Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An okay album, now remastered with one great bonus track, August 30, 2000
By A Customer
The Band is one of my favorite bands, and their first two albums are unanimously prized as two landmarks in rock history. In recent years, people have come to appreciate later, underrated albums like "Stage Fright" and "Rock of Ages." However, popular opinion for "Cahoots" hasn't gotten much better, and for good reason. Very few of the original album tracks are good, and only two, "4% Pantomime" (a great duet between Van Morrison and the late Richard Manuel) and "Life Is A Carnival," could be ranked as true, great Band classics. Actually, "Life Is A Carnival" never felt like much of a song; what really breathes life into it is the exuberant horn arrangement done by legendary producer/writer Allen Toussaint. Another popular favorite is "When I Paint My Masterpiece," a good Dylan song that doesn't quite get the definitive treatment here. (I still prefer Dylan's recording, produced by Leon Russell.) As for the rest, there's nothing abysmal or unlistenable. It's just not all that good.
What does make this album worth owning now is the new reissue by Capitol. For one thing, the sound is better, having been remastered from 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. I have to warn you, the sound isn't phenomenal; at the time, the only available source was a demo record. (EDIT: The original tape was eventually found and used for the Band's box set, "A Musical History.") It still crushes every version ever made like a grape. It's a great rarity, a Motown song done better than Motown.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Band's Portrait of Americana is Shattered, May 4, 2003
Out of The Band's entire resume of studio albums, "Cahoots" is probably the most interesting. Though the previous record, 1970's memorable "Stage Fright" first saw the outfit breaking away from the intense portrait of Americana they had trademarked, choosing instead a loose reaction to the terrors of performing and public display, this 1971 effort is much more down-to-Earth, but that never detracts from its spark. And though most will cite "Stage Fright" as having a 'dark' quality, that deep realism is actually found in "Cahoots."
A majority of critics claim that this set finds head songwriter Robbie Robertson's work to be 'dried up.' But perhaps it was with "Cahoots" that Robertson's songwriting, and the efforts of his Bandmates, found a new life; to be exact, the album's body of work shows that Robertson had most likely realized that his vision of old-fashioned Americana that the outfit perfected on "Music From Big Pink" or "The Band" was all a dream, and the reaction to this shattering realization is vividly portrayed here. 'Last of the Blacksmiths' is definite proof, as is the lyrically bracing 'Where Do We Go From Here?' A reading of Bob Dylan's 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' sets The Band's intentions in stone, while the opener 'Life Is a Carnival' (penned by Robertson and vocalists Levon Helm and Rick Danko) may actually be a bit sarcastic. "Cahoots" is probably noted most for '4% Pantomime,' a duet showcasing the late Richard Manuel and guest Van Morrison, and this track could possibly be a telling of the hard-eyed aspects of the music industry. However it is the closing 'River Hymn,' a tune full of mystery, that speaks the most.
"Cahoots" will probably never be appreciated for what it is by the critics, and will probably never be justly praised by the fans either, but it is nonetheless an interesting and gripping album as only The Band could create. Too bad Robertson didn't thrive on this newfound songwriting view while it was still beating--their next effort would be a collection of covers, the "Moondog Matinee" and their next album of originals, 1975's "Northern Lights-Southern Cross" would find The Band starting from scratch.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
First things first..., April 26, 2004
...the album is good. A step down from the previous album? Sure, but when only two of your five members are truly inspired to work, you are going to run into problems. Of the eleven tracks, five are quite strong, three are quite weak, and the others traipse between.
The album's like a journey through the world. "Life Is A Carnival" is the fourth straight brilliant opener that evokes New Orleans (down to the Allen Toussaint-arranged horns). "When I Paint My Masterpiece" is a brilliant Dylan-penned second track that evokes Europe (dig Manuel's drumming). "4% Pantomime", with Belfast's own George Ivan Morrison on second vocal, really evokes the musician lifestyle, frantic, manic and drunken. "Thinkin' Out Loud" has a great piano part and a nice metallic (upright?) bass part. "Volcano" features a strong vocal by Rick Danko and great horns by Garth Hudson. They all get five out of five stars.
"The Moon Struck One", to contrast those first five, blows. The lyrics are definitely Robertson's worst. It's the only Band track I have a hard time listening to. I give it one out of five stars. "Last of the Blacksmiths" and "Where Do We Go From Here?" sound uninspired. Out of five stars, they get 2.5 stars.
"Shoot Out In Chinatown", "Smoke Signal" and "The River Hymn" are decent enough, but are a step down from "Carnival", "Masterpiece", "Pantomime", "Thinkin" and "Volcano". Out of five stars, they probably all get 3.5 stars.
Averaging that out, you get an average of 4.15 out of 5 stars. A step down from the previous three, but worth a listen.
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by The Band 
