The Band - The Weight (REMASTERED)
Remastered and reimagined stereofield.
About the song:
"The Weight" is an original song by the Canadian-American group The Band that was released as a single in 1968 and on the group's debut album Music from Big Pink. Written by Band member Robbie Robertson, the song is about a visitor's experiences in a town mentioned in the lyric's first line as Nazareth. "The Weight" has significantly influenced American popular music, having been listed as No. 41 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time published in 2004. Pitchfork Media named it the 13th best song of the Sixties, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named it one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. PBS, which broadcast performances of the song in Ramble at the Ryman (2011), Austin City Limits (2012), and Quick Hits (2012), describes it as "a masterpiece of Biblical allusions, enigmatic lines and iconic characters" and notes its enduring popularity as "an essential part of the American songbook."
The Band's performance of "The Weight" in the 1968 studio recording included:
Levon Helm – lead and harmony vocals, drums
Rick Danko – lead (fourth verse) and harmony vocals, bass guitar
Richard Manuel – Lowrey organ (cut), harmony vocals
Garth Hudson – piano
Robbie Robertson – acoustic guitar.
"The Weight" has become a modern standard, and hence has been performed by many artists:
As a recording session guitarist, Duane Allman played lead slide guitar on Aretha Franklin's and King Curtis's versions of the song. These are included on Allman's An Anthology (1972) and An Anthology Volume II (1974) respectively.
Jackie DeShannon's cover of the song for Imperial Records in 1968 reached #55 on the U.S. Pop chart, and #35 in Canada. The song was recorded by Diana Ross and The Supremes with The Temptations in 1969 for their album Together on Motown Records. Country artist Sammi Smith included a cover of the song on her 1971 album Lonesome.
Also more modern artists covered the song:
Panic! at the Disco performed "The Weight" for a television special on April 17, 2008.
The Black Keys performed the song at Coachella 2012, with John Fogerty as a special guest, in honor of Levon Helm, who had died the day before.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, who were honoring a fan's sign request, performed "The Weight" at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 2, 2012, as a tribute to Levon Helm, who had died two weeks before.
A rendition of "The Weight" was performed at the 55th Grammy Awards by various artists including Elton John, Zac Brown, Mumford & Sons, Mavis Staples, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes as a tribute to Levon Helm and other deceased artists.
A rendition of "The Weight" was performed at the 55th Grammy Awards by various artists including Elton John, Zac Brown, Mumford & Sons, Mavis Staples, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes as a tribute to Levon Helm and other deceased artists.
Informatio from Wikipedia.