bc-ent-The-Band-Rerelease-Tracks ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ENTERTAINMENT WIRE ADVISORY --------------------------------------------------------------------- ATTN: NEWS PRODUCERS/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS If you anticipate producing or airing stories on this subject, the following material and/or contacts may be helpful in providing visual opportunity and background information. Category: ENTERTAINMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ( EW)(CA-CAPITOL/THE-BAND) Capitol Records to Launch Reissue of The Band's Catalog With Expanded Versions of Music From "Big Pink," "The Band," "Stage Fright" and "Cahoots" Entertainment Editors & Music Writers HOLLYWOOD--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 14, 2000--Capitol Records will release the first four titles in the long-awaited reissue of the entire Band catalog, out Aug. 29. This campaign contains a total of eight releases including a new Greatest Hits by the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Remastered and repackaged under the supervision of the three surviving members -- Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson, "Music From Big Pink," "The Band," "Stage Fright" and "Cahoots" have been expanded to include never-before-released bonus tracks and alternate takes from each period of The Band's career, from their beginnings in Woodstock with Bob Dylan to their final studio album, released after their Last Waltz concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day, 1976. Almost all of the tracks are from the original, first-generation master tapes and feature expanded booklets with rare photos and new liner notes. These reissues offer the most complete evidence yet of why The Band's earthy, mystical, pioneering "rock and roots" sound has struly made them mythical heroes of American music. "This time it's going to sound right," said Robertson of the reissues. "The (original) CDs are harsh-sounding and they weren't mastered off the real masters. These sound so much warmer, so much richer, so much more present than anything else that's been out there. "And," he added, "there are things from The Band that nobody has ever heard before. They found things that, I'd been told, have been lost for 20 years, or were thought destroyed or lost, or never existed." According to Roy Lott, president of Capitol Records: "All of us at Capitol were committed to restoring The Band's renowned catalog. These new reissues update the prior CD mastering process so that these albums have a more `pure' sound for old and new fans. The additional tracks, etc. are a special bonus and provide even greater appreciation of their remarkable creative process." Said Levon Helm: "We always wanted to get what I thought were good cuts, good performances and good hooks in the songs. I'm proud of my part in it and I'm happy with it. I describe it as good American Roots Music." Recorded in the basement of the now famous house in West Saugerties, New York, near Woodstock, "Music From Big Pink" contained what was to become The Band's signature song, the country-gospel tune, "The Weight," which became a Top 40 hit. The Band (Helm, Hudson, Robertson, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel) had moved to upstate New York to be near Bob Dylan, so it's appropriate that the recording opens with "Tears Of Rage," featuring his lyrics, and closes with his "I Shall Be Released." Among the other highlights are the classic "This Wheel's On Fire," "We Can Talk," "Long Black Veil," "Chest Fever" and "Lonesome Suzie." Along with alternate takes of "Lonesome Suzie" and "Tears of Rage," the reissue of "Music From Big Pink" also contains a different version of "Yazoo Street Scandal" than the one that appeared on "The Basement Tapes," plus six more outtakes. Eric Clapton said "Music From Big Pink" changed his life: "What I like from the word go was a very clear and defined sense of direction. They knew exactly what they were about. There was no con ... this was absolutely legitimate songwriting without any frills with the best they had to give." The Band's critical acclaim continued with their self-titled second album, a commercial breakthrough that went platinum shortly after its release in 1969 on the strength of such hits as "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Up On Cripple Creek." The songs were indicative of their unique ability to distill the American experience from the Civil War to the 1960s into well-crafted hit records. The mood of the songs on "The Band ranged" from the bawdy favorite "Rag, Mama, Rag" to the working man's anger of the bitter "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)." Among the seven bonus tracks are alternate versions of the previously mentioned tracks plus alternate takes of "Whispering Pines" and "Jemima Surrender," and a previously unreleased stereo mix of "Get Up Jake." The success of "The Band" led to their first headlining tour and their appearance at Woodstock in the summer of 1969. Their experiences on the road influenced the songs on their third album, "Stage Fright" including the title track and "The Shape I'm In." Relief from the angst of those songs can be found in "Time To Kill," a simple ode to easy summer life in the Catskills. An alternate mix of "Time To Kill" by famed producer Glyn Johns is one of three bonus tracks on "Stage Fright," along with a Todd Rundgren mix of "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" and the group's very first take of "Daniel And The Sacred Harp." Just for fun, also included is a radio commercial for The Band. "Life Is A Carnival" and The Band's version of Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" opened their fourth album, "Cahoots." Released in 1971, it also features a guest appearance by Van Morrison on "4% Pantomime." Bonus tracks include an alternate take of "When I Paint My Masterpiece," a demo of "Endless Highway," an outtake of the single "Don't Do It," and "Bessie Smith." Also included is a 60-second radio spot for the album. Some of the tracks from these four albums will also appear on a new compilation, "The Band - Greatest Hits." It will contain the hits "The Weight," "Up On Cripple Creek," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Rag Mama Rag," "The Shape I'm In," "Stage Fright" and "Life Is A Carnival." Additional tracks will come from The Band's other four studio albums. The new Greatest Hits package is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2000, while the remaining titles in The Band's catalog, "Moondog Matinee," "Rock Of Ages," "Northern Lights-Southern Cross" and "Islands" will be released in early 2001. Track Listings: "Music From Big Pink" 1) Tears Of Rage 2) To Kingdom Come 3) In A Station 4) Caledonia Mission 5) The Weight 6) We Can Talk 7) Long Black Veil 8) Chest Fever 9) Lonesome Suzie 10) This Wheel's On Fire 11) I Shall Be Released 12) Yazoo Street Scandal (Bonus Track) 13) Tears Of Rage (Bonus Track) 14) Katie's Been Gone (Bonus Track) 15) If I Lose (Bonus Track) 16) Long Distance Operator (Bonus Track) 17) Lonesome Suzie (Bonus Track) 18) Orange Juice Blues (Bonus Track) 19) Key To The Highway (Bonus Track) 20) Ferdinand The Imposter (Bonus Track) "The Band" 1) Across The Great Divide 2) Rag Mama Rag 3) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 4) When You Awake 5) Up On Cripple Creek 6) Whispering Pines 7) Jemima Surrender 8) Rockin' Chair 9) Look Out Cleveland 10) Jawbone 11) The Unfaithful Servant 12) King Harvest (Has Surely Come) 13) Get Up Jake (Bonus Track) 14) Rag Mama Rag (Bonus Track) 15) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Bonus Track) 16) Up On Cripple Creek (Bonus Track) 17) Whispering Pines (Bonus Track) 18) Jemima Surrender (Bonus Track) 19) King Harvest (Bonus Track) "Stage Fright" 1) Strawberry Wine 2) Sleeping 3) Time To Kill 4) Just Another Whistle Stop 5) All La Glory 6) The Shape I'm In 7) The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show 8) Daniel And The Sacred Harp 9) Stage Fright 10) The Rumor 11) Daniel And The Sacred Harp (Bonus Track) 12) Time To Kill (Bonus Track - mixed by Glyn Johns) 13) The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show (Bonus Track - mixed by Todd Rundgren) 14) Radio Commercial "Cahoots" 1) Life Is A Carnival 2) When I Paint My Masterpiece 3) Last Of The Blacksmiths 4) Where Do We Go From Here 5) 4% Pantomime 6) Shootout In Chinatown 7) The Moon Struck One 8) Thinking Out Loud 9) Smoke Signal 10) Volcano 11) The River Hymn 12) Endless Highway (Bonus Track) 13) When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bonus Track) 14) Bessie Smith (Bonus Track) 15) Don't Do It (Bonus Track) 16) Radio Commercial "The Band - Greatest Hits" 1) The Weight 2) Tears Of Rage 3) Chest Fever 4) I Shall Be Released 5) Up On Cripple Creek 6) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 7) Rag Mama Rag 8) King Harvest (Has Surely Come) 9) The Shape I'm In 10) Stage Fright 11) Time To Kill 12) Life Is A Carnival 13) When I Paint My Masterpiece 14) Ain't Got No Home 15) It Makes No Difference 16) Ophelia 17) Acadian Driftwood 18) The Saga of Pepote Rouge "Music From Big Pink" Street Date: Aug. 29, 2000 Label: Capitol Records Genre: Rock Format: CD UPC Code: 72435-25390-2/4 "The Band" Street Date: Aug. 29, 2000 Label: Capitol Records Genre: Rock Format: CD UPC Code: 72435-25389-2/8 "Stage Fright" Street Date: Aug. 29, 2000 Label: Capitol Records Genre: Rock Format: CD UPC Code: 72435-25395-2/9 "Cahoots" Street Date: Aug. 29, 2000 Label: Capitol Records Genre: Rock Format: CD UPC Code: 72435-25391-2/3 "The Band - Greatest Hits" Street Date: Sept. 26, 2000 Label: Capitol Records Genre: Rock Format: CD UPC Code: 72435-24941-2/5 Media Review Copies: Available upon e-mail or fax request CONTACT: EMI Music - Catalog Marketing Group Jonna Winnicki, 818/587-4757 (Publicity) Heather Bohn, 818/587-4756 818/587-4785 (fax) publicityemicap.com Jody Glisman-Best, 818/587-4775 (Promotions) Karen Foley, 818/587-4767 818/587-4142 (fax) promotionsemicap.com or The Press Office Jim Della Croce or Terri Houck or Jay Jones, 615/320-5153 615/320-5738 (fax) publicitythepressoffice.net KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL MUSIC PRODUCT ADVERTISING/MARKETING REPEATS: New York 212-752-9600 or 800-221-2462; Boston 617-236-4266 or 800-225-2030; SF 415-986-4422 or 800-227-0845; LA 310-820-9473 Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. 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