THE BAND

The Band: 50th Anniversary Reissue CAPITOL

10/10

The classic second LP complemented by new outtakes and entire Woodstock set

The Band have been well served for bonus material thanks to the boxset A Musical History and earlier remastered editions of the studio albums, but this 50thanniversary reissue of their faultless second LP still digs deep to find six unreleased studio cuts. The other eye-catching addition is their entire Woodstock set (though it did feature in the full Woodstock box released earlier in the year). This drew largely from Music From Big Pink supplemented by versions of “Don’t Ta Tell Henry”, “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever”, “Baby Don’t You Do It” and a splendid “Ain’t No Cane On The Brazos”. Getting the whole thing in one place is a real joy. The new bonus material includes a slightly heavier “Up On Cripple Creek”, a much slower “Rag Mama Rag” with piano intro rather than the album’s violin, plus a rattling a cappella “Rockin’ Chair” and instrumental versions of “Up On Cripple Creek” and “Look Out Cleveland”. There are also the seven outtakes that appeared on the earlier remaster, plus a scrubbed-up Bob Clearmountain remix of the album itself for the audiophiles.

Extras: 8/10. Outtakes and demos, 7” repro of “Rag Mama Rag”/“the Unfaithful Servant” and hardbound book. Also available in various formats, including 45 RPM 2LP version of studio LP.