Cahoots (album)

Cahoots
Studio album by the Band
Released	September 15, 1971
Recorded	Early 1971
Studio	Bearsville (Woodstock, New York)
Genre	Roots rock folk rock country rock Americana
Length	46:41
Label	Capitol
Producer	The Band
The Band chronology
Stage Fright (1970) Cahoots (1971) Rock of Ages (1972)
Singles from Cahoots
"Life Is a Carnival" / "The Moon Struck One" Released: 1971

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B−[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[3]
MusicHound	3/5[4]
Pitchfork	5.8/10[5]
Q	[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]

Cahoots is the fourth studio album by Canadian-American rock band the Band. It was released on September 15, 1971 to mixed reviews, and was their last album of original material for four years. The album's front cover was painted by New York artist/illustrator Gilbert Stone, while the back cover features a photograph portrait of the group by Richard Avedon. The album features guest vocals from Van Morrison. Libby Titus, the partner of drummer Levon Helm and mother of their daughter Amy Helm, also contributed uncredited backing vocals to "The River Hymn", the first time a woman appeared on a Band album.^[9][10]

Rolling Stone critic Jon Landau described the mood of the album as being "filled with a 'tinge of extinction.'"^[11]

In 2021, a "50th Anniversary" edition of the album was released containing a remix of the original tracks plus outtakes and a partial concert recording from the Olympia Theatre, Paris in May 1971.^[12]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Life Is a Carnival"	Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko	Danko and Helm	3:55
2.	"When I Paint My Masterpiece"	Bob Dylan	Helm	4:21
3.	"Last of the Blacksmiths"	Robertson	Richard Manuel	3:41
4.	"Where Do We Go from Here?"	Robertson	Danko	3:47
5.	"4% Pantomime"	Robertson, Van Morrison	Manuel, Morrison	4:32

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Shoot Out in Chinatown"	Robertson	Manuel, Danko, Helm	2:51
2.	"The Moon Struck One"	Robertson	Manuel	4:09
3.	"Thinkin' Out Loud"	Robertson	Danko	3:19
4.	"Smoke Signal"	Robertson	Helm	5:11
5.	"Volcano"	Robertson	Danko	3:05
6.	"The River Hymn"	Robertson	Helm	4:40

2000 reissue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
12.	"Endless Highway" (early studio take)	Robertson	Manuel	3:46
13.	"When I Paint My Masterpiece" (alternate take)	Dylan	Helm	3:57
14.	"Bessie Smith" (outtake)	Robertson, Danko	Robertson, Danko	4:17
15.	"Don't Do It" (outtake – studio version)	Holland-Dozier-Holland	Helm	3:54
16.	"Radio Commercial"			1:04

Personnel

The Band^[13][14][15]

• Rick Danko – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Levon Helm – drums, mandolin, bass, vocals
• Garth Hudson – organ, accordion, piano, saxophones
• Richard Manuel – piano, drums, marimba, vocals
• Robbie Robertson – electric and acoustic guitars, piano

Additional personnel

• Allen Toussaint – brass arrangements on "Life Is a Carnival"
• Van Morrison – co-lead vocals on "4% Pantomime"
• Libby Titus – uncredited backing vocals on "The River Hymn"^[16]
• Mark Harman – engineer

Charts

Chart performance for Cahoots

Chart (1971)	Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[17]	15
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18]	2
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19]	20
UK Albums (OCC)[20]	41
US Billboard 200[21]	21

References

1. "Cahoots – The Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
3. Scherman, Tony (September 1, 2000). "Music Review: 'The Band'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
4. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 72. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
5. "The Band: Cahoots (50th Anniversary Edition)". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
6. "The Band: Cahoots". Q: 139. October 2000.
7. "The Band: Cahoots". Rolling Stone. August 31, 2000. pp. 69–73.
8. Brackett, Nathan, with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside. p. 42. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
9. "Libby Titus". Theband.hiof.no.
10. "The Band, "The River Hymn" (1971): Across the Great Divide". Somethingelsereviews.com. 9 October 2014.
11. Landau, Jon (November 11, 1971). "Cahoots". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
12. "The Band – Cahoots (2021, Remixed, Expanded , CD)". Discogs.com. December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
13. "Cahoots – the Band | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
14. "History of The Band: "Stage Fright" and "Cahoots"". Theband.hiof.no. 1991-07-26. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
15. "Peter Viney: Cahoots – a Retrospective". Theband.hiof.no.
16. "Libby Titus: Libby Titus".
17. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7518". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Band – Cahoots" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
19. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Band – Cahoots". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
21. "The Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2024.