Even after a 2000 remaster, the clarity of the 50th anniversary edition of Cahoots is a marvel. From that first crisp horn squeal of the joyous "Life Is a Carnival," you can feel the life within. Guitarist Robbie Roberston (along with organist Garth Hudson, the only surviving members of The Band) oversaw the reissue, with a new stereo mix by Bob Clearmountain from the original masters that place you right there in Bearsville studio with them: Levon Helm's idiosyncratic voice and Hudson's accordion stunning on the cover of Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece"; Richard Manuel's vocals and Robertson's slip-sliding guitar total knockouts on "Last of the Blacksmiths." Van Morrison's guest run on "4% Pantomine" is crystal clear, and the horns on "Volcano" are so bright as to make the original recording sound mired in mud. The calling card here, though, is an 11-song chunk of an unreleased recording of The Band's Olympic Theatre concert from May 1971 in Paris. It includes a particularly jaunty take on "Across the Great Divide," as well as live stalwarts "W.S. Walcott Medicine Show" and "The Genetic Method/Chest Fever." There’s a stomping take on "Don't Do it" (aka Marvin Gaye's "Baby Don't You Do It") along with spark-plug covers of Little Richard's "Slippin' and Slidin'" and the Motown classic "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever," which was also The Band's Woodstock set closer. And you get bass-forward versions of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Rag Mama Rag" and what was likely one of their last performances of the jokey "We Can Talk." It's strictly a fans-only affair, but then again why else would you be listening to a 50th anniversary reissue? Other extras include a stripped-down mix of "Thinkin' Out Loud" that is absent the original's richness but puts the sweet harmonies on a pedestal, and instrumentals of "Life is a Carnival" and "Volcano." And outtakes like "Bessie Smith'' show The Band's enduring legacy—and its influence on acts from Beachwood Sparks to Dawes. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz