Stage Fright (album)

Stage Fright
Studio album by
the Band
ReleasedAugust 17, 1970
RecordedMay–June 1970
StudioWoodstock Playhouse Woodstock, New York
GenreRoots rock
Length35:41
LabelCapitol
ProducerThe Band
The Band chronology
The Band
(1969) 		Stage Fright
(1970) 		Cahoots
(1971)
Singles from Stage Fright
  1. "Stage Fright" / "Sleeping"
    Released: August 1970
  2. "Time to Kill" / "The Shape I'm In"
    Released: October 1970

Stage Fright is the third studio album by Canadian–American group the Band, released in 1970. It featured two of the group's best known songs, "The Shape I'm In" and "Stage Fright", both of which showcased inspired lead vocal performances (by Richard Manuel and Rick Danko, respectively) and became staples in the group's live shows.

Stage Fright was a contradictory record, combining buoyant music and disenchanted lyrics, and exploring themes such as peace, escape and frivolity that revealed darker shades of melancholy, anxiety and fatigue.[1] Writer Ross Johnson described it as "a cheerful-sounding record that unintentionally was confessional... a spirited romp through a dispirited period in the group's history."[2] As a result, it received a somewhat mixed reception compared to its widely praised predecessors, largely due to the ways that it departed from those records and, perhaps, frustrated expectations.[3][4][5][6] Generally, critics agreed that the music was solid. They hailed aspects like Garth Hudson's diverse textural weavings, Robbie Robertson's incisive guitar work, and the funk of the Danko–Levon Helm rhythm section, but differed on the record's troubling tone and overall cohesiveness. In later years, on the occasion of reissue and remaster releases, many critics reappraised the album as showing "no drop-off in quality compared to the first two"[7] and "evidence of a group still working at the top of their form."[8]

Much more of a rock album than the group's previous efforts, Stage Fright had a more downcast, contemporary focus and less of the vocal harmony blend that had been a centerpiece of the first two albums. The tradition of switching instruments continued, however, with each musician contributing parts on at least two different instruments. The album included two of the last songs composed by pianist Richard Manuel, both co-written with Robertson, who would continue to be the group's dominant songwriter until the group ceased touring in 1976.

Stage Fright peaked at number 5 on the Billboard albums chart, surpassing the group's first two albums, which reached numbers 30 and 9, respectively. It was one of three albums by the group, including The Band and Rock of Ages, to be certified gold (more than 500,000 sales).[9]

  1. ^ Hoskyns, Barney. Across the Great Divide: The Band and America, Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corp., 2006, p.234-5. Retrieved 26 February 2018
  2. ^ Johnson, Ross. "It's All in the Name," Miami New Times, October 26, 2000. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  3. ^ Burks, John (September 17, 1970). "Stage Fright". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  4. ^ Marcus, Greil. Mystery Train, New York: E.P. Dutton, 1975. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  5. ^ Robert Christgau review site. [1] Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  6. ^ Williams, Richard. "The Band: A Melody Maker Band Breakdown", Melody Maker, May 29, 1971. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  7. ^ Minturn, Neil. The Last Waltz of The Band, New York: Pendragon, 2005, p. 143. Retrieved 26 February 2018
  8. ^ Ruhlmann, William. Review in All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul, Ed. by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2002, p. 61. Retrieved 26 February 2018
  9. ^ Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) website. [2] Retrieved 26 February 2018