Northern Lights – Southern Cross
Studio album by
The Band
ReleasedNovember 1975 (1975-11)
RecordedSpring–Summer 1975
StudioShangri-La Studio, Zuma Beach, California
GenreRoots rock, folk rock, country rock, Americana
Length40:40
LabelCapitol
ProducerThe Band
The Band chronology
The Basement Tapes
(1975)		 Northern Lights – Southern Cross
(1975)		 The Best of the Band
(1976)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[2]
MusicHound[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Uncut8/10[5]

Northern Lights – Southern Cross is the sixth studio album by Canadian-American rock group the Band, released in 1975. It was the first album to be recorded at their new California studio, Shangri-La, and the first album of all new material since 1971's Cahoots. It was recorded using a 24-track tape recorder, which allowed Garth Hudson to include multiple layers of keyboards on several tracks, and it is the only Band album where all songs are credited as compositions of guitarist Robbie Robertson.

Three songs from the album – "It Makes No Difference", "Ophelia" and "Acadian Driftwood" – were performed at The Last Waltz, the group's 1976 penultimate stage performance of all five members. "It Makes No Difference" and "Ophelia" were included in the film and on the original 1978 soundtrack album, and "Acadian Driftwood" was included in the 2002 extended re-release of the soundtrack album. These songs in particular have enjoyed subsequent revivals and cover versions. "Acadian Driftwood" was featured in a 1984 CBC-TV special titled Murray McLauchlan's Floating Over Canada. The only Band member to appear in the sequence was Levon Helm. In this presentation of the song, Levon, his wife Sandy Helm, and Murray McLauchlan depict the expulsion of Acadian citizens by British forces.

The album was well-received critically: Rolling Stone declared that The Band had kicked "a field goal",[6] and, while he was put off by the sentimentality of the lyrics, Robert Christgau wrote "the pure comeliness of every melody on this album led to an immediate infatuation."[7] John Bauldie in Q Magazine called the album "glossy and slick" and lamented that the close-knit aspect of the group playing together had disappeared.[8]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Robbie Robertson.

Side one

No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Forbidden Fruit"Levon Helm5:59
2."Hobo Jungle"Richard Manuel4:15
3."Ophelia"Helm3:32
4."Acadian Driftwood"Manuel, Helm, Rick Danko6:42

Side two

No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Ring Your Bell"Danko, Manuel, Helm3:55
2."It Makes No Difference"Danko6:34
3."Jupiter Hollow"Helm, Manuel5:20
4."Rags and Bones"Manuel [9]4:46

Bonus track listing from 2001 re-release

No.TitleLength
9."Twilight" (early alternate version)3:13
10."Christmas Must Be Tonight" (alternate version)3:01

Personnel

The Band [10]
Additional personnel
  • Byron Berline – fiddle on "Acadian Driftwood"
  • Nat Jeffrey – engineer, mixing
  • Rob Fraboni – engineer, mixing
  • Ed Anderson – engineer

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)

Year Chart Position
1976 Billboard 200 26

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year Single Chart Position
1976 "Ophelia" Hot 100 62[11]
  •  – Peter Viney's article on "Acadian Driftwood" at theband.hiof.no
  •  – Peter Viney's article on "Jupiter Hollow" at theband.hiof.no

References

  1. ↑ Northern Lights – Southern Cross at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  3. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 72. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  4. ↑ Brackett, Nathan, with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside. p. 42. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ↑ "Robbie Robertson: Buyer's Guide". Uncut. November 2023. p. 90.
  6. ↑ "Northern Lights, Southern Cross". Rolling Stone. 29 January 1976.
  7. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: The Band".
  8. ↑ Bauldrie, John (5 March 1991). "Northern Lights - Southern Cross re-issue review". Q Magazine. 55: 84.
  9. ↑ "Who Plays What Instruments "The Band"". Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  10. ↑ "Northern Lights - Southern Cross".
  11. ↑ "The Band Albums (Top Albums) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
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