licensed for the soundtrack album. To deal with this, ABC-Dunhill commissioned Smith, who recorded for the label at the time, to record a cover version of the song for the soundtrack album

These are just a few Robbie Robertson songs, now go out and find some more to enjoy.