Where debut albums are often a chance for an artist to get to grips with their sound, that’s not the case for The Band. Music from Big Pink released just a short while after the group were furthering their relationship with Bob Dylan. While they enjoyed success as The Hawks, it was when they became Dylan’s backing band in the mid-1960s and continued into the 1970s as The Band that their musical prowess became clear. Music from Big Pink released between the two major Dylan tours, the 1966 world tour and 1974 comeback so closely tied to The Band. But they themselves were pushed on Dylan and the influence he had in the studio. Their debut album opens with a Dylan-penned classic, Tears of Rage, while the Mr. Tambourine Man hitmaker would also provide The Band with their first album’s cover art. It’s not a reliance; it’s a spirited collaboration which doesn’t detract from the Robbie Robertson-featuring group’s efforts here. They are in exceptional form throughout.
Tears of Rage may be written by Dylan, for instance, but The Band makes it their own. Magnificent work, and what a way to start Music from Big Pink. That’s the best song of the album leading the charge. Just a staggering experience, one of those songs that’ll build you up with subtlety and charm before crashing you right back down to the ground. Only a few can do it quite like Richard Manuel can. Follow-up track To Kingdom Come doesn’t have that level of nastiness to it, but Music from Big Pink does well to keep listeners on their toes, waiting for another harsh detail that’ll upend their placidity. Music from Big Pink is held together by the instrumental achievement. Caledonia Mission is a song with such depths to it, you’ll hardly make your way out once it’s over. Incredible piano work from Rick Danko, some lucid writing and overwhelming commentaries filtered throughout, it’s nothing short of masterful.
Caledonia Mansion would linger on the mind a little longer if The Weight didn’t blow it out of the water. A truly inspired piece – as good as Tears of Rage – and one that still defines The Band. Just such a treat to listen to even now, no matter how many times you play it. Music from Big Pink is stuffed full of little nuances and details, much of it thanks, in part, to the years The Band had working with Dylan. But they were capable, talented writers without his help, and prove as much on the latter half of this staggering debut. An instrumental cacophony from song to song keeps all The Band’s members overlapping, flowing brilliantly, and showcasing their strengths as musicians. That’s the fundamental this album is built on, but there are plenty of moments for thrilling lyrical choices. Long Black Veil is nothing short of remarkable for that.
Just remarkable, really. Instrumentally impressive, lyrically inspired and the vocal work, shared by Manuel, Robbie Robertson, and Levon Helm, is inspiring. It’s a package of exceptional works with a few songs showcasing The Band at their very best. Their blur of rock fundamentals is a fantastic opportunity to connect with a group whose tone very much fits the electrified rock and roll style of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Consider what The Band achieves on Music from Big Pink here and apply that to the artists around them. Dylan may have been a great influence on them (another Dylan track, I Shall Be Released, closes out the album, and it’s a tremendous gut-punch finale) but The Band would soon be guiding the greats like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell with releases like Music from Big Pink. Essential listening doesn’t cover it, this is an album of real beauty, and it kindles the creative spirit so well.
