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What are your thoughts on the reluctant guitar hero who played short solos and iconic licks seemingly in ebullient fashion, but in actual fact lost interest in solos in the mid ‘60s?
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08-30-2023 01:21 PM
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He played like he was a songwriter, serve the song. Oh yeah, he was a songwriter.
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Originally Posted by fep
You’re right, but at the same time, I loved what little lead he played and wish it were more extended in places. He had a real nice spiky and melodic style with those little fills and passages. Good vibrato, pinch harmonics, tremolo picking…
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Had a knack for coming up with interesting parts that were very memorable and always became major identifiers to the tune. I mean, that intro to "The Weight?" C'mon! That's just acoustic rock perfection.
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I used to love the way he played around the singer.
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RR played with taste. It was about the music, not him.
We could all take a lesson from him in that regard.
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Playing with a folk musician made rock gods love him before he was famous.
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Here’s my favourite RR solo from when I was a teenager. Talk about sensitivity to the song!
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I saw him with the Band twice in a matter of a few weeks in the early/mid 70's, both time from less than 30 feet, first in Buffalo and then in Toronto. He was infinitely more impressive than I was expecting and the Toronto show, essentially a home coming was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. His playing was sparkling, economical, and always exactly what was called for in the song at that moment.
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He is a very economical and effective player. He played on a lot of albums in the 70's including Joni Mitchell's and also did quite a few movie soundtracks, especially for his friend Martin Scorcese.
Of course he played like Steve Cropper. Who among his generation didn't??
(I would also list Scotty Moore, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Merle Travis as influences.)
Without him...there'd be no electric Dylan, and no Band. Nuff said.
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Dylan started out as a rocker, before he was a folkie. Plus there was a guy called Mike Bloomfield who broke the electric barrier with Dylan at the 1965 Newport festival. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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Robbie’s vibrato, pinch harmonics, and tremolo picking are all on display in this one. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
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Lots of people of his generation didn't play like Cropper (i.e., all the blues/rock "guitar heros"). I think that was a big part of why RR kept it simple rather than become a flashy soloist. Also, electric Dylan actually happened first with Mike Bloomfield and the Butterfield Blues Band. So there definitely would have been electric Dylan without RR, though obviously no The Band without him. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
What I like about RR is that there's a definite personality to his playing, simple but also edgy and a little chaotic. Someone I know describes him as sounding like a chicken being chased by steam roller.
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That’s a fair description, but I would add that he was melodic in a way a lot of other simple, edgy players are not. Originally Posted by John A.
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Robbie played with two keyboard players. It's hard enough for a guitarist to comp with one keyboard player, let alone two.
Another thing, Robbie (and the Hawks, later The Band) did a lot of gigging when they were young. Ronnie Hawkins was strict with them----he sent Robbie to study with Roy Buchanan--and they played several different styles of music: Dixieland, R&B, folk, country, rock'n'roll, ballads, pop, gospel, you name it.
Being "The Band" means serving the song and although all the guys could play, they were never trying to play everything they knew, just what the song called for. Easier said than done.
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Fredo - Richard Manuel and Rick Danko
Sonny - Levon Helm
Michael - Robbie Robertson
Tom - Garth Hudson and Martin Scorsese
Vito - Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan
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Interesting analysis of his playing:
Pehr Smith: Robbie Robertson's Guitar Technique
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