This is former
Kingston Trio member
John Stewart's first of two long-players on Warner Brothers during the singer/songwriter epidemic of the early 1970s.
Lonesome Picker Rides Again (1971) echo not only the laidback sound of the era, but also the Northern California vibe that was likewise influencing the work of
Joni Mitchell,
Van Morrison,
the Youngbloods, and
the Beau Brummels and
Ron Elliot. Under the production and direction of younger brother Michael Stewart -- himself a one-time folkie with the
We Five -- the elder
Stewart provides a dozen folk-rock and country-flavored originals. The album is probably best remembered for including an infectious acoustic rendering of
Stewart's composition "Daydream Believer." Stripped of the syrupy strings and overbearing horn arrangement, the inherent beauty of the melody and quaint affective lyrics are more fully realized here than on
the Monkees' chart-topping version, or
Anne Murray's slick and thoroughly dismissible interpretation. But perhaps it is the "Wild Horse Road" and "All the Brave Horses" medley, or the semi-autobiographical "Freeway Pleasure" that most aptly reflects the sense of John Ford's widescreen, open-road Americana. This is especially true of the latter, as it seemingly defines the idealistic passion that captures the rugged pioneering Yankee spirit and independent determination. Instrumentally,
Stewart (guitar/vocals) is supported by West Coast session heavies
Buddy Emmons (pedal steel guitar),
Chris Darrow (violin/dobro),
Russ Kunkel (drums),
Leland Sklar (bass), ex-Hearts and Flowers member
Rick Cunha (vocals),
Peter Asher (vocals) of
Peter and Gordon fame,
Kate Taylor (vocals) and
Stewart's wife,
Buffy Ford (vocals). Even ex-
Modern Folk Quartet and famed rock & roll photographer
Henry "Tad" Diltz (harmonica/vocals) gets in the act, backing
Stewarton a few numbers. After spending the better part of two decades out of print, in 2003 Collectors' Choice Music issued
Lonesome Picker Rides Again on CD, domestically for the first time, restoring what is an otherwise essential entry into both the artists' catalog, as well as a highly underappreciated masterwork of the early 1970s folk-rock genre. ~ Lindsay Planer