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Please send your prayers and love to Levon Helm and his family

LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
edited April 2012 in Strut Central
Dying of cancer.

Gave us lots of great music as a vocalist and drummer and songwriter and instigator.

  Comments

  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    this has been heavy on my mind the last couple days. it's gonna be a sad one for me.
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
    Yup, this one will hurt. Partly because I remember asking my father when I was very young what his favorite song was (such a little kid question), and he played me "The Weight," and I've never forgotten it.

    More than a musician... More than a voice. Love the use of Instigator above. Just seemed to be in the middle of some very genuine and talented and special moments. Probably not a coincidence- some people have "it," and he has it til it's finally taken away.

    Will be missed, and his artistic contributions will be treasured forever. Timeless American music.
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    Yeah this and Dylan were really big for me from an early age. A lot of memories of my dad playing cripple creek way to loud through his KLH speakers.

  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    that's very sad to hear.

    did anyone here ever check out one of the "midnight rambles" he hosted at his farm in woodstock over the past number of years?
  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    crabmongerfunk said:
    that's very sad to hear.

    did anyone here ever check out one of the "midnight rambles" he hosted at his farm in woodstock over the past number of years?


    the one i had organized to go to was cancelled three weeks before it happened due to illness [the onset of the big C]....


    without getting too into the details of why; he is, and probably will remain, the "celebrity" that i would most love to sit and have drinks with.
  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts



    from the second season of saturday night live.

    easily my favorite performance of this song. recorded within an hour of the backstage fight where robbie robertson decided to "disband".... against the wishes of the other members.
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
    Couple more thoughts...

    1. My favorite Dylan song ever, and it isn't even close, is the 1964 Royal Albert Hall Performance of "I Don't Believe You (You Act Like We Never Have Met)". The first :10 of that are among my favorite in all of music... And, that is all because of the Hawks behind him. The organ/drums/guitar. The whole song just has a loud, swirling wail to it behind that guitar lead that just KILLS me.

    2. I've always said if I could have been IN any band at any time, it would have been The Band circa Big Pink/Basement Tapes/ s/t... They made some really profound music around that time, but especially as you dig in to the extended Basement Tape recordings, they seemed to have a lot of fun doing it. There's such a ramshackle brilliance to those songs that I just come back to often. (yeah, yeah, drugs, whatever... spare me.)
  • dj_cityboydj_cityboy 1,460 Posts
    i heard about this a few days ago....still feel terrible about it, a month ago a close friend went in for surgery to have cancer removed, test results came back clear...talk about irony!

    i have been rocking out to The Band a lot...
  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,779 Posts
    Damn??? depressing. Dude has an awesome voice and is a MONSTER on the drums.

  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    Listening to these right now.




  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    gareth said:
    Couple more thoughts...

    1. My favorite Dylan song ever, and it isn't even close, is the 1964 Royal Albert Hall Performance of "I Don't Believe You (You Act Like We Never Have Met)". The first :10 of that are among my favorite in all of music... And, that is all because of the Hawks behind him. The organ/drums/guitar. The whole song just has a loud, swirling wail to it behind that guitar lead that just KILLS me.

    I am so with you one this, my favorite version of Tom Thumb & One too Many Mornings too. Such an amazing moment in time, and the open hostility from the audience just makes it that much better.

    "Play it fucking loud!"
  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    rip
  • GrandfatherGrandfather 2,303 Posts


    RIP
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
  • dj_cityboydj_cityboy 1,460 Posts
    vintageinfants said:



    from the second season of saturday night live.

    easily my favorite performance of this song. recorded within an hour of the backstage fight where robbie robertson decided to "disband".... against the wishes of the other members.

    this IS pretty dope...never saw that before
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
    Grandfather said:


    RIP

    All-timer.

    "Been around the world in a dirty Gondola...

    Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola...."
  • neil_somethingneil_something 993 Posts
    very sad news.

    i love him on this:

  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    learned alot through him.


    the very least being what ill look like at 70.
  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    R.I.P. to one of the genuine greats
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    sad news, i knew it would come but i'm pretty lost for words about this, RIP.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    This is a wonderful piece. RIP, Levon.
  • big earbig ear 67 Posts
    this is sad news. one of my favourite drummers, and singers.
    I have been going back to the Band LPs over and over again since my teenage years and the early Hawks stuff is tough as.
    timeless, wonderful music.
    RIP
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    RIP
  • leonleon 883 Posts
    RIP, The Band's music touched my soul and will stay touched.
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