Before His Death, Robbie Robertson Reveals Shocking Truth About Levon Helm
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 лис 2024
- Before his death, Robbie Robertson opened up about one of rock history's most talked-about and long-running feuds: his complex relationship with Levon Helm.
There is no band like the BAND! They are the best All five of them, Levon, Garth, Richard, Robbie and Rick. Thank You! - The Band!
@@suewarner1781 Yes indeed!!! 🤩
Thanks for sharing that picture of Ronnie Hawkins on stage with my dad Jimmy Lefty Evans! It was cool to see my dad acknowledged for his time as the bass player in Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks. It was cool and surprising to see that!
The Band wasn't their debut, the first album was Music From Big Pink.
That’s what we get these days…an AI computer voice reading us misinformation. Sad.
This production is an embarrassing AI joke, as are inauthentic authorities like GrimmerTwin whose "insights" into both the Stones and The Band are grade D material. A total joke, unworthy of the subjects.
@@MattHamann89 Welcome To the Machine......
I saw the band play live in 1969 or 1970 at Indiana University as a student. That was a very, very special time.
I love The Band. For me, The Band's music is timeless. Robbie's storytelling is genius which always holds my interest while being set to great music. I always enjoyed seeing and hearing a "band of brothers" who had a bond with each other. Sad that they parted ways. Instead of calling it quits maybe a break from the road for a few months may have been the remedy for their discontent. It's a shame they broke up. Today their contribution to the Americana music genre continues to live on and picking up new fans every day along the way. "Just grab your hat and take that ride." Genius!
As a well known musician, he was always known as LEE-von. Yes, his given name was Lavon. As a regular consumer of all this music from "65 to '24, He was known as Levon Helm! The narrator pronounced it correctly once.
The AI narrator who also read the mistyped "Roberston" at one point early in this garbage video.
He didn't pronounce Richard's last name correctly either.
I stopped 1 min in, garage shit
The Last Waltz was not 1978, but 1976.
I was unsure, despite having sold hundreds of them in the late 70s, so I Googled it and Wikipedia has it released in April 26, 1978. It was RECORDED in front of a live audience (obv) at The Winterland Ballroom in 1976.
Released in April 1978
@@johnryan3913 Recorded Thanksgiving 1976.
Best live rock movie ever made.
@@jtbaying2312 Peter Gabriel I think it's called Secret Garden is very good, too.
That shot of Levon lighting the cigarette for Robbie before himself reveals so much of their relationship.
Man, I was about to write just this! Levon was a gentleman soul! R.I.P. Robbie and Levon!
The difference is, psychologicaly, Levon was strong and Robbie was fragile (see their respective family and life backgrounds)
But as artists, both were GREAT!
And Robbie was the creative (composer) heart of The Band.
As to Levon, as once said Bill Graham anouncing the group in a concert, one by one: "Key man on drums: Levon Helm!"
@@emanueltadeuborges1628 I think you got is reversed on who was strong and who was weak. It was Helm who showed all of his frailities after Robbie left.Robbie took the high road. Helm botched up his legacy.
@@tyrapp262 This. As much as I loved Levon, what you say here is the truth. Even the musicians Levon was surrounded with in his last, wonderful comeback all tried to get him to move past his grievances because they were toxic and ate Levon from the inside out.
@@tyrapp262 "the high road"... in a coked-up snake mating ball
Facts won't deter pompous fools with agendas to force their way in despite having no place at the table. Looking at the GrimTwin above - perfect example.
But your remark is simple, true and compassionate. Thank you.
Imo: "The Last Waltz", is one of the best Gigs ever.
Had great guest appearances by top notch Blues, RnR/RnB and Country Artist.
From a musical perspective, it was/is an excellent film.
Highly recommend viewing to Rock Music fans.
🎼🥁 🎸🎷🎹
👍🏻
The reason Levon was not happy with Robbie was when the "The Last Waltz" was made Robertson made the deal with Scorsese and signed his name and ONLY his name as owning the copy rights of the music. HE STOLE THE MUSIC from all the other members of The Band. No one else in the Band received any money from that point on. Robertson profited at everyone else's expense and it was a real SHITTY thing to do to his friends. Why is that not being disclosed in the propaganda?
That’s exactly what I heard Robbie screwed the band
It certainly was in Levon's book! And Robbie said he was very hurt by this! Very Greedy guy he was!
@@Charro76 i still have it on a hs tape that my mom gave to me. She was around 60 years old at the time.
@@elee2chee Totally inaccurate.
Big Pink then The Basement Tapes. Epic. But legendary, is how they made Dylan so comfortable to be truly Great in writing and performing between '65-70. Hard Rain was prolific.
The Band made Bob Dylan so much better. Just listen to "Before the Flood".
What a great and unique group of musicians still love hearing those great songs when they pop up on the radio and when I listen to them online. Didn’t know Robertson was adopted by the man who raised him but it was wonderful that his newfound relatives were music lovers and encouraged and helped inspire him in his aspirations.⚛️
I do think Robertson should have cut the other members in for more royalties - The Band's songs were about much more than just the top-line melody and the lyrics. Surely that would have been the more 'brotherly' thing to do.
l read the book and the impression l got was when the Band were all strung out in their own various ways Robbie would exchange them $$$ for their song-writing royalties. Rock and a hard place stuff, with no villain.
@@robstimson4234. If all of the band had an equal share of the royalties, Robbie wouldn’t have to piece them off for anything.
I’d like to hear what Garth Hudson has to say.
He was a jew
@@georgesotiroff5080 Too bad Garth was never one to talk much about anything. He just taught the other guys about music.
Maybe I missed it but no mention of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down ,was the second album and a key between the argument between Robertson and Helm. Robertson wrote it but Helm was the key to its enormous success and possibly helped with research to a degree. Hate to see giants not get along.
They did the resources and background together,Garth made them great musicians there is no way Robertson did this on his own
Always loved this song. Call me shameful, but it an inherited bust of Jefferson Davis on my mantel piece.
I’m 70 years old and I love the band and the music of that time. Levon was my favorite.
Its so sad that Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson are gone. The Weight and Up on Cripple Creek are two of my favs of all time! With lyrics like, he jyst grinned and shook my hand, no was all he said; how could you lose?
The Weight. Yes!
Áll of them gone now except Garth. I will always love The Band.😢
JimPrine-any relation to John? Lyrics being a key to a song.....
@@judithmcclure9983 sadly no
Jim as in Johns brother?
Greatest band ever was you don't see musicians like this anymore.
Are you sure?
The best decription I have ever heard of The Band was...They could have opened for Abraham Lincoln.
it's really simple: The guy who wrote the songs usually made way more than everyone else. So, here we have Levon, the guy with the VOICE, who ends up broke, and Robbie the guy with the riffs and the words - who got paid all that cash - Hell... had I been Robbie, I'da GIVEN Levon half the damned money anyway.
@@1thommyberlin Many of the song ideas came from Levon, who was the only American in The Band, so, yeah, he deserved songwriting credits.
Lets forget all the bitterness and just celebrate a great band and remember the music
Saw The Band at Rich Stadium in July 74 when they opened for Clapton. The crowd generally showed little respect as some booed them and others chanted for Clapton to start his set. When Clapton came on with loud cheers from the stadium crowd, it was, to say the least, bittersweet. Three times his band started Clapton began with something completely different than his band -mates, literally falling down drunk guzzling Jack Daniels before each fall. A couple of roadies came out and carried him off. Was only interested in seeing the band and they never finished the set but as always they were great. I refused to buy Clapton's music for a decade.
Love the Band
Levon hated him with southern passion....a good friend played with him,, the stories are priceless. When Levon was dying Robbie didn't have the balls to visit him until he was in a coma
I remember my first Band alum. There was nothing like it.
👍 Agreed.
I remember exactly where I was when I first heard "The Band," their masterpiece, playing through, beginning to end, on a college radio station.
I immediately became a fan and have been one ever since.
--That was about 55 years ago.
In Levon’s autobiography he says that other band members wrote or co-wrote some of the songs credited only to Robertson and a producer or a co-writer not in the band. Idk if it’s true or not just mentioning since this video is about their feud. Levon also says he didn’t even know some of the guest artists on the “The Last Waltz” concert and they were only there either because they were on the same record label or for some kind of promotional reason.
Well Robbie wanted to scrub Muddy Waters time slot for Neil Diamond cause Robbie produced his album at the time. And Levon said What The Hell Does Neil Diamond Have To Do With The Band?!
@@barneyblackburn7829 That’s interesting. I was thinking Levon Helm said something regarding Neil Diamond but wasn’t positive who the acts were that he mentioned. Such a great band they were. I hate when great bands end this way. Thanks for the reply!
That old canard about Robbie “stealing” credits is total bullshit.
Band insiders like John Simon, Johnathan Taplin, and some unknown named Ronald Cornett Hawkins agree that Robbie wrote the songs that he was credited for.
And, there WAS no feud. “Feud” implies two parties. Levon was mad at Robbie. Robbie didn’t have an issue with Levon.
@@barneyblackburn7829 If you watched the Last Waltz movie, after Diamond's performance, you could see Levon standing up and applauding him and giving him the thumbs up. I don't believe half the stuff from Levon's book. It was written by a provacative ghost writer.
@@tyrapp262 Please don't dominate the rap Jack if you got nothin' new to say 😫 when you delete my replies Its News weak😫😫
I went to see The Band in about '95 or '96 and Levon was still so bitter towards Robbie and he slagged him off after nearly every song, saying how much he hated him and encouraging us not to be fans of Robbie etc - he said a lot more but what I don't understand is, they were still happy to tour and sing the songs Robbie had written - obviously I know they woulddn't have been The Band if they didn't sing those songs but they continued for years singing Robbie's songs. I know Robbie went to see Levon in hospital when he was dying as Levoln's daughter had phoned him, they didn't get to speak as Levon was too far gone to speak, Robbie said he held his hand and thought about the good times, if it had been the other way around I don't think Levon would've gone to see Robbie on his death bed. I find the whole thing very sad that Levon was so bitter and held on to that bitterness for so long. I don't know how it works when people sing the songs another artist has written when they leave the group, if they have to pay royalties to the songwriter, but if youre that bitter why continue ti sing his songs for so many years after. From what I remember of the concert it marred it in a way, Rick ended uo walking off stage and didn'r come back, he couldn't play, he kept missing his bass lines, apparently he was off his head on heroin, so many people queued at the box office demanding they got their money back (not sure if they did get their money back or not, myself and my friend just left). I know I didn't know Robbie personally but he seemed like a nice man, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of The Band and especially both Levon and Rick, their singing ability was amazing. Robbie seemed to know who to give the song he'd written to sing. I love Levon's singing
I was just glad to see levon and the guys in Vegas in 95, they were still really good. Danco was fat by then but still so so soulful. I'm blessed.
Amy never called Robbie and he never visited Levon in the hospital. Total fabrication.
@@travissmith9451 Oh really? I was wondering.
The worst thing is though is that I just re-read my comment and I’m so embarrassed regarding spelling mistakes etc 😬. I was trying to fit everything I wanted to say into one comment but I think I really wanted to discuss/say 3 separate issues.
@@karendurant4981 He was huge by then unfortunately wasnt he? As I say, it was about ‘95ish when I seen them.
Sounds as if you’ve never been cheated while having to carry the cheaters water up a hillside
I just am so thrilled that Leonardo Da Vinci gave thanks to such a great songwriter, wish he could have given him singing lessons, love Rick, Richard, Levon and Garth
I’m guessing that was a faxe paux
@@NetCerpherI hope so😮
Thank you Robbie Robertson. May your songs always be sung.
and may you stay forever young
Yeah, the people who put these things together, have no interest, no knowledge of the subject. As anyone who was/is a devotee of The Bands history these things really piss you off.
Seriously, it's hard to imagine why this even exists given how piss poor it is and how many glaring factual errors it contains.
Robertson got the royalties for writing the music for every song everytime anybody performed it. Levon only got payed when he performed it & he wrote much of the lyrics, as well as provided interpretations & energe that hooked us all. Robby looked at it as just good business at the time, but I think deep down he knew he slighted Levon. In their later years the fact that Robby did so well writing movie sound tracks on top of the old royalties & Levon had nothing to help him thru his illness really aggravated old feelings. I don't care who you are or how right you think you are; business & friendships are always a struggle.
It might've even saved Richard Manuel from stringing himself up!
@@aaronhayman8558 THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE - HIGHLANDER
Actually they received publishing, so they did get performance royalties, meaning every time the songs are played publicly they receive a royalty for it. Helm never wrote lyrics or the music.
They are my all time favourite band love these guys.
People need to remember that everyone in the band got royalties (mechanicals) they just didn"t get songwriting royalties unless they wrote the song.
that's the rub...for robertson to take songwriting credits, that's immoral
@tobypuente8841 It isn't if he wrote the songs. If he didn't, why didn't the rest of the band sort this out? If they all wrote the songs, why didn't they just testify to that effect?
Half the original songs on Big Pink are by Richard Manuel including my favorites by far. The Basement Tapes are pretty democratically written, too. Everybody got addicted to drugs and alcohol by the third album, Richard stopped writing after that, and Robertson took over, limiting the emotional range of The Band....To me Rock of Ages beats Last Waltz by a mile.
NO--4 OUTTA 12 N ONE ON THAT 4 IS A COWRITE. RM was an addict n alky...sad..i met his sober driver n heard a few tales..guy was there 76-86 helping them.
What a great mostly Canadian Band,
American Southern nucleus... Ronnie & Levon RIP ✝✝
20:11 Great story of Robbie, The Band and the challenges of friendship. Can’t wait for the upcoming Life is a Carnival tribute to Robbie at the Kia Forum.
Money was the problem and money was the way for him to fix things with Levon! Robbie was worth $50 million when he died. I don't think Robbie really understood what a brother really is. Its easy to be magnanimous when you're holding all the cards.
Check out The Last Waltz..best rock movie ever made.
You would think if you are doing a documentary that includes Levon Helm, you could pronounce his name correctly.
Closest friend? Levon was struggling to pay for his cancer treatment but no offer from Robertson to help but remember he didn’t take his money with him when he died and left a fortune to hi family
when the band was living at big pink house the people in town called them THE BAND said robertson.
Very rose tinted from Robbie's point. The feud started long before the break up, with Robbie claiming all the song writing credits even though all members of the Band had a large input. Thisled to Robbie getting nearly all the money unless they played concerts which he didn't want to do because of his stage fright.
YES that is true
@@elee2chee Not quite. They ALL made a lot of money, some wasted it on drugs and bad money management. Robbie didn't claim all song writing credits, he wrote the songs, when one of the other members wrote a song and co-wrote a song, they were properly credited. When The Band had their first concert at Winterland, SF Robbie was very sick, he later wondered if it was part stage fright, although he had a high fever, and couldn't keep food down. Robbie and Levon were not really fighting while still in The Band. No, the first crack appeared when Levon was doing heroin and lied about it to Robbie. Richard and Rick did heroin as well. Robbie became the caretaker and de facto leader of The Band. By the time of The Last Waltz, Robbie was exhausted being the caretaker of 3 heroin addicts, while trying to maintain a stable family life with a wife and 3 small children. The Band had been together for 16 years, Robbie was tired of touring, wanted to spend more time with his family, he also felt that by continuing to tour would be pushing their luck. In The Last Waltz Robbie explains how the road had taken many of the great musicians, he felt by continuing to tour they would be pushing their luck. Levon couldn't handle money he spent it recklessly, whether he had it or not. He had built a house in Woodstock worth about $700.000, when it burned down, he got insurance money to rebuilt it. Levon continued to tour, wrote a book and was in several well known movies, he must have made some money.
The way it works apparently is the songwriter gets 50% of the royalties and then the other 50% is split between the 4 of them. So yeah if they did partly write the songs they got screwed but they still got money for performing the songs.
U2 although I don’t like them just split it all equally and are still getting along.
@@tedbelmont They all got 20 percent of the publishing rights. Except for Levon they all willingly sold their share to Robbie. Robbie wrote majority of the songs, only a few were written or co-written by the others. Writing songs is a talent someone is born with, so it is not a critic of the others. Richard wrote more than the others, I think if he had not been such an addict he could have written more. Levon and Garth contributed the least to the song writing effort. In an interview with Jon Taplin (The Band's manager for a few years) Taplin tells how he would go by Robbie's house early in the morning and Robbie was up writing songs, the other guys were still sleeping (Richard, Levon and Rick were doing heroin then) Taplin tried to wake up Levon and he came after him with a knife. There are all kinds of stories how credits are split. The Doors had a similar arrangement as U2 I believe. Creedence Clearwater had some of the same problems as The Band, but John Fogarty wrote most of their songs. The Eagles had some of the same issues as well. Robbie not only wrote the songs, he dealt with the business side of The Band, which no one else had any interest in. Accountants, publisher's, manager's the press.
Because Robbie wrote and helped arrange the songs while the others were doing heroin and getting drunk
This kind of glosses over Robbie's childhood. It wasn't just that his stepdad was not warm and supportive. He was physically abusive, he would beat Robbie, his mother even his dog, for which Robbie never forgave him. Robbie achieved incredible success, he was very talented, but his life was not alway a dance on roses.
Interesting - maybe only to rme - I was at Bob Dylan's first concert in Denmark May 1st 1966. On the ticket it said: Bob Dylan - Levon and the Hawks - but he had left at that time.
What about my Late Brother Bruce Bruno who Sang and Toured Canada for ( 2 years ) He Had the Song ( Hey Little One ) at 17 Never a mention of Him while a Great Friend of Levon , I recorded with Levon myself for a Film TRack ( The Last Summer )
I do understand, legally, that Robbie Robertson didn't have to pay Levon Helm ...because, songwriting wasn't Levon's thing...
But, there is a brother type thing...of Love, experience, and friendship...that should bond these 2...
For that reason...I feel more sad for Robbie, than I do for Levon...
Hey, Saint Peter...Who got through the gate, eh?
Levon got paid. They all shared publishing royalties.
Clearly the narrator doesn't understand that Music from Big Pink preceded the Brown album
This is a butchered timeline! WTF?
Don't forget Rick, Garth & Richards' contributions.
Agreed.Garth is a musical scholar. Pick up Robbie’s book Testify
Eerrr Testimony, sorry🙏🏾
A pic of Rick Danko with wife and kids is shown when you are commenting on Robbie Robertson's first wife and family. Please fix this.
I am a BAND fan. Why didn't they just tour together and stabilize Levon's finances?
Last Waltz was way to much about Robbie.
Maybe the rest of the Band wasn't a good interview.
I imagine Scorsese would have used anything fine uttered by any of them.
The music industry is the problem w all this.
And now Garth is the last man standing.
Jim Weider just visited Garth before he came down to DC with the Weight Band said he still remembers everything & still jams...🎵
The 'problem' started after they hit the big time. It's not just Robbie & Levon, it's the lawyers, management, label executives, drugs, star worship & everything else. In the end, they're just people. Exceptionally talented people, but possibly nieve to how the 'industry' worked in their tender years.
But like any family, a slight can take a lifetime to forgive. Or sometimes never.💔
There WAS no feud. “Feud” implies two parties. Levon had an issue with Robbie. Robbie had no issue with Levon.
If Robbie got most of the money, then of course he had no problem.
My experience is "drummers" always have issues. Get a new drummer, deal with it or buy a drum machine.
Levons soul went into Robbie's songs
I believe that there's the guys in the band who composed the song, and the next phase of it is the band arrangement. Composing a song and arranging it are two different things!
Sharing some of the songwriting royalties would have helped their relationship.
I was lucky enough to see the Band on their last tour. I was really too young to appreciate what i was seeing and hearing. Later in life i became really greatful that i had seen them. Robbie screwed his bandmates. Its easy to try to rewrite the history once everyone else had died. Levon was easy to believe. His story made sense. Not so much for Robbie. But theft in music is to often heard. Its why i always respected band who shared credit on publishing. ZZ Top for example. Decades . 4 people, including Ham, on almost everything. I wish the Band could have done that.
Too Robertson-biased to capture the relation of Rpbertson-Helm. Robertson himself was flawed. In The Band, often Robertson wasn't singing, just lip-syncing into the mike while another member vocalized. And how can they completely ignore Garth Hudson whose musicianship surpassed Robertson. Outstanding organist and improvisor. There's lots of accurate, balanced information on the Band -- elsewhere.
Robertson's mic was turned off for the entire performance of The Last Waltz. His voice couldn't hang with those other three amazing voices!
Throwing dirt at Robbie? Why? You should listen Robbie Robertson and the Red Dirt Band, after we went back to his Lakota roots
@@barneyblackburn7829 How was his mic turned off when he clearly was able to speak into it? Just more urban myths.
@@tyrapp262 The mic was muted for a reason... PS btw Lost? They also found "Master of the Telecaster" Jim Weider and carried on...
@@ThomasGrooms Good to see u up on the post Robbie of The Band. No wonder there's a bias there.
If you watched the actual footage of the concert (not the finished movie) Robbie did in fact sing into the mic.
He did edit out his voice for the most part in the movie version.
Still had that great voice, maybe not a singer, but his speaking voice is just nice. I would listen to him narrate anything or read a book.
It ain't L'vonn. He's Southern and it's pronounced Lee-Vaughn
His name's Mark Lavon Helm:^)
Wendy Mesley. I always had a crush on her. Gorgeous woman. She’s the one interviewing Robbie in case people don’t know who l’m talking about.
1st Album Big Pink.......The wedding picture was Rick....
Robbie was on record saying that he ' begged the other guys in The Band to write songs ' . There are videos out there where he said it . Nobody accepted the request . What more could he have done ? His memory still gets bad publicity from certain people regarding royalties . He wrote the bulk of the songs ..thats a fact ! Singing and playing on those songs does not entitle you to future percentages of money because it happened . That belongs to the writer ,the compaser , or the owner of the property .
He said that in 1975, right? At which time the collective that was The Band had become a sadder, blander institution, with Robertson writing all the songs, despite some good live shows.
Robbie's kids will be millionaires. Rick's widow along with Garth and his wife are broke.
@@mjford6152 Garth is said to have a net worth of over 1 million dollars. That's not a lot, but still better than broke.
I was a close friend and business partner of Levon Helm and the narrator of this video made many false comments..for instance, "The Band" sometimes known as the Brown Album was their second album, not their first......"Music From Big Pink" was their debut album... The Last Waltz was on my birthday, November 25th, 1976....not 1978. These were but a few of the mistaken narrations. Sheesh!
Just like Levon's friendship... your critique is priceless!
I have great respect for all of the group members but I wish Robertson's charity
extended to his former bandmate, Levon Helm, when he was down and out.
He enjoyed so many royalties from the numerous songs he wrote, that one
would think he might want to help out his former friends, especially when they
sang his songs so well.
I think Rick Danko, had a great voice,and bass and Richard Manual were great harmony including Leven Helm. And don’t forget Garth Hudson, organ playing, Robbie was a great songwriter and Guitarist. Forget the past they played together great. They’ll complement each other and I’ll have their unique songs and wrote some with Dylan too. Danko,Manual, Helm, were the combined Harmonies
They were bros period!
I believe they got their name: THE BAND
because Bob Dylan said: Get me those guys ... THE BAND
The picture with the baby and is not Robbie, it is Rick Danko and his first wife and their baby.
Robertson may have felt guilty about not sharing the money the Band made. Helm struggled with cancer in later years. Levon Helm shared ideas that Robertson made into songs. Who deserved credit for "The Night they Drove Dixie Down ?"
Robertson wrote the words and music.
@@tyrapp262 This is the correct answer.
Spelled Lavon folks out of Arkansas didn't know better, thought it was a girl name.
@@jaybreen1010 Richard Manuel shared ideas on that one too...
I was fortunate to see and hear them perform at the Albert Hall in London, along with with the Band that I Roadmanaged called Hookfoot, by the way, were a bunch of very talented Musicians. Great times for me.
Garth, sober, mature, surviving member, now 87: Knows all, says nothing. Maybe he cut a deal w/Robbie.
@@lazur1 huh?
@@stevesatterwhite1129 Back atcha. Which part confuses you?
@@lazur1 huh?
@@stevesatterwhite1129 indeed
As I understand, the band wrote their classic songs,together most of the time, during rehearsals maybe someone would come in with a idea,and they would work on it for days weeks,months sometime, they originally had co-written credits,but Robbie, after the split,started to buy the other members credits to the songs, and because they weren’t together touring they were broke, they sold him their rights to Robbie, today most songs are credited to Robbie alone with a few exceptions for Richard Manuel, ?
No Robbie wrote the songs, except for some that the other wrote or co wrote. In fact there is an interview here on Ytube with The Bands former manager Jon Taplin, Taplin recalls how he would stop by Robbie's house early in the morning and Robbie was up writing songs. The other's were still sleeping, when Taplin tried to wake Levon he (Levon) came after Taplin with a knife.
@@hannejeppesen1809 Correct. The issue is largely that most casual music fans do not understand that the lead melody, lyrics, and the chords/form underneath are the three essential elements that make for a person or persons to earn credit as a songwriter credit in the publishing of said songs. So, great drum grooves, mandolin ideas, orchestration, arranging, and even singing the lead vocal do not constitute songwriting in the legal sense of the word if the musician doing those things did not write the chords, melody, or words. And that's what Levon would have liked - to be called songwriter just because his oral narrative stories of the South inspired some of Robbie's lyrics, or because he came up with grooves like we hear on Up On Cripple Creek. Helm is only credited when he actually did contributed to one or more of the three critical elements comprising songs - lyric, melody, or harmony/songform. Even though if we remove Levon from The Band it ceases to exist. Those are just the breaks as they say.
The apocryphal story is of Garth Hudson's pronouncement prior to Robertson's approach - "Here comes the devil, himself."
Music from Big Pink was first album not THE BAND
Can you believe that Garth is the only one left..I wish Robbie would have spread the wealth with the other members. None of them died with any money. It’s sad.
Well that's sure seeing it through half-truths and cherry picked 'facts'. Surely you understand that men do not give one another money they themselves are solely entitled to - it would be emasculating and cause undue power in the person giving the money, indebting the recipients to them as well. Moreover, Manuel, Helm, and Danko seemed to be more dangerous with money to burn, right to their individual deaths. We are not our brother's keeper, and each of the aforementioned earned their livings playing Robertson's songs without him, something that he could have halted if he was truly so greedy etc. And to say Levon had no money or assets at the end is false. He was living just fine, I recall that when visiting his property a number of times in the aughts.
I agree! They got basically got way less if not nothing at all!
I’ve read that their songs, especially the music, was more of a collaboration by the band, but Roberson took all the credit and the royalties.
Robertson wrote the the words and music.
When recording, yes they would all chime in, but it was Robertson who wrote them. It was like Lennon/McCartney.
Levon Helm was bitter that Robertson did not want to tour in 1976.
Robertson was the true composer, post The Band, he was nominated for Academy Awards, Golden Globes, numerous Grammy Awards for his movie scores for Martin Scorsese.
LOL
YAAAWWWWN
Robbie will always be remembered as a thief. What's worse is he stole from his "friends".
tru dat...
Robbie was not a thief. He did not steal anything. Do some research about the music industry. The way the music industry has ALWAYS worked is that the song writer gets all the song writing royalties. Robbie didn’t create those rules the music industry did. Robbie wrote almost all of The Band’s songs and therefore all the song writing royalties went to him. He didn’t steal anything!! Levon fell on hard times after The Band broke up. Levon became very bitter about his failures and rather than look in the mirror and try to figure out where he had gone wrong Levon found it easier to just blame Robbie.
The rest of the Band said Robbie was a thief. Who are you to question them?
@@glennmcgrane8642 research?... soul search⁉
@@tenbelow9617 Here is what you don’t understand. From a legal standpoint Robbie was entitled to all the song writing royalties because he wrote almost all the songs. Now if you were to say that Robbie could have been more generous in sharing some of the song writing royalties I would agree with you. But, he absolutely did not steal anything.
thought levon was with Hawkins in USA and he brought him to Toronto.....this sounds like he went to HS in Ontario
I didn't know much about the band the 1st time I saw the last waltz, but I got a a vibe that Robertson seemed jive
Robbie Robertson is the only one who saved his money and tried to get off drugs the other ones went broke and resented Robbie....Robbie got tired of them by The Last Waltz and was ready to move on which he did and they resented him even more
I thought; how come no one ever thought to come up with this title. I remember Clapton played his Lazy style and then his strap come undone: that lost the vibe. Before that, it wasn't bad. Clapton is slow hand and lazy in my vaste opion. 'So, I kept wondering, who the heck is Robbie Robertson?
Band's are like a marriage Good and not so good
The real story might never be known. Why'd the guys let Robbie continue to take the composing credits? They created those songs together, de facto composer-arrangers. Maybe at first, they didn't realize how successful they'd be, or how much money's in a hit composition's royalties, but not for long. Only Garth might be able to explain.
It's not unclear. The credit in the United States music rights and publishing goes to the writer of the lyric, primary melody, and chords. Robbie was the primary composer of these three elements for all the songs he is solely credited as writing. When another member contributed to one or more of those three elements, they too received credit. In his final years the members of Levon's band, including his daughter, all were saddened by his inability to let go of the misguided grievances he had and spread so much information about. It's not like Amy Helm is going to go sue the estate of Robbie Robertson like Marvin Gaye's kids did Pharrell and that Canadian son of the dad from the 80s show with the Micheal P. Keating character. This is because she knows better - she knows her dad did not get screwed in the songwriting credits.
@@jaybreen1010 I'm not referring to a lawsuit, but rather, a friendly band meeting. "Com'on Robbie, we each change a note or 2 here, a word or 2 there, & a chord or 2 whenever. Now that the big bucks are coming in, give us each a few points."
Get your facts straight.
Levon NPD.. no matter how good the chemistry… the NPD has to F it up.
Re hash after re hash of things we already knew. This video is poor at best Not sure why there were pictures of other music icons mixed in with members of the Band
I saw them when they toured with the dead in the mid 70s
Great guy, great music. Why couldn’t he get a better rug?
I find it hard to accept that Robbie wrote and was credited for writing songs that were so obviously a collaborative effort... not dissing Robbie, I just think he was not as talented as some claim.. in his own mind and ego maybe.. in reality not so much..Robbie just didn't see it.. seems like he felt he was a real star above the rest of the band..just wasn't so.. greed and ego unfortunately has destroyed many good things...
Robertson ripped them all off.
Apparently!!
Or more probably Robbie was a selfish A hole who took advantage of his band mates.!
Or they didn't have the skills to write hit songs, and needed money for drugs.
I wonder what caused members of the Band to become serious addicts.
They were always wild with sex and alcohol which progressed into hard drugs these guys partied hard and lived hard for years until Robbie decided he had had enough
DRUGS. !!!
I like Ruben Remus..
Leave in ?
I saw The Band in Montreal Place Des Arts around 1969. I stayed to the end only to please the people I was with; I found them uninteresting and not very talented - boring and derivative. One of those times when I really felt out of step with popular culture!
Robertson is full of it.
Robbie went with Bob and LA and cocaine...Levon went with downers and not writing songs...
AAA
Kind of dull. Too intellectual. The music is not creative. Sorry. Too much os a "story," and not enough about great music.
I do not believe a word you say.