1976 Publicity Photo (left-right): Stephen Love, David Nelson, Buddy Cage, John Dawson, Spencer Dryden.
So my experience with New Riders of the Purple Sage is pretty much limited to a couple standards I heard my dad spinnin’ as a kid and that it originated as a side project of Jerry’s. That right there is enough for me to go looking for more though, and this happens to be the best example I came across on Archive.org that has the songs I knew previous to checking this out, “Panama Red,” “Take A Letter Maria”. I recommend those two, “Little Old Lady” was exceptionally delightful for such a country vibe. Also check out the exceptionally long jams on “Portland Woman.” In addition, check out the first 30 seconds or so of “Henry,” as one of the band members dedicates the song as such:
“We’re gonna keep on dedicating this song, to anyone in the audience who smuggles dope for a living. For about as long as it takes for us all to get out there and vote all those silly laws out of the way, man. This is silly, we must have all been smoking something the last time we had a chance to vote any of them silly laws against smoking something out of the way. So here we go, this is dedicated to us and everbody that smokes dope and smuggles dope and everything until we can get those silly laws out of the way man.”
Check out the lyrics to “Henry” for a little more clarity about the dedication.
New Riders Of The Purple Sage
June 20th, 1976
Astor Theatre
Reading, PA
via Archive.org
Set One:
1. Panama Red
2. Little Old Lady @
3. Lonesome L.A. Cowboy
4. Honky Tonkin’ (I Guess I Done Me Some) #
5. Fifteen Days Under The Hood
6. Annie May
7. Henry
8. Don’t Put Her Down
9. Ashes Of Love
10. Take A Letter Maria %
11. I Don’t Know You
12. I’m Bringin’ Home Good News $
13. Whiskey
14. She’s Lookin Better Every Beer ^
15. Teardrops In My Eyes
16. I Heard You’ve Been Layin’ My Old Lady ~
17. Swimming Song +
18. Portland Woman
19. You Never Can Tell !
20. Glendale Train
21. Dead Flowers =Encore:
1. Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother *
2. Hard To Handle &Notes:
1) Track listings changed to match nrps.net setlist, original located at Archive.org.
2) Disc One ends after “Whiskey,” the rest of the show fits on Disc Two.
@ Richard Wilbur cover
# Delbert McClinton cover
% RB Greaves cover
$ Merle Haggard cover
^ John Shine cover
~ Rusty Wier cover
+ Loudon Wainwright III cover
! Chuck Berry cover
= Rolling Stones cover
* Ray Wylie Hubbard cover
& Otis Redding cover
You know, the more and more I listen to this show the more I realize I know half these tracks. Thanks, Dad. Anyone got any fun New Riders info that I would dig, or some similar smaller mid-70’s country/rock acts? Oh, and I just realized that “Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother” is a Jerry Jeff Walker tune:
“And it’s up against the wall Redneck Mother,
Mother, who has raised her son so well.
He’s thirty-four and drinking in a honky tonk.
Just kicking hippies asses and raising hell”