Happy birthday, Rick Danko/Song of the moment: "When You Awake"

He would have been 67 today, and this song is rotating on the turntable inside my head.  It's from The Band's second album (sometimes called "The Brown Album"), and was co-written by Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson.  Rick sang lead, and it's one of his most tender, expressive vocals.

For an analysis of this unusual song, see Peter Viney's essay.  Carol Caffin also relates an amusing story regarding the discrepancy surrounding Rick's birthdate on her blog.

Ollie told me that I'm a fool.  So I
Walked on down the road a mile, went to the house that brings a smile,
Sat upon my grandpa's knee, and what do you think he said to me?

(Chorus)
When you awake, you will remember ev'rything, you will be
Hangin' on a string, from your . . . when you believe, you will relieve the only soul
That you were born with to grow old and never know 

Ollie showed me the fork in the road.
You can take the left or go straight to the right,
Use your days and save your nights,
Careful where you step and watch wha-cha eat,
Sleep with the light on and you got it beat.

(Repeat Chorus)

Ollie warned me it's a mean old world. 
The street don't greet ya, yes, it's true;
But what am I supposed to do:
Read the writing on the wall,
I heard it when I was very small

(Repeat Chorus)

Wash my hand in lye water.  I've got a date with the
Captain's daughter.  You can go and tell your brother.  We sure gonna
Love one another, oh!  You
May be right and ya might be wrong, I ain't gonna worry all day long.
Snow's gonna come and the frost gonna bite, my old car froze
Up last night.  Ain't no reason to hang your head, I could wake up in the
Mornin' dead, oh!  And
If I thought it would do any good, I'd stand on the rock where Moses stood.
(Lyrics courtesy of Jan Hoiberg's Band page.)

Remembering Rick Danko: December 29, 1943 - December 10, 1999

I can't get over you, and the flame still burns . . .

The uncut version of "It Makes No Difference" from The Last Waltz.

Listen to more The Band at Wolfgang's Vault.

I'm an emotional person by nature; I'll cry at the drop of a hat or sentimental TV commercial.  It's one of the reasons I'm so drawn to music.  In a song, it's possible to express things that you could never say in plain language to someone's face without fear of rejection or embarrassment.

That being said, I've rarely really, truly lost it during a musical performance.  I'm usually too wrapped up in trying to commit everything to memory to allow myself full immersion in the moment.

That is, until the night I heard "It Makes No Difference" performed live by the Levon Helm Band.

This sadly incomplete video is from their appearance at the Horseshoe Casino's Bluesville venue on April 24 of this year.  When this song came up in the setlist, I was surprised by the emotion that swept over me; I was unable to restrain myself from crying openly.  (To the nice lady sitting next to me: I'm sorry if I freaked you out.)  Besides the fact that this was a very special show - Levon was playing for his hometown crowd, and literally sang his heart out that night - and that Amy Helm and Teresa Williams absolutely nailed this song, I never thought I would ever get to hear "It Makes No Difference" performed by any member of The Band live.  (I was lucky enough to meet Teresa afterwards and I told her my reaction to their performance.  Her eyes grew very large, and she took hold of my arm and with all sincerity said, "If I'd been in the audience, I would have lost it too."  I was lucky enough to meet Levon and several of the other musicians as well, but I'll save that story for later.)

This is hands-down my favorite Band song; I identify with it a little more deeply than I care to analyze or admit.  The Band weren't known for their love songs, so it was a bit of a departure for them.  Maybe that's part of the reason why this one is so special.  They really pulled out all the stops, from Garth's last-call saxophone to Robbie's stinging, sewing-needle guitar solo, and the beautiful cry in Levon's harmony vocals - much like the ones I heard him sing live that night.  All that, and then there are those poignant, poetic lyrics.

But what makes it and sells it is Rick's singing.  His was an unusual tenor - sometimes plaintive, as during "Unfaithful Servant"; sometimes goofy, as during his famous "Crazy Chester" verse from "The Weight."  He captured the feeling of schizophrenic terror in "Stage Fright" and the haunted, uncertain mood of "Caledonia Mission."  But as great as these and other performances of his are, this song sums up for me everything he was about.  With lyrics this transparently emotional, you've got to sing it like you mean it, or it will fall flat.  Rick sang this one like he'd lived it.  His sobbing, desperate vocal teeters dangerously on the edge; he sounds as if any moment he will come unhinged before our very eyes.

"It Makes No Difference" drags you to the brink of the abyss and forces you to look at rock-bottom.  It's not a pleasant sight - or sound., for that matter.  It captures perfectly that feeling of waking up bleary-eyed in the bleak a. m., having to remember all over again that he or she is gone, and feeling the sour swell of pain and knowing rise anew in your chest.  It's unabashed, it's unafraid.  In sum, it's everything that a truly great song should be.

Rick has been gone for 11 years now.  To paraphrase Sir Elton, I would have liked to have known him, but I was just a kid.  Yet I feel like I've gotten a glimpse of him through the musical legacy he left behind. His was a voice of many colors, and I believe that each shade reveals a different facet of his character. In other words, when Rick Danko sings, no matter what he's singing about, I believe him. That is the highest praise I could ever bestow upon any musician.

I also feel I've gained an understanding of Rick through Carol Caffin's fine blog, Sip The Wine.  She was Rick's friend and publicist for many years, and on her blog she generously shares stories, anecdotes, and observations about Rick.  If you want to know more about the man, there is no better source.

Rick Danko: Remembering Rick

Rick Danko: Rick Danko Dedication

Rick Danko: Rick Danko: The Crash Course

Rick Danko: Rick's Personality: Myth vs. Reality

See also Jan Hoiberg's Band site, which features Carol's biography of Rick and several of her BandBites articles - essential reading all. 

Since you've been gone, it's a losing battle

Stampeding cattle, they rattle the walls . . .

Couldn't have put it any better myself.  Ad courtesy of Jan Hoiberg's Band site. 

This week's musical miscellany

The legendary New Orleans band The Radiators are hanging up their rock and roll shoes after 33 years together, Keith Spera reported in Tuesday's Times-Picayune.  They will honor all currently scheduled gigs through next June, so catch 'em while you can!  I myself am looking forward to seeing them, the Honey Island Swamp Band, Papa Grows Funk, Jon Cleary, and the Rebirth Brass Band at Sunday's New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival on Oak Street in Carrollton.

Another musical event of note in the Big Easy this weekend is the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.  It's Sunday from 11-7 pm at the Old U.S. Mint on Esplanade.  Admission to both festivals is free.

In other NOLA music news, music journalist Alison Fensterstock sent out this tweet on Wednesday:

AlisonF_NOLA Alison Fensterstock 

We hear the Mother-In-Law Lounge is closing, again. Final garage sale scheduled for Dec. 4th and 5th.

10 Nov Favorite Retweet Reply

Very sad news indeed, as Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-Law Lounge is an irreplaceable New Orleans historical and cultural landmark.

I've been grooving lately to an advance copy of Gregg Allman's new album, Low Country Blues.    Produced by T Bone Burnett, it consists of 11 classic blues and soul covers and one original, "Just Another Rider," co-written with Warren Haynes.  I heard Allman perform this song live back in May at Bluesville at the Horseshoe Casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi.  Check it out:



The album is currently scheduled to drop on January 18, 2011, and is highly recommended.  I predict it will be another feather in T Bone's storied cap, and a triumph for Allman.

My friend Carol Caffin runs a beautiful blog dedicated to the memory of her friend, The Band's Rick Danko.  Here's Rick performing a bittersweet cover of the Grateful Dead song "Ripple," from his final solo album Times Like These.  He's joined on the track by fellow Band-mates Levon Helm and Garth Hudson.



Speaking of The Band, here's an interview with Robbie Robertson from the National Museum of the American Indian's blog.  Robertson is currently featured in their exhibition "Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture," and in the Q&A he discusses his Native American heritage and how it has influenced his music-making.

And one more Band-related item: Garth Hudson Presents A Canadian Celebration of The Band drops on November 16.  The album features such artists as Bruce Cockburn, the Cowboy Junkies, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Neil Young, and Garth plays keyboards on every track.  Sounds like a winner to me!

Though we celebrated Gram Parsons' birthday here last week, I wanted to share today's post from the fine LA-based music blog When You Awake on the story behind the song "Return of the Grievous Angel."

Finally, just for fun, courtesy of MOJO Magazine: How many Bob Dylan album covers can you name?  Try it - it's tougher than you'd think!