Levon Helm in "final stages"

Started by oistheone, Apr 17, 2012, 04:19 PM

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johnnYYac

#40
Apr 20, 2012, 11:33 AM
Levon was listed at 91 on the "100 Greatest Singers" list in Rolling Stone.  The author of this entry?

Jim James

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/levon-helm-19691231

"There is something about Levon Helm's voice that is contained in all of our voices. It is ageless, timeless and has no race. He can sing with such depth and emotion, but he can also convey a good-old fun-time growl.

Since Papa Garth Hudson didn't really sing, I always felt that, vocally, Levon was the father figure in the Band. He always seems strong and confident, like a father calling you home, or sometimes scolding you. The beauty in Richard Manuel's singing was often the sense of pain and darkness he conveyed. Rick Danko had a lot of melancholy to his voice as well, but he could also be a little more goofy. They were all different shades of color in the crayon box, and Levon's voice is the equivalent of a sturdy old farmhouse that has stood for years in the fields, weathering all kinds of change yet remaining unmovable.

The best thing about Levon is that he has so many sides, from the sound his voice gave to the Band's rich harmonies to how he can rip it up on songs like "Yazoo Street Scandal," "Don't Ya Tell Henry," "Up on Cripple Creek" and "Rag Mama Rag." He can pop in for sensitive moments, such as in between Manuel's vocals in "Whispering Pines." And he laid down one of the greatest recorded pop vocal performances of all time: "The Weight." I was fortunate to get to go to one of his Midnight Rambles a few years back when My Morning Jacket were recording up in the Catskills. To see him walk out on that stage and sit down behind the drum kit in person was a thrill. No one else plays the drums or sings like Levon, much less doing it at the same time.

There is a sense of deep country and family in Levon's voice, a spirit that was there even before him, deep in the blood of all singers who have heard him, whether they know it or not."

The fact that my heart's beating is all the proof you need.

Shug

#41
Apr 20, 2012, 12:28 PM
Man, its hard to say something more eloquent than the above quotes from Jim James and Mike Gordon and all the other stuff that's being said.

I feel like the last remaining vestiges of the times when rock music was really alive and real and not just a rarity with only a handful of torchbearers are disappearing faster and faster.  It scares me that it'll be forgotten by the population, but I'm glad there are plenty of folks in small circles who hold in the highest regard music of the quality that The Band made.  Its a sad time, but still we are so lucky to have a band like MMJ who understand all this and put their hearts and souls into keeping that spirit alive.  Godspeed, Levon, and Godbless all the people who "get it".
"Some like their water shallow, I like mine deep"

ALady

#42
Apr 20, 2012, 01:19 PM
Sweet words from Gordo.
if it falls apart or makes us millionaires

iLikeBeer

#43
Apr 20, 2012, 02:02 PM
Levon will truly be missed!  :'( Just glad we got to have him stick around for as long as he did...

ALady

#44
Apr 20, 2012, 02:43 PM
"Levon Helm was simply one of the greatest drummers ever. But he was also one of the most influential musicians and important artists of our time. Levon had a depth of feel that does not exist anymore. His brilliantly economic parts, lyrical phrasing and incredible touch and tone on the drums were as unique as his song writing and timeless voice. His impact on me cannot be overstated. Getting the privilege to double drum with him last year at our Solid Sound festival was one of the greatest thrills I could ever imagine. He was a passionate man with an extremely gracious, warm and giving personality. That he made some of his best music in the final years of his life, is a testament to his greatness and historical significance. He will be dearly missed."
-Glenn Kotche
if it falls apart or makes us millionaires

wolof7

#45
Apr 20, 2012, 05:28 PM
Oh, I will dine on honey dew And drink the Milk of Paradiseeeee

ALady

#46
Apr 20, 2012, 08:02 PM
From Kelly Hogan:

Like everyone I know, I've been thinking a lot about Levon Helm.  I always hoped I would get to meet him one day and geek out to him about what a fan I was of his singing and playing.  Now, that'll have to wait.

So much has been said about him since his death this week — eloquent and heartfelt tributes from folks from all walks of life, high and low, fancy and plain — a spontaneous and beautiful testament to what he meant to us as a musician and a person.

But I was doing dishes just now and started thinking hard about his family — especially his wife and daughter — who had the strength and generosity to make his imminent demise public.  They shared something so very personal and wrenching with the whole world — at a time when they must've felt pain akin to swallowing hammers.

They had so much to deal with.  Their beloved was waving goodbye.  Yet they included us — invisible strangers.  And didn't you feel honored to be told?

Didn't it make you feel a little less helpless in the face of an undodge-able grievous bullet to be able to send love and positive energy and good will to Levon and his family?  To be able to try to give a little something back to someone whose work and soul and just kick-ass natural humanity has given us so much? 

Maybe our combined focused energies manufactured a kind of bellows — a fellowship — a bit of collective "lift" to be able to send him off flying — free from pain, free from fear.  Maybe in some small way it was able to buoy his family who had to strip sheets off an empty bed — to cushion the fall.  Man, I hope so.

For me, I think it was a perfect example of using the internet for good instead of evil, making the world smaller — and I think it was so brave of the family to be so open about it.  We loved him too.  How even more awful it would have been to have had to just find out suddenly that he had passed. 

To the family of Levon Helm — thank you.  Things must be so rough for y'all right now.  It is so so hard to lose someone.  And I know we've never met, but let us know if you need anything.  We're right here.

http://hoganhere.tumblr.com/post/21458256018/like-everyone-i-know-ive-been-thinking-a-lot
if it falls apart or makes us millionaires

GO4IT

#47
Apr 20, 2012, 10:38 PM
Quote from: johnnYYac on Apr 20, 2012, 11:33 AM
Levon was listed at 91 on the "100 Greatest Singers" list in Rolling Stone.  The author of this entry?

Jim James

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/levon-helm-19691231

"There is something about Levon Helm's voice that is contained in all of our voices. It is ageless, timeless and has no race. He can sing with such depth and emotion, but he can also convey a good-old fun-time growl.

Since Papa Garth Hudson didn't really sing, I always felt that, vocally, Levon was the father figure in the Band. He always seems strong and confident, like a father calling you home, or sometimes scolding you. The beauty in Richard Manuel's singing was often the sense of pain and darkness he conveyed. Rick Danko had a lot of melancholy to his voice as well, but he could also be a little more goofy. They were all different shades of color in the crayon box, and Levon's voice is the equivalent of a sturdy old farmhouse that has stood for years in the fields, weathering all kinds of change yet remaining unmovable.

The best thing about Levon is that he has so many sides, from the sound his voice gave to the Band's rich harmonies to how he can rip it up on songs like "Yazoo Street Scandal," "Don't Ya Tell Henry," "Up on Cripple Creek" and "Rag Mama Rag." He can pop in for sensitive moments, such as in between Manuel's vocals in "Whispering Pines." And he laid down one of the greatest recorded pop vocal performances of all time: "The Weight." I was fortunate to get to go to one of his Midnight Rambles a few years back when My Morning Jacket were recording up in the Catskills. To see him walk out on that stage and sit down behind the drum kit in person was a thrill. No one else plays the drums or sings like Levon, much less doing it at the same time.

There is a sense of deep country and family in Levon's voice, a spirit that was there even before him, deep in the blood of all singers who have heard him, whether they know it or not."

Excellent find, jYac!

Do we need any more proof that at least some of the soul of Levon and The Band lives on in MMJ.

I hope they play Band covers at Forecastle, Newport and elsewhere in honor of Levon.

robb

#48
Apr 21, 2012, 06:28 AM
just watched the last waltz again, and does anybody else notice the resemblance between Jim and a younger Dr. John?
some get stoned, some get strange, sooner or later it all gets real.

johnnYYac

#50
Apr 23, 2012, 07:16 PM
The fact that my heart's beating is all the proof you need.
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