I wasn't around for The Band, and am not that familiar with their music. However, this was a song I came to know as a teenager and loved. I'm one of the people that Oscar mentioned who wouldn't have been able to tell you who sang the song or what its title was. The fact that it is covered so frequently tells you that it is a quality song.

An often covered masterpiece of Americana by a band that was 4/5ths Canadian. Casual rock fans might not recognize this song by the title, I remember one person I knew thought the song was called "Take the load off Fanny." The colorful song comes from their first album. In the song, a narrator is asked to do all sorts of annoying favors- for instance, "Crazy Chester" wants him to take care of his dog. The music is a kind of blend of country, gospel, and blues with excellent organ. The Band brought back rural, Southern, 19th century Civil War music in the midst of the psychedelic era. The lyrics are really, really good too. A brilliant song that is hard to get sick of.

The definitive Robbie Robertson track from the first album.  The song has a gospel inspired  call and response chorus that winds up into the building harmony of "And/And/Aaaaaaand...You put the weight right on me", that almost always puts a chill down the spine.  The Staple Singers almost owned this song after their version and even did a joint version with the Band on The Last Waltz.