Tag Archives: The Byrds

Record Store Day Announces 2024 RSD Black Friday Exclusive Titles

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Record Store Day has recently announced its list of exclusive titles for RSD Black Friday 2024, which happens on Friday, November 29. See here for the complete list.

Some of the notable country and roots-rock releases include:

Allman Brothers Band – Manley Field House, Syracuse NY April 7 , 1972 – 3 x LP – The complete live recording of the Allman Brothers Band’s April 7, 1972 performance at Manley Field House at Syracuse University in Syracuse NY. The two disc set is pressed on Syracuse colors of orange and blue, and numbered for RSD Black Friday.

Dickey Betts & Great Southern – Southern Jam New York 1978 – 3 x LP – This 110-minute concert performance from the legendary Allman Brothers Band guitarist was recorded at the Calderone Concert Hall on Long Island, New York on August 11, 1978. The show features thirteen tracks including the ABB classics “Jessica”, Southbound”, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, “Blue Sky” and “Ramblin Man” along with tracks from the 1977 album from his band, Great Southern. The live performance was previously released digitally and on CD in 2017, but this triple LP set will be packaged in a gatefold sleeve with new liner notes and photos.

The Blasters – Over There: Live at The Venue London 1982, The Complete Concert – 2X LP – On their first international tour, in May of 1982, Americana music legends The Blasters were recorded at the Venue in London England. Six of those tracks were released on Slash Records as a 12” EP later that year. Four more tracks were uncovered and included on the Rhino/Warner Bros anthology album Testament in 1997. As part of a new catalog deal for the Blasters recordings with Liberation Hall, the label has uncovered the thirteen remaining tracks and is releasing the complete concert.
The show found The Blasters firing on all cylinders as they were taking off in London, after Shakin Stevens’ version of the Dave Alvin-written “Marie Marie” hit the top 20 of the UK charts. It is quintessential listening, and a magical music moment uncovered for any fan of the band. The RSD Black Friday classic black vinyl double LP exclusive is housed in a gatefold sleeve with new liner notes, rare photos and memorabilia images.

The Byrds/Buffalo Springfield – Live at the Monterey International Pop Festival – 2X Lp – The two most important American rock bands performing at the Monterey International Pop Festival—Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds—had one thing in common: David Crosby. These sets mark a pivotal moment in Crosby’s career: One of his final performances before leaving The Byrds and, sitting in with Buffalo Springfield at the request of Stephen Stills, the beginnings of the partnership that would become Crosby, Stills, and Nash. While the sets by Otis, The Who, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix were revolutionary moments, these sets by The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield tell a different story, of one artist’s evolution that in turn changed rock music itself.

Buck Owens – I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail – LP – Out of print on vinyl since the ’70s, this prime slab of ’65 Buck is Buck at his best. Topping the country charts and being named the Billboard Country Album Of The Year, the interest in this album never waned. This is THE Buck Owens album to own, as it is the apex of his career with the Buckaroos. Don Rich never sounded tighter (and even throws a guest vocal with “Wham Bam”). There has never been a more distinctive nor instantly recognizable sound in country music than Buck Owens, and this album is reflective of that. There are a handful of hits on this one, including the title track, “Cryin’ Time,” and “Memphis.” If you only have room for one Buck Owens album, well, this is it! Cut all analog and pressed on orange vinyl for RSD Black Friday
2024.

Leon Russell – Hymns Of Christmas – Lp – For the first time on vinyl, Dark Horse Records reissues Leon Russell’s 1995 instrumental album Hymns of Christmas, offering a unique and reflective take on traditional holiday music. Featuring Russell’s masterful piano playing as the centerpiece alongside intricate orchestral arrangements, the album features ten holiday classics including “O Holy Night,” “Silent Night,” and “Away in a Manger. Hymns of Christmas stands as a testament to Leon Russell’s versatility and his gift for creating deeply moving recordings.

Watch Out! Live Review – Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” 50th Anniversary Tour, Dallas TX.

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How do you tour in support of a seminal album when its main influence has been dead for 45 years?

Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman are currently on the road trying to answer that very question.

Friday last at the lovely Majestic Theatre the Founding Byrds members came together to recreate the magic that began as a chance encounter when Hillman happened upon Gram Parsons
standing in line at a Beverly Hills bank, “Probably drawing from his trust fund” Hillman quipped alluding to Parson’s family citrus business trust fund that reportedly paid him as
much as $100,000 a year.

Though considered as a mere salaried sideman by the band’s record company, when the Byrds’ Columbia recording contract was renewed in 1968 only original members Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman where asked to ink the deal. it was Parson’s singular obsession with country music history that charmed the other members into moving recording digs from persuading the other members to leave Los Angeles to Nashville thus guaranteeing a more straight-ahead twang affair.

The $45 t-shirt at the merch table concerned me that this could be merely a cash grab. The show soon put that fear to rest. No opener necessary, the first set served as a reminder that the Byrds flirted with country and roots music before Parson’s arrival. Joe Hayes “A Satisfied Mind,” made famous by Porter Wagoner, was a particular delight with McGuinn playing electric 12-string and Hillman picking the bass. As the show progressed McGuinn, Hillman, Stuart, Kenny Vaughn and Chris Scruggs all members took up acoustic, electric and steel guitars, bass and mandolin with equal aplomb. Vocal duties were also shared as McGuinn sang “Mr. Spaceman,” Hillman “Old John Robertson” and Stuart took the lead on Haggard’s “Sing Me Back Home.” The harmonies were sublime on with Stuart and drummer Harry Stinson adding backing behind Hillman and McGuinn.

As can be expected at a 50th-anniversary show, reminiscing abound. McGuinn recounted that famous two=song set at the Opry. On March 15th 1968, the band were invited to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, which was then still at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Singer-songwriter future outlaw country pioneer Tompall Glaser introduced the group, who were scheduled to play a Merle Haggard cover and a track from the upcoming album. After performing Sweetheart’s opening track, Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” which featured the iconic Lloyd Green on steel guitar, Gram Parsons broke decorum and announced that instead of the planned “Sing Me Back Home,” they were going to play yet another track from the LP. He then dedicated their performance of “Hickory Wind” to his grandmother.

After an intermission, the second set began with Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives doing two songs, “Country Boy Rock And Roll” and “Time Don’ Wait.” Choosing Stuart and the Superlatives as a backing band was a shrewd move. Few bands have the pedigree and the chops to pull off such a monumental occasion.

Though Parson’s absence was most profound with songs like Hickory Wind and The Louvin Brothers’ The Christian Life the croed didn’t seem to mind as they smiled, whooped and toe-tapped along. Things change, life moves forward and people come and go. With timeless music like this, it makes the sadness a bit easier to endure. Continue reading Watch Out! Live Review – Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” 50th Anniversary Tour, Dallas TX.→

Record Store Day Black Friday 2018 Americana and Roots Recommendations

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Record Store Day's Black Friday

Just as the weather turns crisp and the Halloween candy gluts the store isles you know that Record Store Day Black Friday event is right around the corner. The event, that results in indy record store around the world making a good chunk of their yearly take, has been expanded to take place over two days, Black Friday (November 23) and Small Business Saturday (November 24).

Among the vinyl delights offered is a Legacy Edition of The Byrds – landmark “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” with lots of goodies to top off the album’s 50th anniversary. Also offered is Lone Justice – The Western Tapes 1983, early Marvin Etzioni produced demos of these alt.country pioneers.

Check the full list at the Record Store Day site. I’ll be buying a stack from the good people at Dallas’ own Good Records. Remember to tweet a pic of your bounty to my twitter account and I’ll share it with those foolish enough to stay home.

The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Legacy Edition) – 4 x LP

By the time Sweetheart Of The Rodeo was released in 1968, The Byrds had already changed the sound of rock music twice; from jangling folk-rock to experimental acid-rock, they constantly sought to push the boundaries of what rock music could be. The 1967 departure of David Crosby left a creative void filled quickly by country music-loving Gram Parsons, whose addition led Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and company to record an album comprised mostly of authentic country material in Nashville, with the aid of local session aces (including future Byrd Clarence White). For the first time on vinyl—and on the heels of a 50th anniversary tour of the album by original members McGuinn and Hillman—this Legacy Edition of Sweetheart Of The Rodeo showcases this country-rock masterpiece alongside 28 bonus tracks, including demos, outtakes, rehearsal versions and tracks by Parsons’ pre-Byrds outfit, The International Submarine Band.

Bobbie Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe – LP

Ode to Billie Joe is the 1967 classic debut album by singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard charts, and was the album that displaced the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band from its 15-week reign at the top. This deluxe 180g LP reissue on Elemental Music was cut and mastered by the renowned audiophile mastering engineer Kevin Gray direct from the original tapes, with packaging that includes all original artwork and liner notes.

SIDE A 01 Mississippi Delta (3:05) 02 I Saw An Angel Die (2:56) 03 Chickasaw County Child (2:45) 04 Sunday Best (2:50) 05 Niki Hoeky (2:45)
SIDE B 01 Papa, Woncha Let Me Go To Town With You (2:30) 02 Bugs (2:05) 03 Hurry, Tuesday Child (4:52) 04 Lazy Willie (2:36) 05 Ode To Billie Joe (4:15)

Robert Johnson – Cross Road Blues/Ramblin’ On My Mind – 10″ Vinyl

Eric Clapton is quoted as saying that “Robert Johnson to me is the most important blues musician who ever lived”. A special 2018 Black Friday offering of Robert Johnson’s iconic 1936 recordings of “Cross Road Blues” / “Ramblin’ On My Mind” reproduced on the Vocalion label with sleeve as a 10″ single.

Blind Lemon Jefferson – Black Snake Moan/Matchbox Blues – 10″ Vinyl

Blind Lemon Jefferson, “The Father of Texas Blues,” was the best-selling malevblues artist of the 1920’s, recording 92 sides for Paramount Records and one released 78 for Okeh Records: “Black Snake Moan / Matchbox Blues”. Jefferson produced an original, driving, unpredictably advanced guitar style and a distinctive booming high-pitched, two-octave voice that no one could imitate. Legends of his prowess as a bluesman abound among the musicians who heard him, and sightings of Jefferson in different regions of the United States are plentiful. B.B. King stated, “His touch is different from anybody on the guitar—still is. He was majestic and played just a regular little six-string guitar with a little round hole. It was unbelievable to hear him play. And the way he played with his rhythm patterns, he was way before his time, in my opinion. Blind Lemon was my idol.” A special 2018 Black Friday offering of Blind Lemon Jefferson’s 1927 Okeh recording of “Black Snake Moan” / “Matchbox Blues” is reproduced on the original label with an Okeh sleeve as a 10-inch 78 single.

Ray LaMontagne – Spotify Singles – 7″ Vinyl

Limited edition glow in the dark 7” vinyl of Ray LaMontagne’s Spotify Singles session recorded at Sound Stage Studios. Features live recordings of “Such A Simple Thing” and a cover of “Blue Canadian Rockies” originally performed by Gene Autry

“Such A Simple Thing” and “Blue Canadian Rockies” recorded at Sound Stage Studios Nashville

Lake Street Dive – Freak Yourself Out – LP

A new EP of five songs recorded during the Free Yourself Up sessions!
1. Daryl 2. Young Boy 3. Jameson 4. Angioplast 5. Who Do You Think You Are

Lone Justice – The Western Tapes 1983 – 12″ Vinyl

Musician and producer Marvin Etzioni first saw Maria McKee and Ryan Hedgecock in a club in 1982, playing George Jones and Hank Williams covers. He convinced them they needed original material. After working and writing, the band added Dave Harrington (bass) and Don Willens (drums), the band worked up material with Etzioni and cut 5 of the 6 tracks at the famed Record Plant. An earlier session provides the 6th track. The Western Tapes: 1983 exhibits the genesis of this highly-infl uential band. While the original demo version of “Drugstore Cowboy” has appeared on various compilations, the remainder of the other tracks from the sessions have remained in the can. Two of the tracks appear in their earliest demo form and wound up landing on the classic 1988 Lone Justice debut, “Working Late” and “Don’t Toss Us Away” (written by Maria’s half-brother, Bryan MacLean of the classic band, Love) which would eventually become a top 5 smash for Country superstar Patty Loveless. Released in conjunction with the band, the EP was mastered by Bernie Grundman (who also cut the 45 RPM lacquers). It’s a look into where they started and foretells where they would go.
As Etzioni (who would later join the band) says in his liner notes: “With countless hours together, it was a fun and innocent time. I believed we were creating a 21st century country band.”
They created much, much more. PLAY LOUD AT 45 RPM!

Side 1: 1. working late 2:45 2. don’t toss us away 4:29 3. drugstore cowboy 2:54
Side 2: 4. i see it 2:22 5. train song 2:55 6. how lonesome life has been 2:06

Kacey Musgraves – High Horse Remixes

High Horse Remixes (not available on any physical configuration)

SIDE A: High Horse (Kue Remix)- DJ Kue
SIDE B: High Horse (Violets Remix)- Violents

Hank Williams – The First Recordings, 1938 – 7″ Vinyl

The first EVER recordings made by the legendary Hank Williams. This Record Store Day Black Friday 7″ red vinyl single celebrates the 80th anniversary of their recording, and the labels duplicate the labels on the original acetate.

Side A “Fan It” (F. Jaxon) – Hank Williams
Side B “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (I. Berlin) – Hank Williams & Pee Week Moultrie

5 Things You May Not Know About The Byrds’ ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’

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Sweetheart of the Rodeo

In the late 60s, the American rock band the Byrds were ripe for a change. The band’s fifth LP, The Notorious Byrd Brothers proved to be another sterling example of the band’s established psychedelic experimentation, but it also incorporated jazz, pop and the roots music leanings of folk and country rock. This stylistic elasticity made the band a perfect vessel for genre experimentation. The departures of band members David Crosby and Michael Clarke from the group in late 1967 left a directional void that was happily filled by their newest member Gram Parsons, and his trad country sensibilities.

Though Sweetheart of the Rodeo had disappointing sales on release (see below) the record proved to be highly influential on subsequent generations of musicians. Kind of like an Americana version of the VU debut ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico. ‘

Among those who took the contemporary take on the traditional sound heart was Marty Stuart, then a teenage bluegrass prodigy and later a hitmaking country star. Stuart owns the 1954 Fender Telecaster that previously belonged to the late Clarence White, who played guitar on the “Sweetheart” album; Stuart will play that guitar on the celebratory tour.

Founding Byrds members Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman are currently on the road with Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives — guitarist Kenny Vaughan, bassist Chris Scruggs and drummer Harry Stinson – to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Sweetheart of the Rodeo.”

Below are 5 things you may not know about the historic album.

1. Roger McGuinn floated the idea of including “experimental synthesizer music” on the album.

Chris Hillman revealed to journalist Richie Unterberger in 2000 that fellow band member Roger McGuinn
“…had thoughts of making the album after Notorious Byrd Brothers a double album that would cover everything from traditional folk to electronic synthesizer music.” But Hillman admits he doesn’t regret the decision not to include it on the album as it would “…make no sense.”

“It would have been an interesting separate project, but like I said earlier, either I didn’t understand what he (McGuinn) was doing, or I just didn’t like it. And he had that Moog synthesizer, of course, then, it was like owning a computer in 1955. It took up the whole room. It made a lot of noise. It wasn’t really musical. It was like a toy, a gadget. But it was interesting, I respect him. He was following something that intrigued him, and he likes electronics.”

2. The cover of the Sweetheart of the Rodeo was not an original work done for the album.

The exquisite folk-art album cover was made up of images from a 1932 Joseph Jacinto Mora poster, The American Cowboy Rodeo created for a 1940s California Rodeo Travel Poster.

3. The record was a flop when it was originally released in 1968.

Despite receiving generally favorable reviews from the critics, and regular play on underground FM stations, the country-rock style of Sweetheart of the Rodeo was such a radical departure from the band’s previous sound that large sections of the group’s counterculture audience alienation by the traditional style, resulting in the lowest sales of any Byrds album up to that point.

In an email from Roger McGuinn to Rick Campbell in 2008 “Our rock audience felt betrayed and the country community was wary of ‘hippies’ infiltrating their territory. I remember seeing the ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ cover on a bulletin board at a country radio station in Los Angeles. I was overjoyed . . . until I got closer and saw written in red DO NOT PLAY – THIS IS NOT COUNTRY.”

4. SotR was not the first time The Byrds had delved into country music on an album.

On their second album “Turn! Turn! Turn!” the band included a cover of Red Hayes, Jack Rhodes’ “Satisfied Mind”, a 1955 country and western hit for Porter Wagoner, which had been suggested by The Byrds’ bass player, Chris Hillman.

In an email from Roger McGuinn to Rick Campbell in 2008 “The Byrds had experimented with country music as early as our second album ‘Turn! Turn! Turn! with tracks like ‘Time Between, ‘Satisfied Mind’ and ‘Girl With No Name’, but it wasn’t until Chris Hillman met Gram Parsons at a bank in Beverly Hills and brought him over to our rehearsal studio that we decided to go to Nashville and record an entire album of country material. We were in love with the genre and as sincere as we could possibly have been, in recording those songs.

5. Skeeter Davis supported the band after a “rebellious” Opry performance.

While in Nashville recording SotR, the Byrds were invited to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, at the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium on March 15th, 1968. Singer-songwriter Tompall Glaser, who would become part of the “outlaw” moment the following decade, introduced the group, who were scheduled to play a Merle Haggard cover and a track from the upcoming album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The band broke with the Opry’s history of strict bands playing approved setlists by instead performing Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” which featured the iconic Lloyd Green on steel guitar and would be the opening track on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Gram Parsons announced that instead of the planned “Sing Me Back Home,” they were going to play yet another track from the LP. He then dedicated their performance of “Hickory Wind” to his grandmother.

After their relatively rebellious performance and a chorus of boos from a visibly upset audience, they had one supporter, singer Skeeter Davis.

Roger McGuinn remembers “We walked out the back door with our tails between our legs, and Skeeter (Davis) caught up with us and said, “You Byrds don’t be afraid of these people: they’re just not caught up yet.” I told her later, “You were the only one who stood up for us. You were there for us, and I’ll never forget you for that.”

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo Tour Dates

Sept. 9 /// Folly Theatre /// Kansas City, MO
Sept. 12 /// Historic Gillioz Theatre /// Springfield , MO
Sept. 17 /// Albany, NY /// Hart Theater @ The Egg
Sept. 18 /// Albany, NY /// Hart Theater @ The Egg [Sold Out]
Sept. 20 /// Hopewell, VA /// Beacon Theatre [Sold Out]
Sept. 23 /// New York, NY /// Town Hall
Sept. 24 /// New York, NY /// Town Hall [Sold Out]
Sept. 26 /// Boston, MA /// The Emerson Colonial Theatre
Oct. 1 /// Louisville, KY /// Brown Theatre
Oct. 3 /// Akron, OH /// Akron Civic
Oct. 8 /// Nashville, TN /// The Ryman Auditorium
Oct. 10 /// Roanoke, VA /// The Jefferson Center
Oct. 15 /// Durham Performing Arts Center /// Durham, NC
Oct. 21 /// Byers Theatre /// Atlanta, GA
Oct. 23 /// EKU Center For The Arts/// Richmond, KY
Oct. 30 /// Carnegie Music Hall Of Homestead /// Munhall, PA
Nov. 9 /// Majestic Theatre /// Dallas, TX
Nov. 10 /// Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater /// Austin, TX