Listening to one of the best double albums of alll

[Paul Brooking]

Ok … this one may get controversial … but is a double album … 





Loved this album in the '70s … and got to see him live numerous times in his prime … before his voice went and he became, IMHO, a lounge singer.
Album is full of the usual AM Radio ear candy that he is notorious for … but …
tracks like
All the Young Girls Love Alice
Ballad of Danny Bailey
Harmony   … were great live

I think I can still sing all of the songs without looking at the lyrics

[John A]

This is an obscure double album that was one of our favorites from my misspent youth
https://youtu.be/ubuJq2DfWLQ
It is quite good despite being live. I’m not a fan of Joan Biaz who unfortunately ( for me) opens. It’s called ” one hand clapping “ and is one of the Big Sur festivals in the ‘70s featuring various musicians

[Buckturgidson]

Best double, Mahler 8.

[oldbike54]

 CTA .

 Dusty

[alanp]

There are a lot of great double albums listed here.  But if us old farts allow ourselves to realize that good music didn't end in 1974, there is some wonderful stuff to be discovered.  My current favorite double album (well CD) is the 2014 Passenger (aka Mike Rosenberg) release, Whispers.  It is a beautifully packaged CD in the tradition of great album packaging from years gone by.  It is packaged to look like a small book, and has many pages of lyrics, story's about the songs, and watercolor drawings.  The first CD are songs with his band, and the second CD contains solo acoustic versions.  The first time I listened to the acoustic CD, I was stunned and almost exhausted by the emotional experience.  Absolutely breathtaking lyrics and story's set to beautiful music.  And there is even a motorcycle song in the mix.  I suppose it won't be everybody's thing, but I strongly recommended a listen.

"Well I don't have many and I don't have much, in fact I don't have any but I've got enough..."
"All I need's a whisper, in a world that only shouts..."
"I want to see my granddaughter one last time, want to hold her close and feel her heart next to mine;
wanna see my son and the man he's become, tell him I'm sorry for the things I've done;
I'd do it if I had to walk, I'm taking this bike and I'm riding to New York"

[LowRyter]

For all of the legend surrounding the break up of the Beatles , the really ugly break up happened with the Band .

 Dusty

https://youtu.be/ph1GU1qQ1zQ

[Scott of the Sahara]

I really Liked Chicago Transit Authority. (Chicago 1). Some of the material was filler, though.
I was totally disappointed in Crosby Stills Nash and Young 4 way street.

[Lumpy Idle]

its difficult to say - nearly impossible, the selection is so vast BUT on this day in this week i would have to agree with lowryter's pick of little feat's waiting for columbus. cuz there's a fat man in the bathtub with the blues.

[Caffeineo]

Another of my favorites is The Doors - Absolutely live. Includes The Celebration of the lizard that I do not believe was ever put on a studio album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ashTaoGrR2o

[janguzzi]

KISS - Alive
Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
 

[JoeB]

Gotta couple:
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Will the Circle be Unbroken"
ok, three records there but includes Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Vassar Clements to name a few.
Dwayne Allmän : "An Anthology" Arethra Franklin belting out "The Weight" is worth the price.
Gotta an early Grateful Dead double with no title other than "Grateful Dead". Just about wore out.

[LowRyter]

And I figured folks would like Robbie, Ringo and a cast of social distancing types playing "The Weight".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph1GU1qQ1zQ&feature=youtu.be

[moto]

I dunno. I read Levon's book, then I recently saw Robbie's documentary featuring himself and the Band.

I can see it both ways, and don't feel a need to take a side. Rather enjoy what they did and leave it at that.

Moto

Oh, and the best double album is Blonde On Blonde, obviously.

[987pilot]

Johnny Cash Live from Folsom Prison...The man in black!

[jbell]

Big Bamboo............. .er, ah, I listened to it twice.   

[987pilot]

Deep Purple Made in Japan.  Couldn't get enough of it.

[Ken Po]

Deep Purple Made in Japan.  Couldn't get enough of it.

Top of my list along with Yes - Yessongs.

[LowRyter]

Before Levon moved to New York full time he still kept a place in Northwest Arkansas . A friend from here had helped manage Levon back to solvency after what Robertson did to the other members of the band , so I had the pleasure of meeting with him once . He still hated Robertson even in the late 90's , can't really blame him . Levon's nephew Terry Cagle played drums for the Cate Brothers and the variants of that group for years , they probably played 4 or 5 Band songs live way more times than the Band ever did .

 Dusty

I read a follow up to that from Robbie today.

https://www.salon.com/2020/05/23/robbie-robertson-the-band-once-were-brothers/


INTERVIEWER: You visit Levon Helm on his deathbed. I understand from the film that there was conflict over songwriting credits and money. Do you care to comment further about waiting until it was too late to reconnect with Helm?

ROBBIE:  Here's something that I've not said before. To this day, on The Band's songs, I share the publishing and songwriting credit with Levon. The other guys said they wanted to sell their part of the publishing. When we started out, everyone was supposed to write songs. [When they didn't] I thought they were being lazy. But some people can write songs, and some can't. Levon didn't write songs. I gave him credit on some songs because he was around. Garth was a great musician, but he couldn't write. Ringo Starr doesn't write songs. Charlie Watts doesn't write songs, and they don't share publishing credit with the other guys in their groups. After 16 years together, Levon never once mentioned songwriting. When it came up, I was generous about it. I did stuff I didn't have to do, and I did it to be a good friend. It was 10 or 15 years after that when Levon was struggling financially, and he's blamed someone else for what happened with him. This was another case of that.

[BrianK]

Good choices all, but for me it's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.   Saw that tour having never heard of much less heard Genesis.  Blew.  Me.  Away. 

[mobiker]

Johnny Cash Live from Folsom Prison...The man in black!

I like country music. Grew up with it. I think this is the best country album ever recorded. Its not a double album though, so nope doesn't qualify. You do have good taste though 

[mobiker]

Gotta couple:
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Will the Circle be Unbroken"
ok, three records there but includes Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Vassar Clements to name a few.
Dwayne Allmän : "An Anthology" Arethra Franklin belting out "The Weight" is worth the price.
Gotta an early Grateful Dead double with no title other than "Grateful Dead". Just about wore out.

Yes to the NGDB's Circle!
I never had the album, but I've had the CD for maybe 25 years. You win 
Wonderful album. It was a triple album, but its only a double CD 

Its Duane Allman btw. I have that cd also. "Loan Me a Dime" gave me a whole new respect for Box Scaggs.
 

[severely]

Gotta couple:
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Will the Circle be Unbroken"
ok, three records there but includes Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Vassar Clements to name a few.
Dwayne Allmän : "An Anthology" Arethra Franklin belting out "The Weight" is worth the price.
Gotta an early Grateful Dead double with no title other than "Grateful Dead". Just about wore out.

  Gotta agree with you here. Regarding Neil Young; "a Southern man don't need him around anyhow"

[blackcat]

I read a follow up to that from Robbie today.

https://www.salon.com/2020/05/23/robbie-robertson-the-band-once-were-brothers/


INTERVIEWER: You visit Levon Helm on his deathbed. I understand from the film that there was conflict over songwriting credits and money. Do you care to comment further about waiting until it was too late to reconnect with Helm?

ROBBIE:  Here's something that I've not said before. To this day, on The Band's songs, I share the publishing and songwriting credit with Levon. The other guys said they wanted to sell their part of the publishing. When we started out, everyone was supposed to write songs. [When they didn't] I thought they were being lazy. But some people can write songs, and some can't. Levon didn't write songs. I gave him credit on some songs because he was around. Garth was a great musician, but he couldn't write. Ringo Starr doesn't write songs. Charlie Watts doesn't write songs, and they don't share publishing credit with the other guys in their groups. After 16 years together, Levon never once mentioned songwriting. When it came up, I was generous about it. I did stuff I didn't have to do, and I did it to be a good friend. It was 10 or 15 years after that when Levon was struggling financially, and he's blamed someone else for what happened with him. This was another case of that.

"Robertson's dispute with Helm is one of music's longest-running feuds, dating back more than 35 years. They last played together at the Band's final concert, The Last Waltz, in 1976. Helm was furious at Robertson's decision to "destroy" the Band, he wrote in his autobiography, and participated in the concert on the basis of his attorney's advice: "Do it, puke, and get out of the way." They also clashed over royalties. "[Robbie] and [manager] Albert [Grossman] get all the money, and the rest of us get all the leftovers, and he was supposed to be one of us," Helm said in 1998."

It is one thing to claim the writing royalties, but not performing as a group is another thing. Yeah, Charlie Watts doesn't write but he is in the ROLLING STONES where one tour could keep Charlie going for quite a few years of not playing. The comparisons between the two are not quite the same and it always seemed to me that Robbie had an "I got mine" attitude to the rest of his former bandmates. 

Robertson is suspect, and I cannot side with his story.

[LowRyter]

"Robertson's dispute with Helm is one of music's longest-running feuds, dating back more than 35 years. They last played together at the Band's final concert, The Last Waltz, in 1976. Helm was furious at Robertson's decision to "destroy" the Band, he wrote in his autobiography, and participated in the concert on the basis of his attorney's advice: "Do it, puke, and get out of the way." They also clashed over royalties. "[Robbie] and [manager] Albert [Grossman] get all the money, and the rest of us get all the leftovers, and he was supposed to be one of us," Helm said in 1998."

It is one thing to claim the writing royalties, but not performing as a group is another thing. Yeah, Charlie Watts doesn't write but he is in the ROLLING STONES where one tour could keep Charlie going for quite a few years of not playing. The comparisons between the two are not quite the same and it always seemed to me that Robbie had an "I got mine" attitude to the rest of his former bandmates. 

Robertson is suspect, and I cannot side with his story.

I'm really not taking sides.  The Band was epic.  It's a shame that they ended on such bad terms.  In the article, Robbie said that band was falling apart due to drugs and he felt helpless to keep it altogether.  He was fearful that someone was going to OD and die.  True or not? I don't know.  I know that several of them died in bad ways.  Also, I'm not sure why Robbie had an obligation to keep the band together, nor why if they wanted to play that the remaining members just didn't get another guitarist?  My guess is Robbie was burned out and had no more songs left.  He pretty much said so in the movie.

I have a bone to pick with Robbie.  I went to see The Band in Norfolk in the '80s and Robbie quit before the show, so they performed with no guitarist.  I'm guessing that must've been the last straw for all.  It was for me.

Robbie still seems to get folks together just like the video I posted with Robbie and so many playing on the pandemic.   He's worked with Scorsese for 40 years now.

https://youtu.be/ph1GU1qQ1zQ

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[stmike]

Nils Lofgren's Acoustic Live. If you haven't heard it, you should.

[tetarabra]

Jimmy Hendrix  experience .
Lynyrd Skynyrd : gold and platinum.
Blue oyster cult : on your feet and on your knees.
Ten years after : recorded live.
Stanley Clarke : I wanna play for you.
Eric Clapton : just one night