The Band Expands 'Cahoots' For 50th Anniversary

Bruce Henne | 11-10-2021

(hennemusic) The Band are sharing details of a forthcoming series of expanded 50th Anniversary Editions of their 1971 album, "Cahoots." The iconic group's fourth studio record - which contains a number of their best-loved and most enduring songs, including "Life Is A Carnival" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece" - features a guest vocal from Van Morrison on "4% Pantomime", a tune he co-wrote with Robbie Robertson; the set also saw an uncredited appearance by drummer Levon Helm's wife, Libby Titus, on "The River Hymn."

Due December 10, the newly-remixed and remastered "Cahoots" will be available in multiple packages, including a multi-format Super Deluxe 2CD/Blu-ray/1LP/7-inch vinyl box set along with digital, 2CD, 180-gram half-speed-mastered black vinyl and limited-edition 180-gram black vinyl packages.

All the Anniversary Edition releases were overseen by Robertson and sport a new stereo mix by Bob Clearmountain from the original multi-track masters.

The box set, CD and digital configurations boast a number of unreleased recordings, including "Live at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, May 1971", a rousing bootleg partial concert consisting of 11 tracks culled from the initial throes of a European tour that found The Band perched at the top of their live game; and early and alternate versions of "Endless Highway" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece" along with six other early takes, outtakes, instrumentals, and stripped-down mixes.

Exclusively for this box set, Clearmountain has also created new Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround-sound mixes of both the album and four bonus tracks, presented in high resolution on Blu-ray, alongside the new stereo mix, as Robertson wanted a fresh, new approach on the 50th Anniversary series.

The guitarist shares: "I told Bob, 'There are no rules. So, every mix we do, I want to start from scratch. I don't even want to listen to the original. I want to listen to the way we hear it now and be fearless and experimental with it."

The upcoming series is being previewed with the 2021 Stereo Mix of "Life Is A Carnival" and an unboxing video. Watch both here.

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