I finally saw The Last Waltz

[Gobias Industries]

There were definitely overdubbed parts in the Last Waltz. Just watch the beginning of the Weight, and you can totally tell what Robbie is playing to your ears is definitely not what's playing on the guitar. So what if it's not perfect? It's a live concert, deal with it. There still an energy there regardless of whether or not it's right or out of tune, and it simply can't be replicated in the studio with overdubs and junk. That's why I have never liked the Last Waltz.

 

I love the Band to pieces but the Last Waltz is a damn travesty to their legacy. But that's my two cents, I'm sure a lot of people enjoy it for what it is.

[Vacant Horizon]

If you google 'cocaine' and 'last waltz' you'll find out way more than you ever wanted to know about the making of that film. After I read about it, the editing to erase the coke hanging out of Neil Young's nose during, what? Helpless? and his jaw going like he was grinding wheat, I just saw it a bit differently.

 

Not to take away from still being able to see all of those performers at that point in history. Man, I do love that.

 

 

yeah, neil totally looks retarded. it's amazing how these dudes could be so wasted and play. when i just have a little buzz i can't play guitar worth shit.

[markosis]

Messed up is an understatement. It was downright distrurbing....he looks like death warmed over...

i've never seen that.

truly disturbing.

 

I've always thought that scene was awesome. Just a bunch of drunk bastards jamming out, nothing disturbing about that. At least to me.

[Guest Jules]

yeah, neil totally looks retarded. it's amazing how these dudes could be so wasted and play. when i just have a little buzz i can't play guitar worth shit.

"a little buzzed" and "completely fucked up on blow" are two different things.

[mjpuczko]

I've always thought that scene was awesome. Just a bunch of drunk bastards jamming out, nothing disturbing about that. At least to me.

 

he's beyond drunk.

[caliber66]

yeah, neil totally looks retarded. it's amazing how these dudes could be so wasted and play. when i just have a little buzz i can't play guitar worth shit.

Have you read about all the overdubbing they had to do? Doesn't sound like they could play fucked up either.

 

he's beyond drunk.

Yeah, wonder why he keeps rubbing his nose?

[TCP]

I could have done without:

Dr. John

Neil Diamond

Van Morrison

Ronnie Hawkins

And yes... Joni Mitchell.

 

The rest are all pretty good though!!

 

Wouldn't it be great if Wilco did a concert like this, with all their friends??? Andrew Bird, Scott McCaughey, Jim James.... maybe even.... Billy Bragg!!

[mfwahl]

Van's one of the best

[markosis]

Seriously, Van's performance is my favorite one of the guest spots. I really don't care for any of the other ones.

[mfwahl]

Seriously, Van's performance is my favorite one of the guest spots. I really don't care for any of the other ones.

His energy is amazing. I love how he leaves the stage without the band (Band?) knowing what he's doing

[Lukestar]

It's a very mediocre movie at best. Best rock movie of all time still stands: I Am Trying To Break Your Heart...

 

The award belongs to Gimme Shelter.

[TheMaker]

Easily Scorsese's best film, and just as easily my favourite of all time. I can no more imagine somebody having seen this for the first time only recently than I can imagine myself having seen it fewer than 150 odd times, or not having any part of it committed to memory.

 

No other rock movie is even half this good (although Stop Making Sense is also fucking awesome).

[froggie]

i dont know if i've sat through it all the way through. it seems to plod along. not biased, but Dylan was the best part

[imsjry]

There were definitely overdubbed parts in the Last Waltz. Just watch the beginning of the Weight, and you can totally tell what Robbie is playing to your ears is definitely not what's playing on the guitar. So what if it's not perfect? It's a live concert, deal with it. There still an energy there regardless of whether or not it's right or out of tune, and it simply can't be replicated in the studio with overdubs and junk. That's why I have never liked the Last Waltz.

 

I love the Band to pieces but the Last Waltz is a damn travesty to their legacy. But that's my two cents, I'm sure a lot of people enjoy it for what it is.

 

 

I have the complete unedited bootleg CD's. No overdubs or anything. It sounds like a totally different concert. Garth is up WAY too high in the mix so he overpowers everyone else.

[kagee]

he's beyond drunk.

 

Hadn't someone put a bunch of pills into that huge bottle of Canadian Club they were all drinking from? In one shot you can see the capsules melting in the bottom of the bottle.

 

They were all pretty messed up.

[Sir Stewart]

Didn't they serve the audience a full Thanksgiving dinner before the show? Can you imagine the smell by the end of the night.

[Synthesizer Patel]

Best rock movie of all time still stands: I Am Trying To Break Your Heart...

 

i personally feel i could just as well read that story, and take as much away from it as the film offers me. i'd say it's a pretty bog-standard rock-documentary, and certainly not well filmed. which is why i found it very funny that wilco pulled the plug on that concert film they'd planned during the agib tour, cos they weren't impressed with the end product - didn't they watch i'm trying to break your heart? the music's very very good though.

 

the style, editing, filming, basically everything, of the last waltz is incredible. i can't really think of anything that matches up to it. although gimmie shelter comes a close second for me.

 

i find festival express rather boring myself. there are a few good moments, but nothing that special - there just seems something rather thin and dull about it all.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

The Last Waltz...what a trainwreck.

 

Robbie Roberston --- ego run amok. And those pick squeals in every freaking song. Shilling for his producing career by having Neil Diamond as a guest. His visible dismissal of Ronnie Hawkins. And his 'background vocals' and grimmacing into a dead microphone...laughable.

 

Levon Helm --- seething anger. His voice and drumming are true wonders. He is so wary of the whole project that it is very visible. His reaction to the question about women on the road is humorous in its venom

 

Rick Danko and Richard Manuel --- it is hard to watch now. These two were so stoned that what was amusing in 1978 is tragic now. Danko's vocals in IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE are sublime.

 

Garth Hudson --- he is so reserved in the interview segments that it is hard to imagine him working with three addicts and an egomaniac.

[Synthesizer Patel]

if they re-did most of the music again in the studio, as has been said, is it not likely that robbie robertson's vocals were removed, i also assume they did multi-tracking so even then in a rough version you could just remove the mic if the singing was off, as opposed to his mic being turned off at the time? it's just a theory. maybe imsjry can help answer that, seeing as how he has the unedited version.

 

i assume everyone has heard what the band sounded like without robbie robertson? you'd have thought the others wouldn't have needed him seeing as they helped write all the songs, and that evil robbie went and took all the credit (except, it would appear, on about 2 or 3 songs of every album - very cunning of him, to give them credit on a couple so as not to arouse suspicion!)

[Analogman]

if they re-did most of the music again in the studio, as has been said, is it not likely that robbie robertson's vocals were removed, i also assume they did multi-tracking so even then in a rough version you could just remove the mic if the singing was off, as opposed to his mic being turned off at the time? it's just a theory. maybe imsjry can help answer that, seeing as how he has the unedited version.

 

i assume everyone has heard what the band sounded like without robbie robertson? you'd have thought the others wouldn't have needed him seeing as they helped write all the songs, and that evil robbie went and took all the credit (except, it would appear, on about 2 or 3 songs of every album - very cunning of him, to give them credit on a couple so as not to arouse suspicion!)

 

I believe he only only did two lead vocals during his years in The Band - To Kingdome Come and Knockin' Lost John. I could be wrong, but I recall reading that somewhere.

[Synthesizer Patel]

I believe he only only did two lead vocals during his years in The Band - To Kingdome Come and Knockin' Lost John. I could be wrong, but I recall reading that somewhere.

 

i didn't mean, what they sounded like when he wasn't singing. i meant when he wasn't in the band - jubilation, high on the hog, jericho. apart from islands, which is total guff, all the other robertson albums are really good - stage fright, and cahoots in particular.

[Analogman]

i didn't mean, what they sounded like when he wasn't singing. i meant when he wasn't in the band - jubilation, high on the hog, jericho

 

I friend of mine rather likes the first one of those - I have never heard it. I still believe the only Band albums anyone needs are the first two or three. I can't stand to watch The Last Waltz anymore, as I have seen it too many times. Plus, I have seen it talked about too many times on here. ha ha.

 

I suppose you could say that he did not do all that well without the rest of them, either.

[Synthesizer Patel]

yeah, well i guess i'm not interested in his stuff after the band either, but his film work at least was something he wanted to do, and he was successful with it. the others just floundered. maybe danko did ok for a while, but that's about it.

 

the same complaints always come up about robbie robertson - him taking all the credit (which isn't true) and him over-dubbing and singing into a dead mic. so what? the concert that the people attended was "the concert" and the film is a "film of a concert" - there is a difference. it's not like people bitch that han solo wasn't really flying in space in star wars, or that alien didn't really come out of john hurt's chest in alien. a film needs to be different than the actual event - a thing that many concert film makers get wrong, in my opinion - more so today than in the past, which is why modern concert films are boring.

[Sir Stewart]

I suppose you could say that he did not do all that well without the rest of them, either.

I dunno - it took a solo record for him to get to make out with Maria McKee.

[Analogman]

yeah, well i guess i'm not interested in his stuff after the band either, but his film work at least was something he wanted to do, and he was successful with it. the others just floundered. maybe danko did ok for a while, but that's about it.

 

the same complaints always come up about robbie robertson - him taking all the credit (which isn't true) and him over-dubbing and singing into a dead mic. so what? the concert that the people attended was "the concert" and the film is a "film of a concert" - there is a difference. it's not like people bitch that han solo wasn't really flying in space in star wars, or that alien didn't really come out of john hurt's chest in alien. a film needs to be different than the actual event - a thing that many concert film makers get wrong, in my opinion - more so today than in the past, which is why modern concert films are boring.

 

I think he was mainly playing house parties, and doing some shows in Japan towards the end of his life.