The Last Waltz (soundtrack)

This article is about the 1978 album. For other uses, see The Last Waltz (disambiguation).

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The Last Waltz is a triple album by the Band, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1978, catalogue 3WS 3146. It is the soundtrack to the 1978 film of the same name, and the final album by the original configuration of the Band. It peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200.

Content

The triple-album documents the Band's "farewell" concert which took place at Bill Graham's Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving Day 1976. The event included an actual Thanksgiving dinner for 5000 attendees, with ballroom dancing and a stage set for La Traviata borrowed from the San Francisco Opera.

The concert featured songs by the Band interspersed with the group backing up a variety of musical guests. These included many with whom they had worked in the past, notably their previous employers Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan. Van Morrison, a Woodstock neighbor, had co-written and sung on the track "4% Pantomime" for the Cahoots album. Individual members of the Band had played with the invitees on the following albums: in 1972 with Bobby Charles for his eponymous album; in 1973 with Ringo Starr on Ringo; in 1974 with Joni Mitchell on Court and Spark and with Neil Young for On the Beach; in 1975 with Muddy Waters and Paul Butterfield on The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album; in 1976 with Eric Clapton on No Reason to Cry and with Neil Diamond on Beautiful Noise.

Sides one through five of the album consisted of songs taken from the concert. Side six comprised "The Last Waltz Suite," new numbers composed by Robertson and performed by the Band on an MGM soundstage. The suite featured Emmylou Harris and, on a remake of "The Weight," Roebuck and Mavis Staples. The music received overdubs at Village Recorders and Shangri-La Studios in post-production, owing to faults recorded during the concert.

On April 16, 2002, a box set reissue of the album arrived in stores, including everything released on the original with additional tracks taken from the concert.

Track listing

The performance of "Helpless" by Neil Young features backing vocals by Joni Mitchell; Paul Butterfield plays harmonica for Muddy Waters on "Mannish Boy;" Dr. John plays congas on "Coyote" and plays guitar on "Down South in New Orleans;" the entire ensemble sings back-up on the closer, "I Shall Be Released."

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Singer/Guest Performer	Length
1.	"Theme from The Last Waltz"	Robbie Robertson		3:28
2.	"Up on Cripple Creek"	Robertson	Levon Helm	4:44
3.	"Who Do You Love?"	Ellas McDaniel	Ronnie Hawkins	4:16
4.	"Helpless"	Young	Neil Young	5:47
5.	"Stage Fright"	Robertson	Rick Danko	4:25
Total length:				22:40

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Singer/Guest Performer	Length
1.	"Coyote"	Mitchell	Joni Mitchell	5:50
2.	"Dry Your Eyes"	Diamond, Robertson	Neil Diamond	3:57
3.	"It Makes No Difference"	Robertson	Rick Danko	6:48
4.	"Such a Night"	Mac Rebennack	Dr. John	4:00
Total length:				20:35

Side three

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Singer/Guest Performer	Length
1.	"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"	Robertson	Levon Helm	4:34
2.	"Mystery Train"	Junior Parker, Sam Phillips	Paul Butterfield, Levon Helm	4:59
3.	"Mannish Boy"	Mel London, McDaniel, McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	6:54
4.	"Further on Up the Road"	Robey, Veasey	Eric Clapton	5:08
Total length:				21:35

Side four

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Singer/Guest Performer	Length
1.	"The Shape I'm In"	Robertson	Richard Manuel	4:06
2.	"Down South in New Orleans"	J. Wright, J. Anglin	Bobby Charles, Dr. John	3:06
3.	"Ophelia"	Robertson	Levon Helm	3:53
4.	"Tura Lura Lural (That's An Irish Lullaby)"	Shannon	Van Morrison, Richard Manuel	4:15
5.	"Caravan"	Morrison	Van Morrison	6:02
Total length:				21:22

Side five

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Singer/Guest Performer	Length
1.	"Life Is a Carnival"	Danko, Helm, Robertson	Levon Helm, Rick Danko	4:32
2.	"Baby, Let Me Follow You Down"	Reverend Gary Davis, Rick von Schmidt	Bob Dylan	3:00
3.	"I Don't Believe You"	Dylan	Bob Dylan	3:23
4.	"Forever Young"	Dylan	Bob Dylan	4:42
5.	"Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (Reprise)"	Davis, von Schmidt	Bob Dylan	2:46
6.	"I Shall Be Released"	Dylan	Bob Dylan, Richard Manuel	6:22
Total length:				24:45

Side six

"The Last Waltz Suite" written by Robbie Robertson.

No.	Title	Singer/Guest Performer	Length
1.	"The Well"	Richard Manuel	3:27
2.	"Evangeline"	Rick Danko, Emmylou Harris, Levon Helm	3:17
3.	"Out of the Blue"	Robbie Robertson	3:03
4.	"The Weight"	Levon Helm, Mavis Staples, Pops Staples, Rick Danko	4:38
5.	"The Last Waltz Refrain"	Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson	1:28
6.	"Theme from The Last Waltz"		3:22
Total length:			19:25 (130:22)

Personnel

• Rick Danko – bass, fiddle, vocals
• Levon Helm – drums, mandolin, vocals
• Garth Hudson – organ, accordion, synthesizer, saxophones
• Richard Manuel – piano, drums, organ, clavinet, dobro, vocals
• Robbie Robertson – guitars, piano, vocals

The horn section

• Rich Cooper – trumpet, flugelhorn
• James Gordon – flute, tenor saxophone, clarinet
• Jerry Hey – trumpet, flugelhorn
• Howard Johnson – tuba, baritone saxophone, flugelhorn, bass clarinet
• Charlie Keagle – clarinet, flute, alto, tenor and soprano saxophones
• Tom Malone – trombone, euphonium, alto flute, bass trombone
• Larry Packer – electric violin
• Horns arranged by Henry Glover, Garth Hudson, Howard Johnson, Tom Malone, John Simon and Allen Toussaint

Guest personnel

• Paul Butterfield – harmonica, vocal
• Bobby Charles – vocal
• Eric Clapton – guitar, vocal
• Neil Diamond – guitar, vocal
• Dr. John – piano, guitar, congas, vocal
• Bob Dylan – guitar, vocal
• Emmylou Harris – guitar, vocal
• Ronnie Hawkins – vocal
• Bob Margolin – guitar on "Mannish Boy"
• Joni Mitchell – guitar, vocal
• Van Morrison – vocal

• Pinetop Perkins – piano on "Mannish Boy"
• Dennis St. John – drums on "Dry Your Eyes"
• John Simon – piano on "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral"
• Cleotha Staples – harmony vocal on "The Weight"
• Mavis Staples – vocal
• Roebuck "Pops" Staples – guitar, vocal
• Yvonne Staples – harmony vocal on "The Weight"
• Ringo Starr – drums on "I Shall Be Released"
• Muddy Waters – vocals
• Ronnie Wood – guitar on "I Shall Be Released"
• Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, vocal

Production personnel

• Robbie Robertson – producer
• John Simon - producer, string arrangements
• Rob Fraboni – producer
• Ed Anderson – recording and mixing engineer
• Terry Becker, Neil Brody, Tim Kramer, Elliot Mazer and Wayne Neuendorf – recording engineers
• Baker Bigsby, Tony Bustos and Jeremy Zatkin – mixing engineers
• Bill Graham – concert production