New Riders of the Purple Sage by New Riders of the Purple Sage

What started out as a diversion for Jerry Garcia to dabble in country the way Grateful Dead could not, turned out to be a legitimate country rock band with the drug-addled bent of its founding father. Garcia went beyond country and into bluegrass with a group named Old & In The Way, but that's a story for another time. New Riders of the Purple Sage (NRPS) first album (released October 1970) is self-titled and features John Dawson (guitar), David Nelson(guitar), Jerry Garcia (steel guitar), Dave Torbert (bass) and Mickey hart (drums). Ultimately, Buddy Cage would replace Garcia and Hart would be replaced by Spencer Dryden not long after the first album was released. Dawson decided that it was his life's mission to combine the psychedelia of the San Francisco rock scene with his beloved electric country music. An early 1969 mescaline experience confirmed this, and the erstwhile perpetual student-cum-folkie began to compose songs on a regular basis. Some, such as "Glendale Train", were traditional country pastiches, while a number of others ("Last Lonely Eagle" and "Dirty Business") found him working in the milieu of a countrified Dead. Others, including the shuffle "Henry", were a combination of the two — traditional music combined with then-contemporary lyrics (the exploits of a marijuana smuggler, drug-related themes being a common motif in the New Riders' repertoire). Other songs of note that made this a strong debut album included "I Don't Know You", "Garden of Eden", "All I Ever Wanted" and "Louisiana Lady". Along with your Poco, Flying Burrito Brothers, Byrds (of the Clarence White vintage) and Pure Prairie League, you need to add this gem of essential San Francisco-tinged country rock to your collection. ℗ Originally Recorded 1971 & Released 2003, Originally Released 1971 (P) 2003 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.