LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Now THIS is how you do a live country-rock album!" - Shindig! "Absolutely no wonder this is legendary coz they are alternately cool as cucumbers and hot as jalapeno pepper when they need to be!" - Mohair Sweets There are a few records generally considered the birthplace of country rock. "Gene Clark And The Gosdin Brothers", "The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard And Clark", "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" and the International Submarine Band's "Safe At Home" being perhaps the best known candidates behind all this however, are the experiments coming from the "Country" rather than the "Rock" Direction and "Nashville West" is one of the best of those A 1967 live recording of Clarence White's legendary group outside of their session-playing dayjobs at Bakersfield International studios, (where they played with a dizzying range of styles), playing country and R&B in a breathtaking combination of Buck Owens and Garage band attack One can easily hear how The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Gene Clark and many others, coming to see their friend Clarence and his buddies live at the Nashville West club, could have been galvanised into following the Country-Rock path Clarence White, the bluegrass guitar prodigy (who incidentally played on most of the albums listed above!), Soul/R&B loving banjoist/drummer Gene Parsons, Cajun fiddler Gib Guilbeau, and Country singer/humourist Wayne Moore created what was perhaps the first convincing Country/Soul/Rock group ever. White and Parsons of course made the leapinto the post-"Sweetheart...." Byrds, and went on to mainstream country/rock fame in various ways.....but this is where it all began...this is a record that should be owned by any fan of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers,Dillard & Clark and country rock music as a genre.ene. Altogether an unusual sidelight on the work of a great and important literary figure, and let's not forget, a damn fine record too! Nashville West (Intro) [instrumental] / Mental Revenge / I Wanna Live / C.C. Rider / Sweet Susannah / Green, Green Grass of Home / Love of the Common People / Tuff & String / I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water / Greensleeves / Ode to Billie Joe / Mom and Dad's Waltz / Louisiana Rains / Sing Me Back Home / Columbus Stockade Blues / Memphis / By the Time I Get to Phoenix / Nashville West (reprise)