NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE
‘Home, Home On The Road/Brujo ’ BGO Records (2004)
New Riders of the Purple Sage were an early '70s country-tinged rock band who were initially a spin off from the Grateful Dead - Gerry Garcia being one of the founder members.
This BGO Records re-release brings together the band’s two 1974 albums - Home, Home On The Road and Brujo - the band’s 5th and 6th album releases.
The New Riders blended country rock with West Coast hippie idealism but never really emulated the success of some of their contemporaries.
As the name suggests, Home, Home On The Road was a live album mixing material from earlier releases with five previously unreleased tracks. It managed 3 months in the US album chart, but never quite managing to break into the top 50.
By the time of Brujo, the line up had changed considerably but it’s fate was much the same as Home - peaking outside the top 50.
The best I can say is that there’s plenty of pedal steel, nice harmonies and decent songs. But this very clearly predates the Eagles and country rock has moved on again since then.
Of historical interest then, and not unpleasant, but just nothing out of the ordinary and it won’t win any new fans. So one for collectors only and those looking to replace their aging vinyl.
***
Review by Pete Whalley
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