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The Band
The Honky Tonk Gift Shop is proud to feature The Band. All of The Band's books, CDs and videos we have reviewed are listed on this page for your
convenience.
You can also
search Amazon.com for more The Band products.
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Before The Flood {Live 1974}
Bob Dylan
The Band
Price $ 18.97
Bob Dylan's last tour with The Band had been some ten years before, but they certainly didn't lose their
chemistry. You can feel that Bob is happy to be touring again, and that The Band is playing as good as
ever. From Dylan's set with The Band, my highlights are Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine,
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Like A Rolling Stone and especially Highway
61 Revisited, for me one of The Band's greatest performances ever. There are only 3 songs where Dylan
plays alone, but they're all wonderful, particularly Don't Think Twice, It's All Right. Though their set is
limited to 8 songs, and their best moments here happen when they back Dylan, The Band have moments
on their own, especially with a great version of The Weight. This is not Dylan's best live album (that
would be Live 66) nor The Band's (Rock Of Ages), but this is not very far behind. The Band always
brought the best out of Dylan, and this is a great document of one of the best combinations in the history
of rock.
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Cahoots
The Band
Price $ 9.99
What does make this album worth owning now is the new reissue by Capitol. For one thing, the sound is
a lot better, having been remastered with state-of-the-art technology as well as the original master tapes.
But more important than better sound is the legendary studio version of "Don't Do It," by far the best
bonus track on the reissue. I've always loved the Band's rendition of this song ever since I saw them
perform it in their film, "The Last Waltz." For years, the only official release of this song was a great live
version from "Rock of Ages," but unbelievably this studio take is even better. The sound isn't phenomenal
(the only available source was a demo record), but it crushes every version ever made like a grape. It's
arguably the only Motown song that was done better by someone else.
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Greatest Hits
The Band
Price $ 9.99
There is no question that The Band are musicians best appreciated and understood by taking the time to
listen to their albums individually. That is the only way to experience the impressive creativity and
diversity of their music, and to see the occasional near perfection - as well the occasional clunker -in their
truly original body of work. That said, if you are not such a purist that the mere thought of a "Best Of"
makes you shudder, this is a valid effort at bringing together a retrospective, and quite frankly, I'm glad to
not have put in Cahoots just hear the the two songs I like off of it. All fans will miss something here and
may take issue with some choices (I immediately noted the absence of a "Ring Your Bell" from Northern
Lights Southern Cross and "Jemima Surrender" from The Band, and question if "Saga of Pepote Rouge"
is the best representation from Islands). The thing I liked best about this CD is the liner notes, which
include great descriptions of the instruments, and the techniques used to play them, on certain songs.
The notes also give due credit to Levon Helm, not only for his highly skillful style
but for his songwriting abilities. At his finest, no one has written better narrative folk/rock songs than
Levon. The other great thing about this CD is the sound. I also got the remasters of Music from Big
Pink and The Band when I got this album, and my old CDs of NLSC and Islands sounded so flat and sad
in comparison I think I will wait for those remasters before listening to them again!
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High On The Hog
The Band
Price $ 11.49
Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel handled all the vocals in the Band's heyday, so the voices, along with Levon, are still there in spirit; the rock-solid rhythm section is still there; and so are Garth Hudson's inimitable, intoxicating keyboard parts. --Geoffrey Himes
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Jericho
The Band
Price $ 11.49
12 amazing songs which show the few remaining folks who don't know yet, these are the guys. Country music is basically Blues Music, and The Band has educated entire generations on the value of our heritage.
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Jubilation
The Band
Price $ 14.99
The Band as it now stands can still carry "the weight" it once did. Robbie Robertson has been
gone since 1976, meaning he's been an ex-Band member longer than he was in the long-lived outfit. Few miss him.
Richard Manual, in his prime the group's most versatile vocalist, died in 1987. Bassist-vocalist Rick
Danko has passed, drummer-vocalist Levon Helm, and master instrumentalist Garth Hudson--along with a few
supplemental players--forge ahead. With Helm, who's always been the backbone of The Band.
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Music From Big Pink
The Band
The Band
Price $ 11.49
"The Weight" and "Tears of Rage" come from Big Pink, the Bands first album after finishing up as Bob Dylan's comrades in inserting rock and roll into the folk/protest sounds that were previlant at the time. A true classic.
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Stage Freight
The Band
Price $ 9.99
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.
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