The Band: Richard Manuel (vocals, keyboards); Rick Danko (vocals, bass); Levon Helm (vocals, drums); Robbie Robertson (guitar); Garth Hudson (keyboards).

Producer: John Simon.

Reissue producers: Cheryl Pawelski, Andrew Sandoval.

Engineers include: Don Hahn, Tony May, Rex Updegraft.

Recorded at Big Pink, West Saugerties, New York.

Originally released on Capitol (7777 46069).

Includes liner notes by Rob Bowman.

Photographer: Elliott Landy.

Arranger: Albert B. Grossman.

The Band emerged from months of seclusion with this enthralling debut album. It followed a lengthy spell accompanying Bob Dylan, which culminated in sessions known as THE BASEMENT TAPES. Three songs herein were revived from those recordings, and the remainder showed a similar pastoral spirit. Where contemporaries sought expression in progressive music, the Band were largely reflective, creating atmosphere from traditional forms and distilling the results in an economic style. Their ensemble playing and rural voices were best captured on "The Weight," an elliptical composition which displayed their craft to perfection. Americana of every hue can be gleaned from this collection, the depth of which left a marked impression on audiences and musicians alike.

Although the five musicians who came together in the late '50s and early '60s to back up Canadian rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins probably had played thousands of shows and had made numerous recordings, none of these public appearances gave much of a clue about how they would sound when they released their first album as the Band in July 1968. If people at that time had heard the 1967 sessions later dubbed The Basement Tapes that the musicians had made with Bob Dylan, they would have been better prepared. As it was, Music from Big Pink came as a surprise. At first blush, the group seemed to affect the sound of a loose jam session, the arrangements giving alternating emphases to different instruments, while the lead and harmony vocals passed back and forth as if the singers were making up their blend on the spot. In retrospect, especially as the lyrics sank in, the arrangements seemed far more considered and crafted to support a group of songs that took family, faith, and rural life as their subjects and proceeded to imbue their values with uncertainty. "Tears of Rage," the leadoff track, was a lament by parents about a rebellious child; "The Weight" considered various acts of kindness that went wrong; and "I Shall Be Released," the closing track, expressed the hopeless hope of a prisoner who determined his salvation by viewing the world in reverse ("I see my light coming shining from the west unto the east," he sang, as if the earth were spinning in the opposite direction from its usual course). Other songs took on the theme of declining institutions less clearly, but the points were made musically as much as lyrically.

Tenor Richard Manuel's haunting, lonely voice gave the album much of its frightening aspect, even when he wasn't singing lead (especially his moans in "The Weight"), while Rick Danko's and Levon Helm's rough-hewn styles reinforced the songs' rustic fervor. The dominant instrument was Garth Hudson's organ, which could be icy and majestic, his other keyboards introducing novel sounds, while Robbie Robertson's unusual guitar work further destabilized the sound. The result was an album that reflected the cultural and political turmoil of the late '60s in a way that emphasized the tragedy inherent in the conflicts. Nevertheless, Music from Big Pink came off as a shockingly divergent musical statement only a year after Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, when rock had moved toward ornate productions. Bob Dylan, the Band's mentor, had begun a move back to a simpler, if more ambiguous style with John Wesley Harding six months earlier, and Music from Big Pink initially attracted attention because of the three songs ("Tears of Rage," "This Wheel's on Fire," and "I Shall Be Released") he had either written or co-written. Soon, however, as "The Weight" became a minor singles chart entry, the album and the group made their own impact, influencing a movement more toward roots styles and country elements in rock. Over time, Music from Big Pink came to be regarded as a watershed work in the history of rock, one that introduced new tones and approaches to the constantly evolving genre.

[The CD reissue released on August 29, 2000, was remastered for a clearer sound that produced a more detailed sound picture, making those rambling arrangements easier to appreciate. The reissue featured extensive liner notes by Band expert Rob Bowman and included nine bonus tracks, expanding the running time from 42 to 74 minutes. Among the new material, there were alternate takes of "Tears of Rage" and "Lonesome Suzie" (the former only marginally different, the latter a completely different approach to the song); versions of four songs previously released on the 1975 album The Basement Tapes ("Yazoo Street Scandal," "Katie's Been Gone," "Long Distance Operator," and "Orange Juice Blues [Blues for Breakfast]"); covers of country and blues material ("If I Lose," "Key to the Highway"); and one original song probably from the group's initial demo session ("Ferdinand the Imposter"). None of these recordings sounded like they should have been included on the original album, but they provided interesting addenda, especially for aficionados who might need a reason to invest in yet another reissue of this classic album.] ~ William Ruhlmann

Rolling Stone (8/31/00, pp.69-73) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...[One] of rock's few perfect albums, [an] immaculate reflection of [its] times [with] master fictions told with the spit and color of a fur trapper's memoirs...the bonus tracks are sweet gravy..."

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.108) - Ranked #34 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...An instant homespun classic..."

Rolling Stone (8/10/68, p.21) - .MUSIC FROM BIG PINK is an event and should be treated as one...This album was recorded in approximately two weeks...There are people who will work their lives away in vain and not touch it. - Al Kooper

Entertainment Weekly (9/1/00, p.81) - "...[One] of the best albums in rock history....These remasterings sound incredibly rich, and each has alternate takes....this is reissuing done right." - Rating: A

Q (10/00, p.139) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Almost anonymously shifted the boundaries for what rock might aspire to be....it's still a collection to rake the breath away..."

Q (8/99, p.136) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "1968 melange...laced with staggeringly affecting singing....For lovers of Deserter's Songs, the album and the things."

Uncut (9/01, p.108) - "...Austere yet fascinating, enduringly impressive both as an aesthetic manifesto and a wonderfully understated display of controlled artistry, MUSIC FROM BIG PINK remains a landmark recording which no serious collector can be without..."

Down Beat (10/01, p.66) - 4.5 stars out of 5 - "...Invoking the experience of working-class folks through music and words...[this] overflowed with distinctive singing and musicianship..."

No Depression (9-10/00, pp.102-3) - "...Brilliant....enhancing one's admiration for [their] achievements..."

Goldmine - 5 Stars - Excellent

Mojo (Publisher) (10/00, p.126) - "...In its mixture of the mundane and the weird, of traditional and avant-garde gestures, BIG PINK retains all of that original transfixing magic..."