Powerglide
The group's second album is pretty much definitive, especially in its remastered version from Columbia s Legacy division (issued in 1996), which has really crisp, loud sound. Joe Maphis "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)" is a great opener, a honky tonk style number featuring David Nelson s lead vocals and Nicky Hopkins piano sharing the spotlight with Nelson s and John Dawson s axes. The guitars on Dawson s "Rainbow" are nearly pretty enough to be a Flying Burrito Brothers or Poco number. Most of what follows is as good or better, especially Dave Torbert s "California Day" and "Contract," and Dawson s "Sweet Lovin' One." The one letdown is their cover of "Hello Mary Lou," a flat, dullish rendition that could be any bad country-rock bar band, and which isn't going to make anyone forget the numerous versions before and since -- they do somewhat better with Johnny Otis "Willie and the Hand Jive." Powerglide is a fun record and offers one virtue that the Dead in particular, sometimes forgot -- they know how to end a song. Jerry Garcia is present on banjo ("Sweet Lovin' One," "Duncan and Brady" and piano ("Lochinvar" -- Bill Kreutzmann and Nicky Hopkins also turn up -- but the best lead guitar work here comes courtesy of David Nelson and Buddy Cage who plays the pedal steel. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
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Credits »
John Fiore - Engineer
Spencer Dryden - ?
Stephen Barncard - Producer
New Riders of the Purple Sage - Main Performer
New Riders of the Purple Sage - Producer
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The Byrds
