Whats playing on your system today?

All The King’s Men. For all ya’ll who like The Rolling Stones, on "Deuce & A Quarter" Keith Richards gets together with those HE likes: Scotty Moore (guitar) and D.J. Fontana (drums) from Elvis’ original band (Keith brought along his dad to meet them), and Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson of The Band. Recorded in Levon’s studio in Woodstock in 1996.

Speaking of The Band, there is a recording from 1961 or 2 of them (when they were known as Levon & The Hawks) performing the song they did with Clapton in The Last Waltz---Bobby Bland’s "Farther On Up The Road", with Levon singing. It’s from before The Beatles had ever entered a recording studio, 3 or 4 before The Hawks went on the road with Dylan, and 6 or 7 before they (as The Band) recorded their debut album Music From Big Pink. Working together for 8 years before recording it is one reason MFBP is as good as it is. How many young R & R bands today are together 8 years before they record an album? Answer: None.

So as The Beatles little-by-little got worse-and-worse as a performing band between 1962 and 1968, The Hawks were getting better-and-better. By the time they (as The Band) went in to record MFBP in early 1968, they were the best R & R band in the world. When George Harrison and Eric Clapton heard Music From Big Pink, they were in absolute awe. They weren't alone.