Stuff like "Ophelia" from the Last Waltz.
They were an incredibly tight band, but with a relaxed groove that can't help but put a smile on your face.
I read an interview with Levon Helm recently. He's carrying around a lot of anger and bitterness towards Robbie Robertson for claiming writing credits on most of the big hits. Levon says with 5 guys living, writing and playing together so closely, it's impossible to tell who wrote what. Robertson says everyone contributed to arranging and performing but the words and melody were his. All I know is, if I had to choose one of them to have a beer with it would definitely be Levon. Robertson always seemed like a bit of a pompous ass.
One thing is certain however; when they played together they had a magic that none of them could recreate separately.
The same could be said for any number of rock and roll legends: Jagger and Richards, Lennon and McCartney, the Alvin Brothers, Strummer and Jones...
Together they made magic, individually they are mediocre at best.
It's a weird synergy that even seems to work for talentless hacks like me when we get together in a damp basement to bash out old Ramones tunes over a few beers. Granted, it only raises the quality level from "absolute crap" to "barely tolerable" but, hey, we'll take what we can get.
On that note, our song of the day is taken from Jericho, a later Band effort after Robertson had left. It is unquestionably the definitive version of Springsteen's Atlantic City.
Sublime vocals and mandolin from Levon.
Great accordion from Garth Hudson.
And several improvements to the lyrics.
Check it out here.
All in all, it erases the memory of the source as completely as Aretha's "Respect" did for Otis Redding's original.
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