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Never having been a fan of the New Orleans sound, and equally dismissive of horn sections, it says a lot that “Life Is A Carnival” is such a good opener. Those horns also provide a step to the future before we get there. “When I Paint My Masterpiece” appears here a few months before Bob Dylan’s own version; the Band’s has a few different words, takes the Roman setting too literally and gets a somewhat strained vocal by Levon, who sings much better elsewhere. “Last Of The Blacksmiths” does indeed sport an arrangement that suggest a man pounding molten metal, with a slightly processed piano and even weirder sax interludes. Besides being an unintentionally fitting title, “Where Do We Go From Here?” is an oddly placed defense of such endangered species as buffalos and trains. Though better than most of the ecological songs the Beach Boys were trying around the time, the backing is inspired, right down to the abrupt ending, signifying how things can disappear just like that. Woodstock neighbor Van Morrison turns up to duet with Richard Manuel on “4% Pantomime”, an enigmatic in-joke that’s still a highlight. (Interestingly, Van calls Richard by his Christian name, while Richard’s return address is to the “Belfast cowboy”, giving Van an apt nickname at his most rural.)
Robbie is credited with writing all the songs on side two, so perhaps their success or failure should be ascribed solely to him. “Shootout In Chinatown” is all misplaced mystery, complete with dopey “Oriental” touches in the arrangement, and all three vocalists trading lines. “The Moon Struck One” does the mystery a little better; is it a portrait of neighbor kids, a love triangle, or both? As one correspondent has pointed out, Bruce Springsteen borrowed some of the themes for the less vague “Spirit In The Night”. “Thinkin’ Out Loud” sports some fantastic piano and a tasteful dobro solo, but the basic rumination of the title is derailed by “band on the road” tangents. “Smoke Signal” works over every possible metaphor to defend the Indians from the cowboys (Robbie being descended from the former) and ending up wondering how to communicate, while Levon beats a tattoo on the kit. While “Volcano” is, thankfully, not the same song made famous by Jimmy Buffett, it does provide some grit, from the horn section to Rick’s considered voice. Finally, “The River Hymn” returns us to the old-time antebellum feel of the second album, understood and interpreted best by Levon.
Cahoots has gotten a bad rap over the years, its biggest fault being that it’s neither Big Pink nor the second album. Taken completely on its own, it’s just fine, and only hindsight reveals that they may have been running out of steam.
The bonus tracks on the first reissue are alternately illuminating and frustrating, from the take of “Bessie Smith” that comes from a few years before to an outtake of “Endless Highway” and an acetate of “Don’t Do It”. (And of course, another radio commercial.) These were included on the album’s 50th Anniversary Edition, although “Don’t Do It” is from a far superior source, along with a new Bob Clearmountain mix of the album that ladles heavy slapback reverb everywhere. In addition, the first two vocal takes of “4% Pantomime” remind us that Van Morrison once had a sense of humor. Instrumental mixes of “Life Is A Carnival” and “Volcano” show the density of the tracks, while a “stripped down” mix of “Thinkin’ Out Loud” is reduced to voice, piano, and guitar. These last three close out a second disc devoted to the second set from a concert that year in Paris, which includes Garth’s extended “Genetic Method” workout and truly sloppy encores of “Rag Mama Rag” and “Slippin’ And Slidin’”.
The Band Cahoots (1971)—3
2000 CD reissue: same as 1971, plus 5 extra tracks
2021 50th Anniversary Edition: same as 2000, plus 15 extra tracks
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