The Band - Rock Of Ages (2-Disc Set)

Released on the heels of the stilted, static Cahoots, the double-album Rock of Ages occupies a curious yet important place in Band history. Recorded at a spectacular New Years Eve 1971 gig, the show and album were intended to be a farewell of sorts before the Band took an extended break in 1972, but it turned out to be a last hurrah in many different ways, closing the chapter on the first stage of their career, when they were among the biggest and most important rock & roll bands. That sense of importance had started to creep into their music, turning their studio albums after The Band into self-conscious affairs, and even the wildly acclaimed first two albums seemed to float out of time, existing in a sphere of their own and never having the kick of a rock & roll band. Rock of Ages has that kick in spades, and it captures that road warrior side of the band that was yet unheard on record. Since this band -- or more accurately its leader, Robbie Robertson -- was acutely aware of image and myth, this record didn't merely capture an everyday gig, it captured a spectacular, in retrospect almost a dry run for the legendary Last Waltz. New Orleans R&B legend Allen Toussaint was hired to write horn charts and conduct them, helping to open up the familiar tunes, which in turn helped turn this music into a warm, loose, big-hearted party. And that's what's so splendid about Rock of Ages: sure, the tightness of the Band as a performing unit is on display, but there's also a wild, rowdy heart pumping away in the backbeat of this music, something that the otherwise superb studio albums do not have. Simply put, this is a joy to hear, which may have been especially true after the dour, messy Cahoots, but even stripped of that context Rock of Ages has a spirit quite unlike any other Band album. Indeed, it could be argued that it captured the spirit of the Band at the time in a way none of their other albums do. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album: Rock Of Ages (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:55
Size: 182.9 MB
Styles: Country rock, Album rock
Year: 1972/2016

[1:22] 1. Introduction
[5:00] 2. Don't Do It
[4:05] 3. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
[3:38] 4. Caledonia Mission
[3:33] 5. Get Up, Jake
[3:54] 6. W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
[4:38] 7. Stage Fright
[4:35] 8. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
[3:59] 9. Across The Great Divide
[4:07] 10. This Wheel's On Fire
[4:33] 11. Rag Mama Rag
[5:32] 12. The Weight
[4:14] 13. The Shape I'm In
[4:48] 14. The Unfaithful Servant
[4:17] 15. Life Is A Carnival
[7:48] 16. The Genetic Method
[5:24] 17. Chest Fever
[4:20] 18. (I Don't Want To) Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes

Rock Of Ages (Disc 1)

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Album: Rock Of Ages (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:15
Size: 103.6 MB
Styles: Country rock, Album rock
Year: 1972/2016
Art: Front

[3:27] 1. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
[4:03] 2. I Shall Be Released
[4:38] 3. Up On Cripple Creek
[5:02] 4. The Rumor
[4:06] 5. Rockin' Chair
[4:07] 6. Time To Kill
[5:26] 7. Down In The Flood
[4:17] 8. When I Paint My Masterpiece
[4:38] 9. Don't Ya Tell Henry
[5:25] 10. Like A Rolling Stone

Rock Of Ages (Disc 2)

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The Band - The Band (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:03
Size: 162.7 MB
Styles: Country rock
Year: 1969/2000
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Across The Great Divide
[3:00] 2. Rag Mama Rag
[3:30] 3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
[3:10] 4. When You Awake
[4:28] 5. Up On Cripple Creek
[3:55] 6. Whispering Pines
[3:29] 7. Jemima Surrender
[3:40] 8. Rockin' Chair
[3:07] 9. Look Out Cleveland
[4:18] 10. Jawbone
[4:14] 11. Unfaithful Servant
[3:35] 12. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
[2:15] 13. Get Up Jake
[3:02] 14. Rag Mama Rag
[4:13] 15. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
[4:51] 16. Up On Cripple Creek
[5:03] 17. Whispering Pines
[3:45] 18. Jemima Surrender
[4:28] 19. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)

Robertson and his mates had the songs and the sound to make an all-time classic with their second LP. This hit #9 in '69; this reissue has two versions each of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down; Rag Mama Rag , and Up on Cripple Creek plus more bonus tracks!

Popularly known as the "Brown Album," this is the collection people first think of when this august outfit's name is mentioned. The four-parts Canadian, one-part Arkansan quintet's sophomore effort boasts more soon-to-be-staples than any other Band studio recording, what with the likes of the Joan Baez hit "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Across the Great Divide," and "Up on Cripple Creek" standing out among the dozen uniformly memorable tracks. Lesser-known group originals such as the achingly lovely "Whispering Pines" and the cryptic "Unfaithful Servant," however, play crucial roles in giving this 1969 classic its unique flavor. Given the high standard established by The Band and its better-still 1968 predecessor, Music from Big Pink, it's not surprising the Band peaked early as a recording group. As with all the 2000 Band reissues, this remastered reissue boasts a number of bonus tracks, though all but "Get Up Jake" are alternate takes of album selections. --Steven Stolder

The Band (Remastered)

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The Band - Moondog Matinee

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:56
Size: 139.5 MB
Styles: Roots rock
Year: 1973/2001/2015
Art: Front

[3:22] 1. Ain't Got No Home
[3:19] 2. Holy Cow
[2:54] 3. Share Your Love
[5:38] 4. Mystery Train
[2:45] 5. Third Man Theme
[2:59] 6. Promised Land
[3:09] 7. The Great Pretender
[3:24] 8. I'm Ready
[3:46] 9. Saved
[4:16] 10. A Change Is Gonna Come
[3:13] 11. Didn't It Rain
[3:26] 12. Crying Heart Blues
[3:28] 13. Shakin'
[5:00] 14. What Am I Living For
[5:02] 15. Going Back To Memphis
[5:07] 16. Endless Highway

The Band essentially went back to being the Hawks of the late '50s and early '60s on this album of cover tunes. They demonstrated considerable expertise on their versions of rock & roll and R&B standards like Clarence "Frogman" Henry's "Ain't Got No Home," Chuck Berry's "The Promised Land," and Fats Domino's "I'm Ready," but of course that didn't do much to satisfy the audience they had established with their original material and that, two years after the disappointing Cahoots, was waiting for something in the same league with their first three albums. ~William Ruhlmann

Moondog Matinee

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