Lets Go
Showing posts with label nitty gritty dirt band. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nitty gritty dirt band. Show all posts
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Lets Go
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-All the good times
All the good times
In 1971, after 'Bojangles' went up the charts The Dirt Band were settling into Colorado, their music was still changing. After the success of 'Uncle Charlie', the group recorded this album. "All The Good Times" is composed of two live tracks "Sixteen Tracks" the first track and "Diggy Diggy Lo", the last track. The album is a little rough, the Cajun imitations aren't all that great, "Jamaica Say You Will" is a little out of place. Songs like "Down In Texas" and "Civil War Trilogy" (a McEuen banjo instrumental) and most of the rest of the album is comprised of excellent country-rock reminiscent of late Springfield, or Poco. It's not that bad, pretty good for an album that has become a forgotten piece of their catalog. A lost treasure. songs on this CD include 16 tracks, fish song, jambalaya, down in texas, creepin' round your back door, daisy, slim carter, hoping to say, baltimore, jamaica say you will, do you feel it too, civil war trilogy, and diggy liggy lo.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-The rest of the dream
The Rest of the Dream
It seems like everyone has seen this one in the bargain bin, but no one has it. I don't understand that as this is a decent effort by the Dirt Band.
If you are like me, and I hope you are ;), you dig Jeff Hanna's vocals and you tolerate Jimmy Ibbotson's just to hear Hanna. Well if you are like that, you hit the jackpot here, as Hanna is in abundance. In fact, if you really like Hanna, "Just Enough Ashland City" is one of his best latter day efforts. Ibbotson is there too, however, with throw away numbers like "Junior's Grill" and "Hillybilly Hollywood."
The music hear basically fits the sound of "Hold On" and "Working Band"
Songs are: From Small Things; Waitin' on a Dark Eyed Gal; Junior's Grill; Bow Out The Stars, Turn Off the Moon; The Rest of the Dream; Just Enough Ashland City; Hillybilly Hollywood; Snowballs; Wishing Well; You Made Life Good Again.
You can't go wrong buying this, especially with the discount price.
If you are like me, and I hope you are ;), you dig Jeff Hanna's vocals and you tolerate Jimmy Ibbotson's just to hear Hanna. Well if you are like that, you hit the jackpot here, as Hanna is in abundance. In fact, if you really like Hanna, "Just Enough Ashland City" is one of his best latter day efforts. Ibbotson is there too, however, with throw away numbers like "Junior's Grill" and "Hillybilly Hollywood."
The music hear basically fits the sound of "Hold On" and "Working Band"
Songs are: From Small Things; Waitin' on a Dark Eyed Gal; Junior's Grill; Bow Out The Stars, Turn Off the Moon; The Rest of the Dream; Just Enough Ashland City; Hillybilly Hollywood; Snowballs; Wishing Well; You Made Life Good Again.
You can't go wrong buying this, especially with the discount price.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded as The Dirt Band. Constant members since the early times are singer-guitarist Jeff Hanna and drummer Jimmie Fadden. Multi-instrumentalist John McEuen was with the band from 1966 to 1986 and returned during 2001. Keyboardist Bob Carpenter joined the band in 1977. The band is often cited as instrumental to the progression of contemporary country and roots music.
The band's successes include a cover version of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles". Albums include 1972's Will the Circle Be Unbroken, featuring such traditional country artists Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, and Jimmy Martin. A follow-up album based on the same concept, Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two was released in 1989, was certified gold and won two Grammy Awards and had one of their albums named Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was founded around 1966 in Long Beach, California by singer-guitarist Jeff Hanna and singer-songwriter guitarist Bruce Kunkel who had performed as the New Coast Two and later the Illegitimate Jug Band. Trying, in the words of the band's website, to "figure out how not to have to work for a living," Hanna and Kunkel joined informal jam sessions at McCabe's Guitar Shop.[citation needed] There they met several multi-instrumentalists: guitarist/washtub bassist Ralph Barr, guitarist-clarinetist Les Thompson, harmonicist and jug player Jimmie Fadden and guitarist-vocalist Jackson Browne. As the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the six men started as a jug band and adopted the burgeoning southern California folk rock musical style, playing in local clubs while wearing pinstripe suits and cowboy boots. Their first paying performance was at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, California.
Browne was in the band for only a few months before he left to concentrate on a solo career as a singer-songwriter. He was replaced by John McEuen on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and steel guitar. McEuen's older brother, William, was the group's manager, and he helped the band get signed with Liberty Records, which released the group's debut album, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band during 1967. The band's first single, "Buy for Me the Rain," was a Top 40 success, and the band gained exposure on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", as well as concerts with such disparate artists as Jack Benny and The Doors.
A second album, Ricochet was released later during the year and was less successful than their first. Kunkel wanted the band to "go electric", and include more original material. Bruce left the group to form WordSalad and Of The People. He was replaced by guitarist-fiddler Chris Darrow.
By 1968, the band adopted electrical instruments anyway, and added drums. The first electric album, Rare Junk, was a commercial failure, as was their next, Alive!.
The band continued to gain publicity, mainly as a novelty act, making an appearance in the 1968 film, For Singles Only, and a cameo appearance in the 1969 musical western film, Paint Your Wagon, performing "Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans". The band also played Carnegie Hall as an opening act for Bill Cosby and played in a jam session with Dizzy Gillespie.
The band's successes include a cover version of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles". Albums include 1972's Will the Circle Be Unbroken, featuring such traditional country artists Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, and Jimmy Martin. A follow-up album based on the same concept, Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two was released in 1989, was certified gold and won two Grammy Awards and had one of their albums named Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was founded around 1966 in Long Beach, California by singer-guitarist Jeff Hanna and singer-songwriter guitarist Bruce Kunkel who had performed as the New Coast Two and later the Illegitimate Jug Band. Trying, in the words of the band's website, to "figure out how not to have to work for a living," Hanna and Kunkel joined informal jam sessions at McCabe's Guitar Shop.[citation needed] There they met several multi-instrumentalists: guitarist/washtub bassist Ralph Barr, guitarist-clarinetist Les Thompson, harmonicist and jug player Jimmie Fadden and guitarist-vocalist Jackson Browne. As the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the six men started as a jug band and adopted the burgeoning southern California folk rock musical style, playing in local clubs while wearing pinstripe suits and cowboy boots. Their first paying performance was at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, California.
Browne was in the band for only a few months before he left to concentrate on a solo career as a singer-songwriter. He was replaced by John McEuen on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and steel guitar. McEuen's older brother, William, was the group's manager, and he helped the band get signed with Liberty Records, which released the group's debut album, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band during 1967. The band's first single, "Buy for Me the Rain," was a Top 40 success, and the band gained exposure on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", as well as concerts with such disparate artists as Jack Benny and The Doors.
A second album, Ricochet was released later during the year and was less successful than their first. Kunkel wanted the band to "go electric", and include more original material. Bruce left the group to form WordSalad and Of The People. He was replaced by guitarist-fiddler Chris Darrow.
By 1968, the band adopted electrical instruments anyway, and added drums. The first electric album, Rare Junk, was a commercial failure, as was their next, Alive!.
The band continued to gain publicity, mainly as a novelty act, making an appearance in the 1968 film, For Singles Only, and a cameo appearance in the 1969 musical western film, Paint Your Wagon, performing "Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans". The band also played Carnegie Hall as an opening act for Bill Cosby and played in a jam session with Dizzy Gillespie.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Speed of Life
Speed of Life
With "Speed of Life," the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has released one of the finest albums of its long and storied career. After a 5-year hiatus from the studio (a stretch longer than the entire lifespan of most recording acts), this group nearing its 45th anniversary has clearly gained a whole new head of steam.
Grammy awards may sit on their mantels and multi-platinum records may hang on their walls, but Jeff Hanna, John McEuen, Jimmie Fadden, and Bob Carpenter have decided not to rest on their much-deserved laurels.
Like most of the few remaining acts that began in the 1960s, the band could have lived out the rest of its days on the road, playing all of those chart hits for crowds of contented listeners. But these four musicians seem to think they still have something to prove - and with "Speed of Life," the proof that they're still a viable musical force today is evident in every single song on the album.
Hearing Fadden's chugging harmonica at the beginning of the first track, "Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble to Me," is like getting a call from a long-lost friend. In fact, throughout the entire album there's a sense of the familiar bordering on the nostalgic - but it can't be nostalgia if it's brand new - and that's the beauty of this band and this CD.
John McEuen shows off his composing and banjo-playing skills on "Lost In The Pines." Bob Carpenter takes the lead vocals on "Somethin' Dangerous" and "Earthquake." One has an almost involuntarily compulsion to turn up the volume when Jimmie Fadden and the band perform a rousing version of the old Canned Heat chestnut, "Going Up The Country." Fadden also takes the lead on "Tryin' To Try" - a song he co-wrote with Texas legend Guy Clark.
All of the other songs on this 13-track collection feature founding member Jeff Hanna on lead vocals, including "The Resurrection" - the prime standout in an album filled with standouts. Even though it tugs at the heart, "The Resurrection" is ultimately a song of hope. Co-written by Alice Randall and Hanna's wife, Matraca Berg, "The Resurrection" captures the essence of much of America at this point and time in history - and the song's title captures the best possible description of the disposition of the band that's performing it.
America loves a comeback story, and "Speed of Life" is all the evidence needed to prove that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has come back once more. The group has defied time, the odds, categorization, and a lengthy recording hiatus to come roaring back with perhaps the best album of the year - genres be damned.
Critics have been guilty of attempting to pigeonhole the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band into a specific musical category for over 40 years now. Call it country; call it country rock; call it Americana. It really doesn't matter. In this particular case, let's simply call it joyous music because it's clear these guys were having a great time making this record, and it's absolutely guaranteed to bring joy to all of those who listen to it.
Grammy awards may sit on their mantels and multi-platinum records may hang on their walls, but Jeff Hanna, John McEuen, Jimmie Fadden, and Bob Carpenter have decided not to rest on their much-deserved laurels.
Like most of the few remaining acts that began in the 1960s, the band could have lived out the rest of its days on the road, playing all of those chart hits for crowds of contented listeners. But these four musicians seem to think they still have something to prove - and with "Speed of Life," the proof that they're still a viable musical force today is evident in every single song on the album.
Hearing Fadden's chugging harmonica at the beginning of the first track, "Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble to Me," is like getting a call from a long-lost friend. In fact, throughout the entire album there's a sense of the familiar bordering on the nostalgic - but it can't be nostalgia if it's brand new - and that's the beauty of this band and this CD.
John McEuen shows off his composing and banjo-playing skills on "Lost In The Pines." Bob Carpenter takes the lead vocals on "Somethin' Dangerous" and "Earthquake." One has an almost involuntarily compulsion to turn up the volume when Jimmie Fadden and the band perform a rousing version of the old Canned Heat chestnut, "Going Up The Country." Fadden also takes the lead on "Tryin' To Try" - a song he co-wrote with Texas legend Guy Clark.
All of the other songs on this 13-track collection feature founding member Jeff Hanna on lead vocals, including "The Resurrection" - the prime standout in an album filled with standouts. Even though it tugs at the heart, "The Resurrection" is ultimately a song of hope. Co-written by Alice Randall and Hanna's wife, Matraca Berg, "The Resurrection" captures the essence of much of America at this point and time in history - and the song's title captures the best possible description of the disposition of the band that's performing it.
America loves a comeback story, and "Speed of Life" is all the evidence needed to prove that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has come back once more. The group has defied time, the odds, categorization, and a lengthy recording hiatus to come roaring back with perhaps the best album of the year - genres be damned.
Critics have been guilty of attempting to pigeonhole the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band into a specific musical category for over 40 years now. Call it country; call it country rock; call it Americana. It really doesn't matter. In this particular case, let's simply call it joyous music because it's clear these guys were having a great time making this record, and it's absolutely guaranteed to bring joy to all of those who listen to it.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Live Two Five
Live Two Five
If I were to list my Ten Favorite Live Albums of all time, "Live Two Five" would be on that list. Recorded in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada on March 13, 14 & 15, 1991. We find The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, at the top of their game, in-front of a happy crowd that are soakin' all this Music in. During their 25th year Anniversity, they are out on tour, business as usual. But what business this is: "Mr. Bojangles","Make A Little Magic", "Fishin' In The Dark","You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" , "High Horse", "Dance Little Jean", "Ripplin' Water" and "I've Been Lookin'. Sixteen Songs here, and everyone of them...Great. With only four players on stage, Jeff, Ibby, Rob and Jimmy, they pick up and play 12 different instruments and do they play, oh yeah! With a 'Short' version of: "Ripplin' Waters", that clocks in slightly under 11 Minutes, everyone solos here, Harp, Acoustic Guitar, Piano {Majestic Piano!}, Electric Guitar and Bass Guitar right into a big,BIG finish..This is incredible music.
This Band is 'Tagged' as a Country Group, but I like to call them a Band that plays: "American Music". I say that because I can hear: Rock, Pop, Jazz, Bluegrass, Blues, R & B, Classical, Ragtime AND Country music being played here and it's ALL Good.
I can't say enough about this CD, I have a lot of The Nitty Gritty on Disc, and this one called: "Live Two Five" is by far my favorite of the bunch.
This Band is 'Tagged' as a Country Group, but I like to call them a Band that plays: "American Music". I say that because I can hear: Rock, Pop, Jazz, Bluegrass, Blues, R & B, Classical, Ragtime AND Country music being played here and it's ALL Good.
I can't say enough about this CD, I have a lot of The Nitty Gritty on Disc, and this one called: "Live Two Five" is by far my favorite of the bunch.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Plain Dirt Fashion
Plain Dirt Fashion
"Long Hard Road", written by Rodney Crowell(the writer of NGDB's 1980 hit "An American Dream"), was the Dirt Band's first #1 country song, and it has always been one of my favorites. I especially like this line: "When the world was on our radio, hard work was on our minds/We lived our day to day in Plain Dirt Fashion." "Long Hard Road" by itself shows the Dirt Band's ability to pick a well-crafted song. The record's most fun moments, however, are provided by NGDB's Jimmy Ibbotson. Ibbotson's "High Horse", a driving, bouncy song, was a huge hit, as was his wisecracking celebration of the band's first 20 years, "Partners, Brothers And Friends". These two songs are also among my favorite NGDB songs. Still another excellent Ibbotson song is "Telluride", about life in the Colorado gold-mining town("Take the gold into Telluride"). Why "Telluride" didn't get radio airplay I'll never figure out. It's a great song--I think it's certainly up there with Ibbotson's "Ripplin' Waters"(from NGDB's album Dream) and NGDB's '70s classic hit "Mr. Bojangles". NGDB's rocking version of "Cadillac Ranch" is well done and in my opinion surpasses Bruce Springsteen's original. The reflective songs "Home Again In My Heart" and "Old Upright Piano", the romantic ballad "I Love Only You", the rodeo song "The Other Side Of The Hill", and Steve Goodman's humorous song "Video Tape"("If your life was on video tape/Wouldn't everything be alright") are also highlights.Plain dirt fashion, the first album here, dates from 1984. While the music of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band always had country influences (not forgetting their bluegrass album, Will the circle be unbroken?), this album was the first to put them in the country mainstream. There are wonderful country cover versions of two songs that may be familiar to rock music fans, these being Two out of three ain't bad (Meatloaf) and Cadillac ranch (Bruce Springsteen). Of the other songs, it's hard to pick out which are the best, but the opening track (Long hard road - the sharecropper's dream) is a very touching Rodney Crowell song, while other highlights include Face on the cutting-room floor (co-written by Steve Goodman), Video tape (written by Steve Goodman), I love only you and High hopes
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Welcome to Woody Creek
Welcome to Woody Creek
This is a welcome return to form after the relative disappointment of NGDB's last studio effort, the lackluster BANG BANG BANG, in 1999.
Several factors contribute to the overall success of this album. First, there is the full-time return of multi-instrumentalist John McEuen. His banjo playing keeps the band from slipping into the country "cookie cutter" mode that the band too often slipped into over the past two decades. In addition, they wrote most of their own material this time. All five band members wrote or co-wrote all but three tracks. Standouts are "Walkin' In the Sunshine," "Jealous Moon" and "It's Morning." [Covers include the Gram Parsons-Chris Ethridge "She" and a bluegrass remake of the Lennon-McCartney "Get Back."] Finally, the band was revitalized by "CIRCLE III." In fact, three of the songs on this album ("Any Love But Our Love," "Party on the Mountain" and "Old Time's Sake") come from the same 1996 sessions as "I Find Jesus" (which appeared on CIRCLE III).
For long time fans who treasured such releases as UNCLE CHARLIE & HIS DOG TEDDY and DREAM, this is a welcome addition to your NGDB collection. This is their best effort since 1994's ACOUSTIC and ranks up there with their classic 70s albums. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Several factors contribute to the overall success of this album. First, there is the full-time return of multi-instrumentalist John McEuen. His banjo playing keeps the band from slipping into the country "cookie cutter" mode that the band too often slipped into over the past two decades. In addition, they wrote most of their own material this time. All five band members wrote or co-wrote all but three tracks. Standouts are "Walkin' In the Sunshine," "Jealous Moon" and "It's Morning." [Covers include the Gram Parsons-Chris Ethridge "She" and a bluegrass remake of the Lennon-McCartney "Get Back."] Finally, the band was revitalized by "CIRCLE III." In fact, three of the songs on this album ("Any Love But Our Love," "Party on the Mountain" and "Old Time's Sake") come from the same 1996 sessions as "I Find Jesus" (which appeared on CIRCLE III).
For long time fans who treasured such releases as UNCLE CHARLIE & HIS DOG TEDDY and DREAM, this is a welcome addition to your NGDB collection. This is their best effort since 1994's ACOUSTIC and ranks up there with their classic 70s albums. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Friday, August 3, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Acoustic
Acoustic
In '94, a couple of years after their string of hits ended, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released Acoustic, their first "unplugged" record since their second Circle album. The remastered version of Acoustic was recently released by Capitol Records--a good move. This is one of NGDB's strongest records.
Acoustic was recorded in Denver, which I think enabled the guys in the Dirt Band to make the kind of record they wanted to. Also, as on NGDB's recent Welcome To Woody Creek album, practically all the singing and playing was done by the band members--and all the guys sing. Not only does Bob Carpenter sing lead on the closing number, "Bless The Broken Road", but Acoustic features a rare vocal appearance by Jimmie Fadden, who sings on "Cupid's Got A Gun", which he co-wrote. Finally, the guys wrote practically every song on this record, in contrast to their Nashville music, where they wrote only a few songs on each album. The only song on here that wasn't written by an NGDB member is the rocking song "Hello I Am Your Heart", penned by veteran Nashville songwriter Dennis Linde.
Acoustic features the aforementioned song "Bless The Broken Road", a song which was a recent hit for country super-group Rascal Flatts. NGDB's version of the song about a rekindled romance, with Carpenter singing, is the strongest song on the album. "How Long", "Tryin' Times", "Love Will Find A Way", and "One Sure Honest Line" are also well-done romantic songs. "Let It Roll" has the guy at peace after walking out of a troubled relationship. Jimmy Ibbotson, who contributed four of the album's songs, especially shines on the bouncy song "Sarah In The Summer" and the bluesy, reflective song "This Train Keeps Rolling Along". The band reworked their 1980 country-boogie song "Badlands" for Acoustic, and the newer version has the same haunting quality as the original.
Acoustic, despite getting positive reviews, didn't do too well the first time around. Now that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has re-released this classic record--on the heels of another great album, Welcome To Woody Creek--maybe people will start paying attention. This is an album that deserves to be listened to.
Acoustic was recorded in Denver, which I think enabled the guys in the Dirt Band to make the kind of record they wanted to. Also, as on NGDB's recent Welcome To Woody Creek album, practically all the singing and playing was done by the band members--and all the guys sing. Not only does Bob Carpenter sing lead on the closing number, "Bless The Broken Road", but Acoustic features a rare vocal appearance by Jimmie Fadden, who sings on "Cupid's Got A Gun", which he co-wrote. Finally, the guys wrote practically every song on this record, in contrast to their Nashville music, where they wrote only a few songs on each album. The only song on here that wasn't written by an NGDB member is the rocking song "Hello I Am Your Heart", penned by veteran Nashville songwriter Dennis Linde.
Acoustic features the aforementioned song "Bless The Broken Road", a song which was a recent hit for country super-group Rascal Flatts. NGDB's version of the song about a rekindled romance, with Carpenter singing, is the strongest song on the album. "How Long", "Tryin' Times", "Love Will Find A Way", and "One Sure Honest Line" are also well-done romantic songs. "Let It Roll" has the guy at peace after walking out of a troubled relationship. Jimmy Ibbotson, who contributed four of the album's songs, especially shines on the bouncy song "Sarah In The Summer" and the bluesy, reflective song "This Train Keeps Rolling Along". The band reworked their 1980 country-boogie song "Badlands" for Acoustic, and the newer version has the same haunting quality as the original.
Acoustic, despite getting positive reviews, didn't do too well the first time around. Now that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has re-released this classic record--on the heels of another great album, Welcome To Woody Creek--maybe people will start paying attention. This is an album that deserves to be listened to.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Ricochet
Ricochet
In 1967, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released their first album (which is a hard to find Japanese import CD only) which was pretty much a mixture of styles, here the Dirt Band take the styles and find a great way to do them. There's kazoo-dominated numbers,rock/pop,folk and country. An album to get if you're interesting in what one of country music's most successful acts sounded like 34 years ago... The Teddy Bears' Picnic is a real grabber, but the rest of the songs are good too, demonstrating musical virtuousity and the guts to be different. It's definitely not for the country music set - it's trippy and nostalgic. If you can listen to it without smiling, get thee to a shrink!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Hold On
Hold On
With such great songs as Fishing in the dark (a number one country hit) and Baby's got a hold on me (from which derives the album title), this album shows the boys in fine form.
On this album, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band demonstrate their ability to perform upbeat, fun songs including the two already mentioned as well as Angelyne, Keeping the road hot and Oh what a love, all of which are brilliant. On the other hand, they can also perform ballads superbly. Among these, I particularly like Blue ridge mountain girl and Dancing to the beat of a broken heart, but the others (Joe knows how to live, Oleanna, Tennessee) are all very enjoyable.
This may not be as highly regarded as some Nitty Gritty Dirt Band albums, especially those in the Circle series, but it shouldn't be overlooked. If you enjoy great country music, whether or not you're a committed Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fan, you'll probably love this album.
On this album, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band demonstrate their ability to perform upbeat, fun songs including the two already mentioned as well as Angelyne, Keeping the road hot and Oh what a love, all of which are brilliant. On the other hand, they can also perform ballads superbly. Among these, I particularly like Blue ridge mountain girl and Dancing to the beat of a broken heart, but the others (Joe knows how to live, Oleanna, Tennessee) are all very enjoyable.
This may not be as highly regarded as some Nitty Gritty Dirt Band albums, especially those in the Circle series, but it shouldn't be overlooked. If you enjoy great country music, whether or not you're a committed Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fan, you'll probably love this album.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Will the circle be unbroken 3
Will the Circle Be Unbroken III
While this third volume couldn't possibly be the ground-breaking release that was 1972's initial "Circle," it wears the legacy well. Thirty years down-the-line, the Dirt Band are no longer the eager young turks of 1972, nor is this sort of inter-generational tribute to roots a new concept. In the decades since the first "Circle," what was once novel is now more commonplace, and though the familiarity doesn't lessen the quality or value of the music, it does lessen its impact.
In addition to the Dirt Band, the first "Circle" is reprised in the playing and singing of Jimmy Martin, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Vassar Clements. Notably missing are Roy Acuff, Merle Travis and Mother Maybelle, though the latter two are celebrated in song -- Travis by Doc Watson's recitation of "I Am a Pilgrim," and Carter by Johnny Cash's newly-penned "Tears in the Holston River."
The historical resonance that's been lost to the passing of legends is renewed by several family gatherings, including performances from Del, Robbie and Ronnie McCoury, Doc and Richard Watson, John and Jonathan McCuen (the former of whom only recently returned after an extended absence from the Dirt Band's lineup), Jeff and Jaime Hanna, and Jimmy and Ray Martin. The passing of the torch, first from Nashville's pioneers to a new generation, and now from that generation to it's children, shows the Circle to really be a link in a chain.
The "new blood" on this volume features established stars like Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam and Tom Petty. A few lesser-known (but no less talented) artists, Iris Dement and songwriter Matraca Berg, are joined by legends Taj Mahal, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. It's a fine lineup of talent, but their careers (often built directly in opposition to the Nashvillization of country music), not to mention their familiarity with the first two "Circle" volumes, lend this set a somewhat self-conscious air.
Dwight Yoakam's tilled similar soil on his solo albums, consequently his contributions sound as much like Dwight Yoakam as they do back-to-the-roots "Circle" inventions (not that this is a bad thing, of course). Petty is mostly superfluous duetting with Willie Nelson on "Goodnight Irene," but Berg, who's best known for her songwriting (e.g., Deana Carter's "Strawberry Wine), gets a chance to show off a rootsy side that's only sporadically made it onto her solo efforts. Her duet with Emmylou Harris (on Berg's own "Oh Cumberland") is a highlight, as are Vince Gill's gospel "All Prayed Up" and Taj Mahal's "Fishin' Blues."
In a year that's seen a deluxe reissue of the first "Circle" album, volume three can't help but pale slightly in comparison. But taken on its own, this is a fine album of singing and song, one that heeds (if not really expands upon) the first set's principles.
In addition to the Dirt Band, the first "Circle" is reprised in the playing and singing of Jimmy Martin, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Vassar Clements. Notably missing are Roy Acuff, Merle Travis and Mother Maybelle, though the latter two are celebrated in song -- Travis by Doc Watson's recitation of "I Am a Pilgrim," and Carter by Johnny Cash's newly-penned "Tears in the Holston River."
The historical resonance that's been lost to the passing of legends is renewed by several family gatherings, including performances from Del, Robbie and Ronnie McCoury, Doc and Richard Watson, John and Jonathan McCuen (the former of whom only recently returned after an extended absence from the Dirt Band's lineup), Jeff and Jaime Hanna, and Jimmy and Ray Martin. The passing of the torch, first from Nashville's pioneers to a new generation, and now from that generation to it's children, shows the Circle to really be a link in a chain.
The "new blood" on this volume features established stars like Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam and Tom Petty. A few lesser-known (but no less talented) artists, Iris Dement and songwriter Matraca Berg, are joined by legends Taj Mahal, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. It's a fine lineup of talent, but their careers (often built directly in opposition to the Nashvillization of country music), not to mention their familiarity with the first two "Circle" volumes, lend this set a somewhat self-conscious air.
Dwight Yoakam's tilled similar soil on his solo albums, consequently his contributions sound as much like Dwight Yoakam as they do back-to-the-roots "Circle" inventions (not that this is a bad thing, of course). Petty is mostly superfluous duetting with Willie Nelson on "Goodnight Irene," but Berg, who's best known for her songwriting (e.g., Deana Carter's "Strawberry Wine), gets a chance to show off a rootsy side that's only sporadically made it onto her solo efforts. Her duet with Emmylou Harris (on Berg's own "Oh Cumberland") is a highlight, as are Vince Gill's gospel "All Prayed Up" and Taj Mahal's "Fishin' Blues."
In a year that's seen a deluxe reissue of the first "Circle" album, volume three can't help but pale slightly in comparison. But taken on its own, this is a fine album of singing and song, one that heeds (if not really expands upon) the first set's principles.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Will the circle be unbroken 2
Will the circle be unbroken 2
This record is the sequel to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's original Will The Circle Be Unbroken triple album, the one that got me hooked on these guys. In '72, when Circle was released, the members of the Dirt Band were long-haired, progressive country-rock artists who were trying to bridge the musical and cultural gap between themselves and the veteran country artists they were recording with. When the sequel to Circle came out in '89, 17 years later, NGDB was a veteran country act who had had a lot of hits. Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume 2 is not the groundbreaking album its predecessor was, but this record has a lot of great songs by a talented group of artists.
I don't know where to start with the highlights--there are many. The title track features Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Ricky Skaggs, Levon Helm(formerly of The Band) and NGDB's Jimmy Ibbotson taking turns singing the lead, and all the musicians and singers who perform on this record join in. Acuff, who was one of the singers on the first Circle album, and country music Hall of Famer Earl Scruggs, who played banjo, make a return engagement here. Ibbotson added a fifth verse to A.P. Carter's original lyric and dedicated it to the late Mother Maybelle Carter, who was one of the key performers on the original Circle album. The first hit off this record was "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", the classic Byrds song that was written by Bob Dylan. Although I think the Dirt Band's live version of the song on their Live Two Five album is a little more energetic than the studio version, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is noteworthy because Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman, two of the guys from the Byrds, sing lead here. "Turn Of The Century" is the Dirt Band's utopian vision of the future("There won't be no TV preachers to ask how much we gave/We won't need no TV preachers/See, by then we'll all be saved") and features Jerry Douglas on dobro, Mark O'Connor on fiddle, and NGDB's Jimmy Ibbotson, Jeff Hanna and Bob Carpenter each singing a verse. "Lost River", written by Michael Martin Murphey, has Murphey singing lead and John McEuen, who had left the Dirt Band a couple of years before, joining his old bandmates on banjo. Hanna's Cajun rocker "Bayou Jubilee", which NGDB first did on their 1975 album Dream, is redone here and is no less spirited now than it was then. "When It's Gone", with Randy Scruggs(son of Earl) on lead guitar, O'Connor on fiddle, and Jimmie Fadden on harmonica, is a toe-tapper reminiscent of NGDB's classic bluegrass and swing numbers. "And So It Goes", on which John Denver is backed up by the Dirt Band, was the first hit song in four years for the classic '70s folk-rock artist. Other songs I really like on this record are the traditional bluegrass anthem "Sittin' On Top Of The World" with lead vocals by Jimmy Martin(another singer who was on the first Circle album); the gospel numbers "Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan", featuring the New Grass Revival, and "Little Mountain Church House", sung by Ricky Skaggs; John Prine's "Grandpa Was A Carpenter"; John Hiatt's "One Step Over The Line", with lead vocals by Hiatt and Rosanne Cash(Johnny's daughter); and the moving wartime ballad "Mary Danced With Soldiers", sung by Emmylou Harris.
I don't know where to start with the highlights--there are many. The title track features Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Ricky Skaggs, Levon Helm(formerly of The Band) and NGDB's Jimmy Ibbotson taking turns singing the lead, and all the musicians and singers who perform on this record join in. Acuff, who was one of the singers on the first Circle album, and country music Hall of Famer Earl Scruggs, who played banjo, make a return engagement here. Ibbotson added a fifth verse to A.P. Carter's original lyric and dedicated it to the late Mother Maybelle Carter, who was one of the key performers on the original Circle album. The first hit off this record was "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", the classic Byrds song that was written by Bob Dylan. Although I think the Dirt Band's live version of the song on their Live Two Five album is a little more energetic than the studio version, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is noteworthy because Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman, two of the guys from the Byrds, sing lead here. "Turn Of The Century" is the Dirt Band's utopian vision of the future("There won't be no TV preachers to ask how much we gave/We won't need no TV preachers/See, by then we'll all be saved") and features Jerry Douglas on dobro, Mark O'Connor on fiddle, and NGDB's Jimmy Ibbotson, Jeff Hanna and Bob Carpenter each singing a verse. "Lost River", written by Michael Martin Murphey, has Murphey singing lead and John McEuen, who had left the Dirt Band a couple of years before, joining his old bandmates on banjo. Hanna's Cajun rocker "Bayou Jubilee", which NGDB first did on their 1975 album Dream, is redone here and is no less spirited now than it was then. "When It's Gone", with Randy Scruggs(son of Earl) on lead guitar, O'Connor on fiddle, and Jimmie Fadden on harmonica, is a toe-tapper reminiscent of NGDB's classic bluegrass and swing numbers. "And So It Goes", on which John Denver is backed up by the Dirt Band, was the first hit song in four years for the classic '70s folk-rock artist. Other songs I really like on this record are the traditional bluegrass anthem "Sittin' On Top Of The World" with lead vocals by Jimmy Martin(another singer who was on the first Circle album); the gospel numbers "Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan", featuring the New Grass Revival, and "Little Mountain Church House", sung by Ricky Skaggs; John Prine's "Grandpa Was A Carpenter"; John Hiatt's "One Step Over The Line", with lead vocals by Hiatt and Rosanne Cash(Johnny's daughter); and the moving wartime ballad "Mary Danced With Soldiers", sung by Emmylou Harris.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt band- Rare Junk
Rare junk
This 1969 album is an odd-and-ends collection of ununsed (save 'Collegiana' which was a single) tracks recorded in late 1967,early 1968. This is the Hanna-McEuen-Darrow-Barr-Fadden-Thompson lineup. This album is recommended if you want a good idea of the group changing for their jugband style to the music they would later work on. The group broke up before this album was issued, but Hanna and McEuen decided to work on a new lineup a year later, and yielded some hits.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Symphonian Drean
Symphonian Dream
The initial hit off Dream was NGDB's bluegrassy remake of the Everly Brothers' classic song "All I Have To Do Is Dream". Besides solid vocals by Jeff Hanna and Jimmy Ibbotson and great work by John McEuen on banjo and mandolin, "All I Have To Do Is Dream" has Jimmie Fadden playing some excellent harmonica parts. Hanna also gets in a guitar solo at the end of the song which is awesome. The best song here, though, is "Ripplin' Waters", Ibbotson's tale of life in the Colorado mountains. Though I like NGDB's live version of "Ripplin' Waters" on their Live Two Five album better than the studio version, I think the original version of the song, with McEuen on mandolin and Hanna on lead guitar, is still great. I think Ibbotson is NGDB's best songwriter, and "Ripplin' Waters", with its vivid imagery("Blue spruce flamin' on the grate in the evening/Takes the chill away fine"), is probably his best work. Another great Ibbotson composition on Dream is the reggae number "Joshua Come Home", with guest artist Leon Russell on piano, synthesizer and percussion. John McEuen plays banjo on "Joshua Come Home", but unless you listen closely to the song, you won't recognize the banjo in it. When John's banjo is amplified on "Joshua Come Home", it sounds just like a Jamaican steel drum. That is part of NGDB's genius; not only do the individual band members play a lot of instruments well, but they find different ways of playing them. Another fun song on Dream is Hanna's Cajun rocker "Bayou Jubilee". Hanna does a spirited singing job and once again has some fine lead guitar, and McEuen's fiddle and Ibbotson's accordion make "Bayou Jubilee" a rousing number. Pop superstar Linda Ronstadt, a friend of the members of the Dirt Band, duets with Ibbotson on NGDB's upbeat version of the Hank Williams classic "Hey Good Lookin'". Fadden, who wrote NGDB's humorous songs "Fish Song" and "GloCoat Blues", contributes "Daddy Was A Sailor" to Dream. This song is still another of Fadden's fun songs. Finally, there are great instrumental songs on Dream. The bluegrass instrumentals "Raleigh-Durham Reel", "Sally Was A Goodun" and "Gotta Travel On", along with McEuen's classical medley "Classical Banjo I/Malaguena/Classical Banjo II", feature some of the Dirt Band's best picking.
I think the Dirt Band hit their high point musically with Dream. Ibbotson left to perform solo in mid-1976, almost a year after this record's original release, and NGDB's music went in more of a pop direction. The Dirt Band's change in style in the late '70s may have helped them sell more records, but in this fan's opinion, they've always been a bluegrass/country/folk-rock band, and when they went "pop", their music lost its country element. Thankfully, Ibbotson came back in '83, and the Dirt Band rediscovered their country roots, which were so prominent on Dream. I recommend that you listen to this classic album. Even if you've heard the Dirt Band before, listening to Dream will be like rediscovering an old friend.
I think the Dirt Band hit their high point musically with Dream. Ibbotson left to perform solo in mid-1976, almost a year after this record's original release, and NGDB's music went in more of a pop direction. The Dirt Band's change in style in the late '70s may have helped them sell more records, but in this fan's opinion, they've always been a bluegrass/country/folk-rock band, and when they went "pop", their music lost its country element. Thankfully, Ibbotson came back in '83, and the Dirt Band rediscovered their country roots, which were so prominent on Dream. I recommend that you listen to this classic album. Even if you've heard the Dirt Band before, listening to Dream will be like rediscovering an old friend.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Working Band
Working Band
This was the one and only Dirt Band recording that featured ex-Eagles
Bernie Leadon on lead guitar, banjo, steel, mandolin and vocals, even a
lead spot with the wonderful "Corduroy Road". It also featured Jeff and
Ibby in several of their best Dirt Band recorded moments, including
"Working Band", "I've Been Looking", "Soldier of Love", "Johnny O", and
"Thunder and Lighting". Carp too, has two great songs here as well, the
moody Western with a lot of Leadon flavor "A Lot Like Me", and "Baby
Blues" (for his wife, Gretchen).
For the life of me I don't know why this cd was never re-released, as it is one of the best Country Rock recordings the band ever recorded (and one of the best Country Rock recordings ever, it could stand up to the Desert Rose Band's best efforts and yeah, even surpasses the early work of Leadon's old band). While I enjoy seeing John McEuen back with the boys, I miss those harmonies of Ibby and Bernie, and Bernie's tasteful guitar that really complimented Jeff's work too.
For the life of me I don't know why this cd was never re-released, as it is one of the best Country Rock recordings the band ever recorded (and one of the best Country Rock recordings ever, it could stand up to the Desert Rose Band's best efforts and yeah, even surpasses the early work of Leadon's old band). While I enjoy seeing John McEuen back with the boys, I miss those harmonies of Ibby and Bernie, and Bernie's tasteful guitar that really complimented Jeff's work too.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Stars and Stripes forever
Stars and Stripes forever
The record starts out with one solid Cajun rocker, the Hank Williams classic "Jambalaya On The Bayou", and closes with another great Cajun tune, Doug Kershaw's "Diggy Liggy Lo". In between, the Dirt Band has over an hour of good-time, toe-tapping music and even a little humor thrown in at times--for example, Jeff Hanna's sometimes offbeat recitations "The Aluminum Record Award" and "It Came From The Fifties(Blast From The Past)", along with Jimmie Fadden's "Fish Song" and "GloCoat Blues", are funny, well-done numbers. Of course, the NGDB classic "Mr. Bojangles" is on here. Hanna is in fine form singing lead, and John McEuen's mandolin and Jimmy Ibbotson's accordion also stand out. "Mr. Bojangles" is one Dirt Band song that I think sounds better live than it does in the studio. Another early '70s Dirt Band hit, "House At Pooh Corner", is a funky tune with a fine guitar solo by Fadden. The Dirt Band also scored a modest hit in the late '60s with the mellow folk-rock tune "Buy For Me The Rain", which is included on this record.
The rest of this record's material is a fine mix of country, rock and bluegrass. There are many notable tunes, besides the ones I've already mentioned. Michael Martin Murphey's classic country rocker "Cosmic Cowboy" is a fun, danceable number. Another upbeat Hank Williams song, "Honky Tonkin'", features Fadden playing a great harmonica part in addition to singing lead. Buddy Holly's classic "Oh Boy", in the Dirt Band's hands, is more country-sounding than Buddy's original. McEuen and guest musicians Les Thompson(an ex-Dirt Band member), Jerry Mills(who played guitar and mandolin with Michael Martin Murphey), and Vassar Clements stand out on the traditional bluegrass numbers "Dixie Hoedown", "Cripple Creek" and "Teardrops In My Eyes". There are a couple of strong tunes by guest fiddler Clements, the swing song "The Sheik Of Araby" and the traditional folk song "Listen To The Mockingbird". "My True Story", like "Oh Boy", pays tribute to Fifties music. The well-known march "Stars And Stripes Forever" serves as the introduction to the classic Jimmy Driftwood song "Battle Of New Orleans". The Dirt Band's version of "Battle Of New Orleans" is yet another Cajun rocker with some great fiddle work by McEuen. McEuen also backs himself up on banjo while he recites "Mountain Whippoorwill(Or, How Hillbilly Jim Won The Great Fiddler's Prize)". That one, like "Fish Song" and "It Came From The Fifties", is a solid example of Dirt Band humor. McEuen plays several different instruments on here(guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin). When John left NGDB in '87, he left a void that the band hasn't been able to fill, although the guys had hit records into the '90s.
I'm glad I found this classic Dirt Band record. Stars and Stripes Forever is a fun, well-done live set that features the NGDB guys at their best. If you want a great Dirt Band album, I suggest that you check this one out. You might really enjoy it--I sure did.
The rest of this record's material is a fine mix of country, rock and bluegrass. There are many notable tunes, besides the ones I've already mentioned. Michael Martin Murphey's classic country rocker "Cosmic Cowboy" is a fun, danceable number. Another upbeat Hank Williams song, "Honky Tonkin'", features Fadden playing a great harmonica part in addition to singing lead. Buddy Holly's classic "Oh Boy", in the Dirt Band's hands, is more country-sounding than Buddy's original. McEuen and guest musicians Les Thompson(an ex-Dirt Band member), Jerry Mills(who played guitar and mandolin with Michael Martin Murphey), and Vassar Clements stand out on the traditional bluegrass numbers "Dixie Hoedown", "Cripple Creek" and "Teardrops In My Eyes". There are a couple of strong tunes by guest fiddler Clements, the swing song "The Sheik Of Araby" and the traditional folk song "Listen To The Mockingbird". "My True Story", like "Oh Boy", pays tribute to Fifties music. The well-known march "Stars And Stripes Forever" serves as the introduction to the classic Jimmy Driftwood song "Battle Of New Orleans". The Dirt Band's version of "Battle Of New Orleans" is yet another Cajun rocker with some great fiddle work by McEuen. McEuen also backs himself up on banjo while he recites "Mountain Whippoorwill(Or, How Hillbilly Jim Won The Great Fiddler's Prize)". That one, like "Fish Song" and "It Came From The Fifties", is a solid example of Dirt Band humor. McEuen plays several different instruments on here(guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin). When John left NGDB in '87, he left a void that the band hasn't been able to fill, although the guys had hit records into the '90s.
I'm glad I found this classic Dirt Band record. Stars and Stripes Forever is a fun, well-done live set that features the NGDB guys at their best. If you want a great Dirt Band album, I suggest that you check this one out. You might really enjoy it--I sure did.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Will the circle be unbroken
Will the circle be unbroken
In 1971, the boys of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band got together with some of the all-time greats of Country music (including Earl Scruggs, Mother Maybelle Carter, Merle Travis, Roy Acuff and others), and produced a three record album that was one of the greatest Bluegrass Country music albums ever made. Some thirty years later, this album has been re-released on two CDs, with four bonus tracks (three are dialogue and the other is the Bluegrass classic, Foggy Mountain Breakdown).
This is a great CD collection. The music is absolutely wonderful to listen to, a real work of art, sure to be enjoyed by any Bluegrass fan. Though the title might suggest that this is a collection of religious songs, in fact only a few are overtly religious, while most are simply Bluegrass tunes played by real experts. I loved listening to this album, and highly recommend it to you!
This is a great CD collection. The music is absolutely wonderful to listen to, a real work of art, sure to be enjoyed by any Bluegrass fan. Though the title might suggest that this is a collection of religious songs, in fact only a few are overtly religious, while most are simply Bluegrass tunes played by real experts. I loved listening to this album, and highly recommend it to you!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Uncle Charlie and his dog Teddy
Uncle Charlie and His dog Teddy
Then there are all the wonderful instrumental interludes, like Les Thompson's mandolin workout on "Billy in the Low Ground," Fadden's wonderful harmonica on "Swanee River," and John McEuen's banjo pyrotechnics on "Randy Lynn Rag." [In the liner notes, composer Earl Scruggs is quoted as saying McEuen's version is the way he always intended to do it.]
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band -Bang Bang Bang
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