New Riders of the Purple Sage 1976

New Riders of the Purple Sage 1976

One of the best all around works by the kings of Country Rock, this CD is the New Riders of the Purple Sage at their musical pinnacle. Early bassist David Torbert had left the band to form Kingfish with Bob Weir and Matthew Kelly, and former Byrd and soon to be Flying Burrito Brother Skip Battin had taken his place. Most of the songs on this CD are covers and they are done wonderfully. David Nelson does a rousing job on Jack Tempchin's "15 Days Under the Hood" and his cover of the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers" remained the NRPS' signature encore throughout their long history. Buddy Cage's screaming pedal steel made their rendition much better than the Stones's. Nelson also shines on Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle",and again his guitar interplay with Cage's steal lines are fascinating. John Dawson does a nice job with the songs he sings on this disc, including "Annie Mae" and Louden Wainwright lll's humorous "Swimming Song". And who can ever forget Skip Battin's classic "She's Looking Better Every Beer"? You'll never get bored listening to this CD.