The Band, Stage Fright (side A)

In the age of MP3s, I'm not sure how much artists worry about front-loading albums.  During the CD era, it seemed common to put the best songs at the beginning of an album.  1970's Stage Fright, from many years earlier, took a completely opposite approach—the weakest songs on the album are at the beginning, and all of the hits and even near-hits are on side B.  The recordings are a lot more modern and conventional than the first two albums, with more separation and less bleed.  The frequency balance is overly bright and present, at the very beginning of the decade where this trend was prominent (fortunately, the cymbals still sound dark and rich, without any shrillness).  The lead vocal on "All La Glory" (which sounds like Richard Manuel) particularly flatters his take, where on earlier albums vocal sounds were blended more.  The album cover is unconventional, and far less referentially old than the first two Band albums.