We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago….
The second album from the hippie-country rock band New Riders of The Purple Sage has some nice surprises. “Powerglide” not only delivers the steel guitar driven country sound that we heard on the band’s debut…they also drop in some funky, R&B as well.
Jerry Garcia was back to his full time gig with the Dead, so NRPS replaced him with steel guitar ace Buddy Cage. That unmistakable sound cuts through on alot of these tunes including some straight country like “Sweet Lovin One”(that’s Garcia on banjo) and “Runnin Back To You”. Also, a midtempo cover of the Joe Maphis honky-tonk classic “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke & Loud, Loud Music”.
John Dawson, Dave Nelson & Dave Torbert deliver some good tunes like “California Day” , “Lochinvar” and “Rainbow”.
But two things on this record stand out for me. Piano legend Nicky Hopkins always makes everything he plays on sound better. He’s here on a bunch of cuts including the two most surprising covers.
The band gets funky with Ashford & Simpson’s “I Don’t Need No Doctor” and the old Johnny Otis chestnut “Willie & The Hand Jive”. Finger-snapping, toe tapping stuff. Another cover of “Hello, Mary Lou” doesnt fare as well.
The band would have some later hits (Panama Red) and this LP will fill your need for steel guitar and country harmonies without all the syrupy dreck that was coming out of Nashville in those days.
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