Cambridge’s Share a Song has the distinction of being one of the best private press country rock albums ever cut. It was released in 1977 by the Green Dolphin label. Unlike most small press recordings, the sound here is completely professional – this sounds like an early 70s major label country rock LP. The singing, lyrics and guitar playing are all the work of a first rate group, there’s nothing amateur about these guys. I recently picked up a NM vinyl copy of this legendary album (very hard to find) for $150 and after several spins, can confirm that this band was the real thing.

Share a Song is uniformly strong but several songs connect with me in particular. Goodnight Sweet Lady, a wistful acoustic number that recalls Buffalo Springfield’s Kind of Woman, is touching while avoiding the pitfalls of becoming a sappy ballad. The title track, which opens the LP, has strong, spidery guitar solos that hint at psychedelia and a bouncy tempo that recalls early Poco at their best. Cowboy On The Trail, an outstanding cut, is noteworthy for its folk rock guitar chord progressions that recall Gene Clark’s work with the Byrds and Dillard & Clark. They also rock out pretty hard here and the guitar solo is very strong. They save the most experimental cut for later in the album; Faithless Lady, while seven and a half minutes, is a lost masterpiece. This cut begins as a tough bluesy, feedback laden rocker that eventually gives the guitar and banjo players space to solo. The banjo solo is unique and gives the track a special, experimental edge. Given its obscurity, I can recommend this album with confidence, it’s that good. It’s an album of great variety and several “hot” moments that catch the band on fire.

Cowboy On The Trail:

Highs and Lows:

Vinyl | 1977 | Green Dolphin | discogs ]

Bluebird’s only album was cobbled together from their Jerden, London and Burdette 45s but also tracks that were cut for an aborted album. The group hailed from Mercer Island, Washington and were known as one of the best folk rock/country rock bands of the Pacific Northwest. Most of the cuts on Country Boy Blues were recorded in 1969/1970 but Piccadilly chose to release this retrospective LP in 1980. I managed to pick up a copy for a respectable price but it’s extremely rare and usually sells for over $100.

This is some of the best underground country rock I’ve heard. Modessa, a lost classic, sounds like one of the best cuts from the Byrds great Untitled LP. A pro level fusion of folk rock and psychedelia, it’s Bluebird’s most popular track due to 45 release in 1971. There’s a very good rendition of I Shall Be Released, with sparkling guitar work and world weary vocals. Goin’ Down sounds like one of the David Crosby penned tracks from Notorious Byrd Brothers, with strong raga style guitar leads and a jazzy feel to the arrangement. Other good cuts are Natural Feeling, a driving country rocker with crystal clear vocals and blasts of fuzz guitar. Travelin’ Ways, equally as good, is more of the same. Bluebird, unlike their peers, never fooled around with jugband sounds or tried to sound too Nashville or Bakersfield. There’s nothing pretentious about Bluebird’s music, just talent, class and a genuine feel for the music is on full display.

Bluebird would eventually change their name to Grand Theft and record another album which sounds nothing like Country Boy Blues. When people speak of great country rock records, this band and album rarely, if ever, get a mention. Simply put, more people need to hear this great album.

LP | 1980 | Picadilly | ebay | discogs ]

Billy Drake:

Goin Down:

Going to Nevada:

It’s certainly not a lost gem or unknown by any means. In fact this one is considered one of the best live country albums of all time,  holding the #1 country album slot for five weeks in 1966, and is often cited as Buck and his Buckaroos’ greatest record. But I’ll be damned if the Carnegie Hall Concert doesn’t have its place on this page (especially in concert with its sister album In Japan!) as a great live document of a great band in its own right, but mostly as a model for all the country rock that would closely follow in the steps of Buck’s classic Bakersfield Sound, right down to the Nudie suit.

So what is it about Carnegie Hall that’s makes it worth hundreds of listens? Sure, it’s filled with corny bits that don’t necessarily make the transition to audio, Buck always playing the consummate ham (“pure pork”), and manages to condense a quantity of hits into medleys where any would serve to stand on its own.  Just, dang me, find me a Buck tune that sounds better in the studio than on Carnegie. We’re talking about a band at the top of its game, tighter than a tick, in the prime of its prime. Led by Buck’s right hand, “Dangerous” Don Rich, who’s simple licks would come to define Telecaster country guitar, “Tender” Tom Brumley on pedal steel, “Dashing” Doyle Holly on bass, and “Wonderful” Willie Cantu on the drums, the Buckaroos never had a better lineup. And yet they play it so straight: no virtuosic runs or fancy orchestrations, just pure, honest electrified country.

The classic self-titled instrumental “Buckaroo,” covered later by the Byrds, Burritos, and Leo Kottke, is evidence enough of their significance to the sound of late sixties country rock. Don’s high harmony reinvents “Together Again,” rendering the studio version limp in comparison. “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” “Act Naturally,” “Tiger By The Tail,” and one of Buck’s latest #1 singles “Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line” get full, lively treatments. The medleys serve as a great introduction and reminder to Buck’s library of classic tunes and move the record along well in contrast to wacky comedy stuff like “Fun ‘N’ Games with Don and Doyle” and “Twist and Shout.” The Sundazed reissue even restores the full concert so not a moment is cut (like the original LP).

Amazingly, not a single track is repeated on live follow-up In Japan! While not loaded quite like its older sis, this is more or less a continuation of where we left off (only replacing Doyle Holly with Wayne Wilson on bass), the band every bit as good, and featuring lots of Buck’s less appreciated classics. My favorites obviously include “Open Up Your Heart,” the ungrammatical “Where Does The Good Times Go,” and the very sweet “We Were Made For Each Other.” Also the ballad, “I Was Born To Be In Love With You,”  is quite lovely and for some odd reason appears only on this album.

Most of anything, these records are plain fun. The way Buck will introduce a tune saying “this one’s called…” and launch into the chorus; the perfect timing and interplay of a band that wouldn’t even think to rehearse. You can just hear the smiles on their faces, even the audience.

mp3: Buckaroo
mp3: I Was Born To Be In Love With You

Original | 1966, 1967 | Capitol | search carnegie | search japan ]
Reissue | 2000 | Sundazed | buy carnegie | buy japan ]