Moondog Matinee [Import] [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Japanese 24-bit remastered reissue of 1973 album, packaged in a miniature LP paper sleeve, features 16 tracks including 6 bonus tracks, 'Didn't It Rain' (outtake), 'Crying Heart Blues' (outtake), 'Shakin'' (outtake), 'What Am I Living For' (outtake), 'Going Back To Memphis' (outtake), 'Endless Highway' (studio version). Capitol. 2004.

Tracks:

Ain't Got No Home
Holy Cow
Share Your Love
Mystery Train
Third Man Theme
Promised Land
The Great Pretender
I'm Ready
Saved
A Change Is Gonna Come
Didn't It Rain (outtake)
Crying Heart Blues (outtake)
Shakin' (outtake)
What Am I Living For (outtake)
Going Back To Memphis (outtake)
Endless Highway (Studio Version)

Amazon.com

By 1973, the Band were at a crossroads. Having summed up the first phase of their recording career with the Rock of Ages concert recording, Robbie Robertson flirted with an ambitious project inspired by Polish composer Krzystof Penderecki. But instead of forging ahead into uncharted territory, the quintet opted to hearken back to their roadhouse days with an LP that renovated oldies associated with the likes of Clarence "Frogman" Henry, the Platters, and Fats Domino. Given that Robertson's originals were no longer coming as fast and true as in the late '60s, a covers collection was a wise move. After all, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel were all vocalists who could tackle classics from the canons of Chuck Berry ("The Promised Land"), Bobby "Blue" Bland ("Share Your Love"), and Sam Cooke ("A Change Is Gonna Come") without straining under the weight of the originals. The 2001 reissue of this unaffected delight is fleshed out with a half-dozen outtakes that fit in nicely with the 10 tracks from the original LP. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

love it.......2007-05-19

we have this albumn.IT was good then...its good now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even our girls, which are young adults remember this music and still like it also

Essential, good-times warmup for the final masterpiece.......2007-01-08

The story behind Moondog Matinee is pretty well-known, so I won't rehash it in too much detail; Robbie Robertson was having trouble with his songwriting muse since the soulless disappointment, Cahoots, and the rest of the group was treading water with varying amounts of drug abuse as a result of their success and lack of direction, so they all (I think at Robbie's behest) decided to cut an album of good time rock and roll, some of which they used to play as (Levon and) the Hawks. Despite its labels as an "oldies album," most of these songs really weren't that old, and many of them weren't even played by The Band when they were the Hawks ("A Change Is Gonna Come" wasn't even recorded by Sam Cooke until 1964). Rather, I think this album should be looked at as a collection of interpretive playing and singing of some great rock and roll in the inimitable style of The Band. They may have been having trouble coming up with high-quality original material (which, unfortunately is what the public really wanted--Moondog Matinee received a lukewarm reception despite the quality of the music), but The Band's playing and singing is still unmatchable, and a return to the style of music they started out playing really reinvigorated their energy and produced a great album.

The great thing about Moondog Matinee is that it's a representation of some really classic songs that everyone knows, but it also has some pretty obscure gems in there as well. The first few songs fall into the latter category--they're known among early rock circles, but were never huge hits. Each features a different group member on lead vocals. "I Ain't Got No Home" features a really fun Levon Helm vocal with some racing keys from Garth Hudson, and that crazy frog voice contraption that Hudson rigged up. The man is a genius, musically and technically. "Holy Cow" has a really fun Rick Danko vocal--you can tell they were having a great time playing this music, and it shows in the end product. "Share Your Love With Me" proves that Richard Manuel hadn't lost the ballad croon that used to make the girls hot.

The Band's version of "Mystery Train" is unquestionably essential, with a few new lyrics and a funky groove, spacey intro, and nimble clavinette part. "Third Man Theme" is the only track that doesn't fit; it kind of just sounds like carousel music. "Promised Land" and "The Great Pretender" are super readings of classics, and "Saved" is an album highlight with a tongue-in-cheek vocal from Manuel combined with some great bass drum. "A Change Is Gonna Come" is also certainly an essential reading of a standard tune, right up there with Otis Redding's, Aretha Franklin's, and Cooke's own version.

Out of all the remastered Band albums, this one has by far the most meaningful bonus tracks, containing 5 more covers that could have easily fit in with the album ("Going Back to Memphis" is my favorite), and the only original song written by Robbie Robertson between Cahoots and their final studio masterpiece.

I recommend this album after you're a fan of their first three and have been disappointed by Cahoots--once you hear that The Band was still able to crank out the magic, playing and singing just as well as the ever did (only waiting for some good material), Northern Lights - Southern Cross will blow you away.

The Birth Of THE BAND.. Genius At Play At The Jook Joint.......2006-09-01

Despite whatever personal problems or lack of direction this group was rumoured to be going through at the time, what you have here is a great Cover album of tunes that are not only unmistakenly the Band but moreso an album catching them revisiting their roots at a pinnacle when their powers were at a point when reminiscing back was a needed step as they still went forward creating a couple of more masterpieces to their catalogue before their ending.
To my ears the playing here is very inspired, emotional and all their elements,that rowdy barband , Dylan's frontmen,going on into their familiar anachronistic roots territory of Big Pink hinting at the future masterpiece of Northern Lights that was to follow are all in the grooves here..the keyboard wizadry,sharp guitar notes,touches of brass in the right places those sincere tremendous vocalists all add to a winner and maybe the best cover band album of all time.
Going through many CD reissues, these Remasters are the best with all the outtakes, prior unreleased tracks, notes,remastered sound all artwork reproduction restored faithfully(the great original artwork depicting the Roadhouse Street Corner that adorned the album when it first came out is here).
One can write endlessly on The Band, this CD is an oddity in their catalogue but a winner and one that is a good starting point for those discovering the professional textures and tones of this all important band for the 1st time around.

ONE OF THE BEST BY THE BAND.......2006-08-01

THIS IS AN ALBUM OF OLDIES DONE BY THE BAND. EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE OLDIES, YOU KNOW IT'S THE BAND PLAYING THESE TUNES. THEY MAKE EVERY SONG THEIR OWN. GREAT VOCALS BY LEVON HELM, GARTH HUDSON, AND SOME GREAT GUITAR PLAYING BY ROBBIE ROBERTSON ON THIS ALBUM. WHAT I FOUND INTERESTING IS THAT THEY DO THE SONG "SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH ME", WHICH IS ALSO COVERED BY ARETHA FRANKLIN, WHO ALSO DID A COVER OF THE BANDS' SONG "THE WEIGHT". GREAT SONGS ON THIS ALBUM INCLUDE "MYSTERY TRAIN" , (JET TO) THE PROMISED LAND (WHERE ARE YOU, ELVIS, JERRY GARCIA AND BOB WEIR?) AND "A CHANGE IS GONNA COME" (THE GREAT SAM COOKE SONG).

Highly Recommendable!.......2006-07-28

This 1973, often overlooked, album is at the same time a very different album and still a typical Band album. Different because all songs ( on the original version ) are cover versions and typical because the sound and playing style is unmistakeably the Band's.

Personal problems and outside project were among the reasons that the group did not write and record much new material during 1972-73, and the idea came up to do an album entirely of covers. Though covers, many songs actually sound like Band originals and some of them are among the very best Band recordings.

Especially the songs with lead vocals from Richard Manuel and Rick Danko stand out. Somehow it was decided the Leveb Helm did the most straight-forward rocking songs, which solid but not outstanding.

Manuel's performance on Bobby Bland's "Share Your Love" is simply beatiful. And absolute highlight and a recording on par with the very best Band originals. The same can almost be said about the more commercial "The Great Pretender" - another Manuel performance.

Third Manuel lead vocal is found on the "Leiber/Stoller" rocker "Saved". A good track, but really no more than that.

Rick Danko shines on Sam Cooke's anthem "A Change is Gonna Come" which closed the original album. Actually I prefer this version to Sam Cooke's original, which seems a little burdened down by too heavy orchestration.

The catchy "Holy Cow" performed by Danko, tongue in cheek, is another favourite.

There is a fine instrumental of the old movie theme "Third Man Theme" played in a similar mood to "Island" from their last studio album.

The rest of the album solid, with Levon Helm vocally in front.

The bonus tracks mostly sound like demos or unfinished outtakes.

Two important exceptions, though, is the exquisite Robbie Robertson original "Endless Highway" - great to finally have this song on an album; one of the very few new songs that Robertson wrote for the Band during this period. Lead vocals from Danko.

"Crying Heart Blues", also with Danko up front, sounds like song that could have come from debut album "Music From Big Pink" - another highlight!

Like on all the other Band re-issue original albums a fine booklet is included. Extensive back-ground information about each recording.

Highly recommendable!

Average customer rating:

BEST OLDIES REVIVAL ALBUM EVER!

Moondog Matinee
The Band
Manufacturer: Indent Series
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005JN7
Release Date: 1996-07-23

Tracks:

Ain't Got No Home
Holy Cow
Share Your Love With Me
Mystery Train
The Third Man Theme
The Promised Land
The Great Pretender
I'm Ready
Saved
A Change Is Gonna Come

Customer Reviews:

BEST OLDIES REVIVAL ALBUM EVER!.......2005-05-13

Okay, here's the scene:

It is 1973 and to my 15 yr old ears most of the Top 40 music that was getting played on the radio was just awful. I had already retreated to an Offbeat Oldies Radio Station in Washington, DC for the most part. Also, I was already a huge fan of old Motown/Stax/Soul Music.

I didn't really discover this album until college, but it was sure a great album to hear. Remember that back in 1973, people's idea of nostalgia was "Happy Days" or constant re-plays of Elvis, Bill Haley, etc. People seemed to be into the more gimmicky oldies sounds ("Duke of Earl", "Monster Mash", etc) rather than treating the music with the respect it deserved.

Well, the Band changed all that with this album. They do nice jobs on 3 unptempo numbers : Chuck Berry's "Promised Land", Fats Domino's "I'm Ready" & Clarence "Frogman" Henry's "Ain't Got No Home". The real treats, however, are some of the other selections. They actually do Lee Dorsey's "Holy Cow" better than the original. Also, they do "The Great Pretender" better than the Platters. To be honest with you, I never cared much for Tony Williams of the Platters and his hiccupy vocals on their version.

If that wasn't enough, they do a wonderful version of Bobby Blue Bland's "Share Your Love With Me" which has been re-done by everyone from Aretha Franklin to Kenny Rogers. They also do a respectable version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come".

Of course, the Band had been performing since the early 60's, mostly with Ronnie Hawkins, and were very adept at doing oldies. My one regret is that they didn't include their version of the 4 Tops' "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" which did wind up on their "Live At Watkins Glen" album.

I remember when I had this album in college (around 1977) and disco, Frampton, Boston, "Grease" was all the rage. Of course, I would tell people I had an Oldies Revival Album and they would all be hoping for some strange sort of Elvis imitator or gimmicky remakes which people, for some odd reason seemed to love back then. When I played the album I usually got blank stares or "What is that?"

Anyway, this is great music!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Moondog Matinee
The Band
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Classic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0001GAW4M
Release Date: 2004-05-03

Tracks:

Ain't Got No Home
Holy Cow
Share Your Love
Mystery Train
Third Man Theme
Promised Land
Great Pretender
I'm Ready
Saved
Change Is Gonna Come
Didn't It Rain [*][Outtake]
Crying Heart Blues [*][Outtake]
Shakin' [*][Outtake]
What Am I Living For [*][Outtake]
Going Back to Memphis [*][Outtake]
Endless Highway [Studio Version][*]

Album Description

Japanese 24-bit remastered reissue of 1973 album, packaged in a miniature LP paper sleeve, features 16 tracks including 6 bonus tracks, 'Didn't It Rain' (outtake), 'Crying Heart Blues' (outtake), 'Shakin'' (outtake), 'What Am I Living For' (outtake), 'Going Back To Memphis' (outtake), 'Endless Highway' (studio version). Capitol. 2004.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Japanese Limited Edition in an LP-STYLE Slipcase.

Average customer rating:

Moondog Matinee
The Band
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000007PST
Release Date: 1994-02-08

Tracks: