Pitchfork

Following 2005's massive archival box set A Musical History, two albums from the final chapter of the Band's 30-year career will be reissued this week. Remastered versions of 1993's Jericho and 1996's High on the Hog hit stores tomorrow, February 21, via Titan/Pyramid.

The albums marked the Band's return to the studio for the first time since their infamous breakup in 1978, following the much-ballyhooed farewell concert The Last Waltz. They were also the group's first without guitarist and principal songwriter Robbie Robertson, who would unsuccessfully sue the four reformed members in an attempt to stop them from continuing to use the Band moniker.

Fans were unsure how their reunion efforts would effect the Band's near-bulletproof legacy, but Jericho caught many critics by surprise, showcasing the group's continued musical strengths in the wake of Robertson's departure. While not quite living up to their 60s/70s peaks (who could?), the remaining foursome turned in a surprisingly skillful collection of tunes, including covers of Bob Dylan ("Blind Willie McTell") and Bruce Springsteen ("Atlantic City"). Jericho also contained the final studio recording of the haunting tenor vocals of pianist Richard Manuel, who killed himself in 1986.

High on the Hog was pleasant, but much less successful than Jericho, possibly because the Band chose to cover En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" on it. Or because the cover, which features an evil pig smoking a cigarette, would have been rejected by Alice in Chains for being too tacky. However, the album does include a fresh take on Bob Dylan's "Forever Young," which the Band had originally backed Dylan on in 1974. There's also live track from 1986 ("She Knows") featuring the late Manuel.

Since Capitol Records overhauled the Band's classic Robertson-helmed discs at the beginning of the decade, this latest pair of remasters leave their final LP, 1998's Jubilation, as the only album from their catalog yet to be reissued.

Tracklists:

Jericho:

01 Remedy
02 Blind Willie McTell
03 The Caves of Jericho
04 Atlantic City
05 Too Soon Gone
06 Country Boy
07 Move to Japan
08 Amazon (River Of Dreams)
09 Stuff You Gotta Watch
10 Same Thing
11 Shine a Light
12 Blues Stay Away From Me

High on the Hog:

01 Stand Up
02 Back to Memphis
03 Where I Should Always Be
04 Free Your Mind
05 Forever Young
06 The High Price of Love
07 Crazy Mama
08 I Must Love You Too Much
09 She Knows
10 Ramble Jungle
11 Young Blood
12 Chain Gang

In other Band-related news, keyboardist Garth Hudson appears on Neko Case's forthcoming album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.