1. theatlantic:

    Levon Helm Was Perfect

    Levon Helm wasn’t a flashy player, merely a perfect one. The best musicians often give the impression that they make music conform to their own rules rather than the other way around, bending it to their will and converting the counterintuitive into the suddenly obvious. Watch this incredible performance of Van Morrison’s “Caravan” and pay attention to what happens at around 0:17: The Band start the song just a bit too fast, and three bars in Levon slows the entire thing down, in the blink of an eye, like an expert jockey atop a world-class thoroughbred. By conventional rule, spontaneously slowing down or speeding up a song is a cliché of bad music-making, but here it works. And of course the tempo he slows it to is exquisitely, achingly right.

    It wasn’t all mysticism, of course. He was a technically monstrous player of unsurpassed versatility, one who could turn challenging music into something that sounded effortless. Other great bands have played difficult material, but on Steely Dan records the music sounds hard, wearing complexity on its sleeve with a sort of punk defiance. The Band’s “Jawbone” goes through more meters than Con Edison but sounds utterly natural: The Carter Family at a cookout with mid-’60s Miles Davis, everyone getting along, Levon working the grill.

    He could sing a little, too. For all of his prowess at the drums, most of the world will remember Levon Helm as the voice of “Ophelia,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” The Band boasted an embarrassment of vocal riches, and while Levon lacked the extraordinary expressive range of Rick Danko and Richard Manuel, his may have been the most indelible sound of the three. Listening to that worn and cozy voice was like being told a story around a campfire, after the humidity has broken and the mosquitoes have gone to sleep. Come upon “The Weight” on the radio at the right moment, and the entire world stands still.

    Read more.

Notes

  1. ianhawkins reblogged this from theatlantic
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  5. oddworldoldworld reblogged this from theatlantic
  6. pinkcollarproselyte reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    I just listened to The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Like four times. And cried for those poor confederates.
  7. kimgeralds reblogged this from theatlantic
  8. musichistorian reblogged this from theatlantic
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  13. andywellis reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    Levon was the man, sad to see him go.
  14. sandracarvalho reblogged this from theatlantic
  15. liquidchroma reblogged this from bigcrush
  16. rhm2k reblogged this from theatlantic
  17. pandamans reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    Nice backhand to steely.
  18. aroguesgallery reblogged this from theatlantic
  19. rahadyansastrowardoyo reblogged this from theatlantic
  20. henriettepower reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    Yes: “Come upon “The Weight” on the radio at the right moment, and the entire world stands still.”
  21. teachu reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    :) I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
  22. ryeino reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    Mmmmmm..
  23. lesdrugs reblogged this from fromshannon
  24. tulipsandteapots reblogged this from theatlantic
  25. markcowlinpictures reblogged this from theatlantic
  26. music4robots reblogged this from bigcrush and added:
    I don’t know… that sweaty little leprechaun has serious, serious chops, but I think the night belongs to Danko on Stage...