The Band is a good description for this particular rock group. They were Dylan's backing band on his infamous tour from Sept. 1965 to May 1966. It was during this particular tour that Dylan first employed electric guitar, bass and drums to his stage performances.
As Dylan got booed by uptight folk purists, The Band kept the steady-rootsy-Americana back beat alive and swinging. On one memorable night in the UK an audience member shouted out "Judas!" at Dylan, referring to his electric set up. Dylan turned and shouted "I don't believe you, you're a liar!" He then yelled to The Band "Play it fucking loud!" Priceless! That is one of the greatest moments in Rock history.
The Band went on to establish their own foothold in the pop music scene of the late 1960's. Their first venture was titled "Music From Big Pink." The Band wrote and rehearsed all of the cuts from the album in a huge pink house they rented in upstate New York.
The results were stunning. The Band perfectly displayed an uncanny ability to convey a very down home-rustic feel in their songs while still managing to keep their rhythm and blues prominently in the mix. At a time when many bands were veering into the stratosphere of experimentation with the sounds of the psychedelic era The Band kept a steady hand on the plow. Their rhythms are as hard as a rock but at the same time breath with a subtle nuance.
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