Interesting to hear Robbie talking about his early playing style & how his ‘string bending’ was a new thing because of the old heavy gauge strings back then. I really enjoy listening to his interviews, he always explained things in a very calm & cogent way.
Rick, Richard & Levon. Three of the greatest most soulful singers of rock. All in one band. All gone. RIP boys. Deepest sympathy to Amy, Sandy, family and many friends.
Unpopular opinion: Robbie seems a decent guy and a great composer an Levon was just about the coolest human whom ever lived. All these fanboys bitching over shit that happened over 40 years ago! Just enjoy the music, because it will last forever
He is being interviewed, what do you expect him to say? He was a genius songwriter, I for one is very interested in what he has to say. Not taking anything away from the other members, love them all. Especially Robbie and Rick Danko.@@kevinjoseph517
Levon, your greatness as a singer, drummer and band leader is exceeded by no one, only by your authenticity and heart. The likes of you won't be seen around these or any other parts...
Levon was only the leader of The bandfor a short time, after the left Ronnie Hawkins, they were Levon and the Hawks. However, Levon was not really a leader according to Barney Hoskyns in his biography he says, Levon was not a decision maker. He also didn't trust lawyer, managers etc. so he couldn't deal with all that stuff that is necessary to keep a band going, so Robbie became the de facto leader.
I am glad to hear this, for Levon was always my favorite member. He had a style of drumming that no one has captured still today, and one note and you knew his voice.. Thanks for sharing this.
Robbie composed 95% of the Band songs. Apparently, he also helped finish Richard's and Levon's tunes, because he wanted his bandmates to help with the writing chores, and knew that Manuel's and Helm's tunes were well worth perfecting and including on Band albums. To all of the Robbie-bashers, vis a vis his songwriting: are any of you composers? If so, do any of you take the hours/day it takes just to hone your craft, let alone master it? It's well documented that Robbie basically took on th
To the helm family. I'm 55 yrs old and just now discovered levons talent . I ran across the live performance of dixie done back in 1976 or so . That performance made me tear up just listening to it . He sang it like it was his own personal experience. I'm a true fan from here on out .
I'm so sorry for your loss, Amy and Sandy. Levon was very much loved by both his families. You, and his devoted fans! We will never forget him as a person or as a real musician. Thank you for sharing him with us for all these wonderful years. Peace and love! That's the answer!
Love Robbie. People like to criticize him for his ego or the fact that he take a lot of pride in his role in The Band. When the truth is he was a capitalist and brought The Band to heights they thought were unimaginable. He's not my favorite member, but without him the band wouldn't be the same and their legacy wouldn't be as distinguished.
@@motherofbeagles8532. The main song writer deserves the publishing credit. What I have noticed other bands do is, on some songs, they include in the writing credits the names of all the band members. In this way, each member gets a small pension to survive on in later life. Though the other members did not write the melody, chord changes, and lyrics, their particular skill on their instrument formed the sound of their band. Once no longer a performing unit, the other members need some tables scraps to live on. Sadly, even this benefit gets sold off for a small lump sum, gets spent, and the artists get nothing. The artists’ excuse for selling their rights is that it is too hard to monitor the collection and distribution of the monies. Understandable. The New York lawyers make things difficult. Very few artists have any money. Only a select very few are wealthy. The artists’ body of work had brought us much pleasure. Too bad they got ripped off.
@IHIKML After The Band Robbie has devoted most of his attention to writing music for films. He has done an amazing body of work! He has done a lot of films for Scorcese.
while the rest of the Band continued on without him as Robbie was only a stepbrother. Inside big pink they had a typewriter on a table and when someone had a verse ,a thought, they would type it down that is a group effort. Dylan typed on it tooooo!
My My we got some angry folks on this feed! In regards to who wrote what and who should get credit - I'll chime in! Most artistic creations are collaborative efforts but who put the original pen to paper and put down the lyrics and notes is the song writer period ! - unless at the time it was discussed that for my collaboration - I would like to get co- writing credit because I contributed substantially to the actual song. If notes were changed, "orchestrations" were added, "let's add in a key change here" or "I think this song could use a funkier opening beat" that is under the producer and "orchestration" categories. Or that's my story you are telling. Never heard of Ringo or George coming back years later and saying because I did this or that in the sessions I should get song credit. Same thing in film - the most famous line in "Midnight Cowboy" is "I'm walking here!" which was not written in the script but ad-libbed by Dustin Hoffman - he didn't get writing credit! Ditto for the famous line "You talkin' to me?" was ad-libbed by DeNiro in Taxi Driver - no credit for him. I did a Broadway show that won a Tony Award for choreography - where the dancers did about 90% of the choreography! We got thanked on the award show - not for creating the steps but just for doing them! I've done commercials where I danced and made up the steps with no payment or credit UNTIL I spoke up and said No - I need compensation for this - AT THE TIME! It's always a fine line when there is creation among friends but that's why contracts are written up. Hopefully, instead of everyone bitching about it - something can be learned by it - at least for a future generation. I'm sorry that there was this discord between The Band members because I adored them - saw them twice live with Dylan and once after Robertson wasn't with them and I for one missed his presence even if he wasn't the stellar voice of the group. RIP to those in the Band who have left us.
I was in a bad auto wreck and was in a two month coma, I awoke ob New Years eve when the Band started playing the Last Waltz on TCM. They have always been one of my all time fav groups, but since then they have ment much much more, thank your father, may God welcome him home, we will miss him, he was special!!
Jamie Robbie Robertson .. I think that's his name on that LSD album "The Band" ...a record I bought at "Koby's" swap meet in San Diego CA back in like 1985... We all did acid then...surfed...and then one night a great film came on ..."Carny" and I realized the main character was the same cat on my wall ..."JR Robertson" ... And at the end of that film? As Robbie is yapping to Jodie Foster .... In the background...you see a giant sign that reads "TOO MUCH LSD" ... THANKS..
Robbie reminds me of Paul McCartney. He is always trying to take credit for the other band member inpput. Notice it is "i", "I". "i", in the interview.
Saw it posted on another comment post that Ms Sandy said that her Levon and Robbie made peace with each other not too long ago! Can't we let this non productive dialogue about who did what fade away...individually they were good to great musicians...together they were "the BAND" and they took me from childhood to manhood and beyond...
I believe it was a ' joint ' effort and u should remove definitely from the post as it is definitely your opinion. In my opinion Robbie was the stepbrother and weak link in the Band. They went on without him for decades....definitely!
@@McMurphyKirby Yes, but without much success to put it mildly. After Robbie left they became not much more than a decent cover band. No new songs without him...
@@MrRazorblade999 ... or, after Robbie left, he became paper in the wind. Couldn't even write a decent song, form a decent cover band or steal a Band song again. To put it mildly.
Everyone has their opinion of Robbie. Having read Levon's book I would say Robbie probably did some things he shouldn't. But let's face facts , The Band would not have been what they are without him. Greed and money can screw up most anything, but the music endures. Robbie was obviously the driving source behind the songwriting, but it's just hard to believe the other members didn't contribute enough to deserve songwriting credit. Levon by all appearances was a very decent man, honest and had integrity and from what I read in his book he never got over it. I would tend to believe Levon,
+Craig Maggard As much as I like Levon I don't really believe it because the band continued on as the band for 20 years without Robbie. Had they contributed as much as Levon said, they would have written lots more new material, but they didn't.
You're right, they did all deserve some credit. Robertson would never have written those songs if he was in any other group. The ideas for many of those songs came from stories Levon related to Robertson. Also, they each added their own unique flavoring to the compositions. It was a unique ensemble, in which all parties contributed a great deal.
Most songwriters peak at a certain period in their careers. After the band got back together in the 1980s they had passed that point and were at the stage of traveling around playing the songs that made them famous. They wrote a small handful of memorable tunes toward the end ("Jericho" and "Remedy" for example), but by then they had moved well past that creative period. Likewise, Robertson wrote very little memorable songs afterward. I can only remember a couple from his five solo albums.
Being from ARKANSAS myself,,but raised by Southern parents in Pennsylvania after age 5. I couldn't wait for one of those old Medicine Shows to come to our little town. My Dad loved to go hear the barker's SPEIL. My Mom & Dad never lost that ARKANSAS accent,,just like Levon's
@TheRandombk, As I stated, great guitar player, and if it weren't for him, don't know what the band would have had for songs. I just always got the impression he so wanted to be able to sing. Two outta three ain't bad :)
Well that pretty much settled it. No more Robertson, no more original songs. I enjoyed "Jericho" and "High On the Hog", but was dumbfounded that such great musicians were incapable of writing any of their own material.
Did Robbie write the horn arrangement in Chet Fever? I doubt it. Just one example. Or any of the brass arrangements for that matter. In fact, the organ intro (borrowing from Bach) was Garth's idea.
Anyone who wants songwriting credit for adding a brass part or the like would be wise to bring that up at the time. For instance, if you're Dave Grusin and Paul Simon wants you to make up horn parts for "Late In The Evening," or if you're Mike Leander and Paul McCartney wants you to make up string parts for "She's Leaving Home," _that's_ the time to say you want some of the songwriting money (which of course they didn't, because of course that's not how typical arranging deals work).
I don't think that's even the case. I don't recall ever hearing Dave Grusin or Mike Leander complain about anything. I think Levon just noticed when his money was finally gone, hey, my money's gone, I hate that, must not be my fault, let's see...
What is it with this constant need to be modest? Sometimes, when you've done it.. all you can say is.. I've done it. What's he meant to say? Why can't he be proud of his achievements?
"Guitar players were coming from all around just to hear this thing I was doing." Never knew Robbie was such a pioneering player. I like The Band, I have no position in the Robbie vs. Levon debate, and at 59 I'm a very keen student of many of the great and/or influential players.
Anyone know where the show where Robbie is. In a studio, explaining how the Band songs were constructed? I saw it a log tie ago, and can’t find it anywhere now. It might have been a series, because I saw Steven Page from BNL doing the same thing. If anyone could help me out, I’d appreciate your help.
Dear Friends, Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey. Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration... he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage... From his daughter Amy, and wife Sandy
This interview helps me understand why I found the Band's record's mystifying when I encountered them as a teenager. On the Beatles' records, I could hear who was doing what, but I initially found these songs impenetrable - and I kept waiting for the guitar solo, but Robbie wasn't doing that job.
I believed that we were talking about who wrote the lyrics of these songs, hence my insistence that it was Robbie and Richard that wrote most of their songs. If I was mistaken on what we were talking about then I apologize. I know that all members of the band contributed to each and every one of their songs musically. That is what made them such a great band. Once again, if I was wrong about what we were talking about, then I apologize.
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Canadian musician Robbie Robertson, first recorded by The Band in 1969 and released on their self-titled second album. Get your facts straight bud. Levon was great, he was my personal favourite member of The Band but it's just plain fact that Robbie wrote most of the songs and the ones he didn't were written by Richard Manuel.
He's a great guitarist and songwriter but he definitely could have handled his relations with the other guys in The Band. I think their better days were behind them by the time the Last Waltz and they really seemed to be phoning it in. It was a pity because they were a bellweather group in the last 50 years and still an influence to this day.
Robbie is a musician, he wanted to create good music, operative word being create. The Band didn’t stop playing great they just found they didnt want to play together. The music at that time put music credits to the lead of the band or the person that said they were the writer of the song and that’s just the way it was it’s not fair I’m not saying it’s fair but it is what it is and there’s a hell of a lot of musicians are That are still on that same system. Robbie didn’t steal from the band, agents do that.
Check out the documentary on Ginger Baker, he has much the same complaint about how drummers get screwed over. He said 'white room' was written in four four and was boring as hell, he gave it the swing, and didn't get any extra credit for it.
Point is, he was a *member* , yet he took full credit. His more current music speaks volumes that he hasn't the talent the rest of The Band had. Maybe people would like him if he didn't steal credit for other people's songs, and his 'performance' on The Last Waltz as he pretends to be leading the group and the way he edited it to make him front and center proves his character.
Christina T "yet he took full credit" Gee, that must be why Richard Manuel's "In A Station" is copyrighted in the name of Richard Manuel, for instance.
Christina T As for the allegation that Robbie's the kind of guy who would want to be a rock star, yes Robbie is that kind of guy, just like Jimi Hendrix, Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, etc. etc. etc. Also, this just in, Al Pacino is the kind of guy who would want to be in movies.
Robbie Robertson was playing rock guitar licks and runs before anyone. He had a rock sound in 1960-1961. The closest thing was blues licks like Freddie King. But Robbie pioneered rock guitar.
Thank you to all those in the comments who recognize what the rest of The Band contributed to their music, and not falling into the lie that Robertson this brilliant "songwriter" for The Band. Danko, Garth, Richard, and my uncle Levon did their parts best believe that! Thank you - From the Cagle/Helm family
Rick B Tired of people like you that dont get it. That's why I haven't replied to your comments further. Any member of The Band could have done what Robbie did, but he sold out before anyone else because everyone else was better than that. No shame in me saying that and my uncle wrote about it in his book if you didn't read it, you probably should. You have no idea who the "principal songwriter" was, idiot. Robertson took the money and ran, though he did very little musically.
Why is it a dumb comment. A you going too tell me Dylan didn't give em a kick start in thier career...I didnt say they wernt talented. But people act as if they were gods...Ask anyone under 45 who they were. Then go ask anyone who the who beatles kiss were..They had 2 good selling albums......Yes they were ok. But so was canned heat...Do you think delanie and Bonnie would be remembered w/o clapton joining...
He was early, if not first, to the game with pinch-harmonics and it was kind of a mystery technique for a while. Just another tool in the trick bag now but remember he's talking about before there was Guitar Player Magazine - or any of the others like it- before internet before MTV before all the portals that guitar information gushes out of now. There was a time when just hearing an electric guitar in person was a novelty and most music stores did not even have one.
Some people talk like that because they DON"T have much ego and are quite insecure. But its true, when we see musicians and people who accomplish a lot, most of us like to hear that they are humble. Bill Murray said it best about celebrity, you hae about two years to dial it back from being an asshole or its permanent. When you are only surrounded by people who talk about how great you are, well....
Robbie owes a great debt to Roy Buchanan for his guitar chops & tone. Robbie did put his time in and developed what was in a large part his own style. But c'mon Robbie...how can you not talk about Roy??
Everything is always Robbie when it comes to Robbie Robertson. He's completely full of himself and has proved what a narcissist he is over and over. This video is one of his denying too much moments. He is nothing without the Manuel, Garth, Levon and Hudson. His editing himself as the star, while his mic was turned off even, on The Last Waltz, shows what a fraud he is- he never did give the guys a cent from that film. Those weren't his songs that's why Broken Arrow is the best he could do afterwards- I'm sure I've seen little old ladies hum to it on elevators...
"Those weren't his songs...." Of course they were Robbie's songs. How about giving us some _plausible_ evidence for your conspiracy theory (and by that I don't mean, one time Levon said such-and-such, changing his story again).
+Christina T You clearly haven't listened to his 2 solo albums or you would know that they were outstanding. Songs greater than Broken Arrow exist, but you are not open. So, stop blaming.
+Laura Goldsmith I meant to write, his FIRST 2 solo albums. He wrote so well, sang so well, brought on great talent with him and collaborated so well, too.
Whom ever writes the melody and the lyrics gets the money...plain and simple. Ginger baker says the same thing.....but why didn't these guys say anything In 1968-1976...truth is the rest were not getting the big Chex in the mail 20 yrs later.Because of drugs booze or bad investments...
I'm glad that you can't accept that you're wrong and instead have to resort to claiming that you know members of The Band personally. I don't know you, and for all I know you might know them, or rather knew them, since the majority have passed, but you can't refute facts. The earth revolves around the sun. The Band fucking rocks. And yes, Robertson and Manuel, with all of their genius, were the two primary song writers for the band, despite what you think you may know.
Seems to me Levon Garth and Rick continued on for years playing the songs written by Robertson. As great musicians and singers they are, they never would have made the Hall of Fame without Robertson and he would not be where his without them. If they weren't so busy getting into car and motorcycle accidents and taking drugs perhaps they would have paid more attention to the royalties and still be alive!
Jerrold Langsner good call man howd you get so smart? seems to me that its a lot easier to judge and say what was done wrong long after all is said and done or something, huh?
"I'm inclined to believe someone who knew the Band and was actually there than some anonymous guy claiming he's someone's descendant." Me too and that's exactly why I don't give a shit what you or John Simon say because about my uncle because I know the real truth because he's my FAMILY and we all knew the band so believe all the crap you want, it does nothing but disrespect the rest of the band who were extremely talented musicians. They all contributed their parts but Robbie wasn't this brilliant songwriter you're portraying him to be.
Not biased at all, just know that my uncle was an honest man and idk these other people personally and the rest of the band agreed with my uncle about robbie, so I see no valid points of yours. You ignore the fact he won several grammies on his own without robertson's old lesbian looking ass. He was and is a sellout to the rest of the Band and everyone that knows anything about the Band
It doesn't matter who wrote the songs, each member of that band added something distinctive of their own to give life to the words. Who can say that Richard Manual's singing on "Whispering Pines" isn't what brought the sentiment of that song to it's fruition.....or Levon Helm on so many songs whose character remain distinctive today, the vocals and musicality as much as the words. No negating Garth's and Rick's presence as major contributions to the whole as well. No matter what the legality is of royalties for the writer of songs is, when to comes to the Band, they all are deserving when it comes down to the heart of the thing. Robertson now speaks of Helm as his brother, so if that's the case, why didn't he want to share with his brother? Personally, I can't stand listening to Robertson, he's always padding himself with his importance, never a hint of hesitance or self evaluation when telling of his deeds, but what really comes across behind the words is a totally self indulgent selfish bastard.
Yes im sure they all contributed to songs, who doesn't in group, but who writes the melody and lyrics gets the rights, Ginger Baker says the same thing with Cream...... But why didn't they say anything in 1968 to 1977...What happens is other guys go broke thru poor investments, drugs, divorces, they wake up and say hey im broke..But Robbie is still getting checks, Hes no dummy people, but what Imus said was way outta line..a thieving human being. I would have sued him for that....But Robbie is A class guy, IDC what people think.
ubeBrettu Robbie ripped them all off and when he dies they will have to take his band mates money out of his bank account to hire mourners and pallbearers
A good example of his "songwriting expertise" is how he took Levon Helm's reminisces of Levon Helm's stories of growing up in Arkansas listening to the tent road shows that would come to town, specifically the Medicine Show Helm would talk about and Robertson put lyrics to Helm's own stories and then takes full credit for the songwriting resulting in him screwing the other members out of any royalties.
Feel free to back up your statements and prove me wrong...Additionally, when all of those guys left Ronnie Hawkins, they flew under many many monikers, all of which were Levon Helm and The "pick something".......They knew Levon was the lead, the bandleader and the force. Everyone else was highly skilled, but they needed glue and that was Levon...if they didn't see it, they would have followed someone else or their own thing.
Levon wrote extensively in his book about how they all would write the songs collaboratively, with ideas and input from all the members, though Robbie was the primary lyricist. Then they were all shocked when they saw the one-sided publishing rights, and it led to the disintegration of the group's collaboriate creative process. So...are you saying that you know something Levon Helm didn't know about who wrote the songs? How interesting. Were you watching them write the songs? How do you know?
He really thinks he was that unique of a guitarist in the early 60s, but there were many... Bloomfield, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Clapton, Buchanan, and so many more famous players, and even more that never got famous.
I've followed LEVON's history for years being a ARKANSAS BOY myself. My Mom came from Parthenon,Ark My Dad from near Camden and I was born In FORDYCE. Spent many years in radio "from the beginning days of Rock--1958" my webpage is TheMojoMan*com
The thing I don't like about Robbie Robertson is the fact that when Levon Helm got cancer and was struggling financially Robbie had 400 million in the bank and didn't offer to help him financially as far as I know.. the rationale was that he claimed he wrote all the songs so he was entitled to all the royalties from the songs. So what? The guy is supposed to be your friend.. same thing happened with Barry Gordy the founder of Motown the guy is worth $500 million dollars and a lot of the guys who played in the studio who made those songs popular are struggling financially.. Gordy doesn't owe them any money but what the hell? Help them anyway.. people are so greedy..
Key phrase being "as far as I know." Levon was so bitter by that point, he probably would've thrown it back in his face. Also, no way Robbie had that much money. He sold everything to Iconoclast for $25 million.
![ได้ซะที! ชื่อBabyของเรา [cc] แดนแพทตี้ SS2 | EP.47 |](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4jrGByLm-Fw/mqdefault.jpg)
Interesting to hear Robbie talking about his early playing style & how his ‘string bending’ was a new thing because of the old heavy gauge strings back then. I really enjoy listening to his interviews, he always explained things in a very calm & cogent way.
Rick, Richard & Levon. Three of the greatest most soulful singers of rock. All in one band. All gone. RIP boys. Deepest sympathy to Amy, Sandy, family and many friends.
Unpopular opinion: Robbie seems a decent guy and a great composer an Levon was just about the coolest human whom ever lived.
All these fanboys bitching over shit that happened over 40 years ago! Just enjoy the music, because it will last forever
What, how dare you! Whaddwe gonna bitch about in comments sections!
RR is such a self promoter.
I AGREE!!! Embrace what they gave us and forget the bullshit
@Le Spam Are you really so gullible to think that the rest of the guys in the band let robbie screw them album after album ? I highly doubt that
He is being interviewed, what do you expect him to say? He was a genius songwriter, I for one is very interested in what he has to say. Not taking anything away from the other members, love them all. Especially Robbie and Rick Danko.@@kevinjoseph517
Robbie, you and the rest of The Band were fantastic. Loved your music.
@@CryptoGrizzly710 CCR, RS, Beatles, GD, JA.
I love Levon and the musical gift he left us. A musical genius that will live forever. RIP Levon.
Levon, your greatness as a singer, drummer and band leader is exceeded by no one, only by your authenticity and heart. The likes of you won't be seen around these or any other parts...
Levon was only the leader of The bandfor a short time, after the left Ronnie Hawkins, they were Levon and the Hawks. However, Levon was not really a leader according to Barney Hoskyns in his biography he says, Levon was not a decision maker. He also didn't trust lawyer, managers etc. so he couldn't deal with all that stuff that is necessary to keep a band going, so Robbie became the de facto leader.
Levon is the best drummer...like ever...and one of the most humble men
I am glad to hear this, for Levon was always my favorite member. He had a style of drumming that no one has captured still today, and one note and you knew his voice.. Thanks for sharing this.
Robbie composed 95% of the Band songs.
Apparently, he also helped finish Richard's and Levon's tunes, because he wanted his bandmates to help with the writing chores, and knew that Manuel's and Helm's tunes were well worth perfecting and including on Band albums.
To all of the Robbie-bashers, vis a vis his songwriting: are any of you composers? If so, do any of you take the hours/day it takes just to hone your craft, let alone master it?
It's well documented that Robbie basically took on th
Robbie is quite humble. What a modest guy.
To the helm family. I'm 55 yrs old and just now discovered levons talent . I ran across the live performance of dixie done back in 1976 or so . That performance made me tear up just listening to it . He sang it like it was his own personal experience. I'm a true fan from here on out .
I'm so sorry for your loss, Amy and Sandy. Levon was very much loved by both his families. You, and his devoted fans! We will never forget him as a person or as a real musician. Thank you for sharing him with us for all these wonderful years. Peace and love! That's the answer!
Love Robbie. People like to criticize him for his ego or the fact that he take a lot of pride in his role in The Band. When the truth is he was a capitalist and brought The Band to heights they thought were unimaginable. He's not my favorite member, but without him the band wouldn't be the same and their legacy wouldn't be as distinguished.
"without him the band wouldn't be the same" Without him we never would have heard of them.
He wrote the songs.......I love Levon , Rick etc....but without those amazing songs we would have never heard of any of them.......
You can't call somebody who is selling the fruits of his labour a capitalist! Liking money doesn't make you a capitalist.
@@motherofbeagles8532. The main song writer deserves the publishing credit. What I have noticed other bands do is, on some songs, they include in the writing credits the names of all the band members. In this way, each member gets a small pension to survive on in later life. Though the other members did not write the melody, chord changes, and lyrics, their particular skill on their instrument formed the sound of their band. Once no longer a performing unit, the other members need some tables scraps to live on. Sadly, even this benefit gets sold off for a small lump sum, gets spent, and the artists get nothing. The artists’ excuse for selling their rights is that it is too hard to monitor the collection and distribution of the monies. Understandable. The New York lawyers make things difficult. Very few artists have any money. Only a select very few are wealthy. The artists’ body of work had brought us much pleasure. Too bad they got ripped off.
@IHIKML After The Band Robbie has devoted most of his attention to writing music for films. He has done an amazing body of work! He has done a lot of films for Scorcese.
while the rest of the Band continued on without him as Robbie was only a stepbrother. Inside big pink they had a typewriter on a table and when someone had a verse ,a thought, they would type it down that is a group effort. Dylan typed on it tooooo!
My My we got some angry folks on this feed! In regards to who wrote what and who should get credit - I'll chime in! Most artistic creations are collaborative efforts but who put the original pen to paper and put down the lyrics and notes is the song writer period ! - unless at the time it was discussed that for my collaboration - I would like to get co- writing credit because I contributed substantially to the actual song. If notes were changed, "orchestrations" were added, "let's add in a key change here" or "I think this song could use a funkier opening beat" that is under the producer and "orchestration" categories. Or that's my story you are telling. Never heard of Ringo or George coming back years later and saying because I did this or that in the sessions I should get song credit. Same thing in film - the most famous line in "Midnight Cowboy" is "I'm walking here!" which was not written in the script but ad-libbed by Dustin Hoffman - he didn't get writing credit! Ditto for the famous line "You talkin' to me?" was ad-libbed by DeNiro in Taxi Driver - no credit for him. I did a Broadway show that won a Tony Award for choreography - where the dancers did about 90% of the choreography! We got thanked on the award show - not for creating the steps but just for doing them! I've done commercials where I danced and made up the steps with no payment or credit UNTIL I spoke up and said No - I need compensation for this - AT THE TIME! It's always a fine line when there is creation among friends but that's why contracts are written up. Hopefully, instead of everyone bitching about it - something can be learned by it - at least for a future generation. I'm sorry that there was this discord between The Band members because I adored them - saw them twice live with Dylan and once after Robertson wasn't with them and I for one missed his presence even if he wasn't the stellar voice of the group. RIP to those in the Band who have left us.
Um dos maiores guitarristas do mundo e responsável por tornar The Band conhecido e admirado. Obrigado Robbie.
Music from Big Pink is a wonderful recording. One of the best rock records.
He seems to have become more humble and likeable over time.
I was in a bad auto wreck and was in a two month coma, I awoke ob New Years eve when the Band started playing the Last Waltz on TCM. They have always been one of my all time fav groups, but since then they have ment much much more, thank your father, may God welcome him home, we will miss him, he was special!!
I caught your suggestion and just downloaded the book, thank you.
I heard Ronnie Hawkins got Roy Buchanan to come and teach Robbie how to play. Roy was a fabulous guitarist.
Robbie was an established guitarist that Hawkins sought out--he started playing at a young age.
@@martykate6836 Did you not listen to the interview?
Yeah. You don't hear Robbie crediting Roy much do you? I've only seen one clip where he talks about Roy and he scared the hell out him.
Robbie humble as always...
😆 😂 🤣 😸 🦆
Jamie Robbie Robertson .. I think that's his name on that LSD album "The Band" ...a record I bought at "Koby's" swap meet in San Diego CA back in like 1985... We all did acid then...surfed...and then one night a great film came on ..."Carny" and I realized the main character was the same cat on my wall ..."JR Robertson" ... And at the end of that film? As Robbie is yapping to Jodie Foster .... In the background...you see a giant sign that reads "TOO MUCH LSD" ... THANKS..
Robbie reminds me of Paul McCartney. He is always trying to take credit for the other band member inpput. Notice it is "i", "I". "i", in the interview.
Saw it posted on another comment post that Ms Sandy said that her Levon and Robbie made peace with each other not too long ago! Can't we let this non productive dialogue about who did what fade away...individually they were good to great musicians...together they were "the BAND" and they took me from childhood to manhood and beyond...
I think his wife said just the opposite
My opinion - I love you and The Band.
It's really amazing how many comments on Levon are on a RR Video
Levon is probably the best drummer and a nice guy overall he gave drummers and musicians a chance and good advice
Robbie was definitely their songwriter and visonary genius.
I believe it was a ' joint ' effort and u should remove definitely from the post as it is definitely your opinion. In my opinion Robbie was the stepbrother and weak link in the Band. They went on without him for decades....definitely!
@@McMurphyKirby Yes, but without much success to put it mildly. After Robbie left they became not much more than a decent cover band. No new songs without him...
@@MrRazorblade999 ... or, after Robbie left, he became paper in the wind. Couldn't even write a decent song, form a decent cover band or steal a Band song again. To put it mildly.
@@McMurphyKirby Nonsense. His solo albums are highly regarded and rightfully so.
@@MrRazorblade999 Nonsense!
Everyone has their opinion of Robbie. Having read Levon's book I would say Robbie probably did some things he shouldn't. But let's face facts , The Band would not have been what they are without him. Greed and money can screw up most anything, but the music endures. Robbie was obviously the driving source behind the songwriting, but it's just hard to believe the other members didn't contribute enough to deserve songwriting credit. Levon by all appearances was a very decent man, honest and had integrity and from what I read in his book he never got over it. I would tend to believe Levon,
+Craig Maggard As much as I like Levon I don't really believe it because the band continued on as the band for 20 years without Robbie. Had they contributed as much as Levon said, they would have written lots more new material, but they didn't.
+Craig Maggard
Does this really matter in 2016?
No.
You're right, they did all deserve some credit. Robertson would never have written those songs if he was in any other group. The ideas for many of those songs came from stories Levon related to Robertson. Also, they each added their own unique flavoring to the compositions. It was a unique ensemble, in which all parties contributed a great deal.
Most songwriters peak at a certain period in their careers. After the band got back together in the 1980s they had passed that point and were at the stage of traveling around playing the songs that made them famous. They wrote a small handful of memorable tunes toward the end ("Jericho" and "Remedy" for example), but by then they had moved well past that creative period. Likewise, Robertson wrote very little memorable songs afterward. I can only remember a couple from his five solo albums.
Thank you .....you are the welcome.........I will sure prayer for him. Richad and Rick will meet him in paradise....
You understand! You get it! Amen! RIP Levon, Richard and Rick.
Being from ARKANSAS myself,,but raised by Southern parents in Pennsylvania after age 5. I couldn't wait for one of those old Medicine Shows to come to our little town. My Dad loved to go hear the barker's SPEIL. My Mom & Dad never lost that ARKANSAS accent,,just like Levon's
@TheRandombk, As I stated, great guitar player, and if it weren't for him, don't know what the band would have had for songs. I just always got the impression he so wanted to be able to sing. Two outta three ain't bad :)
So it's a coincidence that after Robbie left the group, the songwriting well just dried up all by itself?
malbuff. Touche!!!!!
Well that pretty much settled it. No more Robertson, no more original songs. I enjoyed "Jericho" and "High On the Hog", but was dumbfounded that such great musicians were incapable of writing any of their own material.
@@Stephanjnj Or just BUYING it. Songwriters sell songs you know. I got one, its called 'sour grapes'.
John Simon, who dislikes Robbie for other reasons: "... its true, Robbie was the one who wrote the lyrics and wrote the music...."
Did Robbie write the horn arrangement in Chet Fever? I doubt it. Just one example. Or any of the brass arrangements for that matter. In fact, the organ intro (borrowing from Bach) was Garth's idea.
Anyone who wants songwriting credit for adding a brass part or the like would be wise to bring that up at the time. For instance, if you're Dave Grusin and Paul Simon wants you to make up horn parts for "Late In The Evening," or if you're Mike Leander and Paul McCartney wants you to make up string parts for "She's Leaving Home," _that's_ the time to say you want some of the songwriting money (which of course they didn't, because of course that's not how typical arranging deals work).
Joseph Scott
You're right, that would be the time to say so. Perhaps the members of the Band took too much for granted.
I don't think that's even the case. I don't recall ever hearing Dave Grusin or Mike Leander complain about anything. I think Levon just noticed when his money was finally gone, hey, my money's gone, I hate that, must not be my fault, let's see...
Brazilian Atlantis - The song is already written … they are/were purely augmenting it - & were probably well paid to do so.
His opening comment is very true.
bless you sandy and amy levon was the greatest love and peace j vincent edwards
R.I.P. Levon! We will miss you!!
People just come to a time, when it's over it's over,it's sad but true, sometimes it just happens
Yeah, you rite! 😊
there may be a reason no one plays like Robbie ....
What is it with this constant need to be modest?
Sometimes, when you've done it.. all you can say is.. I've done it.
What's he meant to say? Why can't he be proud of his achievements?
Exactly. Besides that, music is all about self-promotion. It is the nature of the business.
I heard his native american name means, "Snake in the grass"
"Guitar players were coming from all around just to hear this thing I was doing." Never knew Robbie was such a pioneering player. I like The Band, I have no position in the Robbie vs. Levon debate, and at 59 I'm a very keen student of many of the great and/or influential players.
His early guitar licks with Ronnie & the Hawks were certainly wild for the time. "Who Do You Love" c. 1963 sounds like a drunken brawl.
It made me cringe to read in Robbies book how much he admired himself
@@sammyscotch9945 what does that have to do with this thread u stupid jerk!!
In the infamous words of Jerry, "Be nice."
@punchyouintheneck He didn't have too. Robbie wrote the hits. How many songs did Levon write on his last two CDs?
Anyone know where the show where Robbie is. In a studio, explaining how the Band songs were constructed? I saw it a log tie ago, and can’t find it anywhere now. It might have been a series, because I saw Steven Page from BNL doing the same thing. If anyone could help me out, I’d appreciate your help.
Dear Friends,
Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey.
Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration... he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage...
From his daughter Amy, and wife Sandy
so right
I wonder what song and dance I have to do with rolling stone to hear the rest of this interview
This interview helps me understand why I found the Band's record's mystifying when I encountered them as a teenager. On the Beatles' records, I could hear who was doing what, but I initially found these songs impenetrable - and I kept waiting for the guitar solo, but Robbie wasn't doing that job.
I believed that we were talking about who wrote the lyrics of these songs, hence my insistence that it was Robbie and Richard that wrote most of their songs. If I was mistaken on what we were talking about then I apologize. I know that all members of the band contributed to each and every one of their songs musically. That is what made them such a great band. Once again, if I was wrong about what we were talking about, then I apologize.
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Canadian musician Robbie Robertson, first recorded by The Band in 1969 and released on their self-titled second album.
Get your facts straight bud. Levon was great, he was my personal favourite member of The Band but it's just plain fact that Robbie wrote most of the songs and the ones he didn't were written by Richard Manuel.
Kyle Holland - ☝️with the exception being Wheels On Fire 🔥 by Zimmy & Danko 😁
He's a great guitarist and songwriter but he definitely could have handled his relations with the other guys in The Band. I think their better days were behind them by the time the Last Waltz and they really seemed to be phoning it in. It was a pity because they were a bellweather group in the last 50 years and still an influence to this day.
Robbie is a musician, he wanted to create good music, operative word being create. The Band didn’t stop playing great they just found they didnt want to play together. The music at that time put music credits to the lead of the band or the person that said they were the writer of the song and that’s just the way it was it’s not fair I’m not saying it’s fair but it is what it is and there’s a hell of a lot of musicians are
That are still on that same system. Robbie didn’t steal from the band, agents do that.
Check out the documentary on Ginger Baker, he has much the same complaint about how drummers get screwed over. He said 'white room' was written in four four and was boring as hell, he gave it the swing, and didn't get any extra credit for it.
@@mikearchibald744 its called arrangement
@@tyrapp262 Technically I'm not sure of that. Arrangment involves 'developing' the structure, not redoing it.
@@mikearchibald744 right .. arrangement does not mean rewriting the song just enhancing it
He was a member of one of the greatest groups of all time.How can anybody even think of knocking him.Smacks of jealousy to me.Jim.Liverpool.
Point is, he was a *member* , yet he took full credit. His more current music speaks volumes that he hasn't the talent the rest of The Band had. Maybe people would like him if he didn't steal credit for other people's songs, and his 'performance' on The Last Waltz as he pretends to be leading the group and the way he edited it to make him front and center proves his character.
Christina T "yet he took full credit" Gee, that must be why Richard Manuel's "In A Station" is copyrighted in the name of Richard Manuel, for instance.
Christina T As for the allegation that Robbie's the kind of guy who would want to be a rock star, yes Robbie is that kind of guy, just like Jimi Hendrix, Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, etc. etc. etc. Also, this just in, Al Pacino is the kind of guy who would want to be in movies.
Christina T "pretends to be leading the group" Like when Pete Townshend pretends to lead The Who.
Are you fucking serious? You can't even use basic logic- GTFOH!
Things change Robbie. Embrace it,
Humble....
A nother nine year overnight success... Tell 'em Robbie!
Robbie Robertson was playing rock guitar licks and runs before anyone. He had a rock sound in 1960-1961. The closest thing was blues licks like Freddie King. But Robbie pioneered rock guitar.
Robbie completely held on to his Canadian accent.
Thank you to all those in the comments who recognize what the rest of The Band contributed to their music, and not falling into the lie that Robertson this brilliant "songwriter" for The Band. Danko, Garth, Richard, and my uncle Levon did their parts best believe that! Thank you - From the Cagle/Helm family
Rick B Tired of people like you that dont get it. That's why I haven't replied to your comments further. Any member of The Band could have done what Robbie did, but he sold out before anyone else because everyone else was better than that. No shame in me saying that and my uncle wrote about it in his book if you didn't read it, you probably should. You have no idea who the "principal songwriter" was, idiot. Robertson took the money and ran, though he did very little musically.
You're so wrong I won't touch your comment 😂 open your mind a little, man.
They would still be playing bars if bob Dylan hadn't hired them.Come on thier good musicians but big pink was thier only big album..
ubeBrettu that's a dumb comment. The Band is a classic album, as well.
Why is it a dumb comment. A you going too tell me Dylan didn't give em a kick start in thier career...I didnt say they wernt talented. But people act as if they were gods...Ask anyone under 45 who they were. Then go ask anyone who the who beatles kiss were..They had 2 good selling albums......Yes they were ok. But so was canned heat...Do you think delanie and Bonnie would be remembered w/o clapton joining...
He was early, if not first, to the game with pinch-harmonics and it was kind of a mystery technique for a while. Just another tool in the trick bag now but remember he's talking about before there was Guitar Player Magazine - or any of the others like it- before internet before MTV before all the portals that guitar information gushes out of now. There was a time when just hearing an electric guitar in person was a novelty and most music stores did not even have one.
Ah, Roy Buchanan was brought in to mentor Robbie as he was being moved from bass to lead. Roy had that down long before Robbie copped it.
Drugs can steal your soul. Powdered drugs
Once the damage is done it is hard to get back..
Every (b)and has a Robbie.
Apparantly Genesis to their final days always shared songwriting credits except for one album back in the seventies.
yes every band that is famous has a songwriter
Ty Rapp no shit, Sherlock. It was a play on words.
Ty Rapp That’s not what I meant. But I know for certain that every comment section has some dick like you.
That sound you produced was all your own. Thank you Robbie.
Regardless of the past, Robbie certainly has himself quite the ego.
I did not know how big an ego until I read his book Testimony. Hes quite impressed w himself
Some people talk like that because they DON"T have much ego and are quite insecure. But its true, when we see musicians and people who accomplish a lot, most of us like to hear that they are humble. Bill Murray said it best about celebrity, you hae about two years to dial it back from being an asshole or its permanent. When you are only surrounded by people who talk about how great you are, well....
I find it quite funny, he must be so content with his own presence. He really loves himself😂
frippish
What Does Ringo think about all of this ?
If you crossed Robbie Robertson with Jeff Goldblum, ..... uh....no.... AHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Robbie owes a great debt to Roy Buchanan for his guitar chops & tone. Robbie did put his time in and developed what was in a large part his own style. But c'mon Robbie...how can you not talk about Roy??
Everything is always Robbie when it comes to Robbie Robertson. He's completely full of himself and has proved what a narcissist he is over and over. This video is one of his denying too much moments. He is nothing without the Manuel, Garth, Levon and Hudson. His editing himself as the star, while his mic was turned off even, on The Last Waltz, shows what a fraud he is- he never did give the guys a cent from that film.
Those weren't his songs that's why Broken Arrow is the best he could do afterwards- I'm sure I've seen little old ladies hum to it on elevators...
"Those weren't his songs...." Of course they were Robbie's songs. How about giving us some _plausible_ evidence for your conspiracy theory (and by that I don't mean, one time Levon said such-and-such, changing his story again).
+Christina T You clearly haven't listened to his 2 solo albums or you would know that they were outstanding. Songs greater than Broken Arrow exist, but you are not open. So, stop blaming.
+Laura Goldsmith I meant to write, his FIRST 2 solo albums. He wrote so well, sang so well, brought on great talent with him and collaborated so well, too.
Face it, ALL guitar players rip riffs off of other guitar players.
And I take it they just decided to stop writing songs after 1978. C'mon, man!
If you just read This Wheel's on Fire, you're only getting Levon's point of view. Across the Great Divide by Barney Hoskyns is a lot more balanced.
Whom ever writes the melody and the lyrics gets the money...plain and simple. Ginger baker says the same thing.....but why didn't these guys say anything In 1968-1976...truth is the rest were not getting the big Chex in the mail 20 yrs later.Because of drugs booze or bad investments...
That's not Robertson's fault...and I think Imus had no rite to say the things he said about when robbie visited levon on his death bed....
ODO Yipper - Yep 👍 It’s a great read❕
I'm glad that you can't accept that you're wrong and instead have to resort to claiming that you know members of The Band personally. I don't know you, and for all I know you might know them, or rather knew them, since the majority have passed, but you can't refute facts.
The earth revolves around the sun.
The Band fucking rocks.
And yes, Robertson and Manuel, with all of their genius, were the two primary song writers for the band, despite what you think you may know.
I do like Robbie Buuut no body was bending strings back then gotta say there is a long list of bluesmen who would beg to differ
Seems to me Levon Garth and Rick continued on for years playing the songs written by Robertson. As great musicians and
singers they are, they never would have made the Hall of Fame without Robertson and he would not be where his without them.
If they weren't so busy getting into car and motorcycle accidents and taking drugs perhaps they would have paid more attention
to the royalties and still be alive!
Jerrold Langsner good call man howd you get so smart? seems to me that its a lot easier to judge and say what was done wrong long after all is said and done or something, huh?
"I'm inclined to believe someone who knew the Band and was actually there than some anonymous guy claiming he's someone's descendant."
Me too and that's exactly why I don't give a shit what you or John Simon say because about my uncle because I know the real truth because he's my FAMILY and we all knew the band so believe all the crap you want, it does nothing but disrespect the rest of the band who were extremely talented musicians. They all contributed their parts but Robbie wasn't this brilliant songwriter you're portraying him to be.
And why would I believe my uncle's neighbor instead of my uncle himself LOL
Not biased at all, just know that my uncle was an honest man and idk these other people personally and the rest of the band agreed with my uncle about robbie, so I see no valid points of yours. You ignore the fact he won several grammies on his own without robertson's old lesbian looking ass. He was and is a sellout to the rest of the Band and everyone that knows anything about the Band
You just don't get it bud. Maybe if you look into it further or actually knew the Band you would but until then, enjoy the blissfulness of ignorance.
Robbie sounds a lot like his fellow Canadian Alex Lifeson?
i'm closer to the people than you know.
Yeah, you swindled your way in, and you swindled your way out.
right, because it's all about money.
he was being sarcastic
It doesn't matter who wrote the songs, each member of that band added something distinctive of their own to give life to the words. Who can say that Richard Manual's singing on "Whispering Pines" isn't what brought the sentiment of that song to it's fruition.....or Levon Helm on so many songs whose character remain distinctive today, the vocals and musicality as much as the words. No negating Garth's and Rick's presence as major contributions to the whole as well. No matter what the legality is of royalties for the writer of songs is, when to comes to the Band, they all are deserving when it comes down to the heart of the thing. Robertson now speaks of Helm as his brother, so if that's the case, why didn't he want to share with his brother? Personally, I can't stand listening to Robertson, he's always padding himself with his importance, never a hint of hesitance or self evaluation when telling of his deeds, but what really comes across behind the words is a totally self indulgent selfish bastard.
Manuel cowrote Whispering Pines .. he is on the credits. comment only when u know what you talkin bout otherwise ... stfu.
@dmvhon Lol wouldn't you want to play the songs you wrote? I mean come on. He did suck, but he did have a talent at guitar and songwriting.
Funny ... The Band never speaks about how Walter "Heavy" Andrews, Ronnie "The Hawk" Hawkins and Steve Thomson put it all together ...
You're not listening...
Yes im sure they all contributed to songs, who doesn't in group, but who writes the melody and lyrics gets the rights, Ginger Baker says the same thing with Cream...... But why didn't they say anything in 1968 to 1977...What happens is other guys go broke thru poor investments, drugs, divorces, they wake up and say hey im broke..But Robbie is still getting checks, Hes no dummy people, but what Imus said was way outta line..a thieving human being. I would have sued him for that....But Robbie is A class guy, IDC what people think.
ubeBrettu Robbie ripped them all off and when he dies they will have to take his band mates money out of his bank account to hire mourners and pallbearers
@@jimmydavenport7664 u dont know s h i t.
He reminds me of Jeff Goldblum.
Funny j goldlum- kinda
A good example of his "songwriting expertise" is how he took Levon Helm's reminisces of Levon Helm's stories of growing up in Arkansas listening to the tent road shows that would come to town, specifically the Medicine Show Helm would talk about and Robertson put lyrics to Helm's own stories and then takes full credit for the songwriting resulting in him screwing the other members out of any royalties.
Honestly, Ive tried, He's a great song writer, Seems to be a pretty good musician, Even a decent guy. I just don't like him? Can't even tell you why?
Quibb - It doesn’t matter…🤷🏻♂️
@doctorchud1 Yeah sure! LOL!
Feel free to back up your statements and prove me wrong...Additionally, when all of those guys left Ronnie Hawkins, they flew under many many monikers, all of which were Levon Helm and The "pick something".......They knew Levon was the lead, the bandleader and the force. Everyone else was highly skilled, but they needed glue and that was Levon...if they didn't see it, they would have followed someone else or their own thing.
@Dave897456 He has devoted his life to writing crap for films you mean? Where have you been, in a coma????
If Levon was such a genius songwriter why didn't he continue to write brilliant songs after Robertson left The Band?
That's mean.
hilarious
Levon wrote extensively in his book about how they all would write the songs collaboratively, with ideas and input from all the members, though Robbie was the primary lyricist. Then they were all shocked when they saw the one-sided publishing rights, and it led to the disintegration of the group's collaboriate creative process.
So...are you saying that you know something Levon Helm didn't know about who wrote the songs? How interesting. Were you watching them write the songs? How do you know?
@Freethinker12341 Like Jesus?
He really thinks he was that unique of a guitarist in the early 60s, but there were many... Bloomfield, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Clapton, Buchanan, and so many more famous players, and even more that never got famous.
because of deadly habits
I've followed LEVON's history for years being a ARKANSAS BOY myself. My Mom came from Parthenon,Ark My Dad from near Camden and I was born In FORDYCE. Spent many years in radio "from the beginning days of Rock--1958" my webpage is
TheMojoMan*com
The thing I don't like about Robbie Robertson is the fact that when Levon Helm got cancer and was struggling financially Robbie had 400 million in the bank and didn't offer to help him financially as far as I know.. the rationale was that he claimed he wrote all the songs so he was entitled to all the royalties from the songs. So what? The guy is supposed to be your friend.. same thing happened with Barry Gordy the founder of Motown the guy is worth $500 million dollars and a lot of the guys who played in the studio who made those songs popular are struggling financially.. Gordy doesn't owe them any money but what the hell? Help them anyway.. people are so greedy..
Key phrase being "as far as I know." Levon was so bitter by that point, he probably would've thrown it back in his face.
Also, no way Robbie had that much money. He sold everything to Iconoclast for $25 million.
The ego has landed
Modest?...Maybe he should have payed Levon what he owed him?Or at least pay his family.