I've been meaning to work up a full version of "The Weight". I guess now
seems as good a time as any to record a quick solo version.
Everyone loves The Band's "The Weight". It's an FM radio staple, a bar
band anthem singalong, and been covered by too many artists to count
from the moment it was released. Robbie Robertson's evocative tapestry
of a drifter weaving through a colorful cast characters is both fantasy
and relatable at the same time. The simple, folksy song structure lends
itself to interpretation by artists as diverse as The Staple Singers,
Joe Cocker, and even Aretha Franklin, among so many more the song would
have reached over saturation were it not so good.
It's Aretha swampy take that inspires this version. Duane Allman
famously played slide guitar on her funky, soul take that downplays the
melancholy original. Decades later, the Allman Brothers would cover "The
Weight" in the same style as an homage to their fearless leader.
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