The legendary status that the American The Band has today is mainly based on their first 2 albums. The fourth album, Cahoots, was not so well received in 1971. The five members struggled individually with their star status and there were the inevitable drugs that infringed on their impeccable playing together and sense of atmosphere and American musical traditions. On Cahoots, The Band is no longer
… the pleasant and tightly rattling village band from Woodstock, but an arrived rock band. Cahoots wasn't planned either but was created at the request of manager Albert Grossman, to inaugurate his new studio near Woodstock. The group was rarely there as a team and parts were played individually. Even 50 years later, this extended anniversary edition doesn't feature a misunderstood gem. But inevitably the mighty The Band is heard here in strong tracks like Life Is A Carnival, The River Hymn and the outtake Bessie Smith. The excellent added live recordings from the same year show that The Band were still masters on stage. (MR)more
