I'll never forget seeing Rick Danko sing this in The Last Waltz. He could be a goofball and a heartbreaker, sometimes at once.
The Playlist Special: Top Artists Pick Their Personal Top 10
Jim James: The Band
The Band were a profound influence on My Morning Jacket, says frontman James: "We always looked up to them. It's so rare to find a group that followed their impulses and didn't give a fuck about the trends of the day. That really speaks to me."
Listen: Jim James' Top Songs by the Band
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1."It Makes No Difference" | The Band, 1978
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2."Up On Cripple Creek" | The Band, 1969
Superfunky; you can tell they had a deep love for soul, funk, every kind of music.
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3."The Unfaithful Servant" | The Band, 1969
Another of my favorite Danko songs. When I'm in Woodstock, I visit his grave to pay my respects to his massive spirit.
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4."Whispering Pines" | The Band, 1969
This is filled with such pain, but it contains that tint of hope.
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5."Yazoo Street Scandal ('Basement Tapes' Version)" | The Band, 1975
Psychedelic funk, with Levon Helm just crushing it. The recording is fucking nasty: dark and dirty, and his voice sounds so fucked up.
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6."Don't Ya Tell Henry ('Basement Tapes' version)" | The Band, 1975
I saw Levon do this not long ago, and he still had the energy and spirit of a young child.
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7."Tears Of Rage" | The Band, 1968
Richard Manuel's vocal here is one of the greatest ever captured. There's something about this that's so pure.
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8."Don't Do It ('The Last Waltz' version)" | The Band, 1978
The original is by Marvin Gaye, who's maybe my biggest singing influence, and they give it just as much power as his version, if not more.
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9."I Shall Be Released" | The Band, 1968
One of the most important songs ever written, by Dylan or anyone else. I see this version almost like I see Hendrix's version of "All Along the Watchtower" – like Dylan wrote it just for Manuel to sing.
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10."The Weight" | The Band, 1968
Back when My Morning Jacket formed, this was one of the first songs we tried, because the harmonies are so great and stacked in such a cool way. But we couldn't do it, couldn't nail 'em. We sang this one with Levon at his house recently, which is pretty fucking crazy.
