Band, The - Stage Fright: 50th Anniversary Edition [180G/ Remixed/ Remastered/ Original Unreleased Track Sequence]

Newly Remixed and Remastered 50th Anniversary 180g Vinyl LP Reissue with New Track Sequencing Overseen by Robbie Robertson!

Capitol/UMe 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. All of 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. 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.

"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," Robertson notes. "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."

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 Richard Manuel and Rick 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 No. 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!