Northern Lights – Southern Cross

Northern Lights – Southern Cross
Northern Lights – Southern Cross
Studio album by the Band
Released	November 1975
Recorded	Spring–Summer 1975
Studio	Shangri-La Studio, Zuma Beach, California
Genre	Roots rock; folk rock; country rock; Americana;
Length	40:39
Label	Capitol
Producer	The Band
The Band chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+^[2]
MusicHound	^[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[4]
Uncut	8/10^[5]

Northern Lights – Southern Cross is the sixth studio album by Canadian-American rock group the Band. It was released in November 1975 through Capitol Records. The album was self-produced and is the only Band album entirely written by guitarist Robbie Robertson. Recorded at the band's own Shangri-La studio, it was the group's first album of original material since Cahoots (1971).

Reviews for Northern Lights – Southern Cross were positive, with many considering it an improvement over the group's previous few albums. However, it was not as commercially successful as the Band's earlier work, stalling at number 26 in the US. "Ophelia" was released as a single, reaching number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Robbie Robertson.

Side one
No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Forbidden Fruit"	Levon Helm	5:56
2.	"Hobo Jungle"	Richard Manuel	4:10
3.	"Ophelia"	Helm	3:29
4.	"Acadian Driftwood"	Manuel Helm Rick Danko	6:41
Total length:			20:16

Side two
No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Ring Your Bell"	Danko Manuel Helm	3:53
2.	"It Makes No Difference"	Danko	6:30
3.	"Jupiter Hollow"	Helm Manuel	5:18
4.	"Rags and Bones"	Manuel	4:42
Total length:			20:23

Bonus tracks (2001 reissue)
No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
9.	"Twilight" (early alternate version)	Helm Danko	3:13
10.	"Christmas Must Be Tonight" (alternate version)	Danko	3:01
Total length:			46:53

Personnel

The Band ^[6]

Rick Danko – bass, guitar, violin, harmonica, vocals, mixing
Levon Helm – drums, guitar, percussion, vocals
Garth Hudson – organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophones, synthesizers, piccolo, brass, woodwind, chanter, bass, mixing
Richard Manuel – acoustic and electric piano, keyboards, organ, drums, clavinet, percussion, vocals
Robbie Robertson – guitars, piano, clavinet, melodica, percussion, mixing

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^[7]

References

^ Northern Lights – Southern Cross at AllMusic
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
^ 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.
^ 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
^ "Robbie Robertson: Buyer's Guide". Uncut. November 2023. p. 90.
^ "Northern Lights - Southern Cross". Theband.hiof.no.
^ "The Band Albums (Top Albums) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 2012-03-03.

External links

[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". Theband.hiof.no.

[7] "The Band Albums (Top Albums) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 2012-03-03.

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