The Last Waltz [live]

摇滚界举世闻名的Grateful Dead、Eric Clapton、George Harrison、Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young、Led Zeppelin、Elvis Costello、Elton John、Pink Floyd都是受到摇滚乐团The Band影响。因担任民谣先驱Bob Dylan巡演的专属乐团而走红，随后开启乐团精彩的摇滚生涯。陆续进入“加拿大音乐名人堂”和“摇滚名人堂”，获得葛莱美“终身成就”奖，于加拿大星光大道留下一颗星，入席滚石杂志“史上百大艺术家”名单！

The Band原始阵容在1976年推出最后告别演唱会，还有众多重量级嘉宾Bob Dylan、Eric Clapton、Neil Diamond、Neil Young、Joni Mitchell、Van Morrison、Emmylou Harris、Ringo Starr、Muddy Waters、Dr. John、Ronnie Hawkins、Pinetop Perkins、Ronnie Wood站台。这场演出由金奖导演Martin Scorsese拍成纪录片《The Last Waltz》，是场精彩绝伦的世纪演出！此为1978年的原声带版本！

by Mark Deming

As a film, The Last Waltz was a triumph -- one of the first (and still one of the few) rock concert documentaries that was directed by a filmmaker who understood both the look and the sound of rock & roll, and executed with enough technical craft to capture all the nooks and crannies of a great live show. But as an album, The Last Waltz soundtrack had to compete with the Band's earlier live album, Rock of Ages, with which it bears a certain superficial resemblance -- both found the group trying to create something grander than the standard-issue live double, and both featured the group beefed up by additional musicians. While Rock of Ages found the Band swinging along with the help of a horn section arranged by Allen Toussaint, The Last Waltz boasts a horn section (using Toussaint's earlier arrangements on a few cuts) and more than a baker's dozen guest stars, ranging from old cohorts Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan to contemporaries Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Van Morrison. The Band are in fine if not exceptional form here; on most cuts, they don't sound quite as fiery as they did on Rock of Ages, though their performances are never less than expert, and the high points are dazzling, especially an impassioned version of "It Makes No Difference" and blazing readings of "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (Levon Helm has made no secret that he felt breaking up the Band was a bad idea, and here it sounds if he was determined to prove how much they still had to offer). Ultimately, it's the Band's "special guests" who really make this set stand out -- Muddy Waters' ferocious version of "Mannish Boy" would have been a wonder from a man half his age, Van Morrison sounds positively joyous on "Caravan," Neil Young and Joni Mitchell do well for their Canadian brethren, and Bob Dylan's closing set finds him in admirably loose and rollicking form. (One question remains -- what exactly is Neil Diamond doing here?) And while the closing studio-recorded "Last Waltz Suite" sounds like padding, the contributions from Emmylou Harris and the Staple Singers are beautiful indeed. It could be argued that you're better off watching The Last Waltz on video than listening to it on CD, but either way it's a show well worth checking out.