Native Sons (The Long Ryders album)
Native Sons is the debut album by American band the Long Ryders, released in October 1984 by record label Frontier.[4] The album and the single "I Had a Dream" reached number 1 and 4 on the UK Indie Chart, respectively.[5]
| Native Sons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1984 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 1984[1] | |||
| Studio | A&M Studios, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:18 | |||
| Label | Frontier | |||
| Producer |
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| The Long Ryders chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Native Sons | ||||
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Musically, the album fuses 1960s style garage rock and folk rock with country rock.[2][6] Rolling Stone's David Fricke described Native Sons as an album "where Nashville, ’77 London and the mid-Sixties Sunset Strip converge in songs of pioneer aspiration and outlaw bonding."[7] Native Sons features former Byrds member Gene Clark guesting on the track "Ivory Tower".
The album cover is a recreation of the abandoned Buffalo Springfield album, Stampede.[8][9]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[10] |
| Classic Rock |  [11] |
| Mojo | [12] |
| R2 | [13] |
| Record Collector | [14] |
| Trouser Press | favorable[15] |
| Uncut | [16] |
AllMusic praised the album, writing that it "established their eclectic mixture of Byrds/Clash/Flying Burrito Brothers' influences ... while turning in an original sound that became the banner for both the paisley underground and cowpunk styles in the mid-'80s." AllMusic concluded that "on Native Sons, the Long Ryders pioneered a musical design that future alternative roots rockers would use as a manual."[8]
Trouser Press described the album as "a stirring dose of memorable and unpretentious country-rock that incorporates Highway 61 Dylan, paisley pop, Kingston Trio balladry and wild rock'n'roll."[15]
Uncut felt that the album's production was kept "authentically raw" without "any hint of '80s sweetener", which made the Long Ryders seem "urgent, primal, like a new breed of country-garage band."[16]
Track listing
Adapted from the album's liner notes.[17]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Final Wild Son" | Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy | 2:35 |
| 2. | "Still Get By" | McCarthy | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Ivory Tower" | Barry Shank | 3:00 |
| 4. | "Run Dusty Run" | Griffin, Greg Sowders | 2:24 |
| 5. | "(Sweet) Mental Revenge" | Mel Tillis | 2:50 |
| 6. | "Fair Game" | Griffin, McCarthy | 2:35 |
| 7. | "Tell It to the Judge on Sunday" | Griffin | 3:06 |
| 8. | "Wreck of the 809" | McCarthy, Tom Stevens | 3:54 |
| 9. | "Too Close to the Light" | Griffin, McCarthy, Stevens, Sowders | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Never Got to Meet the Mom" | Griffin | 2:14 |
| 11. | "I Had a Dream" | McCarthy | 3:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Join My Gang" (10-5-60 EP) | Griffin | 2:49 |
| 13. | "You Don't Know What's Right, You Don't Know What's Wrong" (10-5-60 EP) | McCarthy, Des Brewer | 4:03 |
| 14. | "10-5-60" (10-5-60 EP) | Griffin, Shanks | 3:12 |
| 15. | "The Trip" (10-5-60 EP, 1987 reissue) | McCarthy | 2:39 |
| 16. | "And She Rides" (10-5-60 EP) | Griffin, Sowders | 4:33 |
| 17. | "Born to Believe in You" (10-5-60 EP) | Griffin | 3:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Join My Gang" (10-5-60 EP) | Griffin | 2:49 |
| 13. | "You Don’t Know What’s Right, You Don’t Know What’s Wrong" (10-5-60 EP) | McCarthy, Brewer | 4:03 |
| 14. | "10-5-60" (10-5-60 EP) | Griffin, Shanks | 3:12 |
| 15. | "Born to Believe in You" (10-5-60 EP) | Griffin | 3:08 |
| 16. | "The Trip" (10-5-60 EP, 1987 reissue) | McCarthy | 2:39 |
| 17. | "And She Rides" (10-5-60 EP) | Griffin, Sowders | 4:33 |
| 18. | "Time Keeps Travelling" (5x5 sessions) | Griffin | 3:37 |
| 19. | "I Can’t Hide" (5x5 sessions) | Cyril Jordan, Chris Wilson | 3:11 |
| 20. | "Masters of War" (5x5 sessions) | Bob Dylan | 4:33 |
| 21. | "Still Get By" (Radio Tokyo demo sessions) | McCarthy | 2:53 |
| 22. | "10-5-60" (Radio Tokyo demo sessions) | Griffin, Shanks | 3:06 |
| 23. | "And She Rides" (Radio Tokyo demo sessions) | Griffin, Sowders | 4:00 |
| 24. | "Too Close to the Light" (Buckskin Mix, UK only B-side of "I Had a Dream") | Griffin, McCarthy, Stevens, Sowders | 3:55 |
- Notes
- Radio Tokyo demo sessions recorded at Radio Tokyo Studio, Venice, California, in 1982
- 10-5-60 EP recorded at Earle's Garage, Thousand Oaks, California, in 1983
- 5x5 sessions recorded at A&M Studios, Hollywood, California, in February 1985; "The Trip" originated at these sessions
Personnel
Adapted from the album's liner notes.[17]
- The Long Ryders
- Sid Griffin – guitar, harmonica, autoharp, bugle, vocals
- Stephen McCarthy – guitar, steel guitar, keyboards, mandolin, banjo, vocals
- Tom Stevens – bass, standup bass, vocals
- Greg Sowders – drums, percussion, vibraphone
- Additional musicians
- Gene Clark – additional vocals on "Ivory Tower"
- Dave Pearlman – steel guitar on "(Sweet) Mental Revenge"
- Phil Kenzie – tenor and baritone saxophone on "Tell It to the Judge on Sunday"
- Des Brewer – bass, vocals on 10-5-60 EP and Radio Tokyo sessions
- Technical
- Henry Lewy – producer, engineer
- Paul McKenna – producer, engineer
- Earle Mankey – producer, engineer (10-5-60 EP)
- The Long Ryders – producer (5x5 sessions)
- Ethan James – producer, engineer (Radio Tokyo demo sessions)
- Ed Colver – photography
Chart positions
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[5] | 1 |
References
- Hammershaug, Bjørn (27 March 2019). "Album by Album: Sid Griffin Tells the History of The Long Ryders". read.tidal.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- Hann, Michael (13 September 2016). "Cult heroes: the Long Ryders – the accidental creators of alt-country". theguardian.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- The Long Ryders - Singles & EPs on Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- The Best of the Long Ryders (CD liner notes). The Long Ryders. Prima. 2004.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- "The Long Ryders "Native Sons"". therisingstorm.net. 26 September 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- Fricke, David (2019). "Fricke's Picks: Long Ryders, Motorpsycho, Ace of Cups". rollingstone.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- Campbell, Al. "Native Sons – The Long Ryders | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- Stampede on Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019
- Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: The Long Ryders". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- Martin, Gavin. "Classic Rock – Native Sons review". sidgriffin.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- Fyfe, Andy. "Mojo – Native Sons review". sidgriffin.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- Ranson, Gerry. "R2 – Native Sons review". sidgriffin.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- Staunton, Terry. "Record Collector review". Record Collector. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- Robbins, Ira; Schinder, Scott. "TrouserPress.com :: Long Ryders". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- Hughes, Rob. "Uncut – Americana Album of the Month review". sidgriffin.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- Native Sons 2011 Deluxe Reissue on Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
