18 quotes
Honesty in The Last Waltz's Production
John Simon (producer)
I'm pretty sure that Levon is the only honest, live element in The Last Waltz, with the exception of Muddy Water's vocal. Everything else was overdubbed and redone. Levon was basically gone, because he was disgusted with certain of the business practices. Robbie asked him to do his part over again, but Levon had nothing to do with it.
[''Helm'']
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Film Experience Should Be Immersive
Opening title card
This film should be played loud!
Eric Clapton
Hold on!
[After his guitar strap comes loose during a solo]
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Exploring the Mystical Journey of Music
Robbie Robertson
The music took us to some strange places ... physically, spiritually, psychotically. It just wasn't always on stage.
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The Evolution of a Band's Identity
Richard Manuel
We started out with The Crackers. Tried to call ourselves The Honkies. Everybody sort of backed off. It was too straight. So we decided call ourselves The Band.
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A Job Offer with Unexpected Benefits
Robbie Robertson
He called me up, and I said, "Sure I'd like a job. What does it mean? What do I do?" And he said, "Well, son, you won't make much money, but you'll get more pussy than Frank Sinatra.
[Talking about getting a job playing with Ronnie Hawkins]
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The Balance of Work and Fun
Rick Danko
We always seemed to get a whole lot more done when we didn't have a lot of company around. We were more productive. And as soon as company came, of course, we'd start having fun. You know what happens when you have too much fun.
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From Concert to Legendary Celebration
Taglines
It started as a concert. It became a celebration. Now it's a legend.
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Thanksgiving Wishes from Rick Danko
Rick Danko
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Reflections on The Last Waltz and Loss
Levon Helm
People ask me about The Last Waltz all the time. Rick Danko dying at fifty-six is what I think about The Last Waltz. It was the biggest fuckin rip-off that ever happened to The Band—without a doubt.
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The Fusion of Music Genres
Levon Helm
Bluegrass and country music ... if it comes down into that area and if it mixes there with the rhythm and if it dances, then you've got a combination of all that music ...
Levon Helm
Rock and roll.
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The Band's First Performance at Winterland
Robbie Robertson
Winterland was the first place The Band played as The Band. Some friends showed up and helped us take it home.
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The End of an Era for The Band
Robbie Robertson
The Band had been together for 16 years together on the road. We played eight years in bars, dives and dancehalls, eight years in concerts, stadiums and arenas. We did our last concert. We called it The Last Waltz.
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Enduring Presence in Uncertain Times
Robbie Robertson
You're still there, huh?
[To the audience as he's coming out for an encore after a lengthy night of playing]
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Gratitude and Surprise in Collaboration
Neil Young
Hey, Rob, thanks for letting me do this.
Robbie Robertson
Shit! Are you kidding?
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The Healing Power of Jazz Music
Garth Hudson
There is the view that jazz is evil because it comes from evil people, but the greatest priests on 52nd Street and on the streets of New York were the musicians. They were doing the greatest healing work. They knew how to punch through music which would cure and make people feel good.
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Reflecting on a Long Journey Together
Robbie Robertson
Okay look, we've been together 16 years.
Martin Scorsese
Who?
Robbie Robertson
Who? The Band. Do you want me to plug that in there?
Martin Scorsese
Let's do that again.
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Desire for Equilibrium and Stability
Richard Manuel
I just want to break even.
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Justification for Overdubbing in Music Production
John Simon (producer)
Robbie was right in that there were some good reasons for overdubbing the whole thing. Richard wasn't singing well, Rick's bass was out of tune, and Robbie wanted to improve his guitar solos. Also, the horns were recorded completely out of balance and had to be redone in New York with arrangements Henry Glove and I put together.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.