The Band:

Northern Lights-Southern Cross

 By Dan Utano

The music world can act viciously leaving most artists forced to be content with a measly five minutes of fame.  While The Band’s career lasted close to ten years their commercial popularity was not as long lived and all too often they seem to get tossed into that extensive file cabinet labeled ‘almost famous.’ It had been nearly four years since The Band put out an album of original material and to many, The Band’s flirtation with success had passed them by. To Robby Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Levon Helm, however, the fight to stay alive as a group remained.  With a gallant attempt to stay afloat, the Band created a brilliant album entitled Northern Lights-Southern Cross.

The Band became known early-on as “those Canadians playing backup for Bob Dylan,” but in ’68 and ’69 they separated to make a real name for themselves with the albums Music from Big Pink and The Band, which both hit big immediately. These albums blended vocal harmonies and a handful of instruments to create very original Americana folk-rock.  Unfortunately the next two albums Stage Fright and Cahoots flopped. With these failures it appeared to be quitting time, but because of their record contract they quickly threw together Moondog Matinee, an album of American rock standards from an earlier era.

Re-emerging in 1975, using a new 24-track recording system and a cool mix of styles ranging from folk, blues, rock and funk, Northern Lights- Southern Cross features eight original tracks immediately heralded as their best writing since 1969’s self-titled release.

The album takes off with “Forbidden Fruit,” an opener that kicks everyone’s feet into gear.  The bright upbeat sound of “Forbidden Fruit” is no anomaly as other songs such as “Ophelia” and “Ring My Bell” brings a fast funky swing to the album.  Rick Danko’s thumping bass lines drive the pieces that flow through with horn-driven backgrounds and flashy guitar riffs. Slower blues numbers “Hobo Jungle,” “Rags and Bones,” and the teary eyed “It Makes No Difference” counteract with the more buoyant songs creating a perfectly flowing album of ups and downs.

While Northern Lights exhibits a different sound for The Band, the premier track “Acadian Driftwood,” smacks of more familiar music, classic acoustic folk simply sung yet emotionally complex, describing the plight of the Acadians, exiled from Nova Scotia in the 1700s.  It calls to mind earlier works such as “Tears of Rage” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” with signature vocal harmony tradeoffs and epic storytelling.

Guitarist Robbie Robertson was the primary writer, producer, and engineer for the album, but Garth Hudson’s experimentation with the newly developed synthesizer truly makes this album a standout.  “Jupiter Hollow” perfectly exemplifies the synthesizer’s array of sounds as it bursts through with layers of vibrant glowing colors.

Had this album came out in 1970 then perhaps The Band’s late revival may have made more of a mark, but the times were a changin’.  Goliath bands such as Black Sabbath, Boston and Lynard Skynard now controlled the music scene which left no room for old-time folk rockers.  Northern Lights-Southern Cross may not match up to the commercial success of The Band’s first two releases, but it still brings top-of-the-line musicianship, creativity, raw emotion, and honesty that far too many albums severely lack.