Stage Fright

50th Anniversary Edition

[Box set cover art] [Peter Viney's Extensive Review]

Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) reissued The Band's third album, Stage Fright, in February 2021, across a number of formats, including a five-disc super deluxe edition.

Originally issued in August 1970, the ten-track album was engineered by Todd Rundgren and Glyn Johns. This 50th anniversary reissue presents a new running order (apparently, the originally planned order) and offers a new Bob Clearmountain stereo remix of the album.

Alternate mixes of "Strawberry Wine" and "Sleeping" are available here for the first time and also included are seven unearthed "field recordings". These Calgary Hotel Recordings from 1970 offer a fun and loose, impromptu late night hotel jam session between Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel, including several Stage Fright songs recorded while the album was in the mixing stage, and also tracks like Johnny Rivers' "Rockin' Penumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu" and Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me".

A full concert, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, June 1971, sees the group captured in the midst of their European tour with all 20 tracks being previously unreleased. This live performance features on the two-CD set as well as the super deluxe edition box set.

As with previous Band box sets, Stage Fright includes a blu-ray with a brand new Bob Clearmountain 5.1 surround sound mix, as well as a hi-res stereo mix of the album, bonus tracks and the live show.

The box set also features a pressing of the 10-track album on vinyl (the 2020 remix), an exclusive reproduction of the Spanish pressing of The Band's 1971 seven-inch vinyl single for "Time To Kill" (backed with "The Shape I'm In") in their new stereo mixes, a photo booklet with new notes by Robbie Robertson and touring photographer John Scheele, a reprinting of the original Los Angeles Times album review by critic Robert Hilburn, and three lithographs.

The remixed tracks on this box set are also available as a two-CD version (with bonus tracks and the Royal Albert Hall concert) and as 33rpm LPs in either split-color or black vinyl.

Contents

CD 1

1. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
2. The Shape I'm In
3. Daniel And The Sacred Harp
4. Stage Fright
5. The Rumor
6. Time To Kill
7. Just Another Whistle Stop
8. All La Glory
9. Strawberry Wine
10. Sleeping

    Bonus Tracks:

11. Strawberry Wine (Alternate Mix) *
12. Sleeping (Alternate Mix) *

    Calgary Hotel Room Recordings, 1970:

13. Get Up Jake (#1) *
14. Get Up Jake (#2) *
15. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show *
16. Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu *
17. Calgary Blues *
18. Before You Accuse Me *
19. Mojo Hannah *

CD 2

1. The Shape I'm In
2. Time To Kill
3. The Weight
4. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
5. Strawberry Wine
6. Rockin' Chair
7. Look Out Cleveland
8. I Shall Be Released
9. Stage Fright
10. Up On Cripple Creek
11. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
12. We Can Talk
13. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
14. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
15. Across the Great Divide
16. The Unfaithful Servant
17. Don't Do It
18. The Genetic Method
19. Chest Fever
20. Rag Mama Rag

Blu-Ray

Disc 1

1. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
2. The Shape I'm In
3. Daniel And The Sacred Harp
4. Stage Fright
5. The Rumor
6. Time To Kill
7. Just Another Whistle Stop
8. All La Glory
9. Strawberry Wine
10. Sleeping

    Bonus Tracks:

11. Strawberry Wine (Alternate Mix) *
12. Sleeping (Alternate Mix) *

Disc 2

1. The Shape I'm In
2. Time To Kill
3. The Weight
4. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
5. Strawberry Wine
6. Rockin' Chair
7. Look Out Cleveland
8. I Shall Be Released
9. Stage Fright
10. Up On Cripple Creek
11. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
12. We Can Talk
13. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
14. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
15. Across the Great Divide
16. The Unfaithful Servant
17. Don't Do It
18. The Genetic Method
19. Chest Fever
20. Rag Mama Rag

LP

Side One

1. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
2. The Shape I'm In
3. Daniel And The Sacred Harp
4. Stage Fright
5. The Rumor

Side Two

1. Time To Kill
2. Just Another Whistle Stop
3. All La Glory
4. Strawberry Wine
5. Sleeping

45 single

1. Time To Kill
2. The Shape I'm In