Long Ryders & Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Got a couple 2-CD sets this week that are great American roots music. You need these:

The Long Ryders - ANTHOLOGY (1998/Polygram 558280)

Fans of Buffalo Springfield, Flying Burrito Brothers, early R.E.M., The Byrds, Sixteen Horsepower, Gram Parsons, Uncle Tupelo, and the whole No Depression/alt.country genre should seek out this excellent compilation that's unfortunately already OOP. Yeah, yeah, I know, but that'll make the music that much more gratifying when you find it.

Taken for granted in their time, possibly because their sources were so transparent, The Long Ryders sounds a lot better now that I'm not worried about bands being "original." Anyway, it sounds a lot more original than I gave them credit for. Trust me: if you know the bands above, you'll love this. How did "10-5-60" not become a hit single?

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN VOLUME III (2002/Capitol 40177)

So like millions of others, your co-worker bought the O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? SOUNDTRACK, and is driving the office insane playing it over and over on his office computer. You've drawn his name in the Secret Santa pool, so what can you get him that will improve everyone's listening pleasure? Skip the dozens of O BROTHER lookalike compilations and stop your bucks here. It's a little more dark and mournful than VOLUME I, and the guest artists probably aren't as recognizable as they were on VOLUME II, but I think this one's the best of the bunch. I'm already looking foward to VOLUME IV in 2008!