In 1966, Bob Dylan was at the peak of his powers – he had just rejected protest music in favour of loud, bawdy rock n’ roll, he had released Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde in the space of a year and, supported by The Band, he had embarked on an amphetamine-fuelled world tour that made him the biggest pop-star in the world after the Beatles. Then disaster struck: Bob Dylan suffered a motorcycle accident and disappeared from the public eye without a trace. While the Summer of Love dawned, psychedelia reigned and Woodstock changed the world, Dylan was quietly recuperating from his injuries and writing new songs with the Band in a rented house in the wilds of New York State called Big Pink. After spending the summer writing and recording with Dylan, the band was hot property and their debut record, Music from Big Pink, certainly did not disappoint. In a market saturated with electric blues and psychedelia, the Band’s sound skewed instead toward American roots music and is often considered the birth of the Americana genre (which is ironic because every member the Band except drummer Levon Helm is Canadian). The swampy rhythms of the Band largely represented a fresh musical ideology that inspired a new era in rock music. After hearing Music From Big Pink, Eric Clapton was reportedly moved to quit Cream in pursuit of the more roots based style. George Harrison and Roger Waters were reportedly similarly inspired. Even Bob Dylan had abandoned many of his blues-rock adornments when he returned from hiatus. Stylistic elements aside, Music From Big Pink is supported by great songwriting. The Dylan contributions (Tears of Rage, This Wheel’s on Fire and the stunning album closer I Shall Be Released) cover of country staple Long Black Veil are great, but the Band’s own material, particularly their biggest hit The Weight, more than holds its ground in such esteemed company. Music from Big Pink transformed the Band from Dylan’s backing band to stars in their own right, its magic and mystique as powerful today as it ever was.
Pete Whelan 