Music from Big Pink was the debut studio album by The Band. Released this month in 1968 — 46 years ago — it employs a blend of country, rock, folk, classical, R&B and soul. The music was composed partly in Big Pink, a house shared by Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, New York. The album itself was recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles in 1968, and followed the bands backing of Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour (as The Hawks) and time spent together in upstate New York recording material that was officially released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes, also with Dylan. The laid-back feel of the album attracted the attention of other major artists. For example, Eric Clapton cites the albums roots rock style as what convinced him to quit Cream, and pursue the styles of Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie, Derek and the Dominos and his debut album. George Harrison was also impressed by the albums musicianship and sense of camaraderie, and Roger Waters has called it the second most influential record in the history of rock and roll after Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and that it affected Pink Floyd deeply, deeply, deeply. The original LP record issue included a gatefold cover in 1968, duplicated 40 years later in 2008 as a remastered 180 gm LP. On compact disc, it was remastered as a gold CD in 1989, as a DVD-audio in 2001, and as a remastered numbered edition SACD in 2009. On August 29, 2000, it was reissued by EMI Records as a standard compact disc with nine bonus tracks as listed below. Big Pink is located at 56 Parnassus Lane (formerly 2188 Stoll Road). The house was built by Ottmar Gramms, who bought the land in 1952. The house was newly built when Rick Danko, who was collaborating with Bob Dylan at the time, found it as a rental. It was to this house that Bob Dylan would eventually retreat to write songs, play them and experiment with other songs, in its large basement. The two-track recordings made by them, as a sort of audio sketch book, in the basement itself, came to be known as The Basement Tapes. These tapes were circulated among other musicians at the time, and hits were made of Too Much of Nothing and Mighty Quinn as recordings by other artists, Peter, Paul and Mary and Manfred Mann respectively. The house became known locally as Big Pink for its pink siding. Members of Dylans band (with Dylan himself writing one and co-writing two) wrote most of the songs on Music from Big Pink at or around the house, and the band then adopted the name The Band. The cover illustration for the album is by Dylan. The house was sold by Mr. Gramms in 1977 to M. Amitin, who rented the house to Parnassus Records, a label specializing in classical music which used the basement as its headquarters. In 1998, Amitin sold the house to Don and Sue LaSala, who maintain the house as a private residence and keep the creative tradition alive by creating music in the basement with friends from the Woodstock area and beyond. Photo of Big Pink in 2011 by Frank Beacham - All notes by the incredibly informative and helpful Frank Beacham - Thanks Frank! This is a historic date in Rock N Roll history as Frank says - Music From Big Pink was released this month in 1968 - a pioneering work that influenced many musicians as Frank relates - God Bless The Band (and Bob!)
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 05:21:51 +0000
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