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Talk about sumptuous: Just when you think you've seen the most luxurious box set retrospectives,something like this hits the racks. With coffee table graphics, 5 CDs of choice cuts, live versions, demos and early rarities PLUS a DVD of concert appearances - all supervised by Robbie Robertson, A Musical Historyreally has to be the last word on the band formerly known as Levon and the Hawks...
From their Canadian roots as Ronnie Hawkins' backing group, through their trial by fire at the hands of Bob Dylan's purist 'fans' in 1966 to their apotheosis as guardians of Americana in sleepy Woodstock. It's all here.
Simply put; their rebellion against the vagaries of psychedelia led to the reinvention of American popular music, and a worldwide reconsideration of the role 'roots' music could play in modern culture. Over-indulgence and bad mental health destroyed them all too soon, but their legacy grows in stature every day. A Musical History proves it. --Chris Jones
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Album Description
A labour of love that brings together five CDs, a DVD and a hardback book, this unique collection features over 100 songs tracking the evolution of The Band from their early work right through to their last studio recording. Replete with 30 songs never before released, this is an unmissable collection, bursting with great music.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Fans of The Band will undoubtably find this boxset an outstanding addition to their collection. The music is everything you expect from the band, soulful, skillful and steeped in American tradition.Much of it is available elsewhere, but there are some gems here, and it's nice to have everything in such a definitive (not to mention lavish) package.
For those who are new to the music of The Band, or have the odd record, then this compilation offers an excellent summary of their career.
When I first started listening to The Band, I wasn't instantly blown away, in the same way I was by groups like The Doors, or even The Stones, but I found that with every listen their music revealed more and more depth. Richard Manuels aching falsetto vocals, Levon Helms southern drawl and the floating tenor voice of Rick Danko become instruments in themselves. Robbie Robertson's guitar switches between subtle lines and ferocious licks. The real centrepiece though in these remastered tracks is the stunning and breathtaking organ work by Garth Hudson. Never intrusive, but always incisive he seems to know something that very few musicians do.
The DVD isn't the greatest quality (check out the remastered Last Waltz for that), but it does have some great performances on it. My favourite being a beautiful rendtion of Georgia On My Mind by the wonderful, yet troubled Richard Manuel.
In balance, some of the later material isn't upto the standard of the first two albums The Band released, but thats more down to the bar being set so high than the fact that their later albums were suffering in quality.
In closing I'd recommend this boxset to anyone, because if your willing to give it a few listens, you'll find yourself amazed by the magic of this music and where it can take you.
For those who are new to the music of The Band, or have the odd record, then this compilation offers an excellent summary of their career.
When I first started listening to The Band, I wasn't instantly blown away, in the same way I was by groups like The Doors, or even The Stones, but I found that with every listen their music revealed more and more depth. Richard Manuels aching falsetto vocals, Levon Helms southern drawl and the floating tenor voice of Rick Danko become instruments in themselves. Robbie Robertson's guitar switches between subtle lines and ferocious licks. The real centrepiece though in these remastered tracks is the stunning and breathtaking organ work by Garth Hudson. Never intrusive, but always incisive he seems to know something that very few musicians do.
The DVD isn't the greatest quality (check out the remastered Last Waltz for that), but it does have some great performances on it. My favourite being a beautiful rendtion of Georgia On My Mind by the wonderful, yet troubled Richard Manuel.
In balance, some of the later material isn't upto the standard of the first two albums The Band released, but thats more down to the bar being set so high than the fact that their later albums were suffering in quality.
In closing I'd recommend this boxset to anyone, because if your willing to give it a few listens, you'll find yourself amazed by the magic of this music and where it can take you.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Frankly, i'm a big sucker for the box-set format. And this particular item is one of my favourite such possessions. The packaging is quite magnificently lavish, for starters. Although it's not an especially cheap item, it remains pretty good value for money. Whilst purchasers are unlikely to be watching the dvd very often, the five compact discs more than compensate.
The first disc treats the early period with Ronnie Hawkins and an early incarnation of the group, prior to their teaming up with Bob Dylan. There are a couple of selections from the infamous "electrification" tour of Great Britain, followed by some song sketches from the "Basement Tapes" era. Disc two focuses on "Music From Big Pink" plus associated out-takes and disc three on "The Band" and "Stage Fright". There's most of what you would want to have, although a few of the songs are as live versions.
Disc four features a few tracks from "Cahoots", a decent selection from the live "Rock Of Ages", and ends up with songs from "Moondog Matinee". That album yields a few more items to get disc five off to a start, before returning to The Band's reunion with Bob Dylan on "Planet Waves" and "Before The Flood". The group's next two albums ("Northern Lights, Southern Cross" and "Islands") were a bit patchy. But they both manage to yield some good tracks. One slight criticism for the song sketch version of "Twilight" which was chosen. Then it's on to a few tracks from "The Last Waltz". Impossible to do that particular album any sort of justice, as it exists as a triple LP, double cd or extended box-set version. However, you do get the very pretty "Out Of The Blue".
Yes, it's an expensive item. It's possibly even a lot more than you consider you really need. You might think it's preferable to stick with the first three albums, and to forget about the rest. This, however, is one box-set which succeeds in telling the group's story very well.
(Update 13/01/09: Big price variations on this one!)
The first disc treats the early period with Ronnie Hawkins and an early incarnation of the group, prior to their teaming up with Bob Dylan. There are a couple of selections from the infamous "electrification" tour of Great Britain, followed by some song sketches from the "Basement Tapes" era. Disc two focuses on "Music From Big Pink" plus associated out-takes and disc three on "The Band" and "Stage Fright". There's most of what you would want to have, although a few of the songs are as live versions.
Disc four features a few tracks from "Cahoots", a decent selection from the live "Rock Of Ages", and ends up with songs from "Moondog Matinee". That album yields a few more items to get disc five off to a start, before returning to The Band's reunion with Bob Dylan on "Planet Waves" and "Before The Flood". The group's next two albums ("Northern Lights, Southern Cross" and "Islands") were a bit patchy. But they both manage to yield some good tracks. One slight criticism for the song sketch version of "Twilight" which was chosen. Then it's on to a few tracks from "The Last Waltz". Impossible to do that particular album any sort of justice, as it exists as a triple LP, double cd or extended box-set version. However, you do get the very pretty "Out Of The Blue".
Yes, it's an expensive item. It's possibly even a lot more than you consider you really need. You might think it's preferable to stick with the first three albums, and to forget about the rest. This, however, is one box-set which succeeds in telling the group's story very well.
(Update 13/01/09: Big price variations on this one!)
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a sensational package. It is beautifully presented, informative and contains a good mix of rarities and all the tracks you would expect. The book is worth the money, the music is worth the money so you get twice what you paid for. Rush out and buy it while it is still available.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
definitive
If you have a number of the most recent cd releases of the original albums (as I have) and previous compilations (such as Across the Great Divide), you may wonder, as I did,... Read more
Published 23 months ago by William Jordan
Another way of looking at this collection...
This is a lot of money, but it is a lot of music too and beautifully presented. But, nevertheless, still a lot of money. Read more
Published on 27 July 2009 by Doktor Futtocks
The Band boxed up
The Band emerged in the late sixties as part of the roots movement that would come to counter the psychedelic influence that had taken a grip on popular music. Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2008 by C. OSBORNE
Most lavish boxset?
This must be one of the most lavish boxsets, certainly in the world of pop/rock, ever released. Instead of the usual discs and paperback booklet which comprise most boxsets, we... Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2006 by D. Wright
comprehensive but yet.....
surely this collection is more than the average fan could possibly want. Do we really need Bob Dylan tracks just because they are playing on it? Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2005
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