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Take on The Last Waltz:
I'm working on some reviews for the Last Waltz, I bought the new enhanced
DVD, here it is, I hope you don't mind the length. This is geared
for a BLOG or Amazon. Although I never saw the Band live, I was able to
catch a lot of national acts in and around D.C., which is where I spent a lot of
time and where my family settled. We used to live in Oakland and Seattle
but ended up in Virginia. Virginia's Okay, D.C. was a real hoot back in
the late 60's and up until the mid 70's then it began to sprawl and hasn't
stopped yet. I left and settled in the countryside. Anyway here's my
take on the Band's Last Waltz.
First off let me say this. The Last Waltz enhanced version DVD is everything a
Band DVD probably should be, high quality, a bunch of features, and is a snap
shot of a time long ago in many minds and unknown to many more. We (the
consumer) are indebted to the producers of the enhanced product. The DVD
is well worth the price, is a historical document, and again is top-shelf.
Thank you…. Now on to my review… To have been a part of that era,
films like this certainly document the fact that the 60’s really didn’t end
until 1974 or 1975, perhaps1976. The Sunset Strip scene had moved on,
Haight-Ashbury was over, but as a whole there was quite a bit of the 60’sleft,
the inertia of the period spilled over into the 70’s. When the pivotal
recording groups started breaking up and icon’s started dying, people began to
realize that there was a change occurring. In the halcyon days of the
‘60s, perhaps we didn’t recognize what change really was (we were young),
but after the death of the big-3 (Joplin, Morrison, Hendrix) and the Beatles’
breakup, what else could happen? Dylan was hiding out, Duane Allman was gone,
and Berry Oakley by this point had also passed. CSN&Y couldn’t get
along anymore. Musically all the heroes of the counter-culture were
fading, or had broken up and moved along. The Stone’s and Led Zeppelin
(recognized as a 70’s band) were still touring (they ALWAYS did). The era was
drying up, withering. People who migrated to the happening spots on the
map were returning to their homes throughout America to live out their lives in
mediocrity. It’s weird to think of those times in retrospect, Scorsese may
have captured the last chapter of the 60’s in The Last Waltz. In the
movie “Woodstock” the Hendrix scene looks like a prophetic means to the end.
While “Woodstock” in general, and the Star Spangled Banner scene in
particular; showed America ‘s flower people at the beginning of the end,
Robertson, alludes to a like similarity in reference to Band’s Last
Performance or as he put it “The Last Waltz.” Scorsese beautifully
captures the capitulation of just one of the remaining symbols of the 60’s
music scene. Looking back at a musical who’s-who list, the Band in all
probability didn’t hold a pinnacle position, but they were very prominent and
influential among musicians and listeners alike. Martin Scorsese's upgraded and
enhanced Version of The Last Waltz, showed several things that stuck out, and
subsequently started questions rolling in my mind. First (and these might
not be important to some), how much bass did Rick Danko actually play? He
is obviously not playing on the Clapton section; there is no way his notes
correspond with what is actually being heard. In fact the bass lines being
played are so similar to Carl Radle's style that, hark, Carl Radle must have
been back stage playing the Fender Electric Bass. Okay – so I start
watching Danko's fingering, slip-sliding around on the fret board, he's not
playing! Slip sliding hand movements don’t sound like articulated notes.
I think he's faking it! Quite a bit, in a number of places. There
must have been a double, backstage. Why? Danko was certainly a proficient
bassist! Another point is that Danko is playing a Gibson Ripper Bass,
which doesn’t sound like a Fender Jazz Bass, yet I’m hearing a Fender Bass,
I could be wrong, but the Clapton segment I would bet money that Danko is NOT
playing the bass part. Hmmm Scorsese may have taken some liberties with
the editing. Or, Danko is not playing all of the bass all of the time. I
find it odd, as an inconsistency within the event. Even more so, I was
actually surprised that the Band would allow or stoop to such shenanigans.
But perhaps it was conditional to Clapton’s appearance that Radle would
handle the bass chores and not Danko. Was Radle on stage, or back stage?
Scorsese doesn’t pan the cameras and reveal an answer. Alas, Clapton's bassist
Carl Radle shows up at the end playing Bass on an extended jam. Tulsa-born
Carl Radle was a bassist in a class by himself, and enjoyed a long association
with the rock genre and was a seasoned veteran of stage and studio. Carl
Radle played on many pivotal recording of the period, George Harrison’s All
Things Must Pass, and Bangaladesh. Many Leon Russell releases, early J.J.
Cale and of course Clapton; the Layla album being one of the best examples
of Radle’s talent. I underscore the importance of Radle at the event,
and wonder if he played a more significant role than would generally be
supposed? Additionally, Robertson hacks out a lame solo in response to
Clapton’s wizardry. Robertson’s guitar“ formula” certainly worked
in the context of the Band, but “a man’s gots-ta know his limitations!”
If anything, Robertson’s response to Clapton’s call showcased
Robertson’s narrow guitar vocabulary. Which really should bring out the
fact that Hudson and Helm were the backbone, and the heart of the Band, but were
never given the full acknowledgment of their rightful place in annals of rock
history, musicologist would argue, but the press places (as does Scorsese) the
import on Robertson. Perhaps Robertson had that effect on people. The cocaine
booger hanging on to Neil Young’s nose hair is particularly impressive, as is
the illegal smile, which couldn’t have been wiped of his face with a belt
sander. If Clapton’s piece wasn’t trampled on by Robertson’s attempts at
matching guitar solos, it would have been a high point, however, since Robertson
felt the need to interfere with mastery, I would have to point towards Dr.
John’s “What a Night” as dynamite. Watching Dr. John play the piano was
observing virtuosity. Smooth, precise, the maestro! Joni Mitchell was
deeply into the jazzy side of things at this point in her illustrious career and
whips out a number that totally out of context with the associated R & B of
the evening, while she was into pouring her little ‘ol heart out and exposing
here inner most being, it’s obvious that she was boring the Band (Robertson
was politely smiling), it is amusing to watch Danko checking out Mitchell’s
hindquarters during the number. Garth Hudson is working some magic on the
synthesizer waveforms accompanying Mitchell, and she giggles at the ability of
Hudson to add very interesting keyboard lines and textures. Garth Hudson
saves the number. The guests are great; why Neil Diamond was there I can only
wonder, but his demeanor and look in that Robins-egg-blue polyester outfit came
across like an Elvis; it’s oh so demi-gawd-awful. Van Morrison is
charged-up and looking svelte, it also obvious that Neil Diamond and Van
Morrison shop off the same clothes rack. The Staples were absolutely fantastic;
their segment was produced in the studio and edited into the production, as was
Emmy Lou Harris. The Dylan sighting produced a lot of hype, three songs, none
recorded with the Band. The old man could have at least belted out
“Maggie’s Farm” or “Like a Rolling Stone,” or some number that showed
association and was something that the Band had actually recorded with him.
While Dylan, it may be argued was instrumental in bringing the Band out to
the public, the Band also kept Dylan’s career moving through sheer
musicianship during the Woodstock years. Dylan was much better in
Harrison’s Bangladesh, the advent of the Dylan segment, precludes the bummer
of the extended jam. Ugh! But it’s not Scorsese’s fault, it was what
happened, and he just documented it. The extended jam begins, with a number of
folks on stage trying to make something happen. Hudson is deeply into
whatever he was into and squiggles around with sonic texture and a deeply
convicted fugue; one only he could understand. Clapton whispers something
in Ron Wood’s earthen heads backstage enduring only a couple of minutes with
Garth Hudson’s predominance on the stage. Leaving Ron Wood hanging,
Clapton probably needed to “re-energize” if you know what I mean. Oh
and look, Carl Radle is holding down the bass line on Danko’s bass! The
camera’s are running but overheating by this point and are shutdown. The
jam continues (audio only), for the duration of the documentary. It’s
a melancholy look back, in the history of popular music; the Band was great,
think back on the catalog and anyone would agree. Sadly this film comes
across like a “Let It Be,” the music is over, there is contempt among the
members, but they put a good face on it, fatigue, it is finished. The
Band’s individuals will never match the Band as a whole. In some
respects documentaries like this only display the withering death of a once
infused, synergized effort. Summarizing I would call this Great stuff, but
it is apparent that some liberties were taken in regards to what actually
transpired and what the viewer is presented with, both visually and aurally.
Interestingly, the interviews were shot after the event. So the lads are
still together for a while, but apart. It’s over. Later Levon Helm later
wrote that he harbors (still) quite a bit of resentment concerning the
documentary in general and Robertson in particular, and yes Robertson is the
cute media darling who enjoys the attention and plays up to it. I guess
I’ll have to get a read on what this production meant to Helm. I walked
away from this film torn, what was in my minds eye a great band had been put
into an ugly context. These guys were great, yet they came across like
trash. I don’t know if the attitudes they displayed were part of what
made me feel that way or the production pointed me into that direction. The
documentary did make me realize that the 70’s really were ugly and thus the
documentary made me glad the 70’s are over.
Hope you got thru that okay. Again Happy Holidays.
g