Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band: "In Concert - The Troubadour, 1969", Full Album (1970)

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• published: 27 May 2016
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Side 1: 01: Come On In (0:00 – 2:40) 02: Hello Mary Lou, Goodbye Heart (2:40 – 5:28) 03: Violets of Dawn (5:28 – 9:05) 04: Who Cares About Tomorrow/Promises (9:05 – 14:47) 05: She Belongs to Me (14:47 – 17:42) 06: If You Gotta Go, Go Now (17:42 – 20:35) Side 2: 07: I’m Walkin’ (20:35 – 22:32) 08: Red Balloon (22:32 – 26:05) 09: Louisiana Man (26:06 – 30:09) 10: Believe What You Say (30:09 – 32:28) 11: Easy to Be Free (32:28 – 35:50) 12: I Shall Be Released (35:50 – 39:58) Bonus Tracks: 13: Violets of Dawn (39:58 – 43:13) 14: Travelin’ Man (43:13 – 45:31) 15: Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You (45:31 – 48:14) 16: I’m Walkin’ (48:14 – 50:17) 17: Louisiana Man (50:17 – 53:18) 18: She Belongs to Me (53:18 – 56:06) 19: I Shall Be Released (56:06 – 59:56) 20: Lady Came from Baltimore (59:56 – 01:02:19) 21: Poor Little Fool (01:02:19 – 01:04:38) 22: Hello Mary Lou, Goodbye Heart (01:04:38 - 01:07:14) Personnel: Rick Nelson: rhythm guitar, rhythm guitar overdub on sides 1 & 2, lead vocals Allen Kemp: lead guitar, harmony vocals Randy Meisner: bass guitar, harmony vocals Tom Brumley: pedal steel guitar Patrick Shanahan: drums Rick Nelson is a legitimate Rock ‘n’ Roll icon. His late ‘50s hits became part of the soundtrack of a generation. A member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame’s second class, Nelson is a true pioneer of the genre in the same vein as the Everly Brothers and Elvis. And like those artists, Nelson recognized the relationship between Rock ‘n’ Roll and Country. In 1966, after his success in the Rock market had waned, Nelson made a bold career move and recorded the album “Bright Lights & Country Music”, which is the arguably the first Country Rock album ever made and features contributions from Clarence White. It was followed up in ’67 with another Country Rock album, “Country Fever”, which features a cover of Gib Guilbeau’s “Take a City Bride”. Despite being well received critically, the two albums did little to revive Nelson’s career. Still trying to find a new direction, Nelson next recorded two psychedelic-tinged albums; both were very poorly received and sold even worse. It looked like Nelson’s career would die out as those of many ‘50s teen idols did upon reaching adulthood. But in 1969, Nelson decided to give Country another try. He had befriended Randy Meisner, freshly fired from Poco, and tasked him with forming a Country Rock backing band. Meisner recruited Allen Kemp and Patrick Shanahan, who he had previously played with in a mid ‘60s psychedelic rock band called The Poor. The group was named The Stone Canyon Band, and began backing Rick as he played the L.A. club circuit. The group’s style fit perfectly with the musical climate of L.A. Nelson and the band became the talk of the town, so to speak. The one problem was the band lacked a steel player to hit the Country sound home. Sneaky Pete Kleinow was invited to join the group but declined. Decca got the group booked at the Troubadour with the intention of recording a live album. Nelson knew he needed a steel player to complete the sound. He approached the legendary Tom Brumley, who had retired from the music business after spending 10 years as a member of Buck Owens’ Buckaroos, the greatest Country act of all time. Brumley was reluctant to join but agreed to for the two days of recording for the live album. He remained with Nelson for 10 years. With Brumley on board, the band’s sound was taken to another level. The live album they recorded put Nelson, and Country Rock, on the map nationally. The interplay between Kemp’s guitar and Brumley’s steel is phenomenal. Nelson’s rhythm playing had elevated beyond simple self-accompaniment at this point; it adds an energetic punch to the already superb rhythm section of Meisner and Shanahan. But the best quality of this group by far is their vocals. Nelson by himself is a legendary singer, but the added harmony vocals of Kemp and Meisner take it to another level. Their treatment of Nelson’s older material is akin to how the Clarence White Byrds handled the original Byrds material; they absolutely make it their own. Along with the two sided album, there are additional outtakes included in this upload. There was a whole separate disc of even more outtakes which I’ll upload next. Standout tracks are everything. Seriously. If I had to pick, I’d choose “Hello Mary Lou”, “She Belongs to Me”, “I’m Walkin’”, “Believe What You Say”, “Easy to Be Free”, & “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You”. In particular, “She Belongs to Me” is one of the greatest covers of a Dylan song ever put to record. It holds up against any Byrds cover. The Stone Canyon Band became a Country Rock institution, recording for over 10 years and releases several great albums with a number of configurations. This is where it all started for one of Country Rock’s best groups.