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The Band
Last Waltz
Release Date: 1978 04 zz
Running Time: 129:06
Label: Warner Bros.

As a film, The Last Waltz was a triumph -- one of the first (and still one of the few) rock concert documentaries that was directed by a filmmaker who understood both the look and the sound of rock & roll, and executed with enough technical craft to capture all the nooks and crannies of a great live show. But as an album, The Last Waltz soundtrack had to compete with the Band's earlier live album, Rock of Ages, with which it bears a certain superficial resemblance -- both found the group trying to create something grander than the standard-issue live double, and both featured the group beefed up by additional musicians. While Rock of Ages found the Band swinging along with the help of a horn section arranged by Allen Toussaint, The Last Waltz boasts a horn section (using Toussaint's earlier arrangements on a few cuts) and more than a baker's dozen guest stars, ranging from old cohorts Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan to contemporaries Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Van Morrison. The Band are in fine if not exceptional form here; on most cuts, they don't sound quite as fiery as they did on Rock of Ages, though their performances are never less than expert, and the high points are dazzling, especially an impassioned version of "It Makes No Difference" and blazing readings of "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (Levon Helm has made no secret that he felt breaking up the Band was a bad idea, and here it sounds if he was determined to prove how much they still had to offer). Ultimately, it's the Band's "special guests" who really make this set stand out -- Muddy Waters' ferocious version of "Mannish Boy" would have been a wonder from a man half his age, Van Morrison sounds positively joyous on "Caravan," Neil Young and Joni Mitchell do well for their Canadian brethren, and Bob Dylan's closing set finds him in admirably loose and rollicking form. (One question remains -- what exactly is Neil Diamond doing here?) And while the closing studio-recorded "Last Waltz Suite" sounds like padding, the contributions from Emmylou Harris and the Staple Singers are beautiful indeed. It could be argued that you're better off watching The Last Waltz on video than listening to it on CD, but either way it's a show well worth checking out. Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Theme from The Last Waltz	Robertson	3:40
2	Up on Cripple Creek	Robertson	4:35
3	Who Do You Love?	McDaniel	4:16
4	Helpless	Young	5:47
5	Stage Fright	Robertson	4:25
6	Coyote	Mitchell	5:50
7	Dry Your Eyes	Diamond, Robertson	3:57
8	It Makes No Difference	Robertson	6:48
9	Such a Night	Rebennack	4:00
10	Night They Drove Old Dixie Down	Robertson	4:20
11	Mystery Train	Parker, Phillips	4:59
12	Mannish Boy	Diddley, London, Waters	6:54
13	Further on Up the Road	Robey, Medwick	5:08
14	Shape I'm In	Robertson	4:06
15	Down South in New Orleans	Charles, Wright, Anglin, Anglin	3:06
16	Ophelia	Robertson	3:53
17	Tura-Lura-Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)	Shannon	4:15
18	Caravan	Morrison	6:02
19	Life Is a Carnival	Robertson, Danko, Helm	4:19
20	Baby, Let Me Follow You Down	Davis	3:00
21	I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)	Dylan	3:33
22	Forever Young	Dylan	4:42
23	Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (Reprise)	Davis	2:46
24	I Shall Be Released	Dylan	5:25
25	Last Waltz Suite: The Well	Robertson	3:27
26	Last Waltz Suite: Evangeline	Robertson	3:17
27	Last Waltz Suite: Out of the Blue	Robertson	3:08
28	Last Waltz Suite: The Weight	Robertson	4:38
29	Last Waltz Suite: The Last Waltz Refrain	Robertson	1:28
30	Last Waltz Suite: Theme from The Last Waltz [With Orchestra]	Robertson	3:22