A Musical History

The Band: A Musical History is a labor of love, and Executive Producer/Band member Robbie Robertson has built something truly impressive in the form of this five CD, one DVD, and 108-page hardcover book collection. The book alone will impress just about any music enthusiast. From its candid photographs of artists from Bob Dylan to Janis Joplin, to a detailed history of the Bend written by Grammy Award-winning musicologist Rob Bowman, it's well worth the price of admission. The 102-song collection follows the group's progression from their earliest of days, pre-Band, circa 1963, as background players for Toronto blues/rocker Ronnie Hawkins, to their final studio recording, "Out of the Blue" laid down in 1977. The box also includes 30 previously unreleased songs. On that list you’ll find everything from early versions of Band tunes to "song sketches" (pieces for which the lyrics may have been unfinished, but, as in the case of the late Richard Manuel’s soulful "Beautiful Thing," the emotion is captured just the same. Equally impressive is the DVD, which is filled with newly-issued live performances. These include a rough-but-wonderful songs from the Festival Express train tour, two tracks from a Wembley Stadium concert (admittedly the weakest sonically and visually on the disc) and three songs recorded for Saturday Night Live, including an endearing cover of "Georgia On My Mind." This amazing box set isn't just for Band fans; anyone who loves the music of the '60s and '70s could spend dozens of hours lost in this incredible collection. --Denise Sheppard