The Last Waltz (1978 album)  

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The box set The Last Waltz is a 2002 four-disc re-release of the 1978 album The Last Waltz documenting the concert The Last Waltz, the last concert by The Band with its classic line up. A full forty tracks are taken from the show in addition to rehearsal outtakes. Twenty-four tracks are previously unreleased.

Among the tracks added are a version of Louis Jordan's "Caldonia" featuring Muddy Waters and Pinetop Perkins trading off the vocal, a radically reworked version of the live favorite "Rag Mama Rag", Neil Young and Joni Mitchell joining The Band on "Acadian Driftwood", a blistering take on the Stage Fright classic "W. S. Walcott Medicine Show" and the concert closer, "Don't Do It". In addition, several edits made on the original 1978 set have been done away with. Certain songs (such as "Forever Young" with Bob Dylan) are presented in their unedited versions.

Songs still missing are a version of "Georgia on My Mind", the full versions of the two jams presented, the full version of "Chest Fever", and the concert takes of "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" and "Evangeline".

The album is still rife with overdubbing, re-sequencing and editing but it does paint a more complete picture of the event than the earlier album or film do. Bootleg recordings of the show have been made available by collectors, who say it presents a more accurate depiction of the concert.

Track listing

All songs were written by Robbie Robertson, except where noted.

Disc one

1. "Theme from the Last Waltz"** – 3:52
2. "Up on Cripple Creek"** – 5:31
3. "The Shape I'm In" – 4:10
4. "It Makes No Difference" – 6:51
5. "Who Do You Love?"** (Ellas McDaniel) – 4:51
6. "Life Is a Carnival" (Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson) – 4:25
7. "Such a Night"** (Mac Rebennack) – 4:41
8. "The Weight"* – 4:50
9. "Down South in New Orleans" (Jack Anglin, Jim Anglin, Johnnie Wright) – 3:11
10. "This Wheel's on Fire"* (Danko, Bob Dylan) – 3:54
11. "Mystery Train" (Junior Parker, Sam Phillips) – 5:03
12. "Caldonia"* (Louis Jordan) – 6:08
13. "Mannish Boy" (Mel London, McDaniel, McKinley Morganfield) – 6:40
14. "Stage Fright" – 4:31

Disc two

1. "Rag Mama Rag"* – 4:34
2. "All Our Past Times"* (Eric Clapton, Danko) – 5:01
3. "Further on Up the Road"** (Don Robey, Joe Veasey) – 5:30
4. "Ophelia" – 3:45
5. "Helpless" (Neil Young) – 5:53
6. "Four Strong Winds"* (Ian Tyson) – 4:37
7. "Coyote" (Joni Mitchell) – 5:28
8. "Shadows and Light"* (Mitchell) – 5:45
9. "Furry Sings the Blues"* (Mitchell) – 5:09
10. "Acadian Driftwood"* – 7:07
11. "Dry Your Eyes"** (Neil Diamond, Robertson) – 4:16
12. "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show"* – 3:39
13. "Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)" (James Royce Shannon) – 4:10
14. "Caravan"** (Van Morrison) – 6:12

Disc three

1. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"** – 4:35
2. "The Genetic Method/Chest Fever"* (Garth Hudson, Robertson) – 2:41
3. "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" (Reverend Gary Davis) – 2:56
4. "Hazel"* (Dylan) – 3:41
5. "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" (Dylan) – 3:29
6. "Forever Young"** (Dylan) – 5:51
7. "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (Reprise)"** (Davis) – 2:59
8. "I Shall Be Released"** (Dylan) – 4:50
9. "Jam #1"* – 5:32
10. "Jam #2"* – 9:10
11. "Don't Do It"* (L. Dozier-B. Holland-E. Holland) – 6:19
12. "Greensleeves"* (Traditional) – 1:37

Disc four

1. "The Well" – 3:32
2. "Evangeline" – 3:10
3. "Out of the Blue"** – 3:20
4. "The Weight" – 4:35
5. "The Last Waltz Refrain" – 1:32
6. "Theme from the Last Waltz" – 3:26
7. "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)"* – 3:52
8. "Tura Lura Lural"* (an Irish lullaby, rehearsal) (James Royce Shannon) – 3:52
9. "Caravan"* (rehearsal) (Morrison) – 6:30
10. "Such a Night"* (rehearsal) (Rebennack) – 5:24
11. "Rag Mama Rag"* (rehearsal) – 3:52
12. "Mad Waltz"* (early version of "The Well") – 5:30
13. "The Last Waltz Refrain"* (early instrumental version) – 0:50
14. "The Last Waltz Theme"* (sketch track) – 3:34

All tracks marked * were previously unreleased.
All tracks marked ** feature additional material.

Personnel

The Band

• Rick Danko – bass, fiddle, vocals
• Levon Helm – drums, mandolin, vocals
• Garth Hudson – organ, accordion, synthesizers, horns
• Richard Manuel – piano, drums, organ, clavinet, keyboards, dobro, vocals
• Robbie Robertson – guitars, piano, vocals

The horn section

• Rich Cooper – trumpet, flugelhorn
• James Gordon – flute, tenor saxophone, clarinet
• Jerry Hay – trumpet, flugelhorn
• Howard Johnson – tuba, baritone saxophone, flugelhorn, bass clarinet
• Charlie Keagle – clarinet, flute, alto, tenor and soprano saxophones
• Tom Malone – trombone, euphonium, alto flute, bass trombone
• Larry Packer – electric violin
• Horns arranged by Henry Glover, Garth Hudson, Howard Johnson, Tom Malone, John Simon and Allen Toussaint

The guests

• Paul Butterfield – harmonica, vocals
• Bobby Charles – vocals
• Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals
• Neil Diamond – guitar, vocals
• Dr. John – piano, guitar, congas, vocals
• Bob Dylan – guitar, vocals
• Bill Graham – thanks
• Emmylou Harris – guitar, vocals
• Ronnie Hawkins – vocals
• Alison Hormel – harmony vocal
• Bob Margolin – guitar
• Joni Mitchell – guitar, vocals
• Van Morrison – vocals
• Pinetop Perkins – piano, vocals
• Carl Radle – bass
• Dennis St. John – drums
• John Simon – piano
• Cleotha Staples – harmony vocal
• Mavis Staples – vocals
• Roebuck "Pops" Staples – guitar, vocals
• Yvonne Staples – harmony vocal
• Ringo Starr – drums
• Stephen Stills – guitar
• Muddy Waters – vocals
• Ronnie Wood – guitar
• Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, vocals

Production

• Robbie Robertson – producer
• John Simon and Rob Fraboni – co-producers
• Ed Anderson – recording and mixing engineer
• Terry Becker, Neil Brody, Tim Kramer, Elliot Mazer and Wayne Neuendorf – recording engineers
• Baker Bigsby, Tony Bustos and Jeremy Zatkin – mixing engineers

Other credits

• Bill Graham – concert production
• John Simon – string arrangements