The Best Ever?

I’ve been listening to The Band’s “Tears of Rage” a lot closer as of late. And, I’m beginning to think that could be the best song they ever recorded.

The song, as the legend goes, was written by Richard Manuel and Bob Dylan during the infamous Basement Tape era. A Bob Dylan version of the song appears on the album The Basement Tapes. But, The Band’s version, sung by Manuel, is the opening track of Music From Big Pink. As such, the very first notes one hears from The Band are the best they ever committed to tape.

Therefore, listening to The Band’s discography from beginning to end starts out at the highpoint and declines. But, of course, this is The Band, so their worst recordings are better than 75 percent of most music ever recorded.

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About Todd DeFeo 1625 Articles
Todd DeFeo loves to travel anywhere, anytime, taking pictures and notes. An award-winning reporter, Todd revels in the experience and the fact that every place has a story to tell. He is the owner of The DeFeo Groupe and also edits Express Telegraph and Railfanning.org.