Cactus Juice
Encyclopedia
Cactus Juice is a two-CD
album
by the country rock
band the New Riders of the Purple Sage
. It was released by Arcadia Records in 2006. It is a repackaging of three complete New Riders albums from the 1970s — Home, Home on the Road
, Brujo
, and Oh, What a Mighty Time
.
, which was produced by Jerry Garcia
of the Grateful Dead
. Garcia had co-founded NRPS in 1969, along with John "Marmaduke" Dawson
and David Nelson
, and was the band's original pedal steel guitar
player. Home, Home on the Road features the "classic" early '70s lineup of the band — Dawson, Nelson, Dave Torbert
, Buddy Cage
, and Spencer Dryden
.
Disc one also includes four additional songs. These bonus tracks were recorded live at the Fillmore West
in 1971 and also had been previously released. The first three songs — "Down in the Boondocks", "The Weight
", and "Superman" — had originally appeared on the 2003 expanded re-release of the band's eponymous first album
. The fourth song, "Henry", was taken from the 1972 album Fillmore: The Last Days, by various artists. Garcia plays pedal steel on these tracks.
Before Brujo
was recorded, Skip Battin
, formerly of the Byrds
, had replaced Dave Torbert as the New Riders' bass player
, after Torbert left to join Kingfish
.
On Oh, What a Mighty Time
, Jerry Garcia plays guitar
on three songs — "Mighty Time", "I Heard You Been Layin' My Old Lady" and "Take a Letter Maria
". Sly Stone
plays keyboards
on "Mighty Time".
as part of the photo shoot for Oh, What a Mighty Time. Pictured from left to right are John Dawson, Spencer Dryden, David Nelson, Skip Battin, and Buddy Cage.
Bonus tracks:
Oh, What a Mighty Time:
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
band the New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red"...
. It was released by Arcadia Records in 2006. It is a repackaging of three complete New Riders albums from the 1970s — Home, Home on the Road
Home, Home on the Road
Home, Home on the Road is an album by the American country rock group the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Released by Columbia Records in 1974, it was their first live album, and their fifth album overall. The eleven songs on the album are a combination of originals and covers...
, Brujo
Brujo
Brujo is an album by the American country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage. It is their fifth studio album, and their sixth album overall. It was recorded in 1974 and released that same year by Columbia Records....
, and Oh, What a Mighty Time
Oh, What a Mighty Time
Oh, What a Mighty Time is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Their sixth studio album and their seventh album overall, it was released by Columbia Records in 1975.Oh, What a Mighty Time was produced by Bob Johnston...
.
Live in concert
The first disc was recorded live in concert. It includes the 1974 album Home, Home on the RoadHome, Home on the Road
Home, Home on the Road is an album by the American country rock group the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Released by Columbia Records in 1974, it was their first live album, and their fifth album overall. The eleven songs on the album are a combination of originals and covers...
, which was produced by Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
. Garcia had co-founded NRPS in 1969, along with John "Marmaduke" Dawson
John Dawson (musician)
John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
and David Nelson
David Nelson (musician)
David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
, and was the band's original pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
player. Home, Home on the Road features the "classic" early '70s lineup of the band — Dawson, Nelson, Dave Torbert
Dave Torbert
Dave Torbert was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the sessions for their first album...
, Buddy Cage
Buddy Cage
Buddy Cage is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known as a longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage....
, and Spencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
.
Disc one also includes four additional songs. These bonus tracks were recorded live at the Fillmore West
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
in 1971 and also had been previously released. The first three songs — "Down in the Boondocks", "The Weight
The Weight
"The Weight" is a song written by Robbie Robertson. It was released by The Band as Capitol Records single 2269 in 1968, and appeared one week later on the group's debut album Music from Big Pink. The song is listed as #41 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs of All Time published in 2004, and...
", and "Superman" — had originally appeared on the 2003 expanded re-release of the band's eponymous first album
New Riders of the Purple Sage (album)
New Riders of the Purple Sage is the self-titled debut album by the American country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was released by Columbia Records in 1971, and reached number 39 on the Billboard charts....
. The fourth song, "Henry", was taken from the 1972 album Fillmore: The Last Days, by various artists. Garcia plays pedal steel on these tracks.
In the studio
The second disc was recorded in the studio. It consists of the 1974 album Brujo and the 1975 album Oh, What a Mighty Time.Before Brujo
Brujo
Brujo is an album by the American country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage. It is their fifth studio album, and their sixth album overall. It was recorded in 1974 and released that same year by Columbia Records....
was recorded, Skip Battin
Skip Battin
Clyde "Skip" Battin was an American singer–songwriter, performer and recording artist. He is best remembered as a member of The Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers...
, formerly of the Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, had replaced Dave Torbert as the New Riders' bass player
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, after Torbert left to join Kingfish
Kingfish (band)
Kingfish is an American rock band led by Matthew Kelly, a musician, singer, and songwriter who plays guitar and harmonica. Kelly co-founded Kingfish in 1973 with New Riders of the Purple Sage bass player Dave Torbert and fellow San Francisco Bay Area musicians Robbie Hoddinott, Chris Herold, and...
.
On Oh, What a Mighty Time
Oh, What a Mighty Time
Oh, What a Mighty Time is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Their sixth studio album and their seventh album overall, it was released by Columbia Records in 1975.Oh, What a Mighty Time was produced by Bob Johnston...
, Jerry Garcia plays guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
on three songs — "Mighty Time", "I Heard You Been Layin' My Old Lady" and "Take a Letter Maria
Take A Letter Maria
"Take a Letter Maria" is a song written and recorded by R. B. Greaves, an American soul singer. The song has a Latin music flavor, complete with a mariachi-style horn section. It tells of a man who learns of his wife's infidelity the night before and dictates a letter of separation to "Maria", his...
". Sly Stone
Sly Stone
Sly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
plays keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
on "Mighty Time".
Cover
The cover photo for Cactus Juice was taken by Herb GreeneHerb Greene
Herb Greene is an American photographer known for his photographs of 1960s San Francisco musicians.-Career:Herb Greene was part of the 1960s San Francisco art scene and a friend of many of psychedelic rock musicians of the era...
as part of the photo shoot for Oh, What a Mighty Time. Pictured from left to right are John Dawson, Spencer Dryden, David Nelson, Skip Battin, and Buddy Cage.
Disc one
Home, Home on the Road:- "Hi, Hello, How Are You" (John DawsonJohn Dawson (musician)John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
) – 2:30 - "She's No Angel" (J.W. Arnold, Wanda Ballman) – 3:09
- "Groupie" (Dave TorbertDave TorbertDave Torbert was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the sessions for their first album...
) – 2:43 - "Sunday Susie" (Dawson) – 2:37
- "Kick in the Head" (Robert HunterRobert Hunter (lyricist)Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
) – 3:13 - "Truck Drivin' ManTruck Drivin' Man"Truck Drivin' Man" is a popular country song written and recorded by Terry Fell in 1954. One of his band members, Buck Owens, sang harmony with him on the recording....
" (Terry Fell) – 3:10 - "Hello Mary LouHello Mary Lou"Hello Mary Lou" is a song written by U.S. singer Gene Pitney and Cayet Mangiaracina and performed by Ricky Nelson in English and German in 1961. It reached #9 on the Billboard music charts on May 28, 1961, although the other side of the single, "Travelin' Man", hit #1...
" (Gene PitneyGene PitneyEugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
) – 3:47 - "Sutter's Mill" (Dawson) – 2:10
- "Dead Flowers" (Mick JaggerMick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, Keith RichardsKeith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
) – 4:01 - "Henry" (Dawson) – 4:43
- "School DaysSchool Days (song)"School Days" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll icon Chuck Berry, released by the Chess record label as a single in March 1957, and released on the LP After School Session two months later . It is one of his best known songs and is often considered a rock and roll anthem...
" (Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
) – 3:33
Bonus tracks:
- "Down in the Boondocks" (Joe South) – 4:03
- "The WeightThe Weight"The Weight" is a song written by Robbie Robertson. It was released by The Band as Capitol Records single 2269 in 1968, and appeared one week later on the group's debut album Music from Big Pink. The song is listed as #41 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs of All Time published in 2004, and...
" (Robbie RobertsonRobbie RobertsonRobbie Robertson, OC; is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership as the guitarist and primary songwriter within The Band. He was ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
) – 7:36 - "Superman" (Dawson) – 4:04
- "Henry" (Dawson) – 4:05
Disc two
Brujo:- "Old Man Noll" (Dawson) – 2:44
- "Ashes of Love" (Jack AnglinJack AnglinJack Anglin was an American country music singer best known as a member of The Anglin Brothers, and later Johnnie & Jack with Johnnie Wright....
, Johnnie WrightJohnnie WrightJohnnie Robert Wright, Jr. , known professionally as Johnnie Wright, was an American country music singer-songwriter who spent much of his career working with Jack Anglin as the popular duo Johnnie & Jack, and was also the husband of Kitty Wells.-Early life and career:Born in Mount Juliet,...
) – 2:14 - "You Angel You" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 2:43 - "Instant Armadillo Blues" (Dawson) – 2:52
- "Workingman's Woman" (Troy SealsTroy SealsTroy Seals is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.He is a member of the prominent Seals family of musicians that includes, Jim Seals and Dan Seals and Brady Seals...
, Will JenningsWill JenningsWilbur H. "Will" Jennings is an American songwriter who is popularly known for writing the lyrics for "My Heart Will Go On", the theme for the film Titanic .-Life and education:...
, Don Goodman) – 2:44 - "On the Amazon" (Skip BattinSkip BattinClyde "Skip" Battin was an American singer–songwriter, performer and recording artist. He is best remembered as a member of The Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers...
, Kim FowleyKim FowleyKim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
) – 3:34 - "Big Wheels" (Battin, Fowley) – 3:00
- "Singing Cowboy" (Battin, Fowley) – 3:57
- "Crooked Judge" (Hunter, David NelsonDavid Nelson (musician)David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
) – 2:59 - "Parson Brown" (Dawson) – 3:06
- "Neon Rose" (Battin, Fowley) – 4:24
Oh, What a Mighty Time:
- "Mighty Time" (Don NixDon NixDon Nix is a songwriter, composer, arranger, musician, and author. Although cited as being "obscure", he is a key figure in several genres of Southern rock and Soul, R&B, and the Blues...
) – 5:13 - "I Heard You Been Layin' My Old Lady" (Russell WierRusty WierRussell Allen "Rusty" Wier was an American singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas.Wier's career dates back to the 1970s and covers multiple music genres...
) – 3:24 - "Strangers on a Train" (Battin, Fowley) – 2:45
- "Up Against the Wall, Redneck" (Ray Wylie HubbardRay Wylie HubbardRay Wylie Hubbard is an American Texas Country singer and songwriter.-Early life:Hubbard grew up in southeastern town of Hugo, Oklahoma. His family moved to Oak Cliff in south Dallas, Texas in 1954. He attended W. H. Adamson High School with Michael Martin Murphey, who had his own band at the time...
) – 4:13 - "Take a Letter, MariaTake A Letter Maria"Take a Letter Maria" is a song written and recorded by R. B. Greaves, an American soul singer. The song has a Latin music flavor, complete with a mariachi-style horn section. It tells of a man who learns of his wife's infidelity the night before and dictates a letter of separation to "Maria", his...
" (R. B. GreavesR. B. GreavesRonald Bertram Aloysius "R. B." Greaves III is a singer who had chart success in 1969 with the pop single "Take a Letter Maria". A #2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, this single sold one million copies and earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America...
) – 4:07 - "Little Old Lady" (Richard Wilbur) – 2:52
- "On Top of Old SmokyOn Top of Old Smoky"On Top of Old Smoky" is a traditional folk song and a well-known ballad of the United States which, as recorded by The Weavers, reached the pop music charts in 1951....
" (traditional, arranged and adapted by Frank WakefieldFrank WakefieldFranklin Delano Roosevelt Wakefield is an innovative American mandolin player in the bluegrass music style. Wakefield is known for his collaborations with a number of important and well-known bands, including Red Allen, Don Reno, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman and the Greenbriar Boys.-Biography:Born...
) – 2:39 - "Over and Over" (Dawson) – 3:08
- "La BambaLa Bamba (song)"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs...
" (Richie Valens) – 3:44 - "Going Round the Horn" (Dawson, Wakefield) – 3:33
- "Farewell, Angelina" (Dylan) – 2:42
Personnel
- John DawsonJohn Dawson (musician)John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
– guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - David NelsonDavid Nelson (musician)David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
– guitar, vocals - Dave TorbertDave TorbertDave Torbert was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the sessions for their first album...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals (disc one) - Skip BattinSkip BattinClyde "Skip" Battin was an American singer–songwriter, performer and recording artist. He is best remembered as a member of The Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers...
– bass, vocals (disc two) - Buddy CageBuddy CageBuddy Cage is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known as a longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage....
– pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
(disc one tracks 1 – 11 and disc two) - Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
– pedal steel guitar (disc one tracks 12 – 15) - Spencer DrydenSpencer DrydenSpencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....