I've just heard that Jaime "Robbie" Robertson, the legendary songwriter and guitarist of The Band has passed away at the age of 80. Robbie and The Band have meant so much to me since I first heard The Weight on a '60s compilation tape and wondered what this gorgeous, enigmatic music was. Robbie's greatest songs conjured up visions of misty mountain vistas and tough city streets, peopled by prospectors, hustlers, gamblers and lovers. His guitar-playing was subtle and masterful, blending rock 'n' roll grit with Soul slickness. As well as his sterling work with The Band and Bob Dylan, and his own solo career, Robbie was also a long-time musical collaborator with movie great Martin Scorsese, and also dabbled in acting himself. He was a wonderful raconteur and his eye-opening tales of the grimy ups and downs of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle were always fascinating but never judgemental.
He was truly a legend in the music business and will be greatly missed.
"I pulled into Nazareth, was feeling 'bout half past dead..."
RIP Jaime "Robbie" Robertson ( 5th July 1943 - 9th August 2023 )
Should you be interested in more of my thoughts on Robbie and The Band, you can find an old post from my 15 Albums blog here, where I witter on about The Band's classic second, self-titled album.
Sad news indeed. I have great affection for the Band as well and have a particular soft spot for Robbies 1987 self titled solo album. The single "Somewhere down the crazy river" was an underrated classic from that year, as was "Fallen Angel".
ReplyDeleteI remember Somewhere Down The Crazy River got loads of airplay on Radio 1 at the time, mostly from Simon Bates IIRC. I didn't know who Robertson was at the time but I really liked the song. It still sounds eerily atmospheric today, with the spoken-word parts highlighting Robbie's gravelly, laconic voice, while also tacitly acknowledging that he didn't have the most melodic singing voice. Apart from Fallen Angel ( about the late Richard Manuel, of course ), the rest of that solo album didn't live up to the single for me, swamped as it was by Daniel Lanois' production. I've also got Robbie's 2nd album, Storyville, but haven't played that in a long time.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently listening to the 50th-anniversary re-release of The Band's 3rd album, Stagefright, which sounds amazing: the re-master and re-ordering of tracks has turned a slightly underwhelming album into a real cracker. Well worth a listen if you haven't heard it.