The Band Celebrate Their Self-Titled Classic with Sprawling 50th Anniversary Reissue

The 1969 album will be both remastered and expanded

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Sep 27, 2019

Canadian music heroes the Band are celebrating their classic self-titled sophomore album with a sprawling 50th anniversary reissue.

The re-release of the 1969 album will arrive on November 15 via Capitol/UMe/Universal Music Canada.

The album will be newly remixed and expanded, arriving as a Super Deluxe 2-CD/Blu-ray/2-LP/7-inch vinyl box set with a hardbound book, in addition to a 2-CD edition, a 180-gram 2-LP black vinyl set and limited-edition 180-gram 2-LP "tiger's eye" colour vinyl edition. The 2-LP vinyl editions will spin at 45 RPM, while the reissue will also arrive digitally.

The project was overseen by the Band's Robbie Robertson and features a new stereo mix by Bob Clearmountain from the original multi-track masters — much like last year's 50th anniversary reissue of Music from Big Pink.

The expanded edition of The Band includes 13 outtakes, featuring six previously unreleased outtakes and alternate recordings from the album sessions, as well as the Band's Woodstock performance — something that until now has never been officially released.

A press release further explains:

Exclusively for the box set, Clearmountain has also created a new 5.1 surround mix for the album and bonus tracks, presented on Blu-ray with the new stereo, both in high resolution audio (96kHz/24bit). All the new audio mixes have been mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering. The box set also includes an exclusive reproduction of the Band's 1969 7-inch vinyl single for "Rag Mama Rag" / "The Unfaithful Servant" in their new stereo mixes and a hardbound book with an extensive, illuminating new essay by author and music critic Anthony DeCurtis and classic photos by Elliott Landy which have had an inimitable influence on rock and roll. For the album's new vinyl editions, Chris Bellman cut the vinyl lacquers for the album's new stereo mix at 45 rpm at Bernie Grundman Mastering, expanding the album's vinyl footprint from one LP to two.

Right now, you can get a taste of what's in store by streaming a newly shared — and vastly different — version of the album's "Rag Mama Rag." Hear that below.



You can pre-order The Band reissue now.

See the sprawling tracklist below.

The Band (50th Anniversary Edition):

CD 1: The Band:

1. Across The Great Divide

2. Rag Mama Rag

3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

4. When You Awake

5. Up On Cripple Creek

6. Whispering Pines

7. Jemima Surrender

8. Rockin' Chair

9. Look Out Cleveland

10. Jawbone

11. The Unfaithful Servant

12. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)

13. Up On Cripple Creek (Earlier Take) *

14. Rag Mama Rag (Alternate Version) *

15. The Unfaithful Servant (Alternate Version) *

16. Look Out Cleveland (Instrumental Mix) *

17. Rockin' Chair (A Cappella / Stripped Down) *

18. Up On Cripple Creek (Instrumental Mix) *

CD 2: Live At Woodstock, 1969 (Original Rough Mixes):


1. Chest Fever

2. Tears Of Rage

3. We Can Talk

4. Don't Ya Tell Henry

5. Baby Don't You Do It

6. Ain't No More Cane On The Brazos

7. Long Black Veil

8. This Wheel's On Fire

9. I Shall Be Released

10. The Weight

11. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever

12. Get Up Jake (Outtake – Stereo Mix)

13. Rag Mama Rag (Alternate Vocal Take – Rough Mix)

14. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Alternate Mix)

15. Up On Cripple Creek (Alternate Take)

16. Whispering Pines (Alternate Take)

17. Jemima Surrender (Alternate Take)

18. King Harvest (Has Surely Come) (Alternate Performance)

Blu-ray: The Band (Stereo and 5.1 Surround – High Resolution Audio: 96 kHz/24 bit)


1. Across The Great Divide

2. Rag Mama Rag

3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

4. When You Awake

5. Up On Cripple Creek

6. Whispering Pines

7. Jemima Surrender

8. Rockin' Chair

9. Look Out Cleveland

10. Jawbone

11. The Unfaithful Servant

12. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)

13. Up On Cripple Creek (Earlier Version)

14. Rag Mama Rag (Alternate Version)

15. The Unfaithful Servant Alternate Version)

16. Look Out Cleveland (Instrumental Mix)

17. Rockin' Chair (A Cappella / Stripped Down)

18. Up On Cripple Creek (Instrumental Mix)

Documentary: Classic Albums — The Band

2xLP: The Band (45 RPM):


LP 1:


1. Across The Great Divide

2. Rag Mama Rag

3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

4. When You Awake

5. Up On Cripple Creek

6. Whispering Pines

LP 2:


1. Jemima Surrender

2. Rockin' Chair

3. Look Out Cleveland

4. Jawbone

5. The Unfaithful Servant

6. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)

7-inch: "Rag Mama Rag" (Original 1969 7" Capitol Single):

1. Rag Mama Rag

2. The Unfaithful Servant

* Previously unreleased  

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