Discord & Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Discord and Rhyme is a podcast where we discuss the albums we love, song by song.

141: The Band - Music from Big Pink (1968)

“The Band was rebelling against the rebellion.”

—Robbie Robertson


Get ready for some classic Americana, brought to you by four Canadians (and one American), discussed by four Americans (including one living in Canada). Because Neil Young and Joni Mitchell weren't enough, Ben goes back to the frozen north for the Band's 1968 debut album, Music From Big Pink. Ben discusses why he loves the Band and Music From Big Pink, joined by Amanda, Dan, and Mike. 

Miscellany

  • Music from Big Pink was released before the Band even had a name, which added to their mystique. The record label just listed all the band members underneath the title. This is why some contemporary reviews of the album refer to them as “the Band from Big Pink.”

  • As an extra example of this album’s wide-ranging influence, the album cover makes a cameo appearance in the music video for ABBA’s “One of Us.”

  • Technically, the version of “This Wheel’s on Fire” used in Absolutely Fabulous is a re-recording that Julie Driscoll made in 1990 featuring Adrian Edmondson of The Young Ones, so our British fans can rest easy knowing that we are already aware of this. 

Other links 

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call 

  • Ben Marlin (host)

  • Mike DeFabio (moderator)

  • Amanda Rodgers

  • Dan Watkins

Music from Big Pink tracklist 

  1. Tears of Rage

  2. To Kingdom Come

  3. In a Station

  4. Caledonia Mission

  5. The Weight

  6. We Can Talk

  7. Long Black Veil

  8. Chest Fever

  9. Lonesome Suzie

  10. This Wheel’s on Fire

  11. I Shall Be Released 

Other clips used 

The Band:

  • Up on Cripple Creek

  • The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

  • Stagefright [The Last Waltz version]

  • The Weight [The Last Waltz version]

  • Lonesome Suzie [alternate take]

  • Twilight

  • Ophelia [The Last Waltz version]

  • The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

  • The Unfaithful Servant

  • The Shape I'm In

  • King Harvest (Has Surely Come) (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)

  • The Genetic Method/Chest Fever [The Last Waltz version] 

Others:

  • John C. Reilly (as Dewey Cox) - Take My Hand

  • Bob Dylan - Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?

  • Junior Wells - Hoodoo Man Blues

  • Elton John - Levon

  • Steely Dan - Pearl of the Quarter

  • Elton John - Burn Down the Mission

  • Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

  • Panic! At the Disco - The Weight

  • Gillian Welch & David Rawlings with Old Crow Medicine Show - The Weight

  • Lefty Frizzell - Long Black Veil

  • Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)

  • Dave Matthews Band - Long Black Veil

  • Camper Van Beethoven - Interlude

  • Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & the Trinity  - This Wheel's on Fire

  • Kylie Minogue - This Wheel's on Fire

  • Bob Dylan & The Band - Big Dog

Band/album personnel 

  • Rick Danko – bass guitar, fiddle, vocals

  • Levon Helm – drums, tambourine, vocals

  • Garth Hudson – organ, piano, clavinet, soprano and tenor saxophones

  • Richard Manuel – piano, organ, vocals

  • Robbie Robertson – electric and acoustic guitars, vocals

  • John Simon – producer, baritone horn, tenor saxophone, piano, tambourine

  • Don Hahn – engineer

  • Tony May – engineer

  • Shelly Yakus – engineer 

Credits 

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of: 

  • Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

  • Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste

  • The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...

  • Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

  • Herbie Hancock - Hornets

  • Kraftwerk - Autobahn

  • Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen

  • The Band - Chest Fever (this episode only) 

You can buy or stream Music from Big Pink and other albums by the Band at officialtheband.com, your local record store, or the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Instagram @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing is by Rich Bunnell, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for production and original music. See you next album, and keep as cool as you can.

This website and all episodes' discussion/commentary © 2018—2024 Discord & Rhyme. Excerpts from recordings appearing in episodes are included for purposes of review only, and all rights to such material remain property of their copyright holders. Please note that we make a good-faith effort to ensure all information included in these episodes is accurate, but if we get something wrong, let us know at discordpod@gmail.com and we will print a correction in the show notes. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Website design by Amanda Rodgers. Thank you for visiting, and keep as cool as you can.

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