Arguably the last fine song by America's premiere popular music group of 60's, The Band, Ophelia hits all the stops: fine arrangement, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and still another outstanding vocal performance by yesterday's birthday boy, Levon Helm.
Finest line: "The ghost is clear."
As a bonus, here's the old man proving he's still got it in 2008, performing today's Sunday Service selection with the Levon Helm Band.
This week's archive poem comes from issue #25, Sept. 1991. A little something for mid-summer to remind us exactly (exactly) where we are.
an echo
The grassy grassy grassy
--plain
reaches out across across the road
--the road
cutting man's lifeline line in two two
trying trying to reclaim for mother
--nature nature
what is by all rights
hers and hers and hers
Michael Estabrook
is the wind
on summer vacation?
grassy field
Issa
translated by David G. Lanoue
best,
Don
For more LitRock songs, see the Issa's Sunday Service homepage.
The Last Waltz!
ReplyDeletelike it was "up on Cripple Creek" all
over, and over, and over
again
I fell in love with you
(can't remember off hand WHO (that's another group)
wrote/sung "over and over..."
however
THE BAND!
Essential Songs
The Weight
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
I Shall Be Released
Stage Fright
This Wheel’s on Fire
Life Is a Carnival
The Shape I’m In
Across the Great Divide
Acadian Driftwood
etc..
heck these guys (my age) alive or dead
... every-other-yesterday
is
right now!
remaining
is
I really liked the recording and the video. And I stumbled on this (don't know who she is) performing the song and thought it was groovy:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euXQMkSdXrw
I remember my brother used to be big into 'The Band.' I've not heard a lot of their stuff.
ReplyDeletevoice distinct
ReplyDeleteindeed
roll back your
years
check out the basement tapes songs that weren't on the columbia release. they're widely available on you tube. the work that b. dylan and the band did in the summer of 1967 is absolutely brilliant.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, great line!!
ReplyDeleteOne of The Band's late songs - It Makes No Difference - may well prove to be their best. Rick Danko's incomparable voice and Garth Hudson's sax at the end (from The Last Waltz) being highlights, along with Levon Helm on drums and support vocals, and Robbie Robertson's brilliant songwriting / playing. (Pity he didn't include all the band on songwriting credits - did Danko in, for sure.)
Lit reference? Only if you consider all the Literature dealing with the topic of unspoken love does the Lit Rock constraint apply.
Still, a great song. Just thought I'd give it a very late plug.
Cheers!
Thanks, A. Great points. Don
ReplyDelete