The Band – Rock of Ages (1972/2015) [HDTracks FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

The Band – Rock of Ages (1972/2015) 
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192kHz | Time – 01:04:01 minutes | 3,03 GB | Genre: Rock
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | © Capitol Records
Recorded at the Academy of Music, New York, on the eclipse of the New Year 1971-72

Released on the heels of the stilted, static Cahoots, the double-album Rock of Ages occupies a curious yet important place in Band history. Recorded at a spectacular New Years Eve 1971 gig, the show and album were intended to be a farewell of sorts before the Band took an extended break in 1972, but it turned out to be a last hurrah in many different ways, closing the chapter on the first stage of their career, when they were among the biggest and most important rock & roll bands. That sense of importance had started to creep into their music, turning their studio albums after The Band into self-conscious affairs, and even the wildly acclaimed first two albums seemed to float out of time, existing in a sphere of their own and never having the kick of a rock & roll band. Rock of Ages has that kick in spades, and it captures that road warrior side of the band that was yet unheard on record. Since this band — or more accurately its leader, Robbie Robertson — was acutely aware of image and myth, this record didn’t merely capture an everyday gig, it captured a spectacular, in retrospect almost a dry run for the legendary Last Waltz. New Orleans R&B legend Allen Toussaint was hired to write horn charts and conduct them, helping to open up the familiar tunes, which in turn helped turn this music into a warm, loose, big-hearted party. And that’s what’s so splendid about Rock of Ages: sure, the tightness of the Band as a performing unit is on display, but there’s also a wild, rowdy heart pumping away in the backbeat of this music, something that the otherwise superb studio albums do not have. Simply put, this is a joy to hear, which may have been especially true after the dour, messy Cahoots, but even stripped of that context Rock of Ages has a spirit quite unlike any other Band album. Indeed, it could be argued that it captured the spirit of the Band at the time in a way none of their other albums do. -Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:
1 Introduction 01:19
2 Don’t Do It 4:20
3 King Harvest (Has Surely Come) 3:38
4 Caledonia Mission 3:11
5 Get Up Jake 3:08
6 W.S. Walcott Medicine Show 3:41
7 Stage Fright 4:11
8 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 4:44
9 Across The Great Divide 3:19
10 Wheels On Fire 3:40
11 Rag Mama Rag 3:45
12 The Weight 5:22
13 The Shape I’m In 3:40
14 Unfaithful Servant 4:19
15 Life Is A Carnival 3:52
16 The Genetic Method 7:29
17 Chest Fever 4:38
18 (I Don’t Want To) Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes 4:14

Personnel:
Rick Danko – vocal, bass, violin
Levon Helm – vocal, drums, mandolin
Garth Hudson – organ, piano, accordion, tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone solos
Richard Manuel – vocal, piano, organ, clavinet, drums
Robbie Robertson – guitar, backing vocal, introduction
Additional:
Howard Johnson – tuba, euphonium, baritone saxophone
Snooky Young – trumpet, flugelhorn
Joe Farrell – tenor and soprano saxophones, English horn
Earl McIntyre – trombone

Download:

mqs.link_TheBandRc19722015HDTracks24192.part1.rar
mqs.link_TheBandRc19722015HDTracks24192.part2.rar
mqs.link_TheBandRc19722015HDTracks24192.part3.rar
mqs.link_TheBandRc19722015HDTracks24192.part4.rar