Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break Free Download

Released on the heels of the stilted, static Cahoots, the double-album Rock of Ages occupies a curious yet important place in Band history. Recorded at a spectacular New Years Eve 1971 gig, the show and album were intended to be a farewell of sorts before the Band took an extended break in 1972, but it turned out to be a last hurrah in many different ways, closing the chapter on the first stage of their career, when they were among the biggest and most important rock & roll bands. That sense of importance had started to creep into their music, turning their studio albums after The Band into self-conscious affairs, and even the wildly acclaimed first two albums seemed to float out of time, existing in a sphere of their own and never having the kick of a rock & roll band.

In 1997 Bob Dylan nearly died, and it seems like ever since, he's been out on the road trying to gather as many souls as possible, converting the world one by one with the fervor of a man who's been returned to his path by God himself. For the die-hard, the zealous, the purist, there are "field recordings" of virtually every show the man has done in the past several years … you could commit considerable time and energy sorting through them all, trying to find the best performances, the best setlists, the best sound. But for those of us who value time over money and trust the experts to handle the situation on behalf of everyone concerned, there is Rock of Ages, perhaps the most lovingly assembled and beautifully-packaged bootleg ever made…