MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE BAND - MUSIC FROM BIG PINK 50th ANNIVERSARY SUPER DELUXE EDITION

As far as reissues, Band fans have certainly been treated well over the years, with box sets and deluxe editions galore. There's not much to add to the story of the group's debut, it's a story that's been told at length in books (by both Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm), as part of the Dylan narrative by countless biographers and journalists, and by the many essays pointing to it as the birthplace of roots (or Americana) music. But here we are at the 50th anniversary of this hugely important album, and a celebration is certainly in order. What's a record company to do?

A super deluxe edition was certainly called for in today's consumer climate, but what could they put in it that was new for fans? Studio outtakes have already helped fill two box sets, and the 2000 reissue collected nine of them. There were no live concerts to add, as the group didn't do any playing until their second album came out. They've been selling new 180-gram vinyl editions of the album for several years, alone, and as part of the widely available Band box of albums. So it took a bold move to freshen up this package. They changed the whole sound.

Famed engineer Bob Clearmountain (Springsteen, Bowie, Rolling Stones) was brought in to provide a brand new remix of the well-known tracks. That's pretty risky, opening up the decision to criticism from fans for messing with a classic. Already some reviewers are complaining about the bright new mix, but I'm not one of them. I found the new sound spectacular. The vocals stand out more than ever, as do Garth Hudson's battery of keyboards, all the wonderful, strange sounds he coaxed out of vintage and obscure organs and electronics. We all know The Weight of course, but you've never heard the booming bass and drums like this before.

I agree that the remix, which separates the sounds from the rather murky original mix, goes against the original idea of the album sound. Famously, the group insisted on sitting in a circle facing each other to record, rather than hiding behind baffles and sitting apart, to prevent the instruments bleeding into the other mics. But here's the thing; it's not most people don't already own that original mix in some form. This is new, and an alternative, and really does inspire new interest.

The only other "new" addition to the package is another piece of studio manipulation, stripping away the instruments to offer up an a cappella version of I Shall Be Released, perhaps the loveliest vocal on the record, with Richard Manuel's plaintive falsetto. The Clearmountain mix is spread across all the formats here, vinyl, CD and Blu-ray, where it shows up as stereo and 5.1. It's most effective on the always-temperamental but ultimately rewarding vinyl, and that's where the other "new" product is found. It has been pressed at 45 RPM over two albums, even better fidelity, and it provided a deeply satisfying listen.

The box packaging matches up to the name super deluxe, starting with Bob Dylan's famous commissioned painting. The box is textured to feel like a canvas. The booklet contains a decent new essay from Rolling Stone regular David Fricke, which goes over the main points, but since the story is well-told elsewhere, it's kept tight. Instead, lots of the great Elliot Landy photos are used, as iconic as the album itself. There are also three photos enlarged on harder paper stock included, and a repressing of the original 45 for The Weight/I Shall Be Released, issued before The Band had even been named,with the five members' names used instead.

So, there's nothing exactly new in this box, and not even all the bonus tracks from the past are included, just five of them. But in other ways, it's all new, at least that's how it seemed to my ears, and it looks and sounds great. It's one of those boxes that feels very satisfying to own, and it's going to be the way I listen to the album now, certainly for some time.