Shop

Descrizione

PREMESSA: LA SUPERIORITA’ DELLA MUSICA SU VINILE E’ ANCOR OGGI SANCITA, NOTORIA ED EVIDENTE. NON TANTO DA UN PUNTO DI VISTA DI RESA, QUALITA’ E PULIZIA DEL SUONO, TANTOMENO DA QUELLO DEL RIMPIANTO RETROSPETTIVO E NOSTALGICO , MA SOPRATTUTTO DA QUELLO PIU’ PALPABILE ED INOPPUGNABILE DELL’ ESSENZA, DELL’ ANIMA E DELLA SUBLIMAZIONE CREATIVA. IL DISCO IN VINILE HA PULSAZIONE ARTISTICA, PASSIONE ARMONICA E SPLENDORE GRAFICO , E’ PIACEVOLE DA OSSERVARE E DA TENERE IN MANO, RISPLENDE, PROFUMA E VIBRA DI VITA, DI EMOZIONE E  DI SENSIBILITA’. E’ TUTTO QUELLO CHE NON E’ E NON POTRA’ MAI ESSERE IL CD, CHE AL CONTRARIO E’ SOLO UN OGGETTO MERAMENTE COMMERCIALE, POVERO, ARIDO, CINICO, STERILE ED ORWELLIANO,  UNA DEGENERAZIONE INDUSTRIALE SCHIZOFRENICA E NECROFILA, LA DESOLANTE SOLUZIONE FINALE DELL’ AVIDITA’ DEL MERCATO E DELL’ ARROGANZA DEI DISCOGRAFICI .

THE DILLARDS
roots and branches

 

Disco LP 33 giri , 1972, Anthem  , ANS – 5901 , Usa, first pressing

OTTIME CONDIZIONI, vinyl ex++/NM , cover ex++ cut corner / angolo inferiore sinistro tagliato.

Roots and Branches is the sixth album by bluegrass group The Dillards,
and their only for Anthem Records. The group is listed for this album
only as “Dillards” with no “The.” It was their most successful album,
their only LP to reach the album charts (at number 79). Musically, Roots and Branches pushes further into rock territory, continuing the work of its two predecessors, 1968’s Wheatstraw Suite and 1970’s Copperfields.
The orchestras of the previous albums are absent, and emphasis is
placed on the rock rhythm section. Electric guitars and drums feature
on almost every song. Roots and Branches does, however, retain the Dillards’ traditional roots, especially in their a capella rendering of Man of Constant Sorrow, and the album opener Redbone Hound (though the latter features an overdriven electric guitar).

Herb Pederson, Doug Dillard’s replacement and a major singer and songwriter for Wheatstraw Suite and Copperfields, left the group before this album and was replaced by bluegrass veteran Billy Ray Latham.
Mitch Jayne, a longtime staple of the group, is nominally a Dillard on
the album but does not play the major role he formerly did. He would
soon leave the group to pursue a career as a novelist.

 

• Interprete: Dillards
• Etichetta: Anthem
• Catalogo: ANS-5901
• Data di pubblicazione: 1972
• Matrici: ANS 5901 – 1   /  ANS 5901 – 2

• Supporto:vinile 33 giri
• Tipo audio: stereo
• Dimensioni: 30 cm.
• Facciate: 2
• Gatefold textured cover / copertina apribile in cartoncino speciale simil-tessuto, brown label, white paper inner sleeve, cut-out / copia promozionale con puntina dell’ angolo tagliata

 

Musicians

• Rodney Dillard
• Billy Ray Latham
• Dean Webb
• Mitch Jayne
• Paul York

 

The Dillards, by the early 1970s, were becoming a revolving door for
talent that never stuck around long enough to really gel. Herb
Pedersen, whose estimable gifts energized the group on the landmark
albums “Wheatstraw Suite” and “Copperfields,” had departed for greener
pastures and wordsmith Mitch Jayne, busy tending to his budding career
as an author, was a “Dillard emeritus.” This left only Rodney Dillard
and Dean Webb from the original line-up to carry on with an
ever-changing roster of sometime/part-time Dillards. Having blazed the
country-rock trail that everybody would follow, Rodney’s muse was now
leading him down another path, and it was Electric.

Their only
album for Anthem Records, “Roots and Branches” signaled a bold
declaration of independence from the old school of Elecktra Records and
sported a handsome, sepia-toned textured cover (depicting the now
five-man group as countrified hippies) with a gatefold design normally
reserved for rock bands. As if to distance the record from the
laid-back vibe that permeated “Wheatstraw” and “Copperfields,” the
album opens with an aggressive blast from newcomer Billy Ray Lathum’s
heavily electrified/fuzzed banjo on “Redbone Hound,” one of two
middling solo compositions by Rodney. The rest of the album is a
headlong plunge into mainstream rock territory, with only token nods to
the “roots and branches” of bluegrass via stingy dollops of banjo and
mandolin. This is the favorite album of a lot of Dillards fans, but
it’s low on my list. Despite a few stand-out cuts, notably the lovely
ballad “Forget Me Not” and the bouncy “Big Bayou,” the record is almost
downbeat. Although he sings them well, “angry young man” songs like
“Last Morning” and “Get Out of the Road” just don’t fit Rodney’s mellow
persona. The album’s coda, a gorgeous a capella version of “Man of
Constant Sorrow,” recalls the thrilling tight-wire work of “Wheatstraw”
and “Copperfields,” but it’s not enough to salvage the record from
time’s cut-out bin.

(Strange but true: As the opening act for
Elton John – really! – on Captain Fantastic’s first American tour in
1972, The Dillards got priceless stadium exposure that helped “Roots
and Branches” earn career-high chart placements for the band on
“Billboard” and “Cashbox.”)

 

The Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, consisting of Douglas “Doug” Dillard (born March 6, 1937 East St. Louis, Illinois) (banjo), Rodney “Rod” Dillard (born May 18, 1942 Salem, Missouri) (guitar, dobro), Dean Webb (born March 28, 1937 Independence, Missouri) (mandolin), and Mitch Jayne (born July 5, 1930 Hammond, Indiana) (double bass).

Other members of the band have included Dewey Martin (drums), Herb Pedersen (banjo, guitar), Billy Ray Latham (banjo, guitar, electric guitar), Ray Park (fiddle), Paul York (drums), Jeff Gilkinson (bass, cello, harmonica, banjo), Douglas Bounsall (electric guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle), Byron Berline (fiddle), Irv Dugan (bass), Bill Bryson (bass), Glen D. Hardin (keyboards), Seth Papas (drums), Buddy Blackmon (banjo), Rick McEwen (bass), Ric Williams (drums), Joe Villegas (bass), Eddie Ponder (drums), Pete Grand (banjo, steel guitar), Steve Cooley (banjo, guitar, upright bass), Wilbur Pace (banjo, fiddle, and Richard Godfrey (drums).

The Andy Griffith Show

Though The Dillards were a tremendous influence on the main core of musicians who started Southern California’s country rock
movement in the late 1960s (which further extended from that genre into
today’s country music), their biggest claim to fame is playing the
fictional bluegrass band “The Darlings” on the The Andy Griffith Show. This was a recurring role and the Dillards were led by veteran character actor Denver Pyle as their father and jug player, Briscoe Darling. Maggie Peterson played Charlene Darling, their sister and the focus for the attentions of character Ernest T. Bass, played by Howard Morris.
The appearances of the Dillards as the Darlings ran between 1963 and
1966. In 1986, the Dillards reprised the role in the reunion show Return to Mayberry.

Pioneering Influences

The Dillards are notable for being among the first bluegrass groups to have electrified their instruments in the mid-1960s. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the burgeoning southern California folk rock, country rock and so-called progressive bluegrass genres, and are known to have directly or indirectly influenced artists such as The Eagles, The Byrds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, Iain Matthews, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Elton John, Fairport Convention, The New Grass Revival, J. D. Crowe and the New South, Ricky Skaggs, The Seldom Scene, The Dixie Bee-Liners, and Joe Bethancourt.

The Dillards’ roots sank deep into the mainstream of popular music
— after leaving The Dillards in 1968, Doug Dillard teamed up with Gene Clark who had just left The Byrds to form Phoenix at A&M records with Laramy Smith and led to the formation of Dillard & Clark. This pioneering duo also featured as session players a veritable who’s-who of Southern California country rock legends, such as Bernie Leadon, an original member of The Flying Burrito Brothers & later the archetypal country rock group The Eagles; Chris Hillman, who also had left The Byrds and also played in FBB with Leadon; Sneaky Pete Kleinow, another FBB member; Laramy Smith and Michael Clarke, former drummer for The Byrds. This group was one of the blueprints for the country-rock movement.

Trivia

• Doug, Rodney and Byron Berline can be seen in the movie The Rose starring Bette Midler. They played musicians in Harry Dean Stanton‘s band and their faces can be seen on the screen for around ten minutes.
• Doug Dillard appears as “Farmer Clem” in Robert Altman‘s movie Popeye, which starred Robin Williams and features a musical score by Harry Nilsson.
  A soundtrack album was released on Boardwalk records (SWAL 36880), the
  basic tracks were recorded on location in Malta by “The Falcons” (Ray
  Cooper, Doug Dillard, Harry Nilsson, Van Dyke Parks, Klaus Voormann, and The Mysterious Karsten). Nilsson wrote all of the songs except for “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man”.
• Rodney sings the Dillards song “There Is A Time” (written by Rodney and Mitch Jayne) on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album Will The Circle Be Unbroken – Part 3.
• Doug joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry, who also appeared in “Popeye,” for the In the Heat of the Night (TV Series)
  cast CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing “Christmas Time’s A
  Comin'” with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one
  of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern
  retailers

One of the leading lights of progressive bluegrass in the ’60s, the
Dillards played a major part in modernizing and popularizing the sound
of bluegrass, and were also an underappreciated influence on
country-rock. The group was founded by brothers Doug (banjo) and Rodney
Dillard (guitar), who grew up in Salem, MO, playing music together.
During the late ’50s, they appeared often on local radio and performed
with several different area bands, including the Hawthorn Brothers, the
Lewis Brothers, and the Dixie Ramblers; they also recorded a couple of
singles for the St. Louis-based K-Ark label as the Dillard Brothers in
1958. In 1960, they decided to form their own group, recruiting DJ pal
Mitch Jayne on bass, as well as mandolin player Dean Webb. Christening
themselves the Dillards, the quartet decided to move to Los Angeles in
1962, and were quickly signed to Elektra after being discovered at a
gig with the Greenbriar Boys. Not long after, the group landed a
recurring role on The Andy Griffith Show, appearing in several episodes
over the next few years as a musically inclined hillbilly family called
the Darlings. Meanwhile, the Dillards released their debut album, Back
Porch Bluegrass, in 1963, and also teamed up with Glen Campbell and Tut
Taylor for the side project the Folkswingers, who went on to release
two albums. The Dillards’ second album, 1964’s concert set Live!
Almost!, captured their controversial move into amplified electric
instruments, which was considered heresy by many bluegrass purists;
they also began to tour with rock groups, most notably the Byrds. In
response to purist criticism, the group followed Live! Almost! in 1965
with the more traditional Pickin’ & Fiddlin’, which featured
co-billing for fiddler Byron Berline. Dissatisfied with the way Elektra
was marketing them, the Dillards switched labels to Capitol, but found
a similar lack of kindred spirits in the producers they worked with
there, and wound up returning to Elektra without releasing an album.
Meanwhile, Doug and Rodney were increasingly at odds over the group’s
creative direction, with Rodney pursuing a more radical break with
tradition than Doug. Doug moonlighted in the backing band for ex-Byrd
Gene Clark’s groundbreaking collaboration with the Gosdin Brothers, and
after he and Rodney recorded some material for the Bonnie & Clyde
film soundtrack in 1967, he decided to leave the Dillards and strike
out on his own. Doug soon teamed up with Gene Clark as Dillard &
Clark and recorded some highly regarded material before starting a solo
career that remained productive through the ’70s. Rodney, meanwhile,
replaced his brother with banjoist Herb Pedersen, and the Dillards
recorded what many critics regard as their masterwork, Wheatstraw
Suite. Released in 1968, the album displayed Rodney’s progressive
eclecticism in full cry, featuring fuller instrumentation and covers of
the Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and Tim Hardin’s “Reason to
Believe.” Though it wasn’t a hit, critics and musicians praised its
unpredictable mix of bluegrass, country, folk, rock, and pop. 1970’s
Copperfields took a similarly adventurous approach, and drummer Paul
York became an official member of the group. Unfortunately, Elektra was
still somewhat mystified by their music, and they parted ways again.
Pedersen departed in 1972 to join Byron Berline’s band, Country
Gazette, and was replaced by Billy Ray Latham; by this time, the
Dillards had signed with the smaller Anthem label, where they landed
their only charting pop hit, “It’s About Time,” in 1971. An opening
slot on tour with Elton John in 1972 helped Roots & Branches become
their biggest-selling album to date, but the group subsequently
switched over to the Poppy label for their follow-up, 1973’s
country-rock effort Tribute to the American Duck. Mitch Jayne left the
group in 1974, partly due to hearing loss, and was replaced by new
bassist Jeff Gilkinson. It took several years to reconvene for their
next album, 1977’s The Dillards vs. the Incredible L.A. Time Machine,
which was released on Flying Fish. Latham subsequently departed and was
replaced by Doug Bounsall, and Herb Pederson also returned for the
group’s next two albums, 1978’s Mountain Rock (after which Paul York
retired) and 1979’s Decade Waltz. Also in 1979, the group reunited with
Doug Dillard and other past members (and relatives) for the Salem, MO,
concert celebration Homecoming and Family Reunion. Following that
performance, most of the Dillards left the group. Rodney Dillard and
Dean Webb briefly organized a new lineup that featured Joe Villegas,
Eddie Ponder, and Peter Grant, but it proved short-lived; Rodney
subsequently formed the Rodney Dillard Band and settled in Branson, MO.
In 1988, the original Dillards lineup reunited for a series of
performances, and interest in the group was rekindled thanks to the
publicity surrounding The Andy Griffith Show’s 30th anniversary. With
new member Steve Cooley later taking Doug Dillard’s place, the group
cut two new albums for Vanguard, 1990’s Let It Fly and 1992’s Take Me
Along for the Ride. The group reunited several times throughout the
’90s for concert performances, and both Doug and Rodney continued to
pursue their own ventures.

Una volta definito l’acquisto, paga immediatamente con la tua carta di credito tramite PayPal!