Search - New Grass Revival :: Grass Roots: The Best of New Grass Revival

Career-Spanning Retrospective

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 11/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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

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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?

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Grass Roots: The Best of New Grass Revival (Capitol)

Rex Flottman | Winfield, Kansas | 08/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

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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







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