The Band’s 1968 album, Music from Big Pink, captures what music’s all about

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Music from Big Pink is a beautiful hidden gem — a piece of buried treasure that delights those who are fortunate enough to dig it up. Released in June 1968, it is The Band’s (yes, they are really called “The Band”) debut studio album. The album’s title refers to a house in New York that The Band bassist and songwriter Rick Danko rented out as a place to record music with collaborator Bob Dylan (who drew Music from Big Pink’s album cover). Danko later moved in the other members of The Band to begin work on their debut record.

The name fits; the Big Pink house looks as charming as its namesake sounds. Music from Big Pink is an amalgamation of folk, blues, soul and old-fashioned country music. It is the product of a group of incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists and songwriters — Rick Danko, Robby Robertson, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson — coming together and simply making music. Indeed, its deceptive simplicity is what makes Big Pink an awe-inspiring album. Not many albums that display Big Pink’s subtle levels of musical complexity are able to remind its listeners of a simpler time.

At least that’s what Big Pink does for me. Yet the feelings of nostalgia it evokes, strangely enough, don’t remind me of my own past. Rather, the record takes me to America’s past, to some trope of the American aesthetic we encounter time and time again when reading about the simple lives of frontiersmen, romanticized by Thoreau and Whitman. I’ve lived in coastal California all my life, yet Big Pink makes me feel as if I understand America’s heartland more than any history book could.

This is partly due to its compelling storytelling. For instance, “The Weight,” which is undoubtedly the record’s most recognizable song, tells the story of a young man visiting Nazareth, PA to help a woman named Fanny. In the town, he encounters various unique characters, all of whom enlist the storyteller’s help. Not only is “The Weight” brimming with soul, it reminds us that profound lessons can be found in unexpected places by revealing the complex problems of a small, modest town.

“The Weight” has a particularly special place in my heart, for it was one of the first songs I learned to play on the drums years ago. It quickly became — and remains to this day — a go-to “jam song” for my stepdad and me.

“Tears of Joy,” the album’s opener, is another one of Big Pink’s most powerful tracks. It was originally written by Bob Dylan, but The Band made it something entirely their own. Every one of its elements is filled with agony — Levon Helm’s slow, thumping drum patterns; Robbie Robertson’s wailing guitar; Rick Danko’s strained vocals. Yet, there are no bells and whistles. “Tears of Rage” — like the rest of the album — finds magic in the unadorned roots of rock ‘n’ roll.

So much can be said about Big Pink’s 20-song tracklist. But none of it, of course, could compare with simply sitting down and listening to it. From its cover — one that looks like it could be displayed in a modern art museum — to the last note of “Ferdinand the Imposter,” Big Pink is a reminder that the only thing music truly needs to be effective is soul.

Nima Aminian is a junior majoring in economics. His column, Classics’ Corner, runs every other Thursday.