The Band’s 1975 album Northern Lights – Southern Cross is getting a particular reissue as a part of UMe’s new hi-fidelity vinyl collection, Vinylphyle.
Like all additions to the collection, the album can be pressed on 180g black vinyl by RTI and mastered by a number of the business’s elite engineers. The vinyl, obtainable for pre-order now, additionally comes full with a four-panel insert compiling pictures, artwork and liner notes from Northern Lights – Southern Cross’ authentic launch, alongside a brand new essay on the album by Rick Florino.
Northern Lights – Southern Cross was the primary album recorded at The Band’s legendary Malibu studio Shangri-La, which they in-built 1974 after ending a tour with Bob Dylan. They recorded utilizing a state-of-the-art 24-track tape recorder, permitting keyboardist Garth Hudson to layer his devices throughout a number of tracks. On the time, it marked their first album of all-new materials since 1971’s Cahoots.
The document spawned standard tracks like “It Makes No Difference,” “Ophelia” and “Acadian Driftwood,” which concentrate on the French Acadian folks’s displacement by the British in 1755. The Band carried out all three tracks throughout their ultimate 1976 stage efficiency with all 5 members.
The live performance—which featured visitor appearances from Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Neil Younger, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris and extra—was filmed by none aside from Martin Scorcese, who launched a documentary based mostly across the footage in 1978 referred to as The Final Waltz. At present, it’s broadly considered one of many biggest live performance movies ever made, and in 2019, the Library of Congress added it to the US Nationwide Movie Registry, reserved for American movies deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Upon its launch, Northern Lights – Southern Cross peaked throughout the Prime 30 of the Billboard 200, and “Ophelia” made the Scorching 100 chart. At present, it’s appeared again on as a swan tune for the Canadian-American rock legends—other than the stay album accompanying The Final Waltz, it was the final full-length that includes The Band’s authentic lineup: Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, and Levon Helm.
Try the Vinylphyle collection right here.
