The Band "Cahoots" (1971)

Cahoots
release date: Sep. 15, 1971
format: cd (2009)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: The Band
label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab  - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Life Is a Carnival" - 2. "When I Paint My Masterpiece" - 5. "4% Pantomime" - 7. "The Moon Struck One"

4th studio album by The Band recorded in a newly built studio in Bearsville, New York, originally released on Capitol Records, is the group's last album of original material in the following four years. The songs here are credited Robbie Robertson (eight alone), Rick Danko and Levon Helm (one song as co-writers with Robertson), one original by Bob Dylan (track #2) and one song by Van Morrison (track #5 together with Robertson). None of the songs are credited Richard Manuel or Garth Hudson and according to Helm, Manuel only appeared to play his parts before going his own ways.

Success hasn't made things easier for The Band. Internal conflicts about writing credits split the members and on top of that alcohol and drugs stood in the way of artistic outcome.

The album was met by luke-warm reviews and didn't sell as their two previous albums had done, although, it went as high as #15 and #21 on the Canadian and US album charts lists, respectively.

It's, however, no bad album at all. The band members themselves may have bad memories about the process, but they still play better than most despite the fact that a few of the tracks sound more like blue-prints or demo-takes of songs that were simply left as they came to be, e.g. "Last of the Blacksmiths", "Thinkin' Out Loud" and "Smoke Signal", but the remaining tracks only serve to document how well these guys played as a unit.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

The Band "Stage Fright" (1970)

Stage Fright
release date: Aug. 17, 1970
format: cd (2011)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: The Band
label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Strawberry Wine" - 3. "Time to Kill" - 6. "The Shape I'm In" (4 / 5) - 7. "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" - 9. "Stage Fright" (4 / 5) - 10. "The Rumor"

3rd studio album by The Band originally released on Capitol Records was initially intended as live recordings, which was shelved as rumors about the concert place became too overwhelming with people arrangers selling more tickets than was available, so the end-production setting was established to record the songs as is. The Band make the attempt to continue in their already familier style, but what appear most striking here is twofold: an immediate absence of enough good songs for a full album and what may sound like lack of presence. It's no big secret that the lifestyle they led at this point with too much alcohol and drugs didn't make things easier and tensions withing the band had become increasingly difficult just to stove away, but also Capitol, who had signed the band for 10 albums, was eager to see another album out that summer and pressed the band into the studio.
"The Shape I'm In" and "Stage Fright" are signature tracks and among their very best but the majority of the remainders seem to lack that quality one will find on The Band's first two albums. The album is far from poor but it may feel like a bit of a disappointment, although, it still contains classic material. I think the biggest complaint about the album is the sensation that you know they could've nailed these songs better proving that they could make a lesser song sound great just by being such great musicians as they truly were. And what are the lesser songs, you may ask. Well, songs like "Sleeping", "Just Another Whistle Stop", "All LA Glory" and "Daniel and the Sacred Harp" just don't rocket the band up the charts, but really, they are quite fine examples of an inner perspective that may have changed. And that's really what the album may be about: all the things that came with fame, and for once they sing about their own present story instead of glory days of the past.
The album sold quite well, reaching number #5 on the US album charts list (number #6 in Canada) but it wasn't met by the same overwhelming enthusiasm from critics as their two previous albums, although, most still saw the album as yet another fine classic release from The Band.
I think, it's better than its reputation as their first album out, or a minor release. Later on, the band members talked the album down, but that may likely reflect the negative emotions that tie around their relationships and unsound lifestyle more than this was about their musical skills and what they actually still produced together.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]