The Band - The Band

The Band is the second studio album by the Canadian-American rock band the Band, released on September 22, 1969. It is also known as The Brown Album. According to Rob Bowman's liner notes for the 2000 reissue, The Band has been viewed as a concept album, with the songs focusing on people, places and traditions associated with an older version of Americana. Thus, the songs on this album draw on historic themes for "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" and "Jawbone" (which was composed in the unusual 6/4 time signature).

Recording
After unsuccessfully attempting sessions at a studio in New York, the Band set up shop in the pool house of a home rented by the group in the Hollywood Hills located at 8850 Evanview Drive in Los Angeles, California. The home was then owned by Sammy Davis Jr. and was previously owned by Judy Garland and Wally Cox. According to Robbie Robertson, the location was chosen to give the songs a Basement Tapes–like feel in what was termed "a clubhouse concept". Three songs to finish the album (from "Up on Cripple Creek" through "Jemima Surrender") were not recorded at the "clubhouse studio", but at The Hit Factory in New York City.

According to co-producer John Simon, Robbie Robertson took over most of the engineering for the record, "hungry for knowledge ... I showed him how to make an album from a technical point of view.

Tracks
Side one
No. Title Length
1 "Across the Great Divide" 2:53
2 "Rag Mama Rag" 3:04
3 "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" 3:33
4 "When You Awake" 3:13
5 "Up on Cripple Creek" 4:34
6 "Whispering Pines" 3:58
Side two
No. Title Length
1 "Jemima Surrender" 3:31
2 "Rockin' Chair" 3:43
3 "Look Out Cleveland" 3:09
4 "Jawbone" 4:20
5 "The Unfaithful Servant" 4:17
6 "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" 3:39