The Band 50th Anniversary album, 45 rpm

This was the album that got me exposed to The Band as a six-year-old kid back in Millington the '60s gave way to the '70s. The eponymously-titled sophomore effort of Bob Dylan's former back-up band[No pun intended on the group's name] gave the group the most exposure than its maiden-voyage effort Music From Big Pink[1968] and even got them on Time magazine and a spot on bill at San Francisco's Winterland Arena-their major appearance as The Band, which they later culminated as a group with their farewell bash The Last Waltz on Thanksgiving Day in 1976.While we're in 1969 here, we enjoy an album that's well crafted and structured to represent the feeling of Americana in rock. Every song on here is great from first to last in an even dozen count. What also makes this album even more special is the arrangements worked with producer John Simon. Horn sections are made up from Simon, bassist/vocalist Rick Danko, keyboardist/vocalist Richard Manuel and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson. Not only that but this album was recorded mainly at Sammy Davis, Jr's house which also had a bar, swimming pool and a rec-room. What luxury. My main favs here are all of side one-"Across The Great Divide", "Rag Mama Rag", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"[Later a hit for former Dylan partner/muse Joan Baez], "When You Awake", "Up On Cripple Creek" and "Whispering Pines", as well as "Rockin' Chair", "Look Out Cleveland", "The Unfaithful Servant" and "King Harvest(Has Surely Come)". Other songs worth mentioning are "Jemima Surrender" and "Jawbone". But since this is a 2000 remaster there are also seven bonus cuts here-the outtake "Get Up Jake"[Later released as a B-side] as well as alternate takes/mixes of "Rag Mama", "Dixie", "Cripple Creek", "Whispering", "Jemima" and "King Harvest". Since these re-masters memorialize Danko and Manuel, Helm has also departed in 2013. Kinda sad to think of the three main vocalists gone, but their voices and music remain in our ears.This is THE classic album of The Band. Get it and you'll love it. Truly.

The five stars are for the music, not the edition, which I just got and haven't played. Capitol released a 50th anniversary edition of "Big Pink" on a two 45 RPM record set. I was hoping they would do the same for "the Band", which I thought was better than their debut. Most 45 RPM LP's are more expensive. The price for this version is reasonable.I got the "BIG PINK" 50th anniversary 45 RPM vinyl version from Amazon, who gave me an AutoRip download as a complement. It included extra tracks that were out takes or alternate takes. There was no Auto Rip this time. I wish Amazon would be more consistent in their service. The added songs would have been a bonus.

Yes it plays at 45 rpm. There's a reason 45's sound better on an good turntable with superb speakers - the grooves are larger that 33 rpm and that packs in more sound. It sounds better, you hear everything better and this is an awesome recording. I've listened to the album on 33, cassette and CD. This recording is far above anything else. Every Band fan should buy it. It will knock you out!

I think the Band is one of the most underrated bands in history. People these days wouldn't even know who this great band was if you asked them. To me, this band was the essence of what rock music truly was. Robbie Robertson didn't need very loud and distorting amplifiers like Hendrix or Clapton did in the 60's in order to make his point in the guitar world. It's just simple blues and country influenced playing, that is what true rock n roll is I think. Everyone knows who Jimi Hendrix, they know who Bob Marley is, and luckly everyone knows who Led Zepplelin is, but not enough people know who the Band is in this generation and that's a big problem to the music world these days. Most people these days are clueless about how artistically amazing this band was, and many people won't find out how great this group was without it being popularized like the Beatles have in the past couple of years. If there was no Band then rock n roll would have been missing the next link in the chain. The Band's music has meaning and depth to it that a lot of bands just dont have at all these days it feels and a lot of people miss that. Where did the feeling in the music go?

This is a great album I give it 5 stars I give Amazon no stars for saying this is a 33 ⅓ rpm album when it is actually 45 rpm album. Thus the rating is 4 stars. This is really important to know because not every record player can play 45 rpm vinyl. Luckily mine can and I knew this was a 45 reissue before I bought it.

As the other reviews explain, this is a great recording. But the news is the remastering (the inspiration has been long attested). To my ears there's a lot more bass which makes for a richer listening experience. As in most remastering jobs, the acoustic guitar brightens considerably. Otherwise the sound remains the same because Robertson and Simon saw fit to limit it in the original recording. The liner notes explain that the drum set was a $130 thing purchased in a pawn shop. The extra tracks are more interesting than the other recent re-releases because The Band worked harder at the actual recording of this record than they worked on other recordings. So there are more takes to choose from. The alternative 'King Harvest' has a charm all its own and 'Jemima Surrender' really emphasizes the big contribution Richard Manuel's drumming made to the released best take (I also learned that it's Manuel who does that tremendous drumming at the end of 'When you Awake'). So I highly recommend purchasing this release.

Having just finished Testimony (see book reviews), I realised I had never reviewed this masterpiece. However ambivalent I am about Robertson, this is, along with Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde, the best American album by a white band. It is stunningly original, brilliantly recorded and played. Most importantly all of the songs are so good and fresh they still sound great. They are so good, the Band decided to shelve Get Up Jake, which is so good my head spins.While other bands were pursuing psychedelia, blues, country, etc. the Band set out to create their own music, a bewildering synthesis of American styles. 4 of 5 members were Canadian and all of the songs were written, one way or the other by Robbie Robertson - proof that there is no 'Canada' or that American music is so strong it can accommodate outsiders. Take your pick.The Band had no sound until Music From Big Pink. They backed Ronnie Hawkins, a small time rockabilly act, and then fluke into backing Dylan during his infamous going electric phase.They cooked one up and it is remarkable. All 5 musicians are top flight and no show offs. Three of them are good singers with unusual voices. Robertson is an outstanding writer and tasteful guitarist. But the alchemy of the sound - so intimate, woody and authentic, makes this a cohesive masterpiece.It even had hits, like Cripple Creek and Dixie. It has stand out rockers (Look Out Cleveland, Jemima Surrender), ballads (When You Awake, Whispering Pines) even a rag (Rag Mama Rag). When this came out, it hit hard - it sounded like it was from another world. I saw them play most of these at Woodstock, and they were the best band there, even though they did not make the film for some bizarre reason.If you have never heard the Band, start here. This is the perfect album, original, intelligent, brilliantly performed and still wonderful.

Having recently acquired the Last Waltz dvd and cd - and loved both-I realised I didn't have the original recordings of a lot of the songs that were performed there. I had made the mistake of assuming that this was a best-of compilation rather than their second album, so thought I would write a quick review in case anyone else had thought the same.I loved this. The Band's way of recording "off the floor" with the vocalists singing whilst the rest played, rather than over-dubbing them on later, gives this cd a tremendous warmth and energy and lifts the songs tremendously. The instrumentation and arrangements are wonderfully inventive and shows off how jaw-droppingly talented the musicians (and producer !) were as multi instrumentalists.There are a lot of good songs on this, as well as the better known tracks and there is a freshness and feeling of joy in making music that comes across strongly. I am delighted to have found this.

Having sent back two copies of this magnificent work I now realise my record deck will be unable to play it as it can’t play 45s. Why doesn’t it say in needs to be played at 45 on the order page? I’ll need to send my order back again and buy the cd instead.

Review for Anniversary edition on 45rpm double vinyl. I bought this to replace my 80's vinyl copy - the difference and upgrade in sound quality is really quite dramatic. The stereo remaster by Bob Clearmountain is a huge improvement. Whereas before the sound was muddy and murky, it is now widescreen and clear, while retaining the atmosphere that makes this record a classic. I can now pick out instruments and parts which were previously lost in the murk. I didn't realise that The Band were actually pretty funky, with an R&B swing that reminds me of Little Feat. Listening to this on headphones is an epiphany. Highly Recommended!

Hats off to the brilliantly named Band. There are not many groups who could make themselves seen and heard from behind the bright light of Bob Dylan, but these guys managed it.Having first come across them on `Planet Waves',and the `Before the Flood' concerts, two of my favourite Dylan albums, I decided to listen to their output sans Dylan. And I was really glad I did.The band had a distinctive sound all of their own. They took a mixture of a variety of sounds, blues, folk, country, rock, soul, anything else they liked the sound of, and blended it into a sound uniquely their own. Utilising the three very distinct voices of Levon Helm (my personal favourite of their lead singers), Manuel and Danko, and the multi instrumental talents of all the band, they painted rich pictures from a wide musical palette.In this second album, the Band provide us with some of their greatest tracks, such as `Up On Cripple Creek', one of my favourites. There is rich texture and variety to these songs, by turns playful, sombre, thoughtful. Always well played with a distinct country/blues style and with some sublime and seemingly simple vocals. I love most of the work here, so have to give it 4 stars.