Best Of New Riders Of The Purple Sage CD

Although the New Riders of the Purple Sage were originally conceived as a side project for Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, the group quickly turned into one of the most long-lasting country-rock bands of the 1970s under the leadership of singer-songwriter John Dawson. The 15-track anthology BEST OF THE NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE collects 10 tracks from the band's 1971-78 heyday, including their signature tune "Panama Red," and adds five rare live tracks and alternate versions.

Say what you will about this bunch of cosmic cowboy posers, they had the courage to put a mammary pun right up front. That's right, the cover of this CD features the words "The Best Of" displayed right on top of a discreetly t-shirted pair of breasts, and for that the thanks of a grateful nation.

In any case, this brief (only 10 cuts) greatest hits album features some of the band's best work from its tenure at Columbia Records. It includes the cleverly self-mythologizing "Panama Red," founding member John Dawson's pretty "Louisiana Lady," a great countrified cover of Ashford and Simpson's "I Don't Need No Doctor," and a thoroughly idiomatic take on Bob Dylan's "You Angel You."

This is the Columbia Records remastered, reissued Legacy edition of 2003's New Riders of the Purple Sage, with some bonus cuts tossed in for good measure. The problem is, that was never really a true best-of the New Riders anyway, but a lazily put together compilation that featured no less than five tracks off the band's self-titled debut album. The rest comes in the form of one cut each from Adventures of Panama Red (the title cut, of course), Powerglide (a cover of Ashford & Simpson's "I Don't Need No Doctor" done country style), Home, Home on the Road (Gene Pitney's "Hello Mary Lou"), and Brujo (Bob Dylan's "You Angel You."). The big complaint is that the band's last great radio hit, a stellar cover of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' "Dead Flowers" (with the offending verse left out) isn't here, even among the bonus cuts. As for those, there is a nice alternate version of John Dawson's "Linda" as an unreleased bonus, but there are three bonus cuts from Home, Home on the Road (again, no "Dead Flowers" though it was on that set) and the band's cover of Dylan's "Farewell Angelina," from Oh, What a Mighty Time. This one is still disappointing after all these years. If ever a band deserved a two-disc Legacy Essential offering, this is the one. ~ Thom Jurek

New Riders of the Purple Sage: Dave Torbert, Mickey Hart, Spencer Dryden, John Dawson, Buddy Cage.

Liner Note Author: Scott Schinder.

Photographer: Eric Meola.

Personnel: John Dawson (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, autoharp, harmonica, percussion); David Nelson (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, percussion); Dave Torbert (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Skip Battin (vocals, guitar, piano, percussion); Spencer Dryden (vocals, drums, percussion); Buddy Cage (vocals); Jerry Garcia (banjo); Mickey Hart (drums, percussion).

Dirty Linen (p.47) - "[T]he later vocal contributions of bassist Dave Torbert on vintage rock tunes like 'Hello Mary Lou' and his own 'Groupie' expanded the group's repertoire..."