essential recording
This 1972 live album is a watershed recording for the Band. Recorded the previous New Year’s Eve, the two-disc concert recording presents the core quintet fortified by a five-man horn section overseen by New Orleans ace Allen Toussaint, and it is capped by a guest appearance by Bob Dylan. The brass and reed players incite the group to gut it out with more unrestrained fire than these road-hardened vets were accustomed to. The lion’s share of the set selection [Read More...]
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The last four nights of 1971 witnessed a series of soulful performances by The Band at New York’s Academy Of Music, the highlights of which were captured on “Rock Of Ages,” an exceptionally unadulterated live recording. While many performers would come to rely on an entire orchestra in an attempt to make their live albums more appealing, The Band succeeded with only a modest horn section.
It sure isn’t the sound quality that makes this album, but it’s definitely the sincerity of every note. After that year’s “Cahoots” was unjustly regarded as a disappointment, The Band reminded everyone why they could call themselves THE Band in the first place. They troop through their cannon of work with emotion and integrity. Though ‘The Shape I’m In’ may lack the grit of the studio version, and ‘The Weight’ may not be as well tuned as its counterpart, it is more than made up for by the loyally true feeling that is generated throughout “Rock Of Ages.” The horns add a whole new musical layer to many songs; they give more sadness or emotion to the likes of ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,’ and flavor on songs like ‘Chest Fever;’ the latter boasts keyboardist Garth Hudson’s exciting, brilliant organ intro ‘The Genetic Method,’ which contains as many twists as there are crumbs in Hudson’s beard. However, on some songs, the horns don’t work so well and appear to overbearing. Meanwhile, ‘Get Up Jake’ is a fantastic track that was formerly only a B-side, while ‘(I Don’t Want To) Hang Up My Rock ‘n’ Roll Shoes’ preludes their next project, “Moondog Matinee.”
Perfectly remastered, this 2001 edition of “Rock Of Ages” contains a bonus disc of unreleased cuts from the concert, including the essential hymnal ‘I Shall Be Released’ and four songs featuring a cameo by Bob Dylan. It’s a mystery why these tracks were not included on the original release, except for “Like A Rolling Stone” in which it appears Dylan forgets some of his lyrics, mumbling inaudibly through parts of the song (or is it just bad sound?). But despite its flaws, this is a potent and strong concert recording. “The Last Waltz” documented their end–”Rock Of Ages” is the essence of their musical spirit.
Rock of Ages is a great live recording, capturing The Band during a New Year’s Eve performance welcoming 1972. This has been a favorite live albums of mine since I discovered it in the mid 70’s. This CD takes the original 2 album set and puts on a single CD. The re-mastered sound is great, and the performance is as vibrant now as it was then. One of the great parts of this set is the addition of a horn section on some of the songs. Both on upbeat songs such as “Don’t Do It” and on quieter songs like “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. I’ve always liked “Rock Of Ages” more than the farewell set “The Last Walz”, probably because this is all The Band, as opposed to the guest appearances that define The Last Walz. As if the re-mastered original recording wasn’t enough, this deluxe edition adds a whole additional CD of live material. This is a collection of songs the Band often played during this time frame, and includes some gems that weren’t on the original recording (”Up On Cripple Creek” and “I Shall Be Released”). Plus 4 songs featuring Bob Dylan. The extra set is icing on the cake, and makes a great album even more essential. Highest recommendation!