The Band (Expanded & Remastered) (CD)

The Band was a Canadian-American rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1967. It consisted of Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, drums, vocals), Robbie Robertson (guitar, songwriting, vocals), and American Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar). The Band combined elements of Americana, folk, rock, jazz, country, and R&B, influencing musicians such as George Harrison, Elton John, the Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton and Wilco.Between 1958 and 1963, the group was known as the Hawks, a backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. In the mid-1960s, they gained recognition for backing Bob Dylan, and the 1966 concert tour was notable as Dylan's first with an electric band. After leaving Dylan and changing their name to "The Band", they released several records to critical and popular acclaim, including their debut album Music from Big Pink in 1968. According to AllMusic, the album's influence on several generations of musicians has been substantial: musician Roger Waters called Music from Big Pink the second-most influential record in the history of rock and roll, and music journalist Al Aronowitz called it "country soul ... a sound never heard before". Their most popular songs included "The Weight", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", and “Up on Cripple Creek”.Music critic Bruce Eder described the Band as "one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world, their music embraced by critics ... as seriously as the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones." The Band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them 50th on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time, and ranked "The Weight" 41st on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. In 2008, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, they were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Like the music

Wonderful!

I first got hooked on the music of The Band nearly four decades ago, when I first saw Martin Scorsese’s film “The Last Waltz.” Soon afterward, I went out and purchased “The Band,” The Band’s brown album on vinyl, and I played it constantly, until I finally wore it out.I recently found the MP3 version of “The Band” in the digital music section of Amazon, and I immediately added it to my digital music library. It is fantastic in every way. It contains all the same great songs as I remember from the original vinyl version. The digital version also includes alternate versions of several songs. (The alternate takes are so good that I don’t mind the repetition.) I consider each song a favorite, but if I had to pick the “best of the best” on this album, I would choose “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” “Rockin’ Chair,” and “Rag Mama Rag.” The songs have all been digitally remastered, so the audio quality has been greatly enhanced, adding to the overall enjoyment of the album.I strongly believe that “The Band” is the best music ever produced by the iconic rock group The Band. If you only own one of The Band’s albums, this is the one to get. Most highly recommended.

Very clear and easy to listen to this old classic after the remaster.

Just superb musicianship throughout and what I thought were great songs. Enjoyed all of it. Very glad I got it. What a terrific group!

Same as the original

excellent album, I still have the original vinyl, this sounds much better . most people have probably never heard of these guys, butt they were one of the most played rock and roll bands on the radio in the 70.s