Customer Reviews

Rock of Ages

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The last four nights of 1971 witnessed a series of soulful performances by The Band at New York's Academy Of Music, the highlights of which were captured on "Rock Of Ages," an exceptionally unadulterated live recording. While many performers would come to rely on an entire orchestra in an attempt to make their live albums more appealing, The Band succeeded with only a modest horn section.
It sure isn't the sound quality that makes this album, but it's definitely the sincerity of every note. After that year's "Cahoots" was unjustly regarded as a disappointment, The Band reminded everyone why they could call themselves THE Band in the first place. They troop through their cannon of work with emotion and integrity. Though 'The Shape I'm In' may lack the grit of the studio version, and 'The Weight' may not be as well tuned as its counterpart, it is more than made up for by the loyally true feeling that is generated throughout "Rock Of Ages." The horns add a whole new musical layer to many songs; they give more sadness or emotion to the likes of 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,' and flavor on songs like 'Chest Fever;' the latter boasts keyboardist Garth Hudson's exciting, brilliant organ intro 'The Genetic Method,' which contains as many twists as there are crumbs in Hudson's beard. However, on some songs, the horns don't work so well and appear to overbearing. Meanwhile, 'Get Up Jake' is a fantastic track that was formerly only a B-side, while '(I Don't Want To) Hang Up My Rock 'n' Roll Shoes' preludes their next project, "Moondog Matinee."
Perfectly remastered, this 2001 edition of "Rock Of Ages" contains a bonus disc of unreleased cuts from the concert, including the essential hymnal 'I Shall Be Released' and four songs featuring a cameo by Bob Dylan. It's a mystery why these tracks were not included on the original release, except for "Like A Rolling Stone" in which it appears Dylan forgets some of his lyrics, mumbling inaudibly through parts of the song (or is it just bad sound?). But despite its flaws, this is a potent and strong concert recording. "The Last Waltz" documented their end--"Rock Of Ages" is the essence of their musical spirit.

Rock of Ages is a great live recording, capturing The Band during a New Year's Eve performance welcoming 1972. This has been a favorite live albums of mine since I discovered it in the mid 70's. This CD takes the original 2 album set and puts on a single CD. The re-mastered sound is great, and the performance is as vibrant now as it was then. One of the great parts of this set is the addition of a horn section on some of the songs. Both on upbeat songs such as "Don't Do It" and on quieter songs like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". I've always liked "Rock Of Ages" more than the farewell set "The Last Walz", probably because this is all The Band, as opposed to the guest appearances that define The Last Walz. As if the re-mastered original recording wasn't enough, this deluxe edition adds a whole additional CD of live material. This is a collection of songs the Band often played during this time frame, and includes some gems that weren't on the original recording ("Up On Cripple Creek" and "I Shall Be Released"). Plus 4 songs featuring Bob Dylan. The extra set is icing on the cake, and makes a great album even more essential. Highest recommendation!

This is the greatest live album ever... These performances that are documented here find a band whose creative well had dried up (only one song from their then-recent release, "Cahoots"), yet at the same time, the great Allen Touissant's presence here rouses the great creative spirit that permeated The Band! I've always considered great live albums to be those in which the artists are able to effectively re-create or re-interpret themselves, and in "Rock of Ages", The Band's rootsy Civil War songcraft is given new Stax-soul life by the syncopathed call-and-response brass lyricism... "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show", "Rag Mama Rag", and "Across The Great Divide" are standouts... "The Weight" is slowed down, underlining its sense of moral (pun-intended) weight... The only weakness is Dylan's New Year's Eve intervention, his voice sounds jagged, and The Band itself sounds tired and looking forward to the end of the tour... Nevertheless, Zimmy's mere presence IS monumental and historical, being removed from the legendary Basement Tapes by a mere few years.

While other rock groups of the late `60's and `70's attempted to elevate their work through "rock operas" and live collaborations with various philharmonic orchestras, The Band understood the powerful subtlety of their American roots-based music. "Rock of Ages" showcases marvelous live performances of The Band's best material from their first four albums (including much of the essential "Music from Big Pink" and the self-titled second album), supercharged by an all-star horn section blowing arrangements penned by the great Allan Toussaint.

Disk One comprises the original release of "Rock of Ages," and is worth the price of the set on its own. The Band at its best was always about collaboration and teamwork (which, as drummer/vocalist Levon Helm recounts in his revealing autobiography, "This Wheel's on Fire," regrettably is missing from the groups later efforts), and each member contributes to the power of the performances, whether it's Richard Manuel's soulful vocals, Robbie Robertson's high-wire guitar solos, Garth Hudson's lunatic keyboard and woodwind genius, or the rock-solid rhythm and joyous singing of Helm and bassist Rick Danko. The Band & Co. maintain an admirable level of energy and control, drawing on history ("The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down "), vaudeville ("The W.S. Wallcott Medicine Show," "Rag Mama Rag") , pieces of Americana ("King Harvest," "Across the Great Divide"), and the human condition ("The Weight," "Unfaithful Servant," "The Shape I'm In") to convey their unique musical vision. By the time they shift into "Chest Fever" and "Rock and Roll Shoes," the performers and audience alike are dancing on winged feet.

Disk Two will probably be of more interest to hard-core fans of The Band and Bob Dylan - the inclusion of the Dylan tracks is more of historical interest, as he rarely performed live during the time of the recording. My favorite tracks here are "Time to Kill" and "Rockin' Chair", the latter featuring a trademark falsetto harmony shift by Manuel that is at once heartwarming and hair-raising.

For performance alone, "Rock of Ages" belongs in any serious rock and roll collection.

When major magazines write about the better of the live albums by the Band, they write about "Last Waltz." This could be for any number of reasons. Nostalgia. The guests. The film. But when fans are asked to name their favorite, the nod usually goes to "Rock of Ages." Trust a fan.

Many of the usual suspects are here - "The Weight," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Rag Mama Rag" - and that certainly isn't a bad thing, but the real treat is the horn section. It gives old songs a new feel, if I can be any more cliche. And the way they start out unexpectedly after introducing the horn players with the Marvin Gaye gem "Don't Do It" brings you in, sets you up, then knocks you out with later favorites like "Life is a Carnival" and "Stage Fright." At the time it was excellent and revelatory. Today, it's one of the best live albums of all time.

Overall: 9 out of 10.

Well, whoever said that is totally right refering to this album.
For a long time I've been hearing all-but-studio takes of the band. I got to know their hits from Dylan's "Before The Flood" and "The Last Walz" and it was all great, then I got Rock Of Ages, and it rocked so much that I had to find out how these guys sound on their studio albums. The conclusion is so simple: The Band are amazing, they are brilliant and talented musicians, Robinson is one of rock's best writers and they're all creative and smart, but when they're on stage this time, on Rock Of Ages, it different: They have this bond on this album that just can't be repeated. They sound like they're haveing such a good time collaborating live and they just... fly. Another great thing is the horn section that's adding a great dramatic feel, the horns work perfectly with The Band, but (unfortunatly) it's not all the same when Dylan's on stage. not that it's bad, but it's a bit messy, specially on "Like A Rolling Stone" (the reast of them are great selections and good performances). All in all, whether it's your first Band album or not, I recommend it very much.

So here it is: The Band performing together, which is what they're supposed to do, what they've always been best at. With the possible exception of "The Weight," whose original studio version is eternally unsurpassed, most Band songs find their definitive version somewhere in their live catalogue, and most of those versions are on this album. The much-appreciated addition of the white-hot horn section works extremely well, too...well enough to be repeated at the Last Waltz. Surely this is a better Greatest Hits collection for the Band than any other.

But it goes beyond that. Listening to their studio albums in order, it's quite easy to hear the disintegration of the teamwork, the buddy, clubhouse, we're-all-doing-what-we-love-together mood. I suppose it's because Robbie started caring less about writing great songs, and more about being the only guy who wrote ANY songs, which had two effects: he became much more corporate, attempting to background the rest of the group and make himself a star; and the songwriting suffered. By the time of "Cahoots" and even "Stage Fright," you can tell they're not having much fun. Except when they're live. And it's on collections like "Rock of Ages" that all the politics, all the Robbie-Levon feuding and royalty check resentments, take a back seat to getting up there and WAILING. And by God they do. The obvious highlight is Garth's transcendent "Genetic Method," but can you really choose a favorite? If you like the way these guys play -- and man can they play -- then the whole album is gold.

And by the way, Dylan's performances are also great. Listen to the crowd roar at his surprise appearance for "Down in the Flood," or his impassioned vocals on "When I Paint My Masterpiece," definitely his best reading of the song. And how about when he completely forgets the words in "Like a Rolling Stone" and just growls out a neutral vowel for a while? The fact that this doesn't detract at all from the performance is indicative of how great it really is. Surely, even in addition to their historical value, Dylan's performances and those of The Band belong on everyone's shelf, as a reminder of an age when rock had a soul.

...but I gotta submit a gripe about this live album.

The vocals are somewhat buried, and for that reason, I'd go with "The Last Waltz" over "Rock of Ages." I love The Band, I love virtually every song on this album, but whoever mixed it forgot (or didn't realize) that so much of the emotive power in The Band lay in their glorious voices. The horn section is way louder than their voices, and I don't understand that. You'd think that would be something they'd correct when putting together this reissue, but they didn't.

Still, as a big Band fan, I own it, and I'm glad I do. But if I were to suggest a "live" Band album on audio quality alone, I'd go with "The Last Waltz."

Well this is my third go-around with this album on CD. My first copy was issued in 1987. It was a single disc release which managed to squeeze all the material save the incredible Garth Hudson Hammond B3 masterpiece, The Generic Method or prelude to Chest Feaver. Next up was the two-disc version put out by Capital about 12 years ago. This time they included all the music contained in the orginal two record set, released in 1972.

That brings us to this new expanded 2 disc set, part of Capital's complete reissue series of the entire Band catlog. Yes the remastered sound is a great improvement from either of the prvious releases. Secondly, the bonus tracks of mild interest, especially since it seems only a handful are from the orginal Academy of Music, New Years Eve Concert. Fianally, you get all the original photos and art work and insightful liner notes by Bob Bowman. All in all, I'd have to say this newly expanded and remastered edition sheds new light on an old classic.

This is the best live rock and roll album ever made, but that only begins to say how good it is. With the exception of one or two songs ("The Weight", "Across the Great Divide") every performance here is better than the original studio recording -- richer, funkier, more volatile, more beautiful. The interplay between the musicians is a joy to behold and every time I listen to this album I hear something new. In the wonderful liner notes which accompany this CD reissue, Robbie Robertson says of the performance, "After the first note, our feet never touched the ground." If you've read any interviews with Robbie Robertson over the years, you will know that he is given to dramatic pronouncements. But in this case, he must be speaking the truth. This is transcendent music. It lives up to its title and it makes you glad to be alive.