This is former Kingston Trio member John Stewart's first of two long-players
on Warner Brothers during the singer/songwriter epidemic of the early
1970s. Lonesome Picker Rides Again (1971) echo not only the laidback sound
of the era, but also the Northern California vibe that was likewise influencing
the work of Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, the Youngbloods, and the Beau
Brummels and Ron Elliot. Under the production and direction of younger
brother Michael Stewart -- himself a one-time folkie with the We Five
-- the elder Stewart provides a dozen folk-rock and country-flavored originals.
The album is probably best remembered for including an infectious acoustic
rendering of Stewart's composition "Daydream Believer." Stripped
of the syrupy strings and overbearing horn arrangement, the inherent beauty
of the melody and quaint affective lyrics are more fully realized here
than on the Monkees' chart-topping version, or Anne Murray's slick and
thoroughly dismissible interpretation. But perhaps it is the "Wild
Horse Road" and "All the Brave Horses" medley, or the semi-autobiographical
"Freeway Pleasure" that most aptly reflects the sense of John
Ford's widescreen, open-road Americana. This is especially true of the
latter, as it seemingly defines the idealistic passion that captures the
rugged pioneering Yankee spirit and independent determination. Instrumentally,
Stewart (guitar/vocals) is supported by West Coast session heavies Buddy
Emmons (pedal steel guitar), Chris Darrow (violin/dobro), Russ Kunkel
(drums), Leland Sklar (bass), ex-Hearts and Flowers member Rick Cunha
(vocals), Peter Asher (vocals) of Peter and Gordon fame, Kate Taylor (vocals)
and Stewart's wife, Buffy Ford (vocals). Even ex-Modern Folk Quartet and
famed rock & roll photographer Henry "Tad" Diltz (harmonica/vocals)
gets in the act, backing Stewarton a few numbers. After spending the better
part of two decades out of print, in 2003 Collectors' Choice Music issued
Lonesome Picker Rides Again on CD, domestically for the first time, restoring
what is an otherwise essential entry into both the artists' catalog, as
well as a highly underappreciated masterwork of the early 1970s folk-rock
genre.
(by Lindsay Planer, AMG)
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