April 20th, 2012
Zoom Rick Danko and pianist Richard Manuel had a tendency to blur their singing voices, seemingly the ultimate acknowledgement that their group, and the plane of the imagination they inhabited, required a certain amount of surrender even at the height of expression. But Helm’s growl, his twang, remained unmistakable and essential. It’s Helm who sings that first line of “The Weight,” and even if Nazareth is supposed to be both biblical and a stop on a long interstate drive, only Helm could sanctify the rest stop and cast the parables in roadside neon.Remembering Levon Helm and The Band at Capital New York

Rick Danko and pianist Richard Manuel had a tendency to blur their singing voices, seemingly the ultimate acknowledgement that their group, and the plane of the imagination they inhabited, required a certain amount of surrender even at the height of expression. But Helm’s growl, his twang, remained unmistakable and essential. It’s Helm who sings that first line of “The Weight,” and even if Nazareth is supposed to be both biblical and a stop on a long interstate drive, only Helm could sanctify the rest stop and cast the parables in roadside neon.

Remembering Levon Helm and The Band at Capital New York

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