An album released in the last twenty years has been cited as the “best thing” according to Roger Waters.
The Pink Floyd bassist recommended a handful of albums, but a more recent release was tipped by the veteran musician in an interview with Rocky Mountain News. Speaking in 2008, Waters would cite The Band and The Beatles for their brilliant work, but honed in on a lesser-known release by the veteran musician Levon Helms. One of three lead vocalists for The Band, Helms also had a successful solo career and it appears a release from the drummer had stunned Waters when he first heard it. The bassist behind The Wall and Pros and Cons of Hitchiking urged those reading the interview to go out and listen to Helms’ solo album, which Waters cited as “absolutely succulent” and “so cool.” It’s high praise from the man behind The Dark Side of the Moon, who singled out Helms’ voice as one of the key parts of the album.
He said: “The whole industry has been turned on its head. I don’t think anybody has a clear idea of which way to go. I haven’t heard the album yet, but the Eagles did that deal with Wal-Mart and that was their primary outlet. They did big numbers, like a million and a half records, without any record company being involved.
“I don’t know which way it’ll all go. I do know one thing, though: everybody should immediately download (Levon Helm’s) Dirt Farmer. Best thing I’ve heard in 10 years. It is absolutely succulent. It’s so cool. I only heard about it about a week ago.
“I downloaded and I sat there and listened to it with my mouth hanging open. I always knew he was great and I’ve kept in touch with him a little bit over the years. Not enough, sadly. But he’s in such great voice. I always say to people the thing that changed everything for me was the Beatles and (The Band’s) Music From Big Pink.“
Waters would go on to praise The Band for changing the way “musicians felt about recording” music. The bassist also praised Helms as the “heart and soul” of The Band, who worked closesly with another of Waters’ admired artists, Bob Dylan.
Waters continued: “Music From Big Pink changed the whole way that musicians felt about recording. You can so hear how large a contribution (Helm) made. Obviously everyone in the band was great. Robbie (Robertson) wrote great songs. But Levon was for me the heart and soul of the thing. They were all great, Rick (Danko), Garth (Husdon) and Richard (Manuel), they were all fantastic.”
It comes as Waters spoke of the two albums in his own discography that make him feel comfortable about the success he achieved, both with Pink Floyd and as a solo artist.
He said: “Maybe if it was the only one it would, but of course it was in 1973 or 4 and then there was The Wall in 1979, and that was much bigger than The Dark Side of the Moon and it’s probably just as well. Since then, I’ve done what I think is an important album of my own in 1992, called Amused to Death.
