Marin County Line
Encyclopedia
Marin County Line is the ninth studio album
and eleventh album overall by the country rock
band the New Riders of the Purple Sage
. Released in 1977, it was their third and final album on the MCA Records
label.
Marin County Line was the second of two NRPS studio albums to feature Stephen Love
on bass guitar
. Love wrote all of the songs on side one of the LP
. It was also the band's first album with Patrick Shanahan. Shanahan had recently replaced Spencer Dryden
as the New Riders' drummer
, and Dryden had become the band's manager. Love and Shanahan were both former members of Rick Nelson
's Stone Canyon Band. Also in the NRPS lineup for this album were co-founders John "Marmaduke" Dawson
and David Nelson
, and long-time member Buddy Cage
. A concert performed by this version of the band was released in 2009 as the album Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 12/31/77
.
Side two
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and eleventh album overall by the country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
band the New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red"...
. Released in 1977, it was their third and final album on the MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
label.
Marin County Line was the second of two NRPS studio albums to feature Stephen Love
Stephen A. Love
Stephen A. Love is a professional musician, singer, songwriter, producer, real estate broker, and CEO of the Vallartamex S.C. construction firm. He is also the owner of Blue Jeans Music BMI and lives in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.Stephen A...
on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Love wrote all of the songs on side one of the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
. It was also the band's first album with Patrick Shanahan. Shanahan had recently replaced Spencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
as the New Riders' drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, and Dryden had become the band's manager. Love and Shanahan were both former members of Rick Nelson
Ricky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
's Stone Canyon Band. Also in the NRPS lineup for this album were co-founders John "Marmaduke" Dawson
John Dawson (musician)
John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
and David Nelson
David Nelson (musician)
David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
, and long-time member Buddy Cage
Buddy Cage
Buddy Cage is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known as a longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage....
. A concert performed by this version of the band was released in 2009 as the album Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 12/31/77
Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 12/31/77
Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 12/31/77 is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was recorded live on December 31, 1977, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California. It was released on April 16, 2009...
.
Track listing
Side one- "Till I Met You" (Stephen LoveStephen A. LoveStephen A. Love is a professional musician, singer, songwriter, producer, real estate broker, and CEO of the Vallartamex S.C. construction firm. He is also the owner of Blue Jeans Music BMI and lives in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.Stephen A...
) – 3:23 - "Llywelyn" (Love) – 3:59
- "Knights and Queens" (Love) – 3:59
- "Green Eyes a Flashing" (Love) – 2:54
- "Oh, What a Night" (Love) – 3:55
Side two
- "A Good Woman Likes to Drink with the Boys" (Dave Ellingson) – 4:12
- "Jasper" (John DawsonJohn Dawson (musician)John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
, David NelsonDavid Nelson (musician)David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
) – 2:38 - "Echoes" (Patrick Shanahan) – 3:04
- "Twenty Good Men" (Dawson) – 3:29
- "Little Miss Bad" (Dawson) – 2:20
- "Take a Red" (Nelson) – 2:25
New Riders of the Purple Sage
- John DawsonJohn Dawson (musician)John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, vocals - David NelsonDavid Nelson (musician)David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
– guitar, vocals - Buddy CageBuddy CageBuddy Cage is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known as a longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage....
– pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"... - Stephen LoveStephen A. LoveStephen A. Love is a professional musician, singer, songwriter, producer, real estate broker, and CEO of the Vallartamex S.C. construction firm. He is also the owner of Blue Jeans Music BMI and lives in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.Stephen A...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitar, vocals - Patrick Shanahan – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vibesVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals
Additional musicians
- Spencer DrydenSpencer DrydenSpencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
– percussion - John Hug – guitar
- Tom Stern – banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
- Ray Park – fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- Tower of PowerTower of PowerTower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
horn section – horns on "Take A Red"
Production
- Jim Ed Norman – producer
- Tom Flye – engineer
- Steve Fontano – associate engineer
- Alex Kashevaroff – assistant engineer
- Larry Boden – mastering
- George Osaki – art direction
- Herb GreeneHerb GreeneHerb Greene is an American photographer known for his photographs of 1960s San Francisco musicians.-Career:Herb Greene was part of the 1960s San Francisco art scene and a friend of many of psychedelic rock musicians of the era...
– photography