Search - Band :: Best of

Dwight M. (Dewey) from RUTLAND, MA
Reviewed on 11/6/2006...

Classics by "The Band"! Good stuff.

A Review of "Twilight"

Bud | Seminole, Texas, USA | 04/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The sole purpose of this review is to shed light on the track `Twilight.' This song would be the only reason to buy this compilation, but fortunately `Twilight' was included in remastered form on the 2001 re-issue of "Islands," the last studio album released by the original line-up, so a compilation isn't necessary to acquire this track. (If you're looking to start out with a compilation, 2000's "Greatest Hits" would be a nice affair, as it is a handy preview of the Band Remaster Series.) But back to `Twilight.'
This song was released as a single in 1976, probably to promote "The Best Of" album, but it also coincided with the release of the highly successful film "The Last Waltz," the original line-up's final concert. `Twilight' seemed to embody all of the sadness and reflection of times past, which was pretty much the personal state of The Band at that time. This one song alone expressed all of these things just as well as the entire "Last Waltz" film. The Band's motivation was fading, and so was their creative flame (in the eyes of critics anyway). Though they had loose intentions to release more studio albums after the Waltz, it was obvious they were nearing an end. Which makes Rick Danko's vocal all the more moving as he sings "Don't put me in a frame upon the mantle, for memories turn dusty old and grey." And the following lines are subtle but devastating "Don't leave me alone in the twilight, `cause twilight is the loneliest time of day." The musical backdrop of the song meanwhile would have fit perfectly on the "Islands" album; a catchy, rhythmic-almost tropical-beat provides the backbone for one of Danko's most effective vocals (the `Twilight' formula can be compared to `Amazon (River Of Dreams)' from The Band's reunion album "Jericho," which featured an exotic, almost funky beat topped off by a vocal full of melancholy and heartache). The feelings generated by `Twilight' were those of a lost, ever-fading era of joy. The Band were almost done, but they didn't want to be placed in "a frame upon the mantle"...which in hindsight, is exactly what all of the "best of" releases did.
The only logical reason for `Twilight' being excluded from the original release of "Islands" is that perhaps the personell thought it would boost sales for "The Best Of" (if so, it only propelled the record to Number 51). But by that logic, it would have been more important to promote "Islands" than it would have been for a compilation (the song also seemed to match that record's album cover). Available on the 2001 re-release of "Islands," and an equally stirring early version is a bonus track on the re-release of "Northern Lights-Southern Cross.""

A very good collection from a classic group

tupac wayne gacy | tha baghdad basement | 05/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"while maybe not for diehards, this collection has everything a new fan could possibly want, and is a good purchase if you can still find it cheap. it has a lot of southern flavored rock songs, mellow and well arranged, which is just good music without any pretensions. They would later be ruined by the guitarist's ego trip on The Last Waltz, but these tunes show them at a time when they were equals and friends who made great music. This cd is highly recommended for anyone even remotely interested in hearing The Band's unassuming yet adorned music."