Malcolm Gauld
So, I’ve been getting emails and social media messages wondering if/when I’m going to post something about the passing of Robbie Robertson.
I have felt stuck because whenever I think about The Band, I see…well… the band. My perception does not break it down into component parts. There wasn’t a Jagger-esque front person. In fact, they may stand as the only band ever that boasted three singers capable of fronting any of the top bands of their era. I remember a rock critic observing that their uniqueness was rooted in the fact that the rhythm section was, in essence, the lead. (I even remember reading something in the Globe that likened their harmonious musicianship to the teamwork exhibited by the Boston Celtics of old. Putting aside the Globe’s legendary hometeam bias, I thought there was something to that characterization.)
A friend of mine recently put up a Facebook post asking people to write about moments when music had entered their lives and changed them forever. Here’s my response:
I’m standing in Belanger’s (a Bath record shop of old) as a Hyde sophomore in 1970, mesmerized by that sepia toned photo on the cover of The Band, their eponymous 2nd album. Didn’t know who they were then, but knew I had to have that album. The photo spoke to me. Got back to my room (Ah, The Beach Boys “In My Room”… I digress.), put needle to vinyl and out came the tortured vocals of Richard Manuel: “Standin’ by your window in pain, a pistol in your hand…”
I had 2 immediate reactions:
1) These are the same musicians who did “The Weight” on Easy Rider.
2) My future psyche is destined to be tied up with these guys for a very long time.
I have been obsessed ever since. In the late 70s, a buddy and I went on a lost weekend in upstate NY in search of the house where Big Pink was recorded. (That expedition failed, undoubtedly due to the other extra-curricular pursuits occupying my consciousness and too much of my time at that point in my life.) I tried again 35 years later — with more focus! — and found the place, delighted to see that it looks exactly the same. (See above)
Finally, (he says, cautiously), during the past decade, I have lost 3 critical people in my life: my bro-in-law, my son, and my father. During the memorial services for all three, we sang fully orchestrated versions of “The Weight.” I get to do the “Wait a minute, Chester…” verse. (That’s my jam!) Maybe somebody will do that for me someday. Hope so.
Hang in there, Garth. You may have been the most anonymous, but you know that the other four were in awe of your musicianship. They knew that you could have joined any of the finest symphonies in the world if you had so chosen. They were grateful that your choice was to be in… The Band.
Onward, Malcolm Gauld
PS: For more on Robbie Robertson, here’s the link to my 2016 review Testimony, his excellent autobiography: https://www.thoughtsoncharacter.com/read-testimony-by-robbie-robertson/
