Update: Dec 21, 2020: The Band's Classic Album, 'Stage Fright',  Remixed, Remastered And Expanded in 50th Anniversary Edition Release

Update: Dec 21, 2020: The Band's Classic Album, 'Stage Fright', Remixed, Remastered And Expanded in 50th Anniversary Edition Release

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21-- By the time The Band was ready to record their third album, Stage Fright, in 1970, they were riding high from having released back-to-back albums that solidified them as one of the most exciting and revolutionary groups of the late 1960s. Seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere in '68, their landmark debut album, Music From Big Pink, drew from the American roots music panoply of country, blues, R&B, gospel, soul, rockabilly, the honking tenor sax tradition, hymns, funeral dirges, brass band music, folk, and rock 'n' roll to forge a timeless new style that forever changed the course of popular music. When they released their seminal eponymous second album the following year, "The Brown Album" as it would lovingly be called, not much more was known about the reclusive group. The band, made up of four Canadians and one American, was still shrouded in mystery, allowing for listeners and the music press to let their imaginations run wild about who these men were and what this music was that sounded unlike anything else happening at the close of the psychedelic '60s. Dressed like 19th century fire-and-brimstone preachers and singing rustic, sepia-toned songs about America and the deep south, The Band – Garth Hudson (keyboards, piano, horn), Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin), Richard Manuel (keyboards, vocals, drums), Rick Danko (bass, vocals, fiddle) and Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano, vocals) – was an enigma, unlike any group that came before or after.
One of the few things known about the elusive band was that, along with neighbor and collaborator Bob Dylan, they called the rural artist community of Woodstock, NY home base, years before the sleepy town became a cultural flashpoint and shorthand for the emerging counterculture in the wake of the massive Woodstock Music & Arts Festival, held 40 miles southwest in Bethel, NY. The one band to actually hail from Woodstock, The Band famously played their second-ever show on the final day of the festival in front of nearly half a million people.

As a result of Woodstock, the small town became a Bohemian mecca of sorts and was overrun by the hordes of people it was now attracting. As a peace offering to their community, The Band rented out the Woodstock Playhouse to host a concert where they'd debut their new batch of songs they had been workshopping to their neighbors. Fearing that the show would only attract more outsiders and make matters worse it was turned down by the townsfolk. As a result, The Band ended up recording their next album on the playhouse stage, without an audience. Enter: Stage Fright.

On February 12, Capitol/UMe will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Band's classic third album, Stage Fright, with a suite of newly remixed, remastered and expanded 50th Anniversary Edition packages, including a multi-format Super Deluxe 2CD/Blu-ray/1LP/7-inch vinyl box set photo booklet; digital, 2CD, 180-gram black vinyl, and limited edition 180-gram color vinyl packages. All the Anniversary Edition releases were overseen by principal songwriter Robbie Robertson and boast a new stereo mix by Bob Clearmountain from the original multi-track masters. For the first time, the album is being presented in the originally planned song order. The box set, CD and digital configurations feature a bevy of unreleased recordings, including Live at the Royal Albert Hall, June 1971, a thrilling full concert captured in the midst of their European tour as the band was at the top of its game; alternate versions of "Strawberry Wine" and "Sleeping;" and seven unearthed field recordings, Calgary Hotel Recordings, 1970, a fun and loose, impromptu late night hotel jam session between Robertson, Danko and Manuel of several Stage Fright songs recorded while the album was in the mixing stage.

Exclusively for the box set, Clearmountain has also created a new 5.1 surround mix and a hi-res stereo mix of the album, bonus tracks and the live show, presented on Blu-ray. All the new audio mixes have been mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering. The set also includes an exclusive reproduction of the Spanish pressing of The Band's 1971 7-inch vinyl single for "Time To Kill" b/w "The Shape I'm In" in their new stereo mixes and a photo booklet with new notes by Robbie Robertson and touring photographer John Scheele, who recorded the Calgary Hotel Recordings; plus a reprinting of the original Los Angeles Times album review by famed critic Robert Hilburn; three classic photo lithographs; and a wealth of photographs from Scheele and several other photographers.

Pre-order for the Stage Fright 50th anniversary editions is available now and the first taste of the new mix can be heard with today's release of "The Shape I'm In" (2020 Mix), streaming now and available for immediate download with digital album pre-order. Listen to "The Shape I'm In" and pre-order Stage Fright (50th Anniversary Edition): here: https://TheBand.lnk.to/StageFrightPR

As with the acclaimed 50th anniversary collections for Music From Big Pink and the self-titled record, Clearmountain and Robertson's approach to remixing the beloved album was done with the utmost care and respect for the music and what The Band represents. "Doing new mixes on these songs with Bob Clearmountain has been a gift and special opportunity," Robertson writes in the new liner notes. "Glyn Johns and Todd [Rundgren] did a terrific job on the original mixes in England while The Band was on the Festival Express train tour across Canada with Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. We had always been part of the mixing process before, which left something on this album feeling a little unfinished. Clearmountain has taken this music and given it the sonic lift it deserves. The album has become a whole new listening experience with the original song order and the depth of these mixes." The result is a new mix that allows listeners to hear these timeless songs clearer than ever before. "There may be some purists that prefer 'the way it was,' and of course that's always readily available," adds Robertson. "I'm enjoying this new version, this story, this musical journey. It feels like a fulfillment and I know my brothers in The Band would definitely agree."

In the spring of 1971, The Band set off to Europe where they hadn't played since their tumultuous tour with Bob Dylan in 1966, where they were booed every night as the folk rock purists felt betrayed by Dylan who had gone electric, backed by The Hawks who would soon after become The Band. Not having played there in five years, the guys were understandably weary and didn't know what to expect, but instead of boos they received a rapturous response at their first concert in Hamburg, Germany and would go on to play for one enthusiastic crowd after another. "Each member of The Band was on a musical high. Everybody playing and singing at the top of their game. Each night, from Amsterdam to Paris to Copenhagen, the spirit kept rising," remarks Robertson. When it came to the band's concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, they wanted to document it so EMI taped it on a 4-track machine. For the first time ever, this concert recording is being released as Live At The Royal Albert Hall, 1971, an exhilarating 20-song set that captures the band firing on all cylinders and delivering rousing performances of songs from their then-recently released third album alongside their most popular tracks from Music From Big Pink and "The Brown Album" such as "The Weight," "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)," "Up On Cripple Creek," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Across The Great Divide," "Chest Fever," and inspired covers of Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" and the Stevie Wonder-penned, Four Tops hit, "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever." With the help of Clearmountain, these recordings have been restored nearly five decades later, allowing listeners to experience what Robertson call "One of the greatest live concerts The Band ever played."

Whereas this electrifying concert showcases The Band playing as good as they ever did, The Calgary Hotel Recordings, 1970 offer a glimpse into a different kind of performance, the kind of fun, spur-of-the-moment jam sessions that were bound to happen whenever the guys were together in a hotel room or backstage on tour. As Robertson started to run through some of The Band's new songs recently recorded for Stage Fright, photographer John Scheele, who was traveling with the group on the Festival Express, hit record on his portable cassette recorder and captured the spontaneous performance late at night on July 3, 1970 in Calgary, the last stop of the legendary tour. The field recordings, which feature Robertson on guitar and vocals with Danko harmonizing and playing rhythm and Manuel joining in on vocals and harmonica, are a fascinating document that lets fans hear the friends letting loose and having a good time together doing what they loved to do.

Released on August 17, 1970, Stage Fright features two of The Band's best-known songs, "The Shape I'm In" and the title track, both of which showcased inspired lead vocal performances by Manuel and Danko, respectively and became staples in the group's live shows. Recorded over 12 days on the stage of the Woodstock Playhouse, the album was self-produced by The Band for the first time and engineered and mixed by Todd Rundgren with additional mixing by Glyn Johns. Coming off the heels of the band's monumental debut and sophomore records, Stage Fright cemented The Band as one of the most exciting and important musical acts of the '60s and '70s. As noted music critic Robert Hilburn wrote in his glowing review for the Los Angeles Times, "Like the first two albums, the new one features a staggering display of musical prowess – superb instrumentation, precise vocals and rich, timeless lyrics," adding, "At least five of the songs, including 'The Rumor,' 'Daniel and the Sacred Harp, 'The Shape I'm In' and 'Time to Kill' rank comfortably alongside 'The Weight,' The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' and a few others as the best things the group has ever done." Stage Fright peaked at #5 on Billboard, surpassing The Band's first two albums, and went gold.

For the 50th Anniversary collection, the sequence has been changed to present Stage Fright with the originally planned song order. "On the album, we used a different sequence to feature and encourage Richard and Levon's songwriting participation," Robertson reveals. "Over time, I pined for our first song order, because it pulls you right into the Stage Fright scenario."

Fifty years on, lifelong fans and those just discovering The Band can experience the album in a whole new way, sounding better than ever, or for the first time.

Stage Fright (50th Anniversary Edition) Tracklisting

CD1; Digital

  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

  1. Strawberry Wine (Alternate Mix) *

  2. Sleeping (Alternate Mix) *

Calgary Hotel Room Recordings, 1970 *

  1. Get Up Jake (#1) *

  2. Get Up Jake (#2) *

  3. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show *

  4. Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu *

  5. Calgary Blues *

  6. Before You Accuse Me *

  7. Mojo Hannah *

  • Previously unreleased

CD2; Digital

Live At Royal Albert Hall, June 1971

(Previously Unreleased)

  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

Stereo and 5.1 Surround

High Resolution Audio: 96 kHz/24 bit

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

  1. Strawberry Wine (Alternate Mix) *

  2. Sleeping (Alternate Mix) *

  • Previously unreleased

DISC 2

Live At Royal Albert Hall, June 1971

(Previously Unreleased)

  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

1LP (33 1/3 RPM)

180g black vinyl (included in the box set and available individually); ltd. edition 180g multi-colored vinyl (available individually)

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

"Time To Kill" (Original 1971 7" Capitol Single, Spanish Pressing)

A. Time To Kill

B. The Shape I'm In

SOURCE Capitol/UMe

for more, click the INFO button

Duration: 05:56

Related

Ace Frehley – Cherry Medicine - (Official Music Video).
News & latest Releases

Ace Frehley – Cherry Medicine - (Official Music Video).

Ace previously released the title track, "10,000 Volts" and single "Walkin' on the Moon." Rock ‘n’ roll and heavy metal simply wouldn’t sound, look, or feel the same without Ace Frehley. Among hundreds of accolades, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® inducted him in 2014 as a Co-founder and the original lead guitarist of Kiss. Guitar World named him in the Top 15 of its “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time” and plugged the lead from “Shock Me” on the “50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.” Magnifying the imprint of his catalog as a solo artist, Foo Fighters cut a fan-favorite cover of “Ozone,” and he even jammed out “New York Groove” alongside The Roots on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The late Dimebag Darrell of Pantera proudly sported a tattoo of Frehley on his chest, while Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine celebrated him on X/Twitter as “My first guitar hero.” 10,000 Volts upholds an incredible legacy for Frehley, spanning 50-plus years in the limelight. Back in 1978, he delivered his solo debut, Ace Frehley. It reached platinum status and exploded as “the highest-selling of the four Kiss solo albums in the Soundscan era.” Pitchfork even retrospectively rated it a rare “8.5” score. In 1987, he dropped Frehley’s Comet. Following Anomaly in 2009, he went on to make history once again. His 2014 Space Invader LP captured #9 on the Billboard 200 and emerged as “The only solo album by a past or current Kiss member to reach the Top 10 on the chart.” 2016’s Origins Vol. 1, bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart and in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top Rock Albums Chart. He notably maintained his momentum with Spaceman [2018]. "'10,000 Volts,' in its own time, in its own way, is similarly staggering – quite simply, OVERWHELMING. 10,000/10 -- Ghost Cult Magazine (February 22, 2024) RRHOF-inductee and guitar legend Ace Frehley releases a new video for "Cherry Medicine," featured on his new album, "10,000 Volts." His highly-anticipated album will be released tomorrow. Produced and co-written by Ace and Steve Brown, the uncontainable energy on the 11-tracks showcases some of Ace's best works since his '78 solo album. On "Cherry Medicine," a mean palm-muted chug underlines his pensive vocals where he confesses, “I knew I had to change my ways for sure to keep you by my side.” The track showcases another side of Frehley with its saccharine and sweet, soaring hook as he promises, “I love you, cherry medicine. You heal my every need and some.” He seals the sentiment with another powerhouse solo.
03:4135 days ago
The Gibson SG SUPREME Is BACK for 2024 - Full Demo & Overview.
New Releases - Guitars/Bass/Gear

The Gibson SG SUPREME Is BACK for 2024 - Full Demo & Overview.

The Gibson SG Supreme is BACK for 2024 in Fireburst, Wine Red, Translucent Ebony Burst, and a Gibson.com exclusive Ebony three-pickup model. ▶ Products used in this video: Get YOUR Gibson SG Supreme HERE: https://bit.ly/48fGUfp Shop ALL Gibson SG guitars HERE: https://bit.ly/3UxfVc6 Dinesh is using a Gibson Falcon Amplifier - get yours HERE: https://bit.ly/3Uxg3Z8 SG players, now it’s your turn! 25 years after it first appeared, the Gibson SG Supreme is back for 2024. With an AAA-grade figured maple top, Burstbucker Pro pickups, and a striking mother-of-pearl headstock inlay inspired by an original Gibson design from the Art Deco era, this isn’t just an electric guitar; it’s a statement and a contender for best electric guitar of 2024! The new Gibson SG™ Supreme guitars feature a beautiful AAA-figured maple top (plain maple on the three-pickup exclusive model) on a mahogany body for a full, balanced tone that gives you that resonance and sustain you need when hitting the heavy notes and big lead lines. The mahogany neck has an ebony fretboard with a compound radius, 24 medium jumbo frets for absolute comfort when playing guitar, and Super Split Block mother-of-pearl inlays so you can see them underneath the house lights when you’re on stage! The headstock on the Gibson SG Supreme is adorned with a striking new mother-of-pearl “Chandelier Inlay” inspired by a design from the 1940s that was discovered in the Gibson archives. The Burstbucker™ Pro (neck, plus middle pickup on the three-pickup exclusive model) and Burstbucker Pro + (bridge) pickups are paired with push/pull volume controls for coil tapping and individual volume and tone controls (with three volume controls and master tone control on the three-pickup exclusive model) that are hand-wired to Orange Drop® capacitors. These appointments make the Supreme series SG guitars some of the best electric guitars for those who need multiple sounds at their disposal as you have absolute control over every aspect of your guitar’s sound, able to enjoy full-fat humbucker tone or single coil P-90 inspired tones too. The three lush finishes, Fireburst, Wine Red, and Translucent Ebony Burst, are elegantly highlighted with gold hardware, making this not only a great-sounding and highly flexible instrument but also an exceptionally beautiful-looking modern rock machine. But that’s not all! The EXCLUSIVE Ebony finish SG Supreme is loaded with three pickups, so you have even more tonal options! A hardshell case is also included with each Gibson SG Supreme, so your guitar is safe on the way to rehearsal and while you travel to your next gig. Don’t settle. Play Supreme. Learn more HERE: https://bit.ly/3UxfVc6
05:1837 days ago
Marty Schwartz Epiphone ES-335.
News & latest Releases

Marty Schwartz Epiphone ES-335.

NASHVILLE, TN (August 22, 2023) 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of Epiphone, a leading innovator in instrument design. By leveraging its iconic past and leaning into the future, Epiphone has now set the stage for the next era of sound for present and future generations. Epiphone is proud to announce a partnership with the global influencer and music educator Marty Schwartz to create his very first Epiphone signature artist guitar. The Marty Schwartz ES-335 from Epiphone is now available worldwide at authorized Epiphone dealers, and in limited capacity on www.epiphone.com. "Teaming up with Epiphone to bring my dream guitar to life is an absolute milestone in my musical journey,” says Marty Schwartz. “This guitar embodies everything I love about playing and teaching. We've truly created a guitar that's as unique as the journey it represents." “Marty Schwartz is a tremendous talent whose infectious joy for learning and teaching guitar allows players of every level to easily connect with him all across the globe,” says Beth Heidt, Chief Marketing Officer, Gibson Brands. “We are proud to partner with Marty for this very special ES-335 model.” Marty Schwartz or as he’s better known online as, Marty Music has been the face of guitar education on the internet for the last decade and a half. With nearly 4 million YouTube subscribers, over two billion video views, and a career longer than most rock bands, Marty has arguably taught more people how to play guitar than anyone else in the world. Marty knows quite a bit about what features a great guitar should have. His new namesake signature model ES-335 from Epiphone features a smooth-playing 60s SlimTaper Rounded C neck profile with an Indian laurel fretboard, small pearloid block inlays, and a Marty Music logo on the back of the headstock. The 5-ply layered maple body is capped with a beautiful AAA-figured maple veneer and is finished in Sixties Cherry. Rock solid tuning stability is ensured by the Grover 502C Roto-Grip Locking Rotomatic tuners and Graph Tech nut, while the other ends of the strings are anchored with an Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop bar tailpiece. The flexible electronics include Epiphone Alnico Classic PRO pickups, each with a push/pull phase switch; a hardshell case is also included.
04:087 months ago