Nitty Gritty Dirt
Band
"20 Years Of Dirt: The
Best Of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band"
Reviewer: Steve Vrana from Aurora,
NE USA
I've been a huge fan of the Nitti Gritty Dirt Band since I purchased
their Uncle Charlie album in 1970--and I've bought every album
since. Unfortunately, now that I'm looking to replace my old
vinyl with CDs, I find that much of their catalog is out of print.
In the case of their Eighties output, however, it's not a major
tragedy. Much of what you'd want to hear from those albums is
on this disc (and the companion disc, More Great Dirt).Once you
get past the fact that the first ten years of dirt are covered
by only two songs (1970's "Mr. Bojangles" and 1975's
"Ripplin' Waters"), this collection adequately covers
the country radio-friendly tunes the Dirt Band recorded during
their peak commercial years. [In fact, why didn't Warner Brothers
simply focus on the Eighties? It would have made more sense than
trying to promote this as a 20-year retrospective.]Both "American
Dream" and "Make a Little Magic" returned the
Dirt Band to the pop charts for the first time in nearly a decade.
They also shed any resemblance to being a bluegrass/country-rock
band with the 1979 and 1980 albums those hits came from. With
their follow-up album, Jealousy, in 1981 they continued to pursue
a pop music course. "Fire in the Sky" from that album
was about as far as you could stylistcally get from "Mr.
Bonjangles." It wasn't until the return of long-time member
Jimmy Ibbotson (who left after the classic Dream album) that
the Dirt Band hit their stride again.It was Ibbotson who wrote
the joyous "Dance Little Jean," the energetic "High
Horse" and the band biography "Partners Brothers &
Friends," the latter with Jeff Hanna.In 1984, Bob Carpenter
joined the band on keyboards and vocals. His presence also added
another songwriter. It's Carpenter's lovely ballad "Stand
a Little Rain," released as a single and recorded specifically
for this collection, that closes the set.Unfortunately, this
five-man lineup would record only two albums: Plain Dirt Fashion
(1984) and Partners, Brothers and Friends (1985). After that
album, founding member John McEuen would leave the band in 1986.
[McEuen is a gifted banjo and fiddle player--as well as other
stringed instruments--and his solo albums are worth seeking out.]The
Dirt Band would record two more albums in the Eighties: Workin'
Band and Hold On. Songs from those albums along with tracks left
off this collection can be found on the equally excellent More
Great Dirt. These two "best ofs" offer an excellent
overview of the Nitti Gritty Dirt Band's Eighties output. RECOMMENDED |
