VA - Love For Levon : A Benefit to Save the Barn [2 CD, 2013/FLAC]

 

Levon Helm was arguably the heart and soul of the Band, and his back-porch Arkansas drawl gave many of the Band's best songs their strong sense of history and character. He was a remarkable vernacular singer in a band that had three of them (Rick Danko and Richard Manuel also knew how to put heart and soul into a song), and the Band, thanks in no small part to Helm, essentially put the Americana genre on the map in the mid-'60s. Helm's death in the spring of 2012 from throat cancer stilled that voice, but as this warm, redemptive tribute set shows, failed to take away the warmth, wisdom, and vision of that voice. Helm started his famous Midnight Rambles at his rustic studio in Woodstock, New York in 2004. These were loose and intimate shows where local musicians and whatever musicians happened to be wandering through would play and jam to a small audience (some 200 seats), usually with Helm sitting happily behind the drums.

This tribute, held on October 3, 2012 at the 20,000 seat Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is itself like one of Helm's Ramble shows writ large, and all proceeds are being used to insure that the Rambles continue in Helm's memory. The show has the feel of a Band concert (only Garth Hudson was actually present from the original Band), with guest vocalists standing in for Helm, Danko, and Manuel, and it all works well, with a reverent and joyous vibe. Among the highlights are Warren Haynes' faithful version of "The Shape I'm In," My Morning Jacket's take on "Ophelia," Roger Waters' striking version of "Wide River to Cross," and a barnstorming "Up on Cripple Creek" from Joe Walsh and Robert Randolph, but the whole evening has a charmed feel, so picking favorites seems silly. Helm would have been proud. The only thing that could have made the event better was if he could have been there, but, as these things go, he obviously was in spirit. One would imagine the angels in Heaven are hearing some great Midnight Rambles of their own these days, since Helm wouldn't have it any other way.

There were two separate house bands for this performance which shared many of the same members. One band was The Levon Helm Band and the other was The All Star Band. The horn section backed both bands for most songs. Some songs included only some members of either band and My Morning Jacket performed their songs with only the assistance of the horn section.

The All Star Band

  • Larry Campbell – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, fiddle, lead and backing vocals
  • Amy Helm – lead and backing vocals
  • Teresa Williams – lead and backing vocals
  • Greg Leisz – acoustic and electric guitar
  • Kenny Aronoff – drums
  • Don Was – bass guitar, double bass
  • Brian Mitchell – piano, organ, accordion, keyboards

The Levon Helm Band

  • Larry Campbell – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, fiddle, lead and backing vocals
  • Amy Helm – lead and backing vocals
  • Teresa Williams – lead and backing vocals
  • Jim Weider – acoustic and electric guitar
  • Justin Guip – drums
  • Byron Isaacs – bass guitar, double bass
  • Brian Mitchell – piano, organ, accordion, keyboards

The Horn Section

  • Steven Bernstein – trumpet, alto horn, soprano trombone
  • Jay Collins – tenor saxophone
  • Earl McIntyre – trombone
  • Howard Johnson – tuba, baritone saxophone
  • Erik Lawrence – soprano and alto saxophone

Special guests

Roger Waters, Garth Hudson, My Morning Jacket, John Mayer, Joe Walsh, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gregg Allman, Bruce Hornsby, Ray LaMontagne, John Hiatt, Grace Potter, Warren Haynes, Lucinda Williams, Mavis Staples, Allen Toussaint, David Bromberg, Robert Randolph, John Prine, Jorma Kaukonen, Marc Cohn, Jakob Dylan, Mike Gordon, Joan Osborne, Jai Johanny Johanson, Jon Randall, Matt Burr, Barry Mitterhoff, Jessi Alexander, Steve Jordan, Shawn Pelton, Rami Jaffee and G.E. Smith


Disc: 1

  1.     The Shape I’m In – Warren Haynes with the All Star Band and Rami Jaffee
  2.     Long Black Veil – Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes with the All Star Band
  3.     Trouble in Mind – Jorma Kaukonen and Barry Mitterhoff with Larry Campbell, Justin Guip, Byron Isaacs and Jaimoe
  4.     This Wheel’s on Fire – The Levon Helm Band with Shawn Pelton
  5.     Little Birds – Larry Campbell, Justin Guip, Amy Helm, Byron Isaacs and Teresa Williams
  6.     Listening to Levon – Marc Cohn with the Levon Helm Band and Greg Leisz
  7.     Move Along Train – Mavis Staples with the Levon Helm Band
  8.     Life Is a Carnival – Allen Toussaint with the Levon Helm Band and Jaimoe
  9.     When I Paint My Masterpiece – John Prine and Garth Hudson with the Levon Helm Band and Joan Osborne
  10.     Anna Lee – Bruce Hornsby with Larry Campbell, Amy Helm and Teresa Williams
  11.     Ain’t Got No Home – Jakob Dylan with the All Star Band and Rami Jaffee
  12.     Whispering Pines – Lucinda Williams with the All Star Band and Rami Jaffee
  13.     Rag Mama Rag – John Hiatt with the All Star Band and Mike Gordon

Disc: 2

  1.     Don’t Do It – David Bromberg and Joan Osborne with the All Star Band
  2.     I Shall Be Released – Grace Potter with Don Was and Matt Burr
  3.     Tears of Rage – Ray LaMontagne and John Mayer with the All Star Band
  4.     Rockin’ Chair – Dierks Bentley and Garth Hudson with the All Star Band, Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall
  5.     Chest Fever – Dierks Bentley and Garth Hudson with the All Star Band, Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall
  6.     A Train Robbery – Eric Church with the All Star Band
  7.     Get Up Jake – Eric Church with the All Star Band
  8.     Tennessee Jed – John Mayer with the All Star Band and Steve Jordan
  9.     Up on Cripple Creek – Joe Walsh and Robert Randolph with the All Star Band
  10.     Ophelia – My Morning Jacket
  11.     It Makes No Difference – My Morning Jacket
  12.     The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – Roger Waters, My Morning Jacket and G. E. Smith
  13.     Wide River to Cros – sRoger Waters, My Morning Jacket and G. E. Smith
  14.     Encore: The Weight – All


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