The original five members of the Band have not performed together since 1976, and have not released an album together since 1977. The remaining members reformed for tours without Robbie Robertson in the ’80s, then released a trio of albums in ’90s following Richard Manuel’s death. But the Band has not existed collectively since the passing of Rick Danko in 1999. Levon Helm succumbed to cancer in 2012. The fifth member is 82-year-old Garth Hudson.
Still, the Band has remained in the news through a key new reissue and an album of original songs by Robbie Robertson.
The group’s self-titled second album, originally released in 1969, returns as a beautiful, multi-format box set from Capitol. Their debut, 1968’s Music from Big Pink, received a similar kind of release, but this new one offers much more.
While Big Pink was a musical revelation that upended the music scene at that time and included “The Weight,” The Band contained many more classic moments and solidified Robertson as a major songwriter with such songs as “The Night They Drove All Dixie Down” and “Up On Cripple Creek.”
This new box set contains the original album on Disc 1 with six bonus tracks. Disc 2 includes the original rough mixes of the group’s appearance at Woodstock in August of 1969. None of the Band’s performances was included in the original film and soundtrack album. CD 2 also includes seven additional bonus tracks. Disc 3 is a Blu-ray that includes stereo and 5.1 Surround mixes of the original album, six bonus tracks and the “Classic Albums” series documentary on the making of the album.
[SOMETHING ELSE! INTERVIEW: Garth Hudson joined us for an exclusive Something Else! Sitdown to connect the dots between his early influences and the Band’s later rootsy triumphs.]
There is also a 2-LP, 180-gram vinyl audiophile edition of The Band at 45 RPM in stereo in a gatefold album jacket. Finally, a replica of the original 7-inch, 45, 1969 single of “Rag Mama Rag” is included, with “Unfaithful Servant” on the B-side. The package also contains an LP-sized booklet and three art photography prints of Elliot Landy’s iconic images of the group.
The original sessions were attempted in New York, but the bulk of the album was recorded in Los Angeles at the pool house studio on the grounds of the home of Sammy Davis Jr., and were produced by John Simon. Eventually three songs were recorded in New York and Robbie Robertson also handled much of the engineering, as the album evolved. One of the key outtakes included on this box and which has appeared on previous reissues is the track “Get Up Jake.” It became a staple of the group’s live shows and was originally to be part of this album but was dropped.
This is easily one of the best reissues of the music of the Band.
Meanwhile, Robbie Robertson’s new recording from UME is only his sixth solo album since the breakup of the Band – and one of those was really more a soundtrack album than a solo studio release. Sinematic is also his first album in eight years.
The title is a clear nod to Robertson’s work as the producer of soundtrack albums, particularly with Martin Scorsese, and two songs here appear in the Netflix Scorsese film The Irishman. Still, this is very much a solo album. Robertson does not look back to the sound of the Band, avoiding the retro work of veteran musical artist. Instead, Robertson finds the perfect balance between subtly using modern musical coloring and creating his own atmospheric soundscapes.
His songs are not so much sung as they are narrated in a spoken-vocal delivery not dissimilar to that of his fellow Canadian, the late Leonard Cohen. The musical centerpiece of Sinematic is the guitar sounds that Robertson has created. Many of the songs have an almost film-noir feel and depict life on the streets and those facing hard times. There’s also a sense of Robbie Robertson taking stock of his life and the world around him.
Some of the guests who join Robertson include Van Morrison, Glen Hansard and Citizen Cope on vocals and, providing musical support, Jim Keltner, Pino Palladino and Derek Trucks. Part of the package includes original art by Robertson and, in the vinyl release, the works are presented in 12-inch album-size booklet.
Sinematic a strong release, and both musically and lyrically Robertson’s songs are the work of a relevant artist with wide appeal. The album caps a busy period for Robertson, as the film Once Were Brothers, directed by Daniel Roher and based on Robertson’s memoir Testimony, debuted at the Toronto Film Festival back in September and opens today (Feb. 21) in theaters.
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