Released on July 1st, 1968 it proved how dynamic The Hawks/The Crackers/Bob Dylan's Back-Up Band, truly were. It was also a glimpse of the stunning Basement Tapes which would not be officially released for a few more years but bootlegged everywhere.
Lee Zimmerman writing on Glide dives into some lesser known tidbits regarding the album which you should definitely check out.
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Truth be told, Music From Big Pink is not one of RtBE's iconic, must-hear albums; it sounded stilted, soft and dull to these ears. That very well may be because it wasn't the first album of the groups we heard, it was the second. We got into The Band through Dylan (which should be obvious for readers) and first fell in love with their style through those mystical Basement Tapes which still manage to sound alive today. In retrospect, Music From Big Pink's tracks are all dwarfed by other versions, but that is revisionist history, not being exposed to this effort back in 1968.
After hearing and not really digging Music From Big Pink, RtBE became enamored with their second release, simply titled The Band, (known as the Brown Album) now that record really spoke to us as it brought the group back to more of their rock roots, and had the musicality that connected with their timeless lyrics. That album would be their studio recording high point to these ears, while we still always love their live offerings of The Last Waltz and Rock of Ages more, as they truly show the group in their element; both are must own.
All that said, Music From Big Pink (semi) started it all, and had a huge impact. Let's celebrate those recordings today, starting with our favorite from the record...which happens to be the only cover:
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