The Best of the Band
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| MusicHound |  [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
The Best of the Band is the first greatest hits package by Canadian-American rock group the Band. Featuring ten tracks taken from six of their first seven albums (not counting 1974's Before the Flood or 1975's The Basement Tapes, both with Bob Dylan), it featured two tracks from the first, second, third and seventh albums, one each from the fourth and fifth, rounded out by the early 1975 single "Twilight".
Track listing
All tracks are written by Robbie Robertson, except where stated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Up on Cripple Creek" | 4:34 | |
| 2. | "The Shape I'm In" | 4:00 | |
| 3. | "The Weight" | 4:38 | |
| 4. | "It Makes No Difference" | 6:34 | |
| 5. | "Life Is a Carnival" | Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Robertson | 4:00 |
| 6. | "Twilight" | 3:17 | |
| 7. | "Don't Do It" | Holland-Dozier-Holland | 5:00 |
| 8. | "Tears of Rage" | Bob Dylan, Richard Manuel | 5:23 |
| 9. | "Stage Fright" | 3:43 | |
| 10. | "Ophelia" | 3:32 | |
| 11. | "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" | 3:33 |
Album origin
| Title | Album |
|---|---|
| "Up on Cripple Creek" | The Band (1969) |
| "The Shape I'm In" | Stage Fright (1970) |
| "The Weight" | Music from Big Pink (1968) |
| "It Makes No Difference" | Northern Lights – Southern Cross (1975) |
| "Life Is a Carnival" | Cahoots (1971) |
| "Twilight" | 1975 single |
| "Don't Do It" | Rock of Ages (1972) |
| "Tears of Rage" | Music from Big Pink |
| "Stage Fright" | Stage Fright |
| "Ophelia" | Northern Lights – Southern Cross |
| "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" | The Band |
An album of the same title was released in UK on the Fame label with different cover and some different tracks.
Notes
The Band's version of the song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" was also featured as part of a promotional-only compilation album released by Capitol records entitled The Greatest Music Ever Sold (Capitol SPRO-8511/8512), which was distributed to record stores during the 1976 Holiday season as part of Capitol's "Greatest Music Ever Sold" campaign which promoted 15 greatest hits albums issued by the record label.
References
- ^ The Best of the Band at AllMusic
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 72. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help) - ^ Brackett, Nathan, with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside. p. 42. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.