Robbie Robertson to Release Career-Spanning ‘Testimony’

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The Band in the kitchen of “Big Pink”, Easter Sunday, West Saugerties, NY, 1968. Photo By ©Elliott Landy, LandyVision Inc. (L-R) Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Robbie Robertson.

When it was announced in August that guitarist and chief songwriter of The Band, Robbie Robertson, would be publishing his memoir, Testimony, on November 15 (from Crown Archetype), it was expected that there would be a companion album compilation. And so, the songwriter of “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and other classic rock staples, will see UMe release Testimony, a new anthology of 18 recordings personally curated by Robertson.

The album spans across studio and live recordings from Robertson’s music career, before, during and after The Band’s heyday. Full track listing is below; pre-order is available here.

From the announcement: “Testimony [the album] spotlights early 1960s recordings from Robertson and his future Band-mates’ tenure with Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks (and the subsequent lineup of Levon & The Hawks); live and studio cuts by The Band; Bob Dylan recordings featuring The Band; and post-Band solo tracks, including the release debut for a new mix of Robertson’s “Testimony,” featuring Gil Evans and his horn section, U2, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, Daniel Lanois, and Ivan Neville.”

In his 336-page tome Robertson recalls his early years as a member of the Hawks, backing Canadian rockabilly artist Hawkins, then divulges the heady days accompanying Dylan as he evolved from folkie to rocker; the recording sessions in the basement of the Saugerties, N.Y., home (next to Woodstock) known as Big Pink; and The Band’s rise and fall from the late ’60s through their 1976 split.

On the same November 11 date as Robertson’s Testimony anthology release, Rhino will release four new 40th Anniversary Editions of The Band’s The Last Waltz in CD, Blu-ray, and vinyl formats. A special Collector’s Edition to be released on December 9 features a leather-bound, 300-page book with a replication of Martin Scorsese’s original shooting script from the film.

Robbie Robertson’s Testimony is a new anthology of 18 recordings personally curated by Robertson to accompany his new memoir of the same name, to be released November 15 by Crown Archetype

Robbie Robertson / Various Artists: Testimony
1. Testimony (Unity Mix) – Robbie Robertson
2. Bessie Smith – The Band
3. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – Bob Dylan
4. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down / Live At The Academy Of Music, 1971 – The Band
5. He Don’t Love You (And He’ll Break Your Heart) – Levon & The Hawks
6. Somewhere Down The Crazy River – Robbie Robertson
7. Life Is A Carnival / Live At The Academy Of Music, 1971 – The Band
8. It Makes No Difference – The Band
9. The Weight / Live At The Academy Of Music, 1971 – The Band
10. Out Of The Blue – The Band
11. I’m Gonna Play the Honky Tonks – Levon & The Hawks
12. Obviously 5 Believers – Bob Dylan
13. Soap Box Preacher – Robbie Robertson
14. Twilight (Song Sketch) – The Band
15. Come Love – Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
16. When The Night Was Young – Robbie Robertson
17. The Shape I’m In / Live At The Academy Of Music, 1971 – The Band
18. Unbound – Robbie Robertson