1. Home
  2. music
  3. 129115-81

The Band on MFSL

I stumbled upon "The Last Waltz" on PBS the other day and am falling in love all over again with The Band. I've got an early 80s MFSL "Big Pink" which I listened to end to end the other day--magnificent. I'm wondering if/when their self-titled sophomore effort will be released on MFSL. I've seen reference to it in TAS (reviewers using it at shows) and thought I saw a March 31 anticipated release BUT I called Acoustic Sounds today and they don't know anything about this title coming out on MoFi. Does anyone know anything about this release? Also, I'd be interested in hearing what people think about the MoFi "Rock of Ages" LP which captures The Band live. Fremer wrote a positive review but gave it an "8" for sound quality, which is pretty low for him. Anyone care to comment on the sound quality of this LP (and the performance too)?
dodgealum
slaw's avatar
slaw
5,785 posts
 
I've owned The Band "S/T" on MFSL (lp) for over a year.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 

The Bands second album (S/T, "brown") album was once again released on LP by Mobile Fidelity in 2013, catalog no. 1-419; they had already put out a version in the 80’s, around the time of your copy of Music From Big Pink. By the way, MFSL has also redone MFBP, with improved sound compared to the 80’s version. Tim de Paravicini of EAR-Yoshino has worked on MFSL’s playback equipment, one reason for the improvement. What IS new is the brown album on a MFSL SACD. MFBP is also available on an SACD by them.

Both the 1st and 2nd Band albums have had many pressings, the best being the original Capitol "lime green" label ones---look for "RL" scratched into the run-out groove area by the label. Robert Ludwig did the original mastering, and for best sound that’s the version you want. Of course, everyone should have all three--the original Capitol lime green label "RL’s", the new (second version) MFSL LP’s, and the MFSL SACD’s. THAT’S how good the first two Band albums are!

The Last Waltz, being a live recording, and with many guests artists, some of dubious merit (Neil Diamond? Robbie wanted him there because he was producing an album with him at the time. Joni Mitchell---with The Band?!), isn’t worth worrying about imo. They were captured much better at The Academy of Music in 1971, and released on LP as "Rock of Ages", as you mentioned. I haven’t heard and don’t own the MFSL LP version, but there is now an expanded version of that album available as a CD boxset entitled "Live at The Academy of Music 1971". Another must-have is The Band’s double-LP live collaboration with Dylan entitled "Before The Flood", they backing him as well as doing a set by themselves. They are the best band he ever had, and he is spittin’ fire!

You also want the CD boxset entitled "The Band---A Musical History". Lots of previously-unreleased and rare music, as well as regular album tracks.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 
Oh, and the 3rd and 4th Band albums, "Stage Fright" and "Cahoots", are also available on MFSL LP and SACD. Though not up to the level of their first two albums (nothing is!), they are well worth having. Todd Rundgren produced SF, and he was not up to the task. The first two were masterfully produced by John Simon, Cahoots by The Band themselves. "Cahoots" contains a killer duet between Richard Manuel and Van Morrison, "4% Pantomime".
More to discover