While the resurgence of classic and psychedelically-tinged country-rock, almost 30 years after its original heyday, is only now catching the attention of the new breed of guitar-slingers, these players had never quite given up their roots. Barry �The Fish� Melton would coin their stage name by referring to the band as �dinosaurs� of the music industry, and that was back in 1982. The two-disc set compilation, remastered by Mick Skidmore and released by Evangeline Recorded Works Ltd. in the U.K. in 2004, is comprised of live and studio tracks recorded from 1985 to 1989 in various cities from Seattle to San Francisco.
Initially formed from the ashes of Big Brother and the Holding Company (bassist Peter Albin), Country Joe McDonald (guitarist Barry �The Fish� Melton), Quicksilver Messenger Service (guitarist John Cipollina), Jefferson Airplane and Riders of the Purple Sage (drummer Spencer Dryden), and sidemen with the Grateful Dead (keyboardists Robert Hunter and Merl Saunders), they would later be joined by fiddler Papa John Creach, Jerry Miller (of Moby Grape) and David LaFlamme (of It�s a Beautiful Day).
Their first live (and self-promoted) gig sold out and many of their contemporaries were in attendance to show their support (and, in some cases, jam). They maintain a healthy gathering of fans from all over North America and Europe. With the recent death (January 10/05) of Spencer Dryden, the only surviving members of this troupe are Albin, Melton, Saunders and Hunter. Rest in peace in �Rock �n� Roll Heaven�, Spencer.
The songs are an eclectic mix of country-influenced blues, funk and straight-ahead rock compositions by the various band members, jammed-up covers by artists as diverse as Nina Simone (�Do I Move You�), Canada�s Buffy Sainte-Marie (�Cod�ine�), Bo Diddley (�Mona�), Gershwin/Duke (�I Can�t Get Started with You�), Willie Dixon (�Built for Comfort�), as well as a couple of excellent arrangements of traditional roots ballads like �Butcher�s Boy� and �Blind Man�. On the latter, Kathi McDonald, another Canadian musician (now residing in the Seattle area), contributes a scary Joplin-like vocal emulation that didn�t quite do it for me, but that�s just a personal opinion from a dedicated fan of Janis. On the other hand, Merl Saunders� vocals (now silenced by a stroke) on �Do I Move You?� are mesmerizing, as is the guitar work throughout by Melton and Cipollina.
There is naturally an element of nostalgia to this release, but fans of music created purely for the joy of it, rather than for its commercial potential, will find it tremendously enjoyable. It�s a �keeper� for both musical and historical reasons. |
