Twenty years after Taking the Long Way helped define a new chapter for The Chicks, the trio are going back to where it all began.

Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer will celebrate the landmark album with an expanded 20th anniversary edition, including five bonus tracks and previously unreleased recordings, while taking the record on tour and performing it in full for the first time.

Released in May 2006, Taking the Long Way arrived during one of the most defining periods of the band's career. It became both a critical and commercial triumph, earning The Chicks five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Not Ready to Make Nice."

Now, two decades on, the band are revisiting the album with material that has never been heard publicly before.

The new 3LP and digital editions will feature five bonus tracks: three unreleased demos and two rarities. Among them is "Flowers (Demo Version)," which will be released alongside the anniversary edition, while "Thin Line" and "Live Wire" will also be available to stream for the first time.

For The Chicks, the anniversary is about more than simply looking back.

"It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since Taking the Long Way," the band said. "These songs take us right back to one of the most defining times in our lives, and it's incredible how much they still resonate today."

That sense of looking back while moving forward will continue on the road this autumn.

The Chicks will kick off their Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary USA Tour in Detroit on September 30. For the first time, they will perform the album from beginning to end before closing each show with songs from across their career.

The tour will also include newly announced dates in Philadelphia at The Met on October 7, Boston's MGM Music Hall at Fenway on October 9 and a third Los Angeles show at the Dolby Theatre on November 3.

The anniversary edition arrives on October 2, giving fans a chance to hear the album as they remember it, alongside a handful of recordings that have remained hidden for two decades.

"Not Ready to Make Nice" may have become the defining song of Taking the Long Way, but the anniversary offers a reminder that the album was never just about one song. It captured The Chicks at a pivotal moment, turning personal and public upheaval into one of the most celebrated records of their career.

Twenty years later, they're taking the long way back to it.

These songs take us right back to one of the most defining times in our lives, and it's incredible how much they still resonate today.

The Chicks Taking the Long Way (20th Anniversary Edition) Tracklist:
 
Disc 1 Side A
1.     The Long Way Around
2.     Easy Silence
3.     Not Ready to Make Nice
4.     Everybody Knows
 
Disc 1 Side B
1.     Bitter End
2.     Lullaby
3.     Lubbock or Leave It
 
Disc 2 Side A
1.     Silent House
2.     Favorite Year
3.     Voice Inside My Head
 
Disc 2 Side B
1.     I Like It
2.     Baby Hold On
3.     So Hard
4.     I Hope
 
Disc 3 Side A
1.     Not Ready to Make Nice (Demo Version)
2.     Thin Line
3.     So Hard (Demo Version)
4.     Live Wire
5.     Flowers (Demo Version)
 

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and chief editor of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.