Forbidden Fruit

In the spring of 1975, The Band returned to the studio to work on what would become their first album of brand-new material in four years. It had been two years since the boys had left the cozy Catskill Mountain town of Woodstock, New York in October 1973 to follow Bob Dylan out to Malibu, California, and it appeared that they were not heading back east anytime soon. Rick Danko reflected in an interview with Barney Hopkins, "My original idea was to move to California for about three months. Instead, we came out and stayed eight years.". So many changes both personally and professionally had happened since they recorded Cahoots in 1971, and it seemed that The Band had almost given up on complete collaboration as they once had so effortlessly just a few years prior. Yet, The Band proved ever triumph with their new delivery and had a comeback album that would prove to rank as some of their best work along with Music From Big Pink and their self-titled (Brown Album). 

Another noticeable change that happened with the recording of their new album was the use of electronics. This was the mid-70s, and electronics were being utilized in a lot more mainstream rock and roll, not just psychedelia and progressive rock. One of the musicians who started experimenting with this sound was Garth Hudson. At Shangri-La studios, one of the new equipment was a 24-track console that was built specifically for The Band to record on. This proved to be a playground for Garth Hudson with the latest synthesizer sounds that would allow him to record multiple layers of his keyboards on the tracks. Used for primarily composing and utilizing ingenuity on his Lowery organ, the time had come for him to take advantage of the new technology at his fingertips and try out a new setup. Garth had started this new musical makeover during Tour '74 with Bob Dylan with a new H25-3 model with a brass and string Symphonisizer. Furthermore, he made his new sound complete by incorporating synthesizers which included a Minimoog, an ARP2600, a Roland SH2000, and an RMI KC-1.

While Shangri-La was looking like paradise with its new technological advancement, the most difficult part was trying to get The Band all together at the same time to actually make the magic happen. "Of all our albums, Northern Lights took the longest," Rick Danko explained. "Because we had our own studio, everybody would just saunter in when they felt like it.". It didn't help that separate solo projects were also being secretly planned behind the scenes. Endless division, arguing, bad contracts, and personal struggles were pulling The Band further apart as a complete unit. It was rare that they would actually see each other outside of their obligations to be in the recording studio or to go be on stage. One of those projects that was being considered and in the beginning stages of designing would be Rick Danko's first solo album (later released in 1978). 

The sound of Northern Lights/Southern Cross was a sharper, newer, and more electronic sound, but the funk, rhythm, and Dixieland sound of their roots still shined through as a reminiscence of their sound just a few years ago. Had one not listened to the whirling sounds of the Moog on "Jupiter Hollow" or compared the multilayered, fresher, cleaner sound to the more raw, acoustic sound of their first two albums, one would not know there had been such a long gap since The Band had put out brand new material. Songs like "Acadian Driftwood", "Ophelia", and "Hobo Jungle" easily are songs that could have been added to albums like The Band or Stage Fright. It seemed that Robbie Robertson was lyrically channeling his classic, storytelling method of songwriting, and The Band was tightening up their sound again, even if it was a challenge to find that perfect camaraderie that once existed. 

For Rick Danko, his spotlight was very minimal in comparison to past albums, but nonetheless strong as ever before. His backing vocals are unmistakable on "Forbidden Fruit" and his deep-grooved bass lines emphasize his superpower to be the backbone of the instrumental structure of the song.  An example of this is "Ring Your Bell". Much like their powerful Academy of Music rendition of "Don't Do It", Rick kicks off the beat with his punchy groove that grabs your attention and takes you along for the ride. With Levon's iconic drumming in the background following the beat opposite the bass notes, this creates the perfect back and forth rhythm section that The Band is known for. Part of the uniqueness of The Band is that they utilize the power of the bass player to open up the song. While many rock bands are dependent upon the guitarist or keyboardist for the introduction, The Band takes advantage of all members to have a chance to shine and showcase their skills. Rick Danko was certainly no exception, and "Ring Your Bell" stands out as one of his best bass riffs, yet criminally underrated when it comes to the group's catalogue of songs. It is even a forgotten track on Northern Lights/Southern Cross, regardless of it being a relatively short album. 

While Danko sang one liners on each verse of "Ring Your Bell", one verse, the foreground of the chorus, and the French ending on "Acadian Driftwood", his true spotlight arrived on what would, perhaps, become his anthem. Most Band songs that Robbie Robertson wrote were passed around to see who felt more comfortable singing which song, but "It Makes No Difference" was written specifically for Rick in mind for a chance to showcase his voice. Robbie stated in an interview with Rock Cellar Magazine in 2017, "Well, there was no question in my mind who was gonna sing 'It Makes No Difference.' I wrote it and I cast it perfectly for Rick Danko.". It is a move that fans have been grateful for ever since Rick presented it to the world. From the very first strain of his voice until the final note of despair, he takes you on the journey through pain, hopelessness, pleading, and grief. Just like his ability to feel joy, no one quite had the mastered skill to carry brokenness through every word of a song like Danko. Biographer Barney Hoskyns described, "...there is something so elemental in how Danko expresses his loss that it transcends self-pity.". The Los Angeles Times newspaper wrote in December 1975, "The lead vocal (this time by Rick Danko­) is so convincing that it may well be Richard Manuel's only legitimate competition for a vocalist of the year Grammy.". For a track that was written quite late in The Band's career, "It Makes No Difference" proved its power by becoming the most iconic and popularly requested song by fans for Danko during his solo career. 

Two more Rick Danko lead demos were recorded for the album but not released as part of the track listing until 2001 on a deluxe edition. "Twilight" co-sung by Danko and Helm, was recorded summer 1975 with the rest of the tracks, but kept unreleased for some reason. However, this would be sung in concerts quite often in 1976. "Christmas Must Be Tonight" was another demo that Danko this time sang sole lead on, but it would not become a known song until its official release in 1978 on Islands. The contributions he made for their new album may have been more in the background compared to most past albums, but nonetheless equally supportive. Instrumentally, there is a bit of contradictory personnel information for Rick Danko. On several websites, including the official Band history website and Wikipedia, he is listed as playing not only bass, but harmonica, fiddle, and electric guitar. The truth is that on the actual album personnel though, the only other track that he played something besides bass on was harmonica for "Hobo Jungle". It is a bit hard to hear him playing it with Garth's accordion and synth, but it becomes more discernable towards the end. 

Northern Lights/Southern Cross was released in November 1975 with overall great acclaim critically and from fans. By appearances, it seemed that the semi-hiatus from The Band was over and they found that unique creativity spark again that had been extinguished for several years. While The Band was officially fresh on the market again and on tour, this fresh revival was only temporary. As fans, press, and even most members of The Band would very soon find out, this was the beginning of the end. Being back on the road was on a fast track to their final destination and nowhere but a dead end. 

                     All photos except the solo of Rick Danko are taken and owned by John Scheele








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