Customer Reviews

Stage Fright [Vinyl]

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The conventional wisdom is right: Pound for pound, "Big Pink" and "The Band" are more complete successes for this group, and I love them both. But I love "Stage Fright" more. It is the album where this group drops its masks and speaks directly to the audience about themselves and each other.

The Band is really two duos: Helm and Danko, who are usually paired as singers on some of the group's best-loved material, and Robertson and Manuel, who are engaged in a sort of musical and spiritual dialogue that often forms much of the depth, richness and mystery of this group. That dialogue is the dominant theme of "Stage Fright" in its many evocations of the theme of self-destructiveness, especially the self-destructiveness of a great artist.

My theory is, Richard Manuel was the artistic soul of the The Band. He was their best singer, by far. His "feel" approach to playing the many instruments he played, especially piano, gave the Band a funky, soulful "bottom" that contrasted with the highly intellectual approaches of both Robertson and Hudson. Manuel was responsible, on their first three albums, for some of their very best songs as writer or co-writer: "Tears of Rage," "In A Station," "Lonesome Suzie," "Whispering Pines," "Across the Great Divide," and, on this album, "Sleeping" and "The Shape I'm In" were at least partly his. But...Richard Manuel was not a particularly responsible person. He was, in fact a drunk, and an unmotivated writer. He was a sadly vulnerable man, for whom, as Robertson writes in "Sleeping," "the world was too sore to live in." In some ways, being in the Band destroyed him. At the same time, it created a place for him to hide.

Robertson, ever the brilliant control freak, clearly admired and loved Richard Manuel, and was also exasperated with him. Robertson was basically in charge of the business of The Band, and also the artistic direction of The Band as its most prolific songwriter. He wanted Manuel to play a bigger role, but eventually saw that he couldn't, or wouldn't. And so, according to my theory, he wrote songs to reach him when nothing else would work.

It is no accident that the leadoff track is "Strawberry Wine," a fun but desperate track in which Levon Helm sings (brilliantly) the part of a drunk who wants to be left alone to "feel good all the time." This is followed by the album's first masterpiece, "Sleeping," which at first seems to be about life as a musician on the road, but expands into a poem about isolation and hiding. This song, one of Manuel's most treasured performances, almost seems like a dialogue between the two men, with Robertson acknowledging that perhaps life on the road, in which "to be called by noon, is to be called too soon" is part of the drill if you're performing before crowds of people "searching" for something special every night. Maybe, Robertson seems to suggest, that's why Richard is such a juicer; it's the road's fault. But then, the song seems to say, that's not why. He would be living this way on his own, even if he weren't part of The Band. Maybe the rock and roll lifestyle isn't killing him; maybe it's really keeping him alive.

I won't go through every song, but themes of drunkenness, fear, isolation, and hiding take some form in almost every remaining track. Even the two songs that have the "old-timey" historic and mythic resonances of their prior albums, "Daniel and the Sacred Harp" and "W.S. Walcott's Medicine Show" are tales full of personal symbolism. Richard Manuel plays the role of the music-mad Daniel who sells his soul to play the sacred harp, but Levon Helm sings the part of the narrator who becomes horrified at Daniel's fate: "When he looked to the ground, he noticed no shadow did he cast." Again, this is Robertson assessing the cost of the music career to himself and his bandmates, especially Manuel. "Walcott" reinterprets the rock and roll touring lifestyle as a 19th century medicine show, in which alcohol-laced snake oil and other mind altering substances are purveyed to the dazzled crowds as the keys to health--which, back in '69 is about right. Manuel just happened to be the guy who kept sampling the stock.

After this album, Manuel had many more wonderful performances ahead of him, but he wrote no more songs. From the Last Waltz and everything one can read about the Band, he appears to have not taken the bootstrap advice of the singer in "Stage Fright" who "when he gets to the end, wants to start all over again." He went on, and kept singing because that kept him afloat long enough to get the next drink. He began the long, slow retreat that to the people who knew him best and admired his talent was probably an agonizing spectacle to watch. I see "Stage Fright" as a collection of songs in which Robbie Robertson alternately rages at, laughs at, cries about, and tries to save, Richard Manuel--and in which Richard Manuel finally escapes Robertson's tender mercies. And, as great as the first two Band albums might have been, they don't have this kind of intimacy and depth. This album is hardly the coda or afterthought to a classic period--it may be its culmination.

Yeah, all of the Band's albums are dark, and some are intense to

say the least, but this record has Robbie and the other guys at

their peak. This time, though, they are playing ROCK AND ROLL!

Every track is a marvelous piece of lyricism, and the music is

equally good. "The Rumor" has to be one of the ten best songs

ever written anywhere by anybody, and The Band drive it home with

just the right amount of plot and passion. Don't pass this up,

because music like this isn't created anymore. It may not be their BEST ALBUM, but everything by the Band is brilliant and just wait until you hear the sonic clarity here. Never in my life

have I heard music that has this much atmosphere and intelligence. OH, YOU DON'T KNOW how good this record is!!!

Let me start by saying this: The material recorded on this CD merits a solid, worthy 5 stars. Fans of the first two Band albums should definitely buy this, since it's ever so close to being as classic as those two albums. The reason I rated this CD 4 stars is because the band sent the tapes to 2 different mixing engineers, resulting in two completely different mixes. This CD issue contains the (in my and most people's opinions) inferior of the two mixes. The mix on this album drowns out some instruments on some songs (piano, for example, on the high-energy romp "Time To Kill"), and is plagued by too much reverb that makes it production seem like the Band was going for a slick pop sound. The more expensive Gold CD release from 1994 (as well as some earlier, lower-quality CD issues) uses the alternate mix, which sounds much livelier, like you're in the room with 5 guys jamming on their instruments and singing in harmony--just like the first two albums! The bonus tracks don't really add anything much either (like bonus tracks usually don't). However, you can get this CD pretty cheap new from Amazon, and REALLY cheap used (something like $2), so it's certainly worth the minimal purchase to hear this great music for the first time.

Regarding the music on the album itself, I don't really completely buy into the mythology that the spotlight reviews are trying to perpetuate--Stage Fright isn't a concept album about "Manuel's life or death struggle with Robertson" anymore than The Band was a concept album about the finer points of having fun in the Wild West--why do we need to assign these kinds of categories to such category-defying music? Likewise, Robertson in the liner notes back-projects some sort of self-aggrandizing story about how he was trying to reach Richard Manuel with his songs. According to common sense and Levon Helm's autobiography, Robertson may have been encouraging Richard to write more and get everybody to participate, but Richard's real big problems didn't really surface until the late 70's and his eventual suicide, over 15 years after this album was created. It's pretty egotistical for Robbie and critics/reviewers to claim that this entire album was intended as an indictment/diagnosis of the problems the band was facing due to their stardom. Sure, those themes are (kind of) there in songs like "Stage Fright" and "The Shape I'm In," but to claim that Robbie was trying to "communicate with Richard through the music" is pretty absurd, not to mention pathetic (if he really wanted to reach him, there were probably better ways). Instead of completely backwardly misinterpreting songs like "Strawberry Wine," "Time To Kill," and "W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" to fit some romanticized legend about the band members' secret feelings, I propose to take the music (and what great music it is) at face value:

This album is chock full of rock and roll, upbeat jams, good times, great lyrics, and some wicked guitar. Despite his many ego-related shortcomings, Robbie Robertson still possessed quite a songwriting muse at the time of this album. It may have been because he was increasingly taking more creative control of the band, but there is also some increasingly gnarly, wicked guitar from Robertson on this album. Most of these songs are the same caliber as songs of the first two albums (some of them are better). At face value, "Strawberry Wine" is a party song about a guy who just loves his wine. It's funny and fun, with great organ from Garth Hudson. "Sleeping" is catchy as hell, and funny as well. "Just Another Whistle Stop" marks a milestone in the complexities of Robertson's composition, and some gritty guitar. "The Shape I'm In" and "Stage Fright" are often talked about classics. One of my personal favorites is "The Rumor," which closes the album with one of Richard Manuel's most soulful vocals ever.

Overall, Stage Fright clocks in shorter than The Band's first two albums, but it's packed with great moments. Garth Hudson's piano, organ and saxophone are ON, as usual. Levon Helm turns in some great vocals (despite his documented drug problems of the time), Rick Danko's got classical vocals as well as some fat fretless bass lines, and Richard Manuel is in fine vocal form and contributes some fine songwriting (his last on any Band albums). I don't agree with most of the romanticized interpretations of this album and prefer to take it as it is: a record full of good times and human feeling like the two albums before it. Once you get to know this record, you may notice that Robertson was consciously trying to emulate those good feelings and human moments, but they weren't coming quite as easily or naturally as on the first two albums. Stage Fright still hits hard as one of the Band's greatest and most overlooked records. It's worth owning both versions, so once you get to know and love this album, you may want to check out the Gold CD version from 1994--it's more expensive, but totally worth it. I hope you purchase and enjoy this excellent music!

Published reviews of this album are perplexing to me. Do people compare this album to their first two masterpieces, or are they reviewing the album by itself, comparative to everything else that came out that year? In my opinion the mixed reviews that it was gotten are due to people comparing it to their earlier work which must not be, and cannot be done. The supposed decline in quality from The Band to this is overly exaggerated. This album is still better than almost anything else recorded at the time and is simply a joy to listen to. That being said it is a much more straightforward and less complex album than its predecessors yet this does not make it any less enjoyable to listen to. For the most part the songs are all sung with one lead vocal, with little harmony in the mix. The album kicks off with Strawberry Wine a very up tempo rocker cowritten and sung by Helm. This moves into Sleeping, an absolutely beautiful Richard Manuel song that almost makes me cry listening to it. Another beautiful song on the album is All La Glory a childish lullaby type song sung by Helm that is one of my favorites. There are many more "rock" songs on this album than on any other Band album in my opinion. Time to Kill, Just Another Whistle Stop and The Shape I'm In are all heavier than most of their songs and the closest the Band got to sounding like anyone else. Stage Fright, in my opinion the best song on the album, will always be one of my favorites. The Rumor is actually the only song on this album that I don't consider to be great. The playing on this album is still impeccable even if the arrangements aren't as complex. Both Hudson's organ and Robertson's guitar are much more prominent. There are more guitar solos on this album then on their first two albums combined and Hudson's organ also becomes the lead instrument more often, notably on The Shape I'm In. Danko uses a fretless bass on the whole album which is quite interesting. The horn arrangement on W.S Walcott Medicine Show is a real treat as well. Overall I think the down home country feeling is still there although the songs have become more on their own than put together. which is by no means a bad thing. The wide range of instruments remains, and Robertson's songwriting is still effective. This remastered version contains far less than the rest of the albums but this is no reason to not go right out and pick this up. Stage Fright is a true masterpiece, an album that deserves to be listened to and valued based on the music that it contains, not on what came before it.

Expectations were high when the Band released their third album in 1970. After two masterpieces, would they be able to do it again?

Guitarist and main song-writer Robbie Robertson had expressed a wish to do a more basic rock'n roll album - a more light-hearted good time record.

At the same time things were beginning to get more complicated for some members of the Band. Their commercial success meant money, and money meant temptations and easy access to drugs. At the time of the recordings of "Stage Fright" all three singers were taking heroin, and this obviously influenced the record and to some extent changed the sound of their vocals.

Though Robertson managed to write some lyrics that fit his original idea of a basic light-hearted rock album; other songs deal with darker sides of life.

Opening song, "Strawberry Wine", sung and co-written by Levon Helm is a blues fitting nicely into the original concept.

This is the last album where singer Richard Manuel contributes original material, and Robertson had to help him finish his two songs. "Sleeping" is a beatiful pianoballad with a rocking chorus; obviously sung by Manuel.

"Time to Kill" has a great catchy guitar intro and rocks on nicely with Danko and Manuel sharing the lead vocals.

The second Manuel song is "Just Another Whistle Stop", which features another fine intro, and it is also one of the few Band studi-recording with an extended guitar-solo from Robertson.

All four opening tracks bear the high quality mark of the Band, but the first really outstanding track is Robertson's beautiful lullaby/ballad "All La Glory". This is such a great song with Helm doing one of his best ever recorded vocals.

The dark theme is coming forward on the next rocker "The Shape I'm In" - sung by Manuel.

The slightly jazzy "W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" is quite amusing featuring different brass instruments, but lyrically the song show a serious side of Robertson's songwriting.

The original album was ended with 3 more outstanding Band songs; all personal favourites of mine.

"Daniel and the Sacred Harp" is a country/folky song telling a the story of Daniel in a similar way the Dylan told the story of "Frankie Lee and Judas Priest". It's always a thrill when the three singers share the verses and all join in on the chorus.

The title track sung by Rick Danko, was an immediate live-favourite and one Danko finest performances; which says a lot.

"The Rumor" is another outstanding ballad, again with all singers taking lead verses. A worthy final the a great album.

The album is often regarded as a step downhill for the Band; I don't see it that way - it's a little different, yes, but just a strong as its predecessors.

This new version of the album features some interesting alternate versions, but none ot them matches the original recordings.

Tears come to me eyes when I hear this record, so solid, so authentic, so smooth and full of experience... It's down to earth, and it's coming directly from the heart with no inkling of a pretence. If you don't know it already. There was never any fake connected with THE BAND.

"All La Glory" is so good it's unbelievable. "The shape I'm in" is so true for me right now that I might have to search in my record box until doomsday to find anything similiar to the hurt expressed there.

If you have the three first records of this group, you will have something in your possession that very few groups today can match.

Those are classic recordings now, originating from the best of the American tradition, and "Stage Fright" is just as brilliant in my ears as the other two.

I've always thought the biggest problem for The Band was that their first two albums were almost too good. Because they were among the best ever released, everything after them was downgraded. Cahoots isn't as bad as a lot of people seem to think and Northern Lights is actually a very good album.

But back to Stage Fright. It isn't as original or groundbreaking as the first two. But compared to almost everything released by anyone in the 35 years since this was issued, it's still an A-plus.

Maybe it is, as one reviewer suggests, symbolic of Robertson's frustration with Manuel's (and Danko's) substance abuse problems. That makes it more personal and less roots-based than the first two, one reason it's been downgraded. Big Pink and The Band were groundbreaking albums. Stage Fright was similar (although much better) to a lot of albums in the early '70s.

In any case, I'm happy that The Band seems to be getting the respect in the 21st century that it got only sporadically during its peak years (68-72). Even though the music world ranked them with the Beatles (see Clapton's comments) I don't think any album sold more than 800,000 copies, a piddling number today. I suspect the reissues might have done close to that and I love the fact that people who weren't born during their heyday now love them.

One aside about this album: the title song isn't a reference to Richard or Rick. It was Robbie's problem: literally the stage fright he experienced just before The Band's debut (as The Band, not The Hawks) in San Francisco.

My friends and I are huge Band fans, since 1969. We never could understand how critics could put down such a beautiful album. While "Big Pink" and "The Band" offered more popular songs that you've constantly heard. This album is more melodic and hauntingly beautiful. Songs like All La Glory, Sleeping, The Rumor and Stage fright are more surreal and wistful than anything they've done before. These guys were master musicians and their first three albums are still treasures to enjoy over 30 years later. The first two albums were brilliant, but this one has melodies that will haunt you and can enter your mind at any time. I guess when you've been riding inside a Rolls Royce, it's hard to accept a Cadillac. Stage Fright has a tinge of sadness throughout. That's good. If you're looking for background music forget it. This album must be listened to closely, so you can hear and appreciate the subleties of this truly unique band. My only complaint is that it had to end.

I have read a lot of mixed reviews on this album. I vote for this one being the Band's best. The previous recording is great also, but Stage Fright is more musical and more fun to listen to in my opinion. Stage Fright has well written lyrics, and great musicianship. It was a deviation for the group, but to me it was a positive development. "The Rumor" is one of their best songs ever. "Sleeping" is simply a top notch recording. "Stage Fright" was probably one of their best played tunes. This album is simply full of good things.

I'm always surprised to find how many people consider this an album inferior to The Band's first two pieces. Although it is undeniably less accessible the TB or Big Pink, I feel it encapsulates the essence of the band's realistic take on the human plight-it contains shards of joy, despair, gloom and playfulness rendered in a recording that sounds very "studio live". The musicianship is excellent, from Robertson's jangly guitar to Hudson's pitch-bending organ and the rambling vocal harmonies always seem to resolve perfectly at the last possible moment. As a musician I know how hard it can be to make something so difficult sound so easy. I think The Band has shone the truest light on their corner of the universe with this work and I consider it honest and invaluable, qualities so often lacking in the world of commercial music.