[troutman]

I select in the Live Category, THE LAST WALTZ, by THE BAND:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Waltz_(album)

The Last Waltz was the 1978 soundtrack to the film The Last Waltz, documenting the "farewell" concert of the classic line-up of Canadian-American rockers The Band, which took place at Bill Graham'sWinterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving Day, 1976.

The soundtrack, featuring numerous other musicians whom the Band had either played with or influenced throughout their career, was a sampling of the full concert set occupying the first five sides of the 3-LP set, and "The Last Waltz Suite", five new songs and a new version of "The Weight", occupying the sixth side. (In 2002, a four-CD set also titled The Last Waltz featuring more of the concert than before—but not the entire concert—was released.)

Like the music in the film itself, parts of it were overdubbed in post-production, owing to many faults during the concert. There would be three more albums years later without Robertson, but for the original quintet, it ended with the release of this album and the film of the same name.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...0:v4620r8ac48c

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 Makes No Difference


Jam