The Band - The Last Waltz (1978) [MFSL 2015]

 PS3 Rip | 2x SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 129:50 minutes | Scans included | 3,88 GB
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab # 2-2139


 As a film, The Last Waltz was a triumph -- one of the first (and still one of the few) rock concert documentaries that was directed by a filmmaker who understood both the look and the sound of rock & roll, and executed with enough technical craft to capture all the nooks and crannies of a great live show. But as an album, The Last Waltz soundtrack had to compete with the Band's earlier live album, Rock of Ages, with which it bears a certain superficial resemblance -- both found the group trying to create something grander than the standard-issue live double, and both featured the group beefed up by additional musicians. While Rock of Ages found the Band swinging along with the help of a horn section arranged by Allen Toussaint, The Last Waltz boasts a horn section (using Toussaint's earlier arrangements on a few cuts) and more than a baker's dozen guest stars, ranging from old cohorts Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan to contemporaries Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Van Morrison. the Band are in fine if not exceptional form here; on most cuts, they don't sound quite as fiery as they did on Rock of Ages, though their performances are never less than expert, and the high points are dazzling, especially an impassioned version of "It Makes No Difference" and blazing readings of "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (Levon Helm has made no secret that he felt breaking up the Band was a bad idea, and here it sounds if he was determined to prove how much they still had to offer). Ultimately, it's the Band's "special guests" who really make this set stand out -- Muddy Waters' ferocious version of "Mannish Boy" would have been a wonder from a man half his age, Van Morrison sounds positively joyous on "Caravan," Neil Young and Joni Mitchell do well for their Canadian brethren, and Bob Dylan's closing set finds him in admirably loose and rollicking form. (One question remains -- what exactly is Neil Diamond doing here?) And while the closing studio-recorded "Last Waltz Suite" sounds like padding, the contributions from Emmylou Harris and the Staple Singers are beautiful indeed.  


Tracklist:

 Disc 1
 01. Theme From The Last Waltz
 02. Up On Cripple Creek
 03. Who Do You Love - with Ronnie Hawkins
 04. Helpless - with Neil Young
 05. Stagefright
 06. Coyote - with Joni Mitchell
 07. Dry Your Eyes - with Neil Diamond
 08. It Makes No Difference 
 09. Such A Night - with Dr. John
 10. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
 11. Mystery Train - with Paul Butterfield
 12. Mannish Boy - with Muddy Waters
 13. Further On Up The Road - with Eric Clapton

 Disc 2
 01. Shape I'm In
 02. Down South In New Orleans - with Bobby Charles
 03. Ophelia
 04. Tura-Lura-Lural (That's An Irish Lullaby) - with Van Morrison
 05. Caravan - with Van Morrison
 06. Life Is A Carnival
 07. Baby Let Me Follow You Down - with Bob Dylan
 08. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) - with Bob Dylan
 09. Forever Young - with Bob Dylan
 10. Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Reprise) - with Bob Dylan
 11. I Shall Be Released (Finale)
 12. The Well
 13. Evangeline - with Emmylou Harris
 14. Out Of The Blue
 15. The Weight - with The Staples
 16. The Last Waltz Refrain
 17. Theme From The Last Waltz - With Orchestra

 Mastered bu Shawn R. Britton at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA.

Perfectly played on Foobar2000 with "foo_input_sacd" plugin.
 For those Mac users wishing to play ISO, SACD format: see Audirvana Plus
 - Make sure you've configured it properly (check up the player settings).

Enjoy!!!