Discography / The Band
The Band
Released September 22, 1969, on Capitol Records. Self-produced with John Simon. Recorded primarily at a converted pool house at 8850 Evanview Drive in the Hollywood Hills, a home previously owned by Judy Garland, Wally Cox, and, at the time of the sessions, Sammy Davis Jr., with three final tracks finished at the Hit Factory in New York. Also known among fans as the Brown Album, for its sepia cover. The full story is covered in The Band (1969); this page covers the record itself.
Track listing
| Side | Track | Writer(s) | Lead vocal |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Across the Great Divide | Robbie Robertson | Manuel |
| A | Rag Mama Rag | Robbie Robertson | Helm |
| A | The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down | Robbie Robertson | Helm |
| A | When You Awake | Robertson, Manuel | Danko |
| A | Up on Cripple Creek | Robbie Robertson | Helm |
| A | Whispering Pines | Robertson, Manuel | Helm, Manuel |
| B | Jemima Surrender | Robertson, Helm | Helm |
| B | Rockin' Chair | Robbie Robertson | Helm, Manuel |
| B | Look Out Cleveland | Robbie Robertson | Danko |
| B | Jawbone | Robertson, Manuel | Manuel |
| B | The Unfaithful Servant | Robbie Robertson | Danko |
| B | King Harvest (Has Surely Come) | Robbie Robertson | Helm, Manuel |
A thirteenth track, "Get Up Jake," was recorded during the same sessions and cut at the last minute, either for space or because it felt too close to another song on the record. It later surfaced as a B-side and on reissues.
Personnel
- Rick Danko: bass, violin, trombone, vocals
- Levon Helm: drums, mandolin, guitar, vocals
- Garth Hudson: organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, saxophones, slide trumpet
- Richard Manuel: piano, drums, baritone saxophone, vocals
- Robbie Robertson: guitar, vocals
Chart performance
Peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 in Canada, the group's best-ever chart placement at home. "Up on Cripple Creek," released as a single that November, reached No. 25 on the Hot 100, the highest any Band single ever charted, and No. 16 in the UK for "Rag Mama Rag." Went gold.
Critical standing
Ranked No. 45 on Rolling Stone's 2003 and 2012 lists of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, No. 57 in the 2020 revision. Entered the National Recording Registry in 2009. Won the jury's Heritage Prize at the 2017 Polaris Music Prize. Robert Christgau, who'd disliked the debut, called this one an A-plus record and named it the fourth-best album of 1969, ahead of the Beatles' Abbey Road, which came out four days later.
Packaging
No band name on the cover, a sepia-toned photograph, and lyrics from a 1917 standard, "The Darktown Strutters' Ball" by Shelton Brooks, printed on the back sleeve by permission of the publisher.