IN 1971 the legendary Band were at the height of their powers. As their lead vocalist and guitarist Robbie Robertson recalls: “We had hit a stride for playing well in our live performances, but, more importantly, we had a pure pleasure in appreciating what each of us were doing.”

This tremendous double live CD, featuring the highlights of four Christmas holiday nights at the Academy of Music in New York, captures this pleasure, taking us on an unforgettable journey into the heart of America’s spiritual and musical psyche. Highlights include a rousing version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, a joyful take on the evergreen The Weight and an agonised reworking of the Bob Dylan classic I Shall Be Released.

Dylan himself joined his old Band-mates for four encores on the final night of their residency and together they sign off with one of the most powerful and musically accomplished interpretations of Dylan’s masterpiece Like A Rolling Stone that I have ever heard.