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"...Life Is A Carnival...Take Another Look..."
Forever the ugly child to
its older siblings (1968's "Music From Big Pink", 1969's "The
Band" and 1970’s "Stage Fright") - on American release in
October 1971 The Band’s fourth studio outing "Cahoots" lumbered up to
No. 21 on the US charts and was gone by the end of the year. Dismissed by many
in the Press at the time as a 'band' already showing signs of being past it and
except for sporadic moments of that old magic - running on empty -
"Cahoots" was considered by tastemakers as one of those
five-out-of-ten LPs that you buy anyway because you’re such a nerdy fan – nay
even sucker.
In fact in Blighty - where
The Band and their musings had reached almost mythical levels amongst musicians
and certain parts of the public - the LP managed a staggeringly bad one single
week on the UK LP charts in November when it was released there –
unceremoniously excluded from Christmas stockings by Scrooge-faced punters
humming and hawing at the mere sight of it. Robbie Robertson would later
describe some of the songs as 'bizarre' and not even the presence of Van
Morrison (riding high at the time) and Southern Soul gentleman Allen Toussaint
on two different tracks (both courtesy of Warner Brothers) funked-up sales or
persuaded otherwise.
But time is a healer - and
46 years after the event I feel we should reappraise this awkward and clumsy
baby No. 4 – dancing about my living room to "Life Is A Carnival"
just wanting to be loved like the other three. Here are the Take Another Look
details...
UK released September 2000 (August
2000 in the USA) - "Cahoots" by THE BAND on Capitol 525 3912 (Barcode
724352539123) is an ‘Expanded Edition’ CD Remaster with Five Bonus Tracks that
plays out as follows (60:44 minutes):
1. Life Is A Carnival [Side
1]
2. When I Paint My
Masterpiece
3. Last Of The Blacksmiths
4. Where Do We Go From Here
5. 4% Pantomime
6. Shoot Out In Chinatown
[Side 2]
7. The Moon Struck One
8. Thinkin' Out Loud
9. Smoke Signal
10. Volcano
11. The River Hymn
Tracks 1 to 11 are their
fourth studio album "Cahoots" - released October 1971 in the USA on
Capitol SMAS 651 and November 1971 in the UK on Capitol EA-ST 651 in a Gatefold
Sleeve. Produced by THE BAND - it peaked at No. 21 in the US LP charts and No.
41 in the UK.
BONUS TRACKS:
12. Endless Highway (Early
Studio Take)
13. When I Paint My
Masterpiece (Alternate Take)
14. Bessie Smith (Outtake)
15. Don't Do It
(Outtake-Studio Version)
16. Radio Commercial
THE BAND is:
Levon Helm,
Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko
Guests include Van Morrison
on "4% Pantomime" and Allen Toussaint on "Life Is A
Carnival"
As with each of these
September 2000 Capitol CDs (Produced and Compiled by CHERYL PAWELSKI and ANDREW
SANDOVAL) - the 16-page booklet is a pleasingly in-depth affair and has new
pictorial elements. ROB BOWMAN provides the new liner notes accompanied by
photos of the studio, tracking sheets for "When I Paint My
Masterpiece" and "Endless Highway", lyrics, reissue credits (the
whole issue is 'In Memory of Richard Manuel and Rick Danko') and even a repro
of the lone American 45 lifted off the album - September 1971's "Life Is A
Carnival" b/w "The Moon Struck One" on Capitol 3199 ("When
I Paint My Masterpiece" b/w "Where Do Go From Here" was to be
Capitol 3249 in December 1971 but was cancelled and withdrawn).
But the big news is the
Audio. "Cahoots" had a more polished and some say 'brittle' sound
that the ramshackle Americana feel to the preceding albums - and many have
complained that commercialism and radio-friendly needs practically ruined their
chemistry-sound - and that rot started in full force here. I don't agree - the
Audio here by ROB McMASTER and ANDREW SANDOVAL is very punchy all of a sudden
and for all the right reasons. Sandoval was involved in all The Kinks and Small
Faces 'Deluxe Editions' on Universal - so he knows his way around a master-tape
or two. The only real glitch is the Audio Quality on the Marvin Gaye cover
version of "Don't Do It" which they admit has been taken from 'best
possible sources' because there are problems with the quality of the original
masters on the 'Studio Version' (there's a storming live take of the song on
the August 1972 live-double "Rock Of Ages"). Given what they had to
work with overall – the team has done well and it all sounds great to me. Let's
get to the music...
I've always been partial to
a Rock Band finding its inner Funk and Allen Toussaint's Meters-Brass is all
over "Life Is A Carnival" - a tune that's stood more than the test of
time for me. I find it a shimmering cool-aid - a wicked rare groove - inspired
even - although I can understand how it's Pointer Sisters/Sly & The Family
Stone rhythms freaked out hardcore Band fans wanting more tales of Appalachian
Mountain Men wailing about their hardships with a dignified wince at on the
oncoming winter winds. Bob Dylan's wonderful "When I Paint My Masterpiece"
gives us that - a great Americana accordion melody sung with fantastic
world-weary pathos by Levon Helm sounding scarily like he's Bob Dylan's older
and wiser brother. The Remaster continues to sound fantastic on Robertson's
"Last Of The Blacksmiths" - Richard Manuel doing well to remain
soulful as those weird 'crying horns' punctuate the tune. The biggest enemy
being 'man' - "Where Do We Go From Here" sings the plight of wildlife
and railroads - all disappearing under the boot of progress. The liner notes
tell us The Band weren't particularly fond of the song - but I've always like
it and Rick Danko's great vocal. Van Morrison drops into the sessions - hears
Robbie Robertson at the piano doodling on a chord - and suddenly the two are
co-writing "4% Pantomime". Apparently done in one take at Bearsville
Studios the next day - the lyrics are apparently loosely about the difference
between Johnny Walker Black and Johnny Walker Red whiskies. It ends Side 1 on a
cool duet vocal of Soulful men enjoying themselves.
I’d admit that the LP starts
to suddenly feel ordinary with the wimpy guitar pings in "Shootout In
Chinatown" - a song that's trying to be something and not quite getting
there. But things improve big time with one of the LP's undeniable highlights -
"The Moon Struck One" - a Robbie Robertson song directly inspired by
Julie and Little John Tyler - characters Robbie had gleaned from 'Jules Et Jim'
- the classic 1962 Francois Truffaut film. Richard Manuel's vocals are so damn
good on "The Moon Struck One" as are Rick Danko's on the Piano/Dobro
romp that is "Thinkin' Out Loud" - another stunning transfer and a
hugely underrated song on the LP. The lyrics "...when they're torn out by
the roots...young brothers join in cahoots...' in "Smoke Signal" give
the album its name - a funky Robertson piano roller again with great sound and
cool Stones guitar strumming. "Volcano" and "The River
Hymn" bring the album to a finish - the first a brass funker that's part
Little Feat part Stoneground - while the echoed piano of the finisher is
classic big-picture Band.
As is the case with so many
reissues - you hope for the best with 'Bonus' material - but as others have
excitedly noticed - the four extra songs on "Cahoots" offer up some
truly great outtake Band numbers - way better than they had any right to be.
First up is an early studio take of "Endless Highway" that is all
piano and vocals – free and swinging and sounding so fresh (what a great
Remaster). We get a more acoustic-based alternate of "When I Paint My
Masterpiece" and holy rollers but I must just prefer this to the finished
article as I’ve been playing instead for years now. The audio dips admittedly
for the Danko/Robertson session outtake "Bessie Smith" – but what a
melody this is – full of real Band soul and character and way better than some
of the lesser material on the released LP. The Funk of “Don’t Do It” was
considered as an album track for ages but eventually dropped in favour of "Life
Is A Carnival". Oh man what I would give to hear this is genuinely better
studio sound – but there’s at least the live cut on "Rock Of Ages"
which is also in this 2000 CD Series.
What we have here is a
5-star CD reissue of a 3 to 4-star album and I for one think "Cahoots"
is a bit of an overlooked nugget that deserves serious reappraisal on this
superlative reissue/remaster.
"...We walked back to
the house...while the moon struck one..."
Strike two for your
household and give this baby-out-of-bathwater album a dry towel and another
hug...
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