Welcome back to “On That Note,” @MeanDean/cyclones500 weekly music series. In this segment, I conclude The Paisley Underground “quadrilogy": The Long Ryders.
The Long Ryders formed in 1983 in Los Angeles and disbanded in 1987, with reunions in 2004 and 2009. As with others the mini-genre, the band’s music wedges sideways with the Paisley Underground’s informal ethos. Of all the groups I’ve covered in P-Underground, I’ve revisited this band most frequently, and consider it the most timeless and enduring.
Primary members: Sid Griffin (guitar, autoharp, vocals), Stephen McCarthy (guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals), Des Brewer (bass, later replaced by Tom Stevens) and Greg Sowders (drums). Two members were transplants from Southern region, a detail that helped shape the band’s primary sound: a combo of Gram Parsons-inspired West Coast country-rock and southern blues/roots/trad. music. For its fourth studio release in ’87, the group developed a slightly more pop approach, while keeping intact the basic blueprint from its debut EP and its first two LPs.
TLR were among several rock ’n’ roll artists of the ‘80s whose output contributed to alt-country/Americana of post-1990 — and sometimes, I have to remind myself how truly out-of-step it was with pop ’n’ roll at the time. As you listen to these clips, you may think of others from that period that had a similar influence (and probably drew from some of the same influences). Feel free to post examples of peer groups, antecedents and most-recent music in the same vein.
I’ll present samples in several parts, beginning with a follow-up post. Many of these are available on the compilation “Final Wild Songs” (2016, Cherry Red). I’ve categorized each under their original EP/LP umbrella.
The Long Ryders formed in 1983 in Los Angeles and disbanded in 1987, with reunions in 2004 and 2009. As with others the mini-genre, the band’s music wedges sideways with the Paisley Underground’s informal ethos. Of all the groups I’ve covered in P-Underground, I’ve revisited this band most frequently, and consider it the most timeless and enduring.
Primary members: Sid Griffin (guitar, autoharp, vocals), Stephen McCarthy (guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals), Des Brewer (bass, later replaced by Tom Stevens) and Greg Sowders (drums). Two members were transplants from Southern region, a detail that helped shape the band’s primary sound: a combo of Gram Parsons-inspired West Coast country-rock and southern blues/roots/trad. music. For its fourth studio release in ’87, the group developed a slightly more pop approach, while keeping intact the basic blueprint from its debut EP and its first two LPs.
TLR were among several rock ’n’ roll artists of the ‘80s whose output contributed to alt-country/Americana of post-1990 — and sometimes, I have to remind myself how truly out-of-step it was with pop ’n’ roll at the time. As you listen to these clips, you may think of others from that period that had a similar influence (and probably drew from some of the same influences). Feel free to post examples of peer groups, antecedents and most-recent music in the same vein.
I’ll present samples in several parts, beginning with a follow-up post. Many of these are available on the compilation “Final Wild Songs” (2016, Cherry Red). I’ve categorized each under their original EP/LP umbrella.
- Previous P-Underground segments here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
- Last week’s OTN (by MeanDean): Burt Bacharach, songwriter
. As for the song itself, from my perspective, the lyrics/storyline are enduring, and the coda-jam is one of my all-time favorites.
