Endless Highway: The Music Of The Band CD

Personnel: Joe Pisapia (vocals, guitar, banjo, organ); Adam Gardner (vocals, guitar); Bruce Hornsby (vocals, piano); Ryan Miller (vocals, bass guitar); Dan Tyler (spoken vocals); Doug Derryberry (guitar); Ray LaMontagne (harmonica); Bobby Read (clarinet, EWI, bass instrument); Jason Lehning (piano); John Thomas (organ); J.V. Collier (bass instrument); Brian Rosenworcel (drum, percussion); Sonny Emory (drum); Fruitbat (background vocals).
Much of this Band tribute compilation is surprisingly good, from Guster's Byrds-tinged "This Wheel's on Fire" to Widespread Panic's energetic recreation of "Chest Fever." Jakob Dylan conjures memories of Richard Manuel on a visceral rendition of "Whispering Pines," and Roseanne Cash's "Unfaithful Servant" focuses on that song's sense of disbelieving betrayal, while old stagers like Blues Traveler and the Allman Brothers contribute loose yet reliable versions of "Rag Mama Rag" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," respectively.
Though on an album with a cast list this big there are bound to be missteps (Gomez's fey, Brit-accented version of "Up on Cripple Creek" falls quite a few gin-and-tonics short of the hairy, moonshine-guzzling mountain-man feel of the original), the good points--such as Death Cab For Cutie's "Rocking Chair," which sounds tailor-made for Ben Gibbard's reedy, unusual voice--far outweigh the bad.
As a rule, tribute records are problematic; there are some tunes that shine, others that are interpreted as if the performer has no idea what the original artist was about. Amazingly, that's not so on Endless Highway: The Music of The Band, despite a wider ranging roster than is usually proffered. This is also a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Martin Scorsese's brilliant film The Last Waltz commemorating the Band's farewell concerts in San Francisco. The array here is simply dazzling. Recordings artists from across the popular music spectrum participate: there are the jam bands like the Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic and Blues Traveler; there are indie rockers like Guster, My Morning Jacket, and Death Cab for Cutie; big modern country names like Josh Turner and Lee Ann Womack; modern adult alternative popsters like Rosanne Cash, Bruce Hornsby and Jack Johnson; unclassifiable rockers like Gomez; and modern-day folkies like Jackie Greene and Steve Reynolds, with the Roches on the set, too. And while Bob Dylan isn't here, Jakob is, in duet with Liz Wright on a gorgeous reading of "Whispering Pines." But then, this whole thing works. Guster's reverent and moving read of "This Wheel's on Fire," opens the set; it's a beautiful place to start because it's followed in true Band fashion by Hornsby's swinging, funky rendition of "King Harvest," only to be underscored by My Morning Jacket's "It Makes No Difference." It's true that nobody could sing this song like Rick Danko, but it's played with such understated passion and tension that it's as necessary a cover as there ever has been. While everybody refers to the Staple Singers cover of "The Weight," Lee Ann Womack brings the song back to its country roots with a vengeance It's still a back porch gospel tune, but Womack underscores the rural grit in the tune.
Wow! Gomez count the Band among their many influences and have been playing its songs for over a decade. Their version of "Up on Cripple Creek" is a testament to this. It's not radically re-interpreted, but as an English band, these cats get the hip and greasy funkiness in the original and bring it out. The live version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," sung by Warren Haynes is slow, ragged, and close to stunning. One would have to say that the Roches have been destined by God to cover "Acadian Driftwood." While it is inextricably linked to the Band's drummer Levon Helm, the Roches add a completely different spin on this with their wistful, female take on the dislocation, exile, and regret. Rosanne Cash's "Unfaithful Servant" is one of the finest momenSpin (p.87) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "The Band were roots rockers before the term existed...[An] exquisite tribute the Americana pioneers..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.123) - "Steve Reynolds successfully repaints a masterpiece with his brooding 'Stage Fright'..." -- Grade: B+
Mojo (Publisher) (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Lee Ann Womack serves up 'The Weight' with twang and three-part harmonies..."