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Album Review

The Long Ryders
Native Sons Prima Records

Article written by Ged M - Jun 17, 2011

Long Ryders: Native Sons

This expanded release of a record from 1984 isn’t just an exercise in nostalgia. Not only does it contain some excellent music that doesn’t sing out its age like a lot of that era’s music does, it acknowledged its roots and set a standard for what followed. If you think of the mixture of country, folk and rock’n’roll that became known as Americana, The Long Ryders were laying the template long before Whiskeytown and the rest came along. That makes it satisfying on a number of levels.

The Long Ryders were also part of that flowering of American independence in the 80s – contemporary with people like REM in Athens, Husker Du and the Replacements in Minneapolis and Los Lobos in East LA. But they were the only band who could reference everyone from Johnny Rotten to Gram Parsons, the Stooges to the Everly Brothers. They came together in Los Angeles but their influences were broader in time and geography, especially the bluegrass and country influences on Kentucky native Sid Griffin and Virginian Stephen McCarthy. They were first linked to the Paisley Underground (Griffin was in garage revival band The Unclaimed), which you hear in 'Too Close to the Light', but really it was much more complex than that. There's a strong 60s Byrds and Buffalo Springfield influence while, in an inspired move, they recruited the great Gene Clark for a vocal of soulful desolation on 'Ivory Tower'. Then there's wild country in their rowdy version of Waylon Jennings' 1967 hit '(Sweet) Mental Revenge’, a spectacular cover of the Flamin Groovies' 'I Can’t Hide', some punky bluegrass ('Too Close To The Light') and manic rock'n'roll ('Final Wild Son'). The bonus tracks are crackers too (one b-side, a couple of demos, three tracks from the abandoned 5x5 sessions), with the title track of the 1983 ‘10-5-60’ EP combusting with an intense punk spirit.

They actually got even better on their next release but Native Sons had (and still has) the fantastic energy of a debut record, and a winning mix of heartland style and West Coast attitude.

Links:
http://www.sidgriffin.com/long-ryders/
http://www.myspace.com/thelongryders