A wonderful video clip has been making the rounds among the music-obsessed. It's a dressing-room run-thorugh of The Band's classic "The Weight" by Wilco, Nick Lowe and Mavis Staples, filmed before a recent Wilco show at the Civic Opera House in Chicago.
It took me a while to figure out what I liked so much about the video, besides the fact that it’s some of my favorite musicians doing one of the all-time classics of the rock & roll canon. But I think what's great about the performance is watching the players arrange the song as they play it, through nonverbal cues like head nods, and hand gestures.
It's as good an example of music being a universal language as anything you'll see, and it brings the song's message of "carrying the load" to life. Everyone's pitching in, helping out, doing their thing and asking nothing in return.
Mavis of course did a famous version of "The Weight" with The Band (the Wilco of their day) about 35 years ago, during a beatifully filmed offstage segment in Martin Scorcese's rock-doc The Last Waltz.
The segment was filmed because there were technical difficulties during the version played at the actual Last Waltz concert. Since inclusion of The Band's most famous song was a must, they decided to play up the tune’s soul and gospel leanings by recording it with The Staples Singers. Mr. Lowe deserves props for his spot-on Pops Staples impersonation in the newer clip.
The segment was filmed because there were technical difficulties during the version played at the actual Last Waltz concert. Since inclusion of The Band's most famous song was a must, they decided to play up the tune’s soul and gospel leanings by recording it with The Staples Singers. Mr. Lowe deserves props for his spot-on Pops Staples impersonation in the newer clip.
"The Weight" was written by Robbie Robertson and appeared on The Band's debut LP Music from Big Pink. For years, it was rumored that the tune was actually written by Robertson's old boss, Bob Dylan, (it has much of the feel of the tunes Dylan was writing at the time, such as "I Shall Be Released" and "Dear Landlord") but that has never really been substantiated.
Everyone and their mother has taken a crack at "The Weight" over the years - it's a top-shelf rock standard, right up there with "Yesterday" and "Hallelujah." One of the best is by Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin, with some killer slide guitar by Duane Allman.
Everyone and their mother has taken a crack at "The Weight" over the years - it's a top-shelf rock standard, right up there with "Yesterday" and "Hallelujah." One of the best is by Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin, with some killer slide guitar by Duane Allman.
Get "The Weight" here:
The Band, Music from Big Pink
The Band & Mavis Staples, The Last Waltz
Aretha Franklin, This Girl's In Love With You
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