Eric Andersen's long-thought lost album
Stages features superior versions of six tunes which were reworked for
Be True to You, as well as three previously unavailable tracks. The record's centerpiece, the 8½-minute meditation "Time Run Like a Freight Train," and is as good as anything
Andersen has written, while "Woman, She Was Gentle" (with
Joan Baez on backing vocals) and "Moonchild River Song" (presented for the first time on record with all three verses) are exquisite examples of his romanticism at its best. He also shows a tougher side here with cuts like the Beat-inspired paean to
Patti Smith, "Wild Crow Blues," and the tongue-in-cheek rocker "I Love to Sing My Ballad Mama (But They Only Wanna Hear Me Rock and Roll)." Also included along with the nine original tracks, is the entrancing "Dream to Rimbaud," recorded around the time of
Blue River, and three new songs -- the Band-inspired ballad "Make It Last (Angel in the Wind)" (featuring
Garth Hudson and
Rick Danko), the tender "Lie With Me" and "Soul of My Song," an English translation of a song by Norwegian singer/songwriter
Jonas Fjeld. The new tunes which fit nicely on the record, also featured appearances by
Fjeld,
Shawn Colvin,
Willie Nile and Eric Brazilian of
the Hooters.