The Band – Rock Of Ages (1972/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

The Band – Rock Of Ages (1972/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:19:44 minutes | 3,04 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Capitol Records

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

Tracklist:
01. The Band – Introduction (01:19)
02. The Band – Don’t Do It (04:59)
03. The Band – King Harvest (Has Surely Come) (04:04)
04. The Band – Caledonia Mission (03:38)
05. The Band – Get Up Jake (03:33)
06. The Band – The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show (03:53)
07. The Band – Stage Fright (04:38)
08. The Band – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (04:35)
09. The Band – Across The Great Divide (03:58)
10. The Band – This Wheel’s On Fire (04:06)
11. The Band – Rag Mama Rag (04:27)
12. The Band – The Weight (05:32)
13. The Band – The Shape I’m In (04:14)
14. The Band – The Unfaithful Servant (04:46)
15. The Band – Life Is A Carnival (04:09)
16. The Band – The Genetic Method (07:54)
17. The Band – Chest Fever (05:24)
18. The Band – (I Don’t Want To) Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes (04:27)

Personnel:
Rick Danko – vocal, bass, violin
Levon Helm – vocal, drums, mandolin
Garth Hudson – organ, piano, accordion, tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone solos
Richard Manuel – vocal, piano, organ, clavinet, drums
Robbie Robertson – guitar, backing vocal, introduction
Additional:
Howard Johnson – tuba, euphonium, baritone saxophone
Snooky Young – trumpet, flugelhorn
Joe Farrell – tenor and soprano saxophones, English horn
Earl McIntyre – trombone

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