Tribute To The Band A Mixed Bag

Endless Highway: The Music of The Band
Various Artists
(429 Records)

As I promised a few weeks ago when mentioning its availability in streaming audio, today I'll be writing about "Endless Highway: The Music of the Band." Unfortunately, I'll be reviewing the album based on the streaming tracks rather than a copy of the disc.

It's not a big deal. The differences were that I didn't have the CD at my disposal at all times and I didn't have access to all of the liner notes. When I write about an advance review copy of a disc (which happens occasionally) or a disc that I bought (which happens more often), I usually put it into super-heavy rotation at home, at work and in the truck. The total immersion really enhances my ability to think critically about the music, because in two of those three settings I'm usually comfortable and able to give the tunes my undivided attention. Having the liners at hand is an obvious advantage when it comes to looking up the personnel that played on a track or who produced a session.

Normally I wouldn't take the time to explain all of this. But for me, the average consumer, the reason I don't yet own the disc is as big a part of the story as the music. That's a shame, but that's how it is.

Bonus bummer
"Endless Highway," the first and much-deserved tribute to The Band, was one of the albums I most looked forward to buying in early 2007. Unfortunately, the marketing of the disc is giving me pause before I plunk down my cash. My beef is with the exclusive bonus tracks available at Best Buy, Borders and FYE. Best Buy's version of "Endless Highway" includes a bonus disc containing Gov't Mule's cover of "The Shape I'm In," Joe Henry's "Bessie Smith," Animal Liberation Orchestra's "Ophelia" and Lucas Reynolds' "Across the Great Divide." The Borders version includes a coupon for an exclusive download of John Hiatt and North Mississippi Allstars' version of "Ain't No More Cane." Discs purchased at stores in the FYE chain also include a download coupon, for Steve Forbert's take on "Don't Do It."

Exclusives are nothing new, but they seem more widespread than ever. I don't necessarily have a problem with them, except when they get out of hand. In my mind, that's the case with "Endless Highway." Any hardcore fan of The Band is likely to want all of the tracks that are available. As of this writing, the disc and bonus tracks are unavailable for purchase at iTunes or eMusic, so devoted fans are faced with the prospect of buying the disc three times or waiting for these tracks to become available online.

If it were one exclusive, the consumer would have a simple choice: buy the disc at that outlet or forgo the bonus tracks. In this case, though, I want them all. Also, as a fan of Hiatt, Henry and Forbert (and because I've heard their contributions in streaming audio), I'd like to have their covers. That would mean buying "Endless Highway" three times. Even if I sold two of the discs at the local used CD store, I'd take an incredible beating financially. I can't formulate a strategy that satisfies me, so for now I wait.

I complain because I care
I'm not one to listen to a lot of complaining from someone who offers no alternatives, and I'll show you the courtesy I expect. I know that these big chains want exclusives. I know that labels need to acquiesce to get their product placed in the big-box stores. There's no simple solution, but limiting the exclusives to one chain would be a big help. Perhaps giving everybody the same bonus tracks would be the way to go. They'd no longer be "exclusive," but the onus would be on the retailers to slug it out a little on pricing. Short of that, making all the bonus material available online would be a huge help. If the six bonus tracks were sold on iTunes as an all-or-nothing "EP only" for $5.99, I'd take that deal in a second.

And now, on to our regularly scheduled review.

An American Band (Sort Of)
It's a little surprising that there hasn't been a tribute to The Band before now, but that might be due in part to the size of the undertaking. The group, comprising Canadians Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson and Arkansan Levon Helm, cut its teeth as The Hawks, backing rockabilly artist Ronnie Hawkins and later (and more famously) Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour. They came into their own on their 1968 debut, "Music From Big Pink," and solidified their musical immortality with the follow-up, 1969's, "The Band."

The appellation served a dual purpose. On one hand, they were The Band, a generically named outfit that traded on its collective strength. On the other hand, they were The Band, making it clear they lacked neither chops or confidence. They backed up the bluster that connotation suggested by spinning a blend of old-time music, R&B, country and rock and roll. In 1968, there was no Americana music (in title, anyway). In hindsight, The Band were giants of the unborn genre.

The tools at The Band's disposal were considerable. Helm, Danko and Manuel all were accomplished and emotional singers. Robertson wrote first-rate material with a feel for the American south that belied his north-of-the-border background. Hudson was a mad-scientist/multi-instrumentalist, able to add the flavor for which a song called. They all played more than one instrument, and often switched off from track to track.

Band of Brothers
It's no surprise, then, that the groups that fare best in paying tribute to The Band are the ones that have the best collective dynamic. Widespread Panic turns in a nice, jammy take on "Chest Fever." Guster turns in a reverent but engaging cover of the Dylan/Danko composition "This Wheel's on Fire." The Roches turn in a beautiful "Acadian Driftwood." "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is expertly handled in a live version by The Allman Brothers, who are as rooted in the South as the classic song (though no one is ever likely to match the emotional investment Helm had when he sang it at the swan song for The Band's original lineup, "The Last Waltz). Gomez, another group with multiple vocalists, fares well on the funky "Up on Cripple Creek." The band that comes the closest on this disc to matching the magic of Robertson, Helm, Danko, Manuel and Hudson, though, is My Morning Jacket. Robertson correctly pointed out in a recent Paste magazine interview that no one ever will sing "It Makes No Difference" as well as the vulnerable-voiced Danko, but Jim James and Co. come close. MMJ exudes the loneliness and despair of the original, and the soprano sax solo still delivers shivers.

Going It Alone
A handful of solo acts and duos also turn in solid performances. Among them are Rosanne Cash with a beautiful reading of "Unfaithful Servant," rising star Jackie Greene ("Look out Cleveland"), Jakob Dylan and Lizz Wright ("Whispering Pines") and Steve Reynolds, who lacks Danko's quavering voice but still gets across the vulnerability of "Stage Fright" with his cello-colored folkie performance.

Weighty Matters
Not all interpretations are effective. Lee Ann Womack is a fine singer, but her countrified version of "The Weight" fails to capture the, well, emotional weight of the song. That's not really a knock on Womack; "The Weight" has got to be The Band's most-covered song, but I've never heard a group other than The Staple Singers really nail it. That's probably because on the original, and frequently on The Band's first two albums, Helm, Manuel and Danko piped in on vocals at various times during tunes, giving them an old gospel feel. Josh Turner's take on "When I Paint My Masterpiece" suffers much the same fate. Turner has a magnificent baritone and great range, but the country arrangement of the Dylan tune isn't as effective as the original. The Band's version, with its accordion, gives a European feeling to the tale of an American overseas who longs to be "back in the land of Coca-Cola." In Turner's version, with its dobro solo, you get the feeling that a Coke and a smile are as close as the corner store. The inclusion of Death Cab For Cutie probably will boost the sales of this disc considerably, but it's hard to buy them as back-porch pickers "down in old Virginny." Jack Johnson's reading of "I Shall Be Released" is more sluggish than stirring.

Overall, the diverse acts on "Endless Highway: The Music of the Band" hit more than they miss, and the album is a must-have for fans. Now that the door is open, perhaps other tributes will follow. A disc featuring more of The Band's Americana offspring such as The Sadies, Neko Case, Son Volt and Wilco might be a nice touch. So too would a release that doesn't leave the listener to chase down too many bonus tracks.