Alive (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album)
Encyclopedia
Alive is the 1969 album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (aka The Dirt Band) is notable for having many charting albums and singles.
Liberty Records released this album after the original version of the band broke up and before the next version of the band resigned with them. It appears to have been recorded in 1967, which is before some of the material on previous album Rare Junk.
Buy For Me The Rain is introduced by Jeff Hanna. He makes a few jokes about how fleeting was the fame of this hit record from their first album.
Candy Man is also from their first album and is close to that version.
Foggy Mountain Breakdown is a banjo instrumental played by John McEuen. He pulls a false start for laughs. It is introduced by Jeff Hanna with a long story about how John won the King O Da Banjo contest.
Rock Me Baby is a B. B. King blues song originally released in 1964. This version was dedicated by the band to a couple celebrating their first anniversary. It starts with harmonica for 16 bars, and then joined by electric guitar for 16 more. Vocals are bluesy. Piano comes in later.
Fat Boys (Can't Make It In Santa Monica) is a silly song written by band members Jeff Hanna and Chris Darrow. They both sing and play acoustic guitar. The lyric implies that the girls in Santa Monica are not picky.
Alligator Man was written by Floyd Chance in 1962. It has a upbeat Cajun feel, featuring harmonica, accordion, and fiddle. The lyrics are the Alligator Man describing his life in the bayou hunting alligators. While introducing the song, Jeff talks about spending the previous summer filming "Paint Your Wagon".
Crazy Words, Crazy Tune is sung in slow motion this time for laughs.
Goodnight, My Love, Pleasant Dreams was written by John Marascalco and George Motola in 1956 and originally released by Jesse Belvin the same year. It is a romantic ballad in a 50s style. It is introduced with a long, humorous description of young people in the 50s.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (aka The Dirt Band) is notable for having many charting albums and singles.
Liberty Records released this album after the original version of the band broke up and before the next version of the band resigned with them. It appears to have been recorded in 1967, which is before some of the material on previous album Rare Junk.
Reception
The Allmusic review by Bruce Eder awarded the album 4 stars stating "How many live albums -- forget decent ones -- were left behind by bands in 1967/68? This is one, and it's better than decent, and almost a gift from heaven, capturing an early incarnation of the group (circa 1967) on a good night at the L.A. Troubadour. Someone has earned a place in musical heaven for seeing to recording the show.".Track listing
- "Crazy Words Tunes" (Jack YellenJack YellenJack Selig Yellen was an American lyricist and screenwriter.-Life and career:Born in Poland, Yellen emigrated with his family to the United States when he was five years old. The oldest of seven children, he was raised in Buffalo, New York and began writing songs in high school...
, Milton AgerMilton AgerMilton Ager was an American composer.Ager was born in Chicago, Illinois, the sixth of nine children. Leaving school with only three years of formal high-school education, he taught himself to play the piano and embarked on a career as a musician. After spending time as an accompanist to silent...
) – 1:39 - "Buy for Me the Rain" (Steve Noonan, Greg Copeland) – 3:12
- "Candy Man" (Rev. Gary Davis) – 2:36
- "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (Earl ScruggsEarl ScruggsEarl Eugene Scruggs is an American musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger banjo-picking style that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music...
) – 5:04 - "Rock Me Baby" (B.B. King, Jules Taub) – 5:51
- "Fat Boys (Can't Make It in Santa Monica)" (Jeff Hanna, Chris Darrow) – 1:41
- "Alligator Man" (Floyd Chance) – 3:43
- "Crazy Words, Crazy Tunes" (Jack Yellen, Milton Ager) – 3:48
- "Goodnight, My Love, Pleasant Dreams" (George Motola, John MarascalcoJohn MarascalcoJohn Marascalco is an American songwriter, who is most noted for his collaborations with Robert Blackwell...
) – 10:11
Personnel
- Ralph Barr
- John McEuenJohn McEuenJohn McEuen , is an American folk musician and entertainer. He was one of the earliest members of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He played with the band from 1966 to 1986, and returned in 2001.The group prior to that 'dissolved' a few times briefly, but none as long as in 1968, right after spending 4...
– Banjo - Jeff Hanna – Vocals
- Jimmie Fadden – Harmonica
- Les Thompson
- Chris Darrow
About The Songs
Crazy Words Tunes is not significantly different from the version on their first album.Buy For Me The Rain is introduced by Jeff Hanna. He makes a few jokes about how fleeting was the fame of this hit record from their first album.
Candy Man is also from their first album and is close to that version.
Foggy Mountain Breakdown is a banjo instrumental played by John McEuen. He pulls a false start for laughs. It is introduced by Jeff Hanna with a long story about how John won the King O Da Banjo contest.
Rock Me Baby is a B. B. King blues song originally released in 1964. This version was dedicated by the band to a couple celebrating their first anniversary. It starts with harmonica for 16 bars, and then joined by electric guitar for 16 more. Vocals are bluesy. Piano comes in later.
Fat Boys (Can't Make It In Santa Monica) is a silly song written by band members Jeff Hanna and Chris Darrow. They both sing and play acoustic guitar. The lyric implies that the girls in Santa Monica are not picky.
Alligator Man was written by Floyd Chance in 1962. It has a upbeat Cajun feel, featuring harmonica, accordion, and fiddle. The lyrics are the Alligator Man describing his life in the bayou hunting alligators. While introducing the song, Jeff talks about spending the previous summer filming "Paint Your Wagon".
Crazy Words, Crazy Tune is sung in slow motion this time for laughs.
Goodnight, My Love, Pleasant Dreams was written by John Marascalco and George Motola in 1956 and originally released by Jesse Belvin the same year. It is a romantic ballad in a 50s style. It is introduced with a long, humorous description of young people in the 50s.