The Long Ryders - Native Sons

 

I'll have to admit it, at the time that Sid and Barry split off from the Unclaimed, I was not a big fan of the Long Ryders. Part of it was their "desertion" - I had only played with the band for about 6 months when they left and was bummed to have to regroup - and certainly part of it was that they gained popularity almost immediately, which garnered jealousy on my part, for sure. That combined with the fact that I was at the height of my garage-punk obsession meant that I was not knocked out by their Byrds/country sounds.

As much as the Unclaimed emulated the likes of the Seeds, Music Machine, Sonics, Chocolate Watchband, etc., I think that the Long Ryders would freely admit that they worshipped the sounds of Gram Parsons' country-fueled vision of the Byrds. Of course, Sid used to wear his Roger McGuinn "granny glasses" in the Unclaimed, and he played a couple 12 string numbers, but in creating the LR's, the band went full force into the Byrds-ian realm.

This album could practically be a lost Byrds record, complete with the addition of Gene Clark on one number. Most of the songs highlight that concept, with 12 string and pedal steel guitars, autoharp, mandolin, banjo, etc., and layers of harmony vocals. There are obvious Dylan influences/homages, some Tom Petty/REM-like college rock-isms and even a couple hints of Sid's fuzz-y garage and psych background.

I hadn't listened to this in ages and pulled it out today on a whim and while there are some good moments - and they certainly hit a popularity with this that nothing that I ever did could ever come close to - they are still too clean and safe for me. Of course, that is kinda what they were going for and while I love many of their influences, I'm still not a huge fan. Again, could be my pettiness and previous relationships, so take it with a barrel of salt. But if you're a Gram Parsons/Byrds fan, you should definitely give it a listen.