Recorded between 1971 and 1975. Includes liner notes by Mike Lawson.
Keyboardist Merl Saunders roamed through the vaults at Fantasy Records in 1997, where he had recorded a voluminous amount of material in the 1970s, and put together this scintillating retrospective. Filled with multi-track remixes of forgotten masters, unreleased gems, restored parts over previously released material, this features Saunders fronting a bunch of different lineups and utilizing the talents of Jerry Garcia, Michael Bloomfield, David Grisman, Tom Fogerty, Vassar Clements, Kenneth Nash, John Kahn and a young Sheila E. Escovedo. Highlights include "Little Bit of Righteousness" and "Iron House," both featuring great guitar work from Bloomfield, "Wondering Why" and "Bolinas Brown," showcasing Garcia in two different lineups and "M.S.," perhaps Sheila's first recorded performance. ~ Cub Koda
Personnel: Merl Saunders (vocals, piano, Clavinet, organ, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizer); Jerry Garcia (vocals, guitar); Geoff Muldaur, Lynette Hawkins-Stephens, Walter Hawkins & The Hawkins Family (vocals); Chris Hayes , Michael Howell, Joel Cohen, Michael Bloomfield (guitar); David Grisman (mandolin); Vassar Clements (violin); Martin Fierro (flute, saxophone); Ron Stalling, Rev. Ron Stallings (saxophone); John Wilmeth (trumpet); Vince Littleton (drums, percussion); Eccleston W. Wainwright, Jr., Bill Vitt, Gaylord Birch, Larry Vann (drums); Kenneth Nash (congas, bongos, percussion); (Ex) Cat Heads (congas); Edwin Hawkins, Tramaine Hawkins, Walter Hawkins (background vocals).
Audio Remixers: Steve Fontana; Merl Saunders.
Liner Note Author: Mike Lawson.
Recording information: Fantasy Studio, Berkeley, CA (1972-1975); Keystone, Berkeley, CA (1972-1975); Record Planet, Sausalito, CA (1972-1975).
Photographers: Phil Bray; Steve Maruta.
Unknown Contributor Roles: David Grisman; Jerry Garcia; Michael Bloomfield; Vassar Clements.
Personnel: Merl Saunders (vocals, piano, clavinet, mellotron, organ, synthesizer); Jerry Garcia (vocals, guitar); The Hawkins Family (vocals); Michael Bloomfield, Michael Howell, Tom Fogerty, Chris Hayes, Joel Cohen, Billy Fender (guitar); David Grisman (mandolin); Vassar Clements (violin); Martin Fierro (flute, saxophone); Ron Stallings (saxophone); John Wilmeth (trumpet); John kahn, Chuck Rainey, Tony Saunders (bass); Vince Littleton (drums, percussion); E.W. Wainwright, Bill Vitt, Gaylord Birch, Larry Vann (drums); Kenneth Nash (percussion, congas, bongos); Sheila Escovedo (congas).
Engineers include: Betty Cantor, Rex Jackson, Tom Scott, Skip Shimmin, Don Cody.
(*) MP3 for this song is from a different CD. Listen to the sound sample to be sure this is the version you're looking for.
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