"Live! Takin' The Stage/Just Fly/Can't Hold Back" by PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE – September 1977 (2LP-set), March 1978 and June 1979 Studio Albums on RCA Victor Records (August 2022 UK Beat Goes On Compilation – 3LPs onto 2CDs (First is a 2LP-set on CD1, Two Studio Sets on CD2) – Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Can’t Hold Back..."

 

This is the third installment by England's Beat Goes on Records reintroducing the Seventies back catalogue of PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE onto Remastered CDs (see list below).

 

A Country-Rock phenomenon in the States (they charted nine albums there between 1975 and 1981 alone) – Cincinnati's PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE has never really meant diddly in the UK. Even at the heights of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Eagles Country-Rock dominance in the mid-Seventies - I can recall PPL albums (on the ultra-hick RCA label) being reduced to pennies in secondhand racks for years. That isn't to say there aren't melodies galore to be had here – there are.

 

This time round we get an entire live double from 1978 on CD1 (joyous and raucous stuff) with two further studio platters from 1978 and 1979 onto CD2 – all of it originally on RCA Victor Records in the States (only the 1979 album got a UK release). Newly remastered in 2022 to perfection by BGO's resident Audio Engineer impresario-splendido ANDREW THOMPSON, there's lots to discuss so let's have at it:

 

UK released Friday, 5 August 2022 - "Live! Takin' The Stage/Just Fly/Can't Hold Back" by PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE on Beat Goes On BGOCD1484 (Barcode 5017261214843) offers 3LPs (the first a 2LP-set) Remastered onto 2CDs as follows:

 

CD1 (74:33 minutes):

1. Kansas City Southern [Side 1]

2. Harvest 

3. I'll Change Your Flat Tyre, Merle

4. Lucille Crawfield 

5. Two Lane Highway 

6. Country Song [Side 2]

7. Out In The Street 

8. Dark Colours

9. That'll Be The Day 

10. Sun Shone Lightly

11. Heart Of Her Own

12. Amie [Side 3]

13. Pickin' to Beat The Devil

14. Kentucky Moonshine

15. Fade Away

16. Feelin' of Love

17. Dance [Side 4]

18. Louise (What I Did)

19. All The Lonesome Cowboys 

20. Came Through

Tracks 1 to 20 are the live double-album "Live! Takin' The Stage" - released September 1977 USA on RCA Victor CPL2-240 (no UK issue). Produced by ALAN ABRAHAMS - it peaked at No. 68 on the US Billboard Rock LP charts.

 

CD2 (73:46 minutes): 

1. Place In The Middle [Side 1]

2. Slim Pickin's 

3. Love Will Grow 

4. You Don't Have To Be Alone

5. Love Is Falling 

6. Just Fly [Side 2]

7. Lifetime 

8. Working in The Coal Mine 

9. My Young Girl 

10. Bad Dream

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Just Fly" - released March 1978 on RCA Victor AFL 1-2590 in the USA and June 1978 UK on RCA Victor PL-12590. Produced by ALAN ABRAHAMS - it peaked at No. 79 on the US Billboard Rock charts,

 

11. I Can't Hold Back [Side 1]

12. I Can't Believe

13. Rude Rude Awakening

14. White Line 

15. Misery Train 

16. Restless Woman [Side 2]

17. I'm Goin' Away 

18. Jerene

19. Livin' It Alone 

20. Fool Fool

21. Goodbye So Long

Tracks 11 to 21 are the album "Can't Hold Back" - released June 1979 on RCA Victor AFL 1-3335 in the USA, June 1979 UK on RCA Victor PL-13335. Produced by RON and HOWARD ALBERT - it peaked at No. 124 on the US Billboard Rock LP charts. 

The card-slipcase is classy whilst the fat booklet provides genuinely cool info on the band's long history - all the artwork repro'd and album credits included (net sources named too). But the real draw for fans will be the ANDREW THOMPSON Remasters new to 2022 - well produced albums amplified upwards - the studio sets almost too clean. A typically big balls sounding reissue from England's BGO.

 

They start "Live! Takin' The Stage" with a quick announcement, then immediately into the wailing railroad 'lonesome sound' of Gene Clark's "Kansas City Southern" and straight out of the box you hear how staggeringly tight the band is - a combo of Pedal Steel (John David Call), Twangin' Lead Vocals in George Powell and Larry Goshorn (Lead Guitars too) and in-the-groove rhythm section (Mike Reilly on Bass and Billy Hinds on Drums) - Mike Reilly doing a lion's share of Harmony Vocals as well. Recorded throughout May and July 1977 supporting the "Dance" LP of 1976 - the shows are almost note perfect and some criticized the band for it, but fans lapped it up. 

 

A combo sound that encompasses The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with The Dillards and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils - PPL cover versions include a rather insipid "That'll Be The Day" (Buddy Holly) while Janis Joplin's pal Nick Gravenites had his Western Swing "I'll Change Your Tires, Merle" given a good going over. Better are their own ballads like "Sun Shone Lightly", "Heart Of Her Own" and the Dobro jaunt of "Kentucky Moonshine". The only new tune was the last on Side 4 - a rather good George Powell guitar offering called "Came Through" that ends the set with 'style'.  

The two studio efforts on CD2 are super polished in terms of Production - Country superstar VINCE GILL having famously joined the band for 1979's "Can't Hold Back" (Patrick Bolan on Lead Guitar too). It's easy unfortunately to hear why critics of the day had little time for the "Can't Fly" LP cheeseball of "Slim Pickin's" followed by the jaunty Pop-Country of "Love Will Grow" - both dreadfully dated in 2022. Prettier is "You Don't Have To Be Alone" and "Lifetime" whilst the guitar-rocking "Love Is Falling" is more Outlaws and The Allman Brothers than Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Thinks get funky with the title song "Just Fly" and there's a passable go at Allen Toussaint's hit for Lee Dorsey "Working in A Coal Mine", but you're left with the feeling that the LP is treading water after the exuberance of the Live Shows. 

New Line-up, New Producers - "I Can't Hold Back" has even got Michael McDonald Doobie Brothers sounding backing vocals with a Saxophone solo - maybe hoping it'll have some of that "Minute By Minute" Yacht Rock magic rub off. Vince Gill's "I Can't Believe" improves things - he also wrote "Rude Rude Awakening", "Misery Train", "I'm Goin' Away" and "Jerene". Bennett's "White Line" is pretty - radio song with strings. Brass beefs up "Restless Woman" and on it goes...

 

For sure this kind of fiddle and pedal steel Country Rock will not be for everyone and the last album is more Yacht Rock than Country - but fans of melodies and good songwriting should dig in and long time followers of PPL and their cowboy-hat logo will love the great new audio and presentation... 

 

A List of Beat Goes On CD Remasters for PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE

 

1. "Pure Prairie League/Bustin' Out/Two Lane Highway/Dance"

February and October 1972 Debut and Second LPs with their Fourth and Fifth Albums from June 1975 and November 1976 – all originally on RCA Victor Records (USA)

UK 2CD compilation released 19 April 2019 (25 April 2019 in the USA)

Beat Goes On (BGO Records) BGOCD 1376 (Barcode 5017261213761)

 

2. "Live! Takin' The Stage/Just Fly/Can't Hold Back"

September 1977 (2LP-set), March 1978 and June 1979 Studio Albums originally on RCA Victor Records

UK 2CD compilation released 5 August 2022 (12 August 2022 USA)

Beat Goes On (BGO Records) BGOCD1484 (Barcode 5017261214843)

 

3. "Firin' Up/Something In The Night"

May 1980 and April 1981 US LPs originally on Casablanca Records

UK 2CD compilation released 11 September 2020 (23 October 2020 USA)

Beat Goes On BGOCD 1423 (Barcode 5017261214232)