Cahoots (album)

Cahoots
Studio album by
the Band
ReleasedSeptember 15, 1971
RecordedEarly 1971
StudioBearsville (Woodstock, New York)
Genre
Length46:41
LabelCapitol
ProducerThe Band
The Band chronology
Stage Fright
(1970) 		Cahoots
(1971) 		Rock of Ages
(1972)
Singles from Cahoots
  1. "Life Is a Carnival" / "The Moon Struck One"
    Released: 1971
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[3]
MusicHound3/5[4]
Pitchfork5.8/10[5]
Q[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]

Cahoots is the fourth studio album by Canadian-American rock band the Band. It was released on September 15, 1971 to mixed reviews, and was their last album of original material for four years. The album's front cover was painted by New York artist/illustrator Gilbert Stone, while the back cover features a photograph portrait of the group by Richard Avedon. The album features guest vocals from Van Morrison. Libby Titus, the partner of drummer Levon Helm and mother of their daughter Amy Helm, also contributed uncredited backing vocals to "The River Hymn", the first time a woman appeared on a Band album.[9][10]

Rolling Stone critic Jon Landau described the mood of the album as being "filled with a 'tinge of extinction.'"[11]

In 2021, a "50th Anniversary" edition of the album was released containing a remix of the original tracks plus outtakes and a partial concert recording from the Olympia Theatre, Paris in May 1971.[12]

Track listing

Side one

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Life Is a Carnival"Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick DankoDanko and Helm3:55
2."When I Paint My Masterpiece"Bob DylanHelm4:21
3."Last of the Blacksmiths"RobertsonRichard Manuel3:41
4."Where Do We Go from Here?"RobertsonDanko3:47
5."4% Pantomime"Robertson, Van MorrisonManuel, Morrison4:32

Side two

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Shoot Out in Chinatown"RobertsonManuel, Danko, Helm2:51
2."The Moon Struck One"RobertsonManuel4:09
3."Thinkin' Out Loud"RobertsonDanko3:19
4."Smoke Signal"RobertsonHelm5:11
5."Volcano"RobertsonDanko3:05
6."The River Hymn"RobertsonHelm4:40

2000 reissue bonus tracks

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
12."Endless Highway" (early studio take)RobertsonManuel3:46
13."When I Paint My Masterpiece" (alternate take)DylanHelm3:57
14."Bessie Smith" (outtake)Robertson, DankoRobertson, Danko4:17
15."Don't Do It" (outtake – studio version)Holland-Dozier-HollandHelm3:54
16."Radio Commercial"  1:04

Personnel

The Band[13][14][15]

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Cahoots
Chart (1971) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[17] 15
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 2
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 41
US Billboard 200[21] 21

References

  1. ^ "Cahoots – The Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  3. ^ Scherman, Tony (September 1, 2000). "Music Review: 'The Band'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "The Band: Cahoots (50th Anniversary Edition)". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  6. ^ "The Band: Cahoots". Q: 139. October 2000.
  7. ^ "The Band: Cahoots". Rolling Stone. August 31, 2000. pp. 69–73.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Libby Titus". Theband.hiof.no.
  10. ^ "The Band, "The River Hymn" (1971): Across the Great Divide". Somethingelsereviews.com. 9 October 2014.
  11. ^ Landau, Jon (November 11, 1971). "Cahoots". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  12. ^ "The Band – Cahoots (2021, Remixed, Expanded , CD)". Discogs.com. December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Cahoots – the Band | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  14. ^ "History of The Band: "Stage Fright" and "Cahoots"". Theband.hiof.no. 1991-07-26. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
  15. ^ "Peter Viney: Cahoots – a Retrospective". Theband.hiof.no.
  16. ^ "Libby Titus: Libby Titus".
  17. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7518". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Band – Cahoots" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  19. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Band – Cahoots". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2024.