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Jubilation

Eric Clapton - Jubilation Audio CD

A fair review of the Eric Clapton "Jubilation" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Eric Clapton reviews here, or go back to the Eric Clapton tabs.

Band: Eric Clapton
Title: Jubilation
Rating:

Release Date: 1998-09-15
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Book Faded Brown 2: Don't Wait 3: Last Train to Memphis - The Band, Eric Clapton 4: High Cotton 5: Kentucky Downpour 6: Bound Bby Love - The Band, , John Hiatt 7: White Cadillac (Ode to Ronnie Hawkins) 8: If I Should Fail 9: Spirit of the Dance 10: You See Me 11: French Girls [Instrumental]

Great Final Chapter!
Lead-singer, keyboard-player and occasional drummer Richard Manuel, who died in 1986, had contributed one track on each of the previous two albums; here only three remaining original members are featured. "Jubilation" from 1998 was the third album released by the band after the re-union.

Musically the sound is unmistakably the Band as we known them from the late sixties and the seventies. Though the voices of Levon Helm and Rick Danko have lost some of the power of their younger days, Danko's singing in particular, is as moving and honest as ever. Especially his ballads stand out. Opening track "Book Faded Brown" is the Band at their best, and the Danko co-written ballad "If I Should Fail" is just as great. On John Hiatt's "Bound By Love" Danko and Hiatt share the lead vocals, and it's no surprise that this is another highlight.

Helm, who suffered great throat problems at the time of these recordings, gives fine performances on "Don't Wait" and Allan Toussaint's "You See Me".

On the JJ Cale sounding country-blues "High Cotton" it's Danko and Helm sharing vocals.

The strongest rocker "White Cadillac" features new member Randy Ciarlante on lead-vocals.

A short dramatic ( and poetic ) instrumental, "French Girls" concludes the album.

Another great Band album which is, with Danko also gone, is more than likely to be their final.

Last Hurrah
The music here gives their fans much to celebrate, although the celebration comes with the poignancy of maturity. The death of Rick Danko the year after this disc was released and the shut-down of Levon Helm's vocal chords from illness make this undoubtedly the last album that will ever come from the much-loved unit known as the Band. This is not the sound of superannuated rockers still trying to act like kids; these are grown-ups who have spent a lifetime making music, sharing their seasoned gifts with us one more time. "High Cotton" and "Don't Wait" are as good as anything the Band ever did. "Book Faded Brown," "If I Should Fail" and "Spirit of the Dance" showcase Danko's deliciously weathered voice. "White Cadillac" and "You See Me" are fun and give some of the junior members of the ensemble a chance to shine, while "French Girls" is a rare Garth Hudson instrumental. This is definitely a fitting capstone to the career of a band whose music was always the soul of integrity.

Magnificent....one of The Band's best albums....
I've always enjoyed it. This is a phenomenal album. It's The Band's best album without Robertson, and it gives quite a lot of evidence that the other members of The Band had much more input that Robbie Robertson would admit to. As Band fans know, there's always been a point of contention between Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson over credits to the Band's catalog. Robertson has most of the songwriting credits. However, when you listen to this album, and compare it with Robertson's solo work, you realise that all the members of The Band contributed to the albums. This is a Band album through and through, with 4 bonafide classics on it. Book Faded Brown, High Cotton, Bound by Love, and If I Should Fail are all wonderful. There's a real authentic feel to this album, something that you usually don't get with modern records. The guest musicians are used very well, and the album doesn't degenerate into a celebrity record, so to speak. This will probably be the last Band album. The only surviving members of the Band are Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Robbie Robertson. Since Helm and Robertson have never made peace (and probably won't), I don't think Helm and Hudson will carry on, especially with no Rick Danko or Richard Manuel. I could be wrong, though. Regardless, this is a great album, and a wonderful addition to The Band's catalogue. . . .

The Band's Honesty, Nobility, and Bravery all Shine
Their first album without Robertson, "Jericho" was one of the best surprises of 1993, and one of their strongest studio efforts, with the additions of new members but longtime cohorts Jim Weider, Richard Bell, and Randy Ciarlante. The Band, one of the most important musical groups of the late 60s and early to mid 70s began recording again in 1993 without Robbie Robertson (who had presumed the group to be over after 1976's "The Last Waltz") and vocalist Richard Manuel, who committed suicide in 1986 during one of the reunited Band's tours (in which Robertson did not participate). Along with 1995's "High On the Hog," The Band had produced two fine studio efforts full of rich musical landscapes but, with few exceptions, neither had really expressed the emotions of the group's history together. With 1998's "Jubilation" however, The Band may not have had a choice. Vocalist Levon Helm was ailing with throat cancer and it was now a full 30 years since the group had made their debut with 1968's "Music From Big Pink," a record which took the music world by storm. Faced with these facts, The Band delivers the most reflective and honest of their post-Last Waltz recordings. "Jubilation" is one of The Band's finest hours.
The disc begins fittingly with 'Book Faded Brown,' a description of the virtues of family, which is exactly what The Band and the friends that guest on the album have become. The song features vocalist/bassist Rick Danko's fragile, emotional voice which accurately describes The Band's personal state; Helm's voice is rapidly suffering but he bravely wails his heart out on rockers like 'Last Train To Memphis' and 'Kentucky Downpour,' or on more subtle pieces like the poignant 'Don't Wait. ' Also of note is the fact that the Band-members have contributed more to the songwriting than on the previous two albums, resulting in very personal, reflective songs and jubilant celebrations; the care-free 'High Cotton' is as genuine a slice of Americana as anything the group did in their early days, and the salute to their first mentor Ronnie Hawkins 'White Cadillac' certainly fits on this album. Friend John Hiatt's 'Bound By Love' is a nice addition, but the song that will blow loyal fans away the most is the stirring 'If I Should Fail,' a personal anthem of being downtrodden and surrounded, against the odds, and it features Rick Danko's second-best performance on a 90s Band album (the best being 'Too Soon Gone' from "Jericho"). Longtime member and multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson ends things with a wistful instrumental puzzlingly titled 'French Girls. '
"Jubilation" certainly revealed a group that knew the odds were against them; Danko's death a year later ended The Band's career. Though they still have a loyal following, the critics (and even Robbie Robertson) will probably never give the post-reunion Band's work the respect it deserves. But anyone who takes this hard fact to heart can find comfort in knowing that The Band probably realized it too, and their bravery throughout is admirably shown on their final fight, "Jubilation. ".

Still very good
But, for some reason, probably my interest in newer groups like The Eagles, I did not pursue this interest beyond "Before The Flood. For a long time I have thought The Band was, if not the top group of the Woodstock Era, among the top three. " (I took a passing interest in "The Last Waltz") I basically thought The Band was "dead and buried," although I continued to take interest in Bob Dylan,The Stones, and the Grateful Dead throughout the 80's and 90's. I was delighted to learn on the internet last fall that The Band was still making albums, and I bought two, "Jubilation" and Rick Danko's collaboration with Eric Anderson, "Riding on the Blinds. " I also bought Eric Anderson's new album, "You Can't Relive The Past. " My impression of "Jubilation" and of the others only confirms my previous view, which is that "StageFright" was the #1 album of the Woodstock Era (quite a claim). It should possibly be noted that as I recall, VH-1 did not rank The Band very high on its list of 100 top rock groups (they did make the cut) and also that these albums do not rank very high in sales.

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