The Band - Stage Fright (Remasters)
Album first released in 1970. This CD-rip is from the 2000 remastered and expanded re-issue edition. CD cat.#: 7243 5 25395 2 9
EAC-rip to FLAC-image - see Log file for rip-info.
Tracks:
01. Strawberry Wine (2:36)
02. Sleeping (3:17)
03. Time to Kill (3:28)
04. Just Another Whistle Stop (3:55)
05. All La Glory (3:35)
06. The Shape I'm In (4:01)
07. The WS Walcott Medicine Show (3:00)
08. Daniel and the Sacred Harp (4:14)
09. Stage Fright (3:44)
10. The Rumour (4:16)
Bonus Tracks:
11. Daniel and the Sacred Harp (alternate take) (5:02)
12. Time to Kill (alternate mix) (3:26)
13. The WS Walcott Medicine Show (alternate mix) (3:05)
14. Radio Commercial (1:04)
Ripped and upped by Toxxy...enjoy The Band ;-)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
The Band's third studio album is also their third-best studio album, and that isn't bad. It's not as synchronous as Music From Big Pink or as overpowering as The Band, but that's part of its appeal. The quintet's first two albums were such towering achievements that the group came to lean on its songs, turning the lion's share of them into concert staples. Stage Fright is littered with lesser-known Robbie Robertson compositions possessing more modest charms than the overplayed likes of "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". The title track is uncommonly hard-eyed and modern; Richard Manual's vocal, like most of his turns at the mike, is sparkling. (Manual also shines on the reflective "Sleeping" and the up-tempo "Just Another Whistle Stop"). "All La Glory" is a gorgeous lullaby, while "Time To Kill" sounds like the Band doing Creedence Clearwater Revival. This isn't the place to discover this great North American band, but it's definitely a stop worth taking before your exploration is completed. --Steven Stolder
From Amazon.com
The Band's third studio album is also their third-best studio album, and that isn't bad. It's not as synchronous as Music from Big Pink or as overpowering as The Band, but that's part of its appeal. The quintet's first two albums were such towering achievements that the group come to lean on their songs, turning the lion's share of them into concert staples. Stage Fright is littered with lesser-known Robbie Robertson compositions possessing more modest charms than the overplayed likes of "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." The title track is uncommonly hard-eyed and modern; Richard Manual's vocal, like most of his turns at the mic, is sparkling. (Manual also shines on the reflective "Sleeping" and the uptempo "Just Another Whistle Stop"). "All La Glory" is a gorgeous lullaby, while "Time to Kill" sounds like the Band doing Creedence Clearwater Revival. This isn't the place to discover this great North American band, but it's definitely a stop worth taking before your exploration is completed. --Steven Stolder
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http://theband.hiof.no/articles/band_remasters_hopkins.html#stage_fright:
Stage Fright
The Band had the bright idea back in 1970 of having two different engineers prepare mixes for Stage Fright. Ever since then, there's been nothing but confusion.
I'm going to leave the complete sorting-out of the story to other, better-qualified authorities. But I know this much (I think), based on the Stage Fright liner notes and my own two ears:
Glyn Johns completed a mix of the album on June 13, 1970. This mix was apparently used for the 1990 Capitol CD and the 1994 DCC gold disc.
Johns completed a second mix shortly thereafter. The Band chose three songs from this master ("All La Glory," "The Shape I'm In," and "The Rumor") for the original 1970 Capitol LP; Capitol has used these same three mixes for the 2000 CD reissue, and has also included a fourth ("Time to Kill") as a bonus track.
Todd Rundgren then went to work mixing and remixing the album; the Band used Rundgren's mixes for the remaining seven songs on the original Capitol LP. The 2000 Capitol CD reissue features these mixes as well, and includes an alternate earlier Rundgren mix of "The W. S. Walcott Medicine Show" as a bonus track.
I know from Guestbook postings that the Japanese reissue of a few years back wasn't based on the same set of mixes as the 1990 CD. Perhaps someone who owns that version can figure out exactly which mixing job by which engineer provided the material for that disc as well.
The result of this thoroughly confusing situation is that the new, remastered Stage Fright features (according to Capitol) the mixes used on the original LP, not those included on the previous CD version. There isn't a huge distinction between the two, to my ears; voices and instruments are often panned to different channels, and the relative volume of various instruments is somewhat different from one version to the other. Most of the time, however, you have to be listening carefully to detect the variations; there aren't any major additions or subtractions on any tracks. (The Band recorded the album mostly live-to-tape at the Woodstock Playhouse after the town council scotched its plans to play a live show there; the group probably recorded few overdubs, other than the odd lead guitar or horn part, which engineers could leave in or out of their mixes.)
Stage Fright bonus tracks:
11) Daniel and the Sacred Harp (Alternate Take)
This spare version of "Daniel and the Sacred Harp" is a welcome addition to the reissued album. It begins with a false start, followed by a discussion between Helm and Manuel, who are both playing drums, about the beat of the song. ("Should I come in with that backbeat there or after?" asks Richard, to which Levon replies in a drawl, "After, I think, 'cause there ain't gonna be much happening"--and proceeds to demonstrate.) The familiar pump organ intro follows, and we get a version of "Daniel" featuring only organ, acoustic guitar, bass and drums (Levon hums during the sections which are to become Rick Danko's fiddle breaks on the album track). All in all, this take has a bit more energy than the more familiar version of the song, and the vocal interplay between Helm and Manuel is especially apparent.
12) Time To Kill (Alternate Mix) (3:24)
This Glyn Johns mix of "Time To Kill" uses the same take as both previous versions of the album and emphasizes Garth Hudson's piano and Robbie Robertson's lead guitar to a greater extent, while separating Danko's and Manuel's vocals across the stereo soundscape.
13) The W. S. Walcott Medicine Show (Alternate Mix)
This early Todd Rundgren mix has a harsh, trebly sound to it compared to the album version (Robertson's guitar intro really crackles) and places Garth Hudson's horns farther upfront.
14) Radio Commercial
I can't imagine it selling one copy of Stage Fright, but apparently Capitol's marketing department came up with this little gem to try to move LPs in 1970. The commercial's saving grace is its reliance on sound clips from the album. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to pull this thing out of the deep dark vaults and slap it on the reissued Stage Fright CD, but I do know that the spot for Cahoots makes this clip sound like a stroke of genius.
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CD-Universe:
The third Band album reflected the group's response to the critical and popular success of their first two albums. Several selections, notably the title track, articulate the sense of disquiet and panic resulting from fame, life on the road, and tensions within the band. The set still offered the quintet's mesmerizing cross-section of American music--soul, country R&B and pop--but where previous releases took a largely historical perspective, this collection was contemporary and confessional.
The ribald, carnival atmosphere of "W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" reads as an ironic comment on showmanship, while songwriter Robbie Robertson sculpts a chilling portrait of personal and national disillusionment in the early '70s. From its startling title and emblazoned rainbow cover art to the intense, personal, and sometimes unsettling music within, STAGE FRIGHT showed a new side of the Band, one that deepened their collective voice and their unassailable air of authenticity.
3 Bonus Tracks + Radio Spot
The Band: Robbie Robertson (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Levon Helm (guitar, drums, background vocals); Rick Danko (violin, bass instrument, background vocals); Garth Hudson (saxophone, keyboards); Richard Manuel (keyboards, drums, background vocals).
Recording information: Woodstock Studios, Woodstock, NY.
Rolling Stone (9/17/70, pp.40-2) - "...A fine, determined performance....I am excited about STAGE FRIGHT....It is an amazing acquaintance, pleasant to be with..."
Rolling Stone (8/31/00, pp.69-73) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...A party album, bright and loose-limbed, with only a late creeping shadow in 'The Rumor'..."
Entertainment Weekly (9/1/00, p.81) - "...These remasterings sound incredibly rich, and each has alternate takes....this is reissuing done right." - Rating: A-
Q (10/00, p.139) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[It] has some fine tunes on it, even if the feel was less campfire organic....Remastered, properly annotated, plus bonus tracks....there's been no better time to get re-acquainted with this quintessential American music..."
Down Beat (10/01, p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Songs and performances you can feel way down in your bones..."
No Depression (9-10/00, pp.102-3) - "...A marvel....it enhances one's admiration for [their] achievements..."
Mojo (Publisher) (10/00, p.126) - "...Improves on the original digital transfers, clarifying significant details without homogenizing the overall sound. The addition of bonus tracks, of varying interest, will please some..."
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An Overlooked Classic.
This album, produced by any other band, would be a crowning glory - a staple of desert island lists and top 100 collections, but the Band had just produced the "Big Pink" and "The Band" albums ushering a quiet revolution in rock'n'roll. "Stagefright" has suffered by not being simply Volume 3, it has the reputation of being the beginning of the end for The Band, and a downbeat album at that.
Well, the latter half of the album is certainly darker than previous Band material - 'The Rumor' is certainly disquieting in its portrayal of smalltown gossip, 'Stagefright' is hardly cheering whilst 'The Shape I'm In' charts the narrator's disintigration. But this is only half the story - 'Strawberry Wine'sung and co-written by Levon Helms kicks off the album in true goodtime style with a great bassline and some nifty drumming. Levon also sings 'All La Glory' (about Robbie's baby daughter) as though he were cradling the child with his voice, a personal favourite this one and Garth Hudson's organ solo is gorgeous. 'Sleeping' is one of Richard Manuel's dream numbers, and whilst not quite in the class of 'In the Station' or 'Whispering Pines' it remains utterly charming. 'Time to Kill', a mid paced rocker about the delights of a rural retreat also deserves a mention.
It's Rick Danko though who is the hero of this album not only for his constantly delightful basslines but for his showstopping performance vocal on the title track - the total vulnerability of the central character is perfectly conveyed. This track also contains some of the Band's best ensemble playing.
From the darker side of the album both 'The Shape I'm In', sung superbly by Richard, and 'The Rumor' ( one of only two tracks to feature the group's trademark vocal swapping) are standouts. 'Daniel And The Sacred Harp', the other track to feature vocal swapping, is highly regarded by the one friend of mine who shares my taste for the Band - yet it leaves me indifferent, the mythic story and the instrumental 'colour' are too deliberate and simply don't ring true. Yet it is sung beautifully by Levon and (especially) Richard - a lot of people I'm sure will and indeed do love it.
In all this album represents a shift in direction, but hardly a falling off - the songs are superb and the Band remain the finest most versatile and least selfish bunch of musicians I can think of.
The bonus tracks are interesting but most times I switch off after the album proper.
The newcomer should buy the first two albums first - but don't stop there, this album in particular is crying out for your attention.