Description
“THE LAST WALTZ,” not only The Band’s final live performance but also a landmark event for 1970s rock, was filmed by Martin Scorsese and remains a classic rock movie to this day. However, since the concert, which featured numerous guest appearances and lasted for many hours, was condensed into a 120-minute film, a complete recording of the event was impossible. Naturally, there were calls for more of the performance to be heard and seen, and it was the existence of footage recorded separately from the film that satisfied those fans. This is black and white footage shot with a video camera set up at Winterland in San Francisco, the venue for the concert that day. It is presumably intended to be shown in the venue’s lobby and dressing rooms, but the footage itself was recorded with only one camera. Therefore, the video quality is that of a “stable audience shot,” but the audio, while monaural, is a solid soundboard recording. This footage gradually leaked out, and due to the quality of the audio, the audio was the first to be released on CD as “THE COMPLETE LAST WALTZ.” The footage itself later saw the light of day on a DVD called “THE LOST WALTZ.” It was great that these releases finally allowed us to get an overview of the entire historical event, but both had their shortcomings, and the video in particular was intentionally incomplete, with the dubbing stopping midway through “Jam 1.” Moreover, this was true for both, but there was some degree of degradation due to repeated dubbing, and despite the valuable content, they were clearly “difficult to watch” or “difficult to listen to.” However, the familiar “Wolfgang’s Vault” lowered the hurdle to accessing this valuable footage! The black and white video footage of “THE LAST WALTZ” had been available on their site for some time. However, perhaps due to the lingering reputation of past items, it didn’t generate much buzz among enthusiasts. The catalyst for this footage’s release was the highly acclaimed DVD “ASBURY PARK 1976.” In other words, in response to requests to “please release this video, which is also available on the same site, on DVD,” the release has finally become a reality. What will first surprise you about this video is the overwhelming improvement in picture quality. “THE LOST WALTZ” suffered from obvious degradation due to repeated dubbing, which blurred the outlines of the originally distant images, resulting in the poor viewing quality I mentioned earlier. However, the “Wolfgang’s Vault” version has been reborn with sharp and clear picture quality that clearly shows the master quality. If you own the previous title, you will surely be surprised by the difference in picture quality alone. Furthermore, the sound quality is also clear, and there is absolutely no noise between songs caused by the degradation of dubbing that was irritating in the previous “THE COMPLETE LAST WALTZ”. That being said, it is a mono recording, not a multi-track recording, so the poor mixing balance is undeniable, especially in the first half of the event. However, that balance is gradually resolved, and the sound becomes clearer. If “THE COMPLETE” had included audio from this level of video, it would have received much higher praise. Furthermore, the significantly sharper image quality makes the stage feel remarkably more realistic. There’s a large shadow between Richard Manuel and the piano, almost obscuring his view, but that shadow is actually a member of the “LAST WALTZ” film crew and their movie camera. Filming continues even between songs that would be impossible (or even cut) to include in the film or album, so the drawn-out moments, especially when guests appear or leave, convey a raw, authentic feel of the concert that couldn’t be captured in those versions. Additionally, the value of seeing songs not included in the film, such as Eric Clapton’s “All Our Past Times” and the first 60% of Dylan’s set, is immeasurable. For example, Dylan famously only allowed the film crew to film the second half of his set, refusing to film his entire performance. Because of this, the first half of his set doesn’t exist in film footage. Instead, this black-and-white video footage preserves the first half of the show for posterity. Moreover, Dylan is surprisingly energetic in it (laughs), and you’re sure to be surprised at how intensely he played in the first half. A major drawback of the film and album is that most of the performances used were edited or overdubbed. As you can see from watching and listening to this footage, The Band’s performance was clearly inconsistent, as they had to cover not only their own repertoire but also the performances of a wide range of guests. Therefore, Rick Danko’s bass was the focus, and the horn section and other parts were overdubbed later. What’s more, the guest performances were also heavily edited; for example, in Clapton’s “Further on up the Road,” the guitar solo he played towards the end was cut, shortening the performance. Clapton’s performance was a famous scene from the film, but seeing it in this raw footage reveals it to be one of the most exciting moments of the concert that day. The fact that the camera then pans to the audience at Winterland after his set (the only time the camera turns to the audience in the black and white footage) speaks volumes about the excitement. The Band, especially Robbie Robertson, prepared a new song with the same title as the event for the day, but the suite structure meant that the performance was undeniably poorly rehearsed, resulting in the event song not being included in either the film or the album. The “Last Waltz Suite” scene is now easier to see and hear in this footage, which will surely be a point of interest for fans. It was a sad turn of events that the performance became sloppy the moment Robbie started singing his part, despite it being a new song created specifically for the day. It is unlikely that this scene or performance will ever be officially released, so please enjoy it in this footage. And just when it seemed the grand event was coming to an end, Robbie led the way into an encore jam. “Jam #1” was intentionally cut short with the overdubbing of “THE LOST WALTZ,” but of course, this time it is fully recorded, revealing its entirety for the first time. Clapton’s presence is prominent in this jam, and his guitar playing is clearly audible, which is a must-see for his fans. Furthermore, the black and white video version of “Jam #2” makes its first appearance, and it’s amazing to be able to see the jam in its entirety, which is twice as long as the outtake footage that was included as a bonus on the official DVD. Finally, there is “Don’t Do It,” which was used at the beginning of the film, and this too makes its first appearance in a black and white version, and what’s more, you can see and hear the performance as it was, without any shortened editing or overdubs. Of course, you can also see performances by Neil Young and Van Morrison that were not officially released, and so this is an extremely valuable video that completely captures the historical event that was previously only familiar to core fans, and it is being released with much clearer picture quality. The best version of the legendary pro-shot footage is being re-released!! Live at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, California, USA 25th November 1976 PRO-SHOT Disc 1 (115:16) 1. Introduction 2. Up On Cripple Creek 3. The Shape I’m In 4. It Makes No Difference 5. Life Is A Carnival 6. This Wheel’s On Fire 7. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show 8. Georgia On My Mind 9. Ophelia 10. King Harvest (Has Surely Come) 11. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 12. Stage Fright 13. Rag Mama Rag 14. Who Do You Love (with Ronnie Hawkins) 15. Such A Night (with Dr. John) 16. Down South In New Orleans (with Dr. John) 17. Mystery Train (with Paul Butterfield) 18. Caledonia (with Muddy Waters) 19.Mannish Boy (with 20. All Our Past Times (with Eric Clapton) 21. Further On Up The Road (with Eric Clapton) 22. Helpless (with Neil Young) 23. Four Strong Winds (with Neil Young) Disc 2(143:59) 1. Coyote (with Joni Mitchell) 2. Shadows And Light (with Joni Mitchell) 3. Furry Sings The Blues (with Joni Mitchell) 4. Dry Your Eyes (with Neil Diamond) 5. Tura Lura Lural (That’s An Irish Lullaby) (with Van Morrison) 6. Caravan (with Van Morrison) 7. Acadian Driftwood (with Joni Mitchell & Neil Young) 8. Poetry Reading 9. The Genetic Method 10. Chest Fever 11. The Last Waltz Suite : Evangeline 12. The Weight 13. Baby Let Me Follow You Down (with Bob Dylan) 14. Hazel (with Bob Dylan) 15. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) (with Bob Dylan) 16. Forever Young (with Bob Dylan) 17. Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Reprise) (with Bob Dylan) 18. I Shall Be Released (with Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr & Ron Wood) 19. Instrumental Jam #1 (The Band with friends) 20. Instrumental Jam #2(The Band with friends) 21. Don’tDo It 22. Outroduction PRO-SHOT B&W NTSC Approx. 259min.
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