From the very first moment, The Band seemed rustic, rough-hewn, steeped in antiquity. Time hasn’t done much to change that; half a century later, their shambling, loose and earthy Americana still feels like a radio tuned to the past. But as with all things, technology has come along to give them an upgrade. For this 50th anniversary reissue of their classic debut album Music From Big Pink, producer Bob Clearmountain has not only remastered songs like Tears of Rage, The Weight, Chest Fever and I Shall Be Released with pristine brightness and clarity; he’s also boldly remixed the tracks, shifting and recasting elements so that you hear these familiar songs as if for the first time. It’s the equivalent of putting a sepia-toned daguerreotype into the scanner and transforming it into 3D animation.
