I Don't Want to Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes
The end of 1971 went out with a bang for The Band. After a hard and rigorous year of touring, the boys were feeling exhausted and ready to hang it up for a while. Yet, the contract demands that another new album come out in 1972. With the recording of Cahoots being highly strained and draining the last bit of original energy they had within them, The Band was left wondering what to do to satisfy the demands while trying to preserve the group from falling apart. The general consensus was that they would put out a double album to satisfy Capitol Records and then take a brief hiatus. For four nights, from December 28-December 31, The Band took residence at the Academy of Music in New York City. To try out something new, they decided to have a backing horn band. For these arrangements, they contacted musician and arranger Allen Toussaint to write horn charts for their songs that would back up their usual sound. This new idea equally excited and terrified The Band. While they wanted to...