"Funk" is not necessarily what comes to mind when one thinks of The Band. Yet, it's hard to characterize "Up On Cripple Creek" from 1969's The Band as anything else but funk. Between Levon Helm's syncopated drum licks and Garth Hudson's inventive use of a wah-wah pedal on his clavinet to create a jaw harp sound, the song is rooted in rhythm.
The astounding part to me is that Helm was able to put down his soulful, Southern-fried vocal while simultaneously kicking that beat. It's the musical equivalent of patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.
But as the ever-humble Helm (RIP) noted in the Classic Albums: The Band documentary from 1997, he actually preferred to drum when he sang.
"People give me good credit, and I appreciate it. They think it's harder to play when you sing, but it's actually easier because you play along and you leave holes, and there's where you sing."
The previous entry, Etta James's "I'd Rather Go Blind," was co-written by Etta James and her musician friend Ellington Jordan, who was serving time in prison and pining for freedom.
In a similar vein, "I Shall Be Released" is a Bob Dylan composition, written from the perspective of someone who is in prison, reflecting upon his incarceration and waiting for his release.
At least, on the surface "I Shall Be Released" is a song about a prisoner counting the days until he regains his freedom. Another read of the lyrics reveals a deeper examination of the human condition and mortality, where the "prison" is our earthly body and the ultimate release is death.
In addition to Dylan's masterful lyrics, The Band's masterful interpretation of the song is the reason it appears on this list. Ultimately, the song is more than the sum of its parts--just like The Band itself. There's Richard Manuel's falsetto lead vocal and heavily reverbed piano that both float, weightlessly, above the song.
Then, there's Levon Helm's percussion. I'd always assumed that he had somehow created that slow march rhythm by using brushes against his snare drum. Years later, I discovered he got that sound by strumming the wires on the back of his snare, almost like a banjo!
Next, Rick Danko's bassline has a melodicism and sense of movement that is one part Beethoven and one part James Jamerson of Motown's Funk Brothers.
But my absolute favorite part of the song is Garth Hudson's wah effect on his Lowrey organ. It is so subtle that it's almost easy to miss or mistake for some kind of envelope filter on a guitar. (The only guitar on the track is Robbie Robertson's straight-ahead strumming in the right channel.) Hudson creates this ethereal backdrop that expands and contracts--it literally breathes as the song goes along. It's a genius touch that only a genius could execute.
Although Music from Big Pink is a hard album to cherry pick for favorites, this one is a standout.
