Great Balls of Fire - New Grass Revival, Blackwell, Otis
Prince of Peace - New Grass Revival, Dempsey
Casey Jones [#] - New Grass Revival, Traditional
The Dancer [#] - New Grass Revival, Brines
Doin' My Time [#] - New Grass Revival, Skinner
All Night Train - New Grass Revival, Brines
Vamp in the Middle - New Grass Revival, Hartford
Spring Peepers - New Grass Revival, Lucas
Lee Highway Blues - New Grass Revival, Traditional
Souvenir Bottles - New Grass Revival, Brines
Sapporo - New Grass Revival, Bush
Steam Powered Aero Plane - New Grass Revival, Hartford
When the Storm Is Over [Live][#] - New Grass Revival, Lucas
You Don't Knock [Live][#] - New Grass Revival, Staples
White Freight Liner Blues [Live] - New Grass Revival, VanZandt
Good Woman's Love [Live] - New Grass Revival, Coban
Reach [Live] - New Grass Revival, Hall
Track Listings (18) - Disc #2
One More Love Song - New Grass Revival, Russell
On the Boulevard - New Grass Revival, Flynn
One Love/People Get Ready - New Grass Revival, Marley, Bob
Seven by Seven - New Grass Revival, Fleck
In the Middle of the Night - New Grass Revival, Flynn
Sweet Release - New Grass Revival, Flynn
Metric Lips - New Grass Revival, Fleck
Unconditional Love - New Grass Revival, Cook
Looking Past You - New Grass Revival, Flynn
Revival [Live] - New Grass Revival, Rowan
Ain't That Peculiar [Live] - New Grass Revival, Moore
Callin' Baton Rouge - New Grass Revival, Linde
I'm Down - New Grass Revival, Lennon, John
Angel Eyes - New Grass Revival, Hiatt
Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan - New Grass Revival, Traditional
Do What You Gotta Do [Live][#] - New Grass Revival, Flynn
Singing the Blues [Live][#] - New Grass Revival, McCreary
Can't Stop Now [Live][#] - New Grass Revival, Nicholson
If Cream and Led Zeppelin were the supergroups of classic rock, New Grass Revival is the supergroup of bluegrass. Formed in 1972, NGR helped define "newgrass" by rearranging traditional bluegrass standards with electrified... more » style. Fronted by lead singer John Cowan and featuring the virtuoso and improvisational playing of Sam Bush (mandolin) and Béla Fleck (banjo), NGR helped launch the jam-band scene long before the Bonaroo Festival. NGR disbanded in 1990, but their legacy laid the foundation for the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Nickel Creek, and the String Cheese Incident. Includes 2 CDs, 35 tracks (7 previously unreleased)--all 24-bit digitally remastered.« less
If Cream and Led Zeppelin were the supergroups of classic rock, New Grass Revival is the supergroup of bluegrass. Formed in 1972, NGR helped define "newgrass" by rearranging traditional bluegrass standards with electrified style. Fronted by lead singer John Cowan and featuring the virtuoso and improvisational playing of Sam Bush (mandolin) and Béla Fleck (banjo), NGR helped launch the jam-band scene long before the Bonaroo Festival. NGR disbanded in 1990, but their legacy laid the foundation for the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Nickel Creek, and the String Cheese Incident. Includes 2 CDs, 35 tracks (7 previously unreleased)--all 24-bit digitally remastered.
"With tracks from their King Records debut, their stints with Flying Fish, Rounder and Capitol, as well as previously unissued live and studio tracks, this is THE definitive anthology from one of the most influential bands of the progressive bluegrass genre.
Over the course of nearly two and a half hours of music and 35 tracks, GRASS ROOTS covers New Grass Revival's history from their 1972 debut through their 1989 New Year's Eve farewell show.
"Great Balls of Fire," the first of two tracks from their debut, is a no-holds-barred romp with Sam Bush on Mandolin and lead vocal and the banjo pyrotechnics provided by Courtney Johnson. The second track is the Leon Russell-penned "Prince of Peace."
Not only did Russell take NGR as his opening act in 1973, he let them record at his Shelter studios at the end of the tour. These three tracks from 1974 are all previously unreleased. For these sessions, NGR added a drummer which further alienated them from the bluegrass community. "Casey Jones," an instrumental, and "The Dancer" are fairly typical bluegrass numbers (except for the drums); but "Doin' My Time" with its extended instrumental breaks goes on for more than six and a half minutes. [It's easy to see where bands like the String Cheese Incident and Yonder Mountain String Band were influenced by NGR.]
By 1975's FLY THROUGH THE COUNTRY, the band's lineup solidified to include Bush, Johnson and bassist/vocalist John Cowan and guitarist Curtis Burch. This version of the band would stay in tact through their 1981 LP COMMONWEALTH.
NGR Mach II would emerge in 1983 (and stay together until the band dissolved) with Pat Flynn replacing Burch and Bela Fleck replacing Johnson. Two previously unreleased tracks from an Austin City Limits appearance, "When the Storm Is Over" and "You Don't Knock," showcase the new lineup.
"Seven By Seven," from their self-titled Capitol debut, showed the bluegrass/jazz path Fleck would latter follow with the Flecktones. "In the Middle of the Night" (from the same album) illustrated that Flynn was not only a gifted singer and guitarist, but the band's best songwriter.
Two other previously unreleased tracks are from a 1987 Austin City Limits appearance. The first is a funky version of "Revival." The other is a terrific version of "Ain't That Peculiar."
The final three unreleased tracks are from their Oakland Coliseum New Year's Eve show. They include "Do What You Gotta Do," a stunning 11-minute rendition of "Singing the Blues," and "Can't Stop Now." As the applause erupts, someone in the band responds, "Thanks so much! It's been wonderful!" It certainly has been, and this two-disc set captures many of the highlights of this amazing band. [Running time - Disc 1, 74:53; Disc-2, 74:15] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
"
Superb Collection from a Genre-Changing Group
It's Me, | Houston | 06/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"New Grass Revival emerged from being Bluegrass pariahs to being the virtual creators (along with Tony Rice, David Grisman, Mark O'Connor, etc.) of the thriving Newgrass movement today. This is the best collection of their music to hit the market in one package, and it is the first to feature material from early era, the Flying Fish years, and the Capitol years. Sound quality on the older releases gets an upgrade, and the previously unreleased live and studio (with Butch!) tracks are absolutely crucial. The only thing missing now are complete live shows on CD and a DVD release of the two Austin City Limits performances. Are you reading, Sam?
"
Grass Roots: The Best of New Grass Revival (Capitol)
Rex Flottman | Winfield, Kansas | 08/03/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"
The New Grass Revival defined what an acoustic band could be. The band defined a style of music. The New Grass Revival continues to influence acoustic music three decades after their modest beginning. Mandolinist Sam Bush along with banjoist Courtney Johnson, guitarist Curtis Burch and bassist "Ebo Walker" (Harry Shelor) began playing the "New Grass Style" in 1972. While their music evolved, the band changed personnel slightly through their history, adding John Cowan on bass in 1973. Bush and Cowan had met guitarist Pat Flynn at a festival in Colorado and jammed with him. Bush had known banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck for years. They were selected as the band's two new members in 1981.
Grass Roots is a 2 Cd set that will take you on a trip through New Grass history beginning in 1972 with a version of "Great Balls of Fire" like no other. This is a prime example of how the band revolutionized bluegrass music; no song was immune to being converted to the New Grass sound.
This collection is not just a compilation of old recordings re-released; there are a number of never released tracks. New Grass Revival ended their phenomenal run on New Years Eve, 1989 with a concert in California at the Oakland Coliseum. Their final show concluded with "Do What You Gotta Do", "Singing the Blues", and appropriately "Can't Stop Now", so ends the Grass Roots collection. As a long time fan of New Grass Revival, I wonder what was going on in the minds of Sam Bush, Pat Flynn, John Cowan and Bela Fleck as they burned down the Oakland Coliseum and rode off into the sunset.
This is a collection New Grass Revival songs that everyone who enjoys progressive bluegrass and acoustic music should own. It is an audio history of where this music we love came from, and a clue to where it's headed. Besides that, these boys rocked back then, and their music in this collection still does, ask Garth Brooks!
Rex Flottman
"
As Ground-Breaking (almost) as Bill Monroe!
'The Virginiaprograsser' | Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA | 07/03/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Bluegrass pureists, don't get out your poison pens yet! Nobody is more important to the overall genre than 'Big Mon'. HOWEVER, as Pat Flyn says in 'Grass Roots' liner notes: "He would never say it himself, so I'll say it for him: Sam Bush founded a whole new form of music." says (group member from 1981-1989) guitarist/songwriter Pat Flynn.
This 2 CD collection is as fitting and long overdue a tribute to one of the most powerful and creative bands to ever have graced the American music landscape. Yes, the thriving jamgrass/jamband scene today would not be where it is without the Grateful Dead, but that scene also draws heavily on the trail blazed by the pioneers of NGR.
Even for the ardent fan/collector like myself who owns all of NGR's individual albums/CDs, this collection is a 'must have.' There are many hitherto unheard live and unreleased tracks that both the fanatic and the freshman will enjoy immensely.
A 'strong' 5-Star Rating!
:)Steve Sikes-Nova
'The Virginiaprograsser'
Tidewater, Virginia, USA"
Best of New Grass Revival
L. Nelson | Sacramento CA | 08/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great album but then I've never been disappointed with any of their albums. Side one is the older songs which I love. I just wish they had included more of the songs from the "Flying Through the Country" and "When the Storm is Over" albums. But no New Grass Revival fan will be disappointed. The album cover has a lot of good history about them also."