Danko

This superb live recording, taken from an FM radio broadcast of The Band playing at the Mandel Hall - a seated concert venue holding 750 situated within the University of Chicago - during their first re-union tour following the group s split in 1976, subsequent to their Last Waltz concert - was nothing short of a roaring success. Despite the absence of Robbie Robertson who, following some perhaps unfortunate remarks made by Rick Danko after the initial split, had declined to take part , which some critics saw as blasphemous. Robbie had also, by this juncture, all but turned his back on the worlds of pop and rock music and was concentrating largely on movies, in which he would sometimes feature in an acting role, sometimes provide some or all of the soundtrack for, and sometimes do both. The other four however were hungry to get back on the road and did just that in July 1983; this CD is an excellent illustration of what went down during these initial re-union gigs.

A previously unreleased solo live show from the late Richard Manuel, one of the lead singers of the Band, includes a mix of Band classics, two original instrumentals, & exquisite covers of Ray Charles, Fats Domino, & J.J. Cale. Recorded in 1985 at Woodstock's The Getaway club. Features guest appearances by Rick Danko & Jim Weider. Tracks, 'Grow Too Old', 'Georgia on My Mind', 'Jazz (Instrumental #1)', 'Across the Great Divide', 'You Don't Know Me', 'King Harvest (Has Surely Come)', 'I Shall Be Released', 'The Shape I'm In', 'Piano (Instrumental #2)', 'Miss Otis Regrets', 'Crazy Mama', 'She Knows', 'Hard Times', 'Chest Fever', 'Whispering Pines', 'Tears of Rage', 'Across the Great Divide' (alternate version), & 'Georgia on My Mind' (alternate version).

Originally financed with the winners' prize from a newcomer contest, the pieces of 'Proud Like A God' have never lost anything of their unbridled kick-ass power. Together with the producer Fabio Trentini, with whom they had already developed the original demos in 1994, the Guano Apes have now dug the analogue original tapes especially for the anniversary edition from dark archives, the songs completely dedusted and give them a modern, contemporary Sound-Make Over awarded.