Streaming Tribute to The Band

Knowing full well that tribute albums are generally a mixed bag, I still can't help but be excited about the forthcoming, long-overdue tribute to one of the bands that laid the foundation for what we now call Americana � The Band. I'm even more excited that I don't have to wait to hear it, because it's available online in streaming audio.

The disc, titled "Endless Highway: The Music of The Band," will be released by 429 Records on Jan. 30. In the meantime, you can hear the tracks at www.429records.com/endlesshighway/. Just click on the "music" tab and enjoy.

I'm pretty excited about this disc for a couple of reasons. One, I thoroughly enjoy The Band's music and have devoted much time lately to intense study of their catalog. Two, I've been brewing up ideas for an extended series of posts on The Band for a few months. Much has been written about the group already, and I'd like to write something at least semi-profound, so those thoughts are still percolating. Perhaps this tribute treatment will bring fresh angles to mind.

There generally are two factors that contribute to the hit-or-miss nature of tributes: The lineup and the approach the artists take to their covers. Are the artists diverse, and do they illustrate the influence of the group in question? Do the acts paying tribute take chances with their covers, or are they playing it straight? (Either approach can be satisfying). Are fans of the band being honored going to enjoy the tribute treatment? I'm not going to attempt to answer any of these questions here because A) I've only listened to these tracks once; and B) given the influence of The Band, you can count on a full review at HickoryWind after the release date.

Here's the lineup: Jack Johnson, Lee Ann Womack, My Morning Jacket, Josh Turner, Rosanne Cash, Death Cab For Cutie, Bruce Hornsby, Jakob Dylan and Lizz Wright, Widespread Panic, Jackie Greene, Guster, Gomez, Steve Reynolds, The Allman Brothers, Blues Traveler, Trevor Hall, John Hiatt & North Mississippi Allstars, Animal Liberation Orchestra, Joe Henry, Gov't Mule, and The Roches. Those are the tracks posted on the 429 Records Web site. I'm a little confused about the lineup on the disc; an article from USA Today posted on the 429 site said that the Hiatt, Gov't Mule, ALO and Joe Henry tracks will be available as retailer exclusives. Don't hold me to that; the track list on Amazon.com seems to bear that out, but Milesofmusic.com doesn't list The Roches or Trevor Hall in its track listing.

As for the tunes, it looks like many of the most significant songs are here, with the exception of "Tears of Rage." Of course, individual mileage will vary when it comes to determining the "significant songs." We can discuss it in more detail later. For now, happy streaming.