The current series is on the Kufala label which seems to be turning out around one concert per year. The quality of the one I heard is a vast improvement in sound quality over the bootlegs that circulate among tape traders. I tend to prefer quality over quantity. I haven't heard any of the Relix or the Avenue label to comment on the sound quality of those, and they are hard to find too. 

We have a review of the most 2009 release Winterland S.F., CA 12/31/77 that we invite you to read.

Vintage NRPS

The Grateful Dead released the concert from Feb. 19, 1971, from this run on their CD Three From the Vault.

Live at Veneta, OR 8/27/1972

Boston Music Hall, 12/5/1972

Release date 2003
Label: KUFALA Recordings

Musicians
John Dawson - guitar, vocals
David Nelson - lead guitar, vocals
Dave Torbert - bass, vocals
Buddy Cage - pedal steel guitar
Spencer Dryden - drums, percussion

Guest musicians
* Eric Andersen-guitar, vocals 

Stonybrook, NY 03/17/1973

Product Description
The New Riders of the Purple Sage return with the next installment from their archive release series. Stonybrook captured the band during one of their finest moments. This set was a lengthy one and contains over 29 songs and the encore features Ramblin' Jack Elliot. 

March 17, 1973 and the New Riders of the Purple Sage are in their prime performing another night of mystical psychedelic cowboy rock and roll in the State University of New York at Stonybrook gymnasium. With songs from the forthcoming The Adventures Of Panama Red being debuted in their infancy on this tour, this crowd of students and the infamous Long Island NRPS heads were treated to an incredible night of music and high times.
Stonybrook 3/17/73 is a 2-disc, full show experience in all it’s time captured glory. Steel guitarist Buddy Cage’s uniquely tasteful tune up of “Amazing Grace” sets the tone for the intense and long night ahead. John Dawson’s “One Too Many Stories” and “You Should Have Seen Me Runnin’” include early lyrics that changed once Panama Red was released.

With plenty of more favorites and jams on "Portland Woman," "All I Ever Wanted" and "Willie and the Hand Jive," we've also got Archive release firsts of "Sweet Lovin' One" and "Crazy Arms." The night gets topped off with Ramblin' Jack Elliott joining in on the encores.

Whenever the New Riders of the Purple Sage appeared on Long Island, it was literally an event unto itself. NRPS Stonybrook 3/17/73 is not only proof of that, but we’ve done our best to present this evening to you just as it was. 

These are pressed CDs, not CD-Rs for your quality assurance.

Live: Worcester, MA 4/4/73

This first release in the Kufala Live Archive Series capturing the band in their prime in the Spring of 1973 after a tour opening for the Grateful Dead in various East Cost cities.

Armadillo World HQ Austin, TX, 6/13/1975

Product Description
Austin, Texas, 1975. The “Outlaw Country” movement was reaching its peak with weekly musical meetings of hippies and rednecks at the 1500 capacity Armadillo World Headquarters. Whether the charge was being led by local luminaries like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Freddie King, or by California country-rock imports like the New Riders of the Purple Sage and Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, the Armadillo’s legend was becoming well known throughout the country. Before it was all said and done, the Armadillo hosted everyone from Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Garcia and Frank Zappa to Bill Monroe, Gram Parsons and Ray Charles. The New Riders of the Purple Sage had been making Austin a home away from home for a few years by the time this middle night of a three-night run of performances came about. Bassist Skip Battin, formerly of The Byrds, had been in the band for a full year now, contributing heavily to the Riders’ 1974 album Brujo, and his unique playing style and energy are an essential element to the band’s good time vibe that permeates this recording. 6/13/75 features crisp versions of “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy,” “Henry,” “Louisiana Lady” and “Glendale Train.” The Austin atmosphere kicks into high gear as Battin sings his ode to the lone star state capital, “Austin, Texas,” which jams right into Dawson’s Austin inspired “Instant Armadillo Blues.” Long before there ever was the term ‘jam-band,’ the New Riders strut some psychedelic stuff on fan favorites “Dirty Business” and “Portland Woman.” Other highlights and rarities include a very early take on the Battin penned “Strangers On A Train,” “My Dog Peaches,” a never before released Dawson song, David Nelson singing Merle Haggard’s “I’m Bringing Home Good News,” Dawson going Tex-Mex on Freddy Fender’s “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” and a very rare Riders performance of the Gary U.S. Bonds hit “New Orleans.” 

The New Riders Live at the Armadillo was mastered directly off of the original 1/4 track reel to reel recording and captures this night just as it was—in all of its hot, sweaty, beer-soaked and smoke-filled glory. 

Live On Stage

Winterland - San Francisco, CA - 12/31/1977

12/31/77 Winterland, San Francisco, CA Review

The sixth release in the archive series on Kufala label is a live concert from  Winterland, San Francisco, CA on 12/31/1977. The featured show is from a performance when they opened up for the Grateful Dead. The first Bay Area appearance where the two bands shared the same bill since 1974. The concert is very, very good. The band tackles a varied set list that includes originals, both classics and newer material, and a diversity of cover songs. The instrumental attack of Buddy Cage on pedal steel and David Nelson on electric guitar is delightful. 

This is the first Kufala archive release with this specific personnel. It features the core foundation of John Dawson on guitar and vocals, David Nelson on guitar and vocals, and Buddy Cage on pedal steel guitar. They're  joined by Stephen A. Love on bass and vocals, and Patrick Shanahan on drums. The new rhythm section are veterans of Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band, and they do a fine job. Love contributes a few originals. In 1977, the New Riders released two studio albums, Who Are Those Guys? and Marin County Line and this archive release is the first to include live renditions of those songs, primarily in the middle of the set. 

On to the music. Missing is the first song played that evening, "Panama Red," and the second song begins midway through, "Hello Mary Lou," a heavily covered Gene Pitney song, which the new members are also familiar with from their Stone Canyon Band days. A superb rendition, this song seems tailor made for the New Riders. 

One of the songs written by Stephen Love is "Love Has Strange Ways," which has a nice funky beat to it, but when the soloing comes into to play it takes on a southern rock attitude. The band tackles a hoe down song telling the story of "Henry." On the same theme, but taking more of a rock tone, with a "Not Fade Away" style beat on "Homegrown." The band slows things down with a gentle country tone tapping their album The Adventures of Panama Red with "One Too Many Stories." Wrapping up disc one and the first song from disc two are four solid energized versions of their newer material; "Red Hot Women And Ice Cold Beer" from Who Are Those Guys?, followed by "Oh What A Night," "Little Miss Bad," and "Jasper" from Marin County Line.   

The second disc includes three songs from their classic first album, "Louisiana Lady," "Portland Woman," and "Glendale Train." A nice folk style blues interpretation with "T For Texas," a Jimmie Rodgers cover with some swing and yodels, a little harmonica implemented on this cut. The version of "Portland Woman" is a fully developed rendition. 

The show closes energetically with three songs that rocks hard. Really hard. First is and what I consider to be required listening, a Chuck Berry number, "You Can Never Tell", aka, "Cset Le Vie". Nelson really has the Chuck Berry riffs down. That is followed a more than satisfying "Glendale Train," that will have your foot stomping which features Cage and Nelson wailing on their instruments.

The encore, "Dead Flowers" a Rolling Stones song is nicely played and allows for a great display of interplay between Buddy and David, more so Buddy Cage. Since we're on the topics of Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, and New Riders, with Nelson and Keith Richards being great Chuck Berry interpreters, I bet they could have hours of fun playing through his catalog. 

The archive release Winterland, San Francisco, CA 12/31/1977, is a very nice addition to the growing list of available live New Riders releases. A really solid concert with very good sound quality. It's not a sonic wonder, but it is much better than expected. It holds up well at high volumes, plenty of bass and power, good separation of Cage and Nelson's parts. It sounds way, way better than the bootlegs that circulate among collectors. It was mastered by Jeffrey Norman who does wonders with Grateful Dead releases. We enjoyed this archive release and strongly recommend it.

review by Barry Small©

Release date April 2009
Label: KUFALA Recordings 

Grateful Dead fans - Dick Pick's Volume 10 features the Grateful Dead's Winterland December 29, 1977, performance with some filler from December 30. The bonus disc from Closing of Winterland includes five songs from December 31.

Musicians
John Dawson - guitar, vocals
David Nelson - lead guitar, vocals
Buddy Cage - pedal steel guitar
Stephen Love - bass, vocals
Patrick Shanahan - drums, percussion

Credits
Recording engineer - Betty Cantor-Jackson
Producer - Rob Bleetstein
Transfer from 2 track master, mastering - Jeffrey Norman at Garage Audio, Petaluma, CA
Photos - Bob Minkin

Product Description
The New Riders of the Purple Sage celebrated the last evening of 1977 in great style performing a memorable New Year s Eve concert at San Francisco s Winterland with the Grateful Dead. This was the first time the New Riders were teamed up with the Dead for a gig in the Bay Area since the summer of 1974, and while emotions ran high, the music rises even higher. The NRPS Archives and Kufala Recordings are pleased to present Winterland 12/31/77, a 2-disc recording which captures the New Riders performance that closed out a year filled with invigorating shows as well as the release of their Marin County Line album. The rhythm section of Stephen Love on bass and drummer Patrick Shanahan, both veterans of Rick Nelson s Stone Canyon Band, assists the band s core members John Dawson, David Nelson and Buddy Cage to elevating the music new heights. Love resurrects the NRPS favorite Hello Mary Lou, and contributes Love Has Strange Ways, which gives the band some ample room to stretch their musical wings. A blazing concert from start to finish, 12/31/77 includes terrific renderings of Fifteen Days Under The Hood, Henry, One Too Many Stories, Crooked Judge, Glendale Train, Dead Flowers and an extended Portland Woman that fully captures the magic of Winterland. The original 2-track master reels were recorded at 7.5 ips by Betty Cantor-Jackson and transferred and mastered by Jeffrey Norman at Garage Audio Mastering for your sonic enjoyment. 

Live

Live in Japan

Wanted: Live at Turkey Trot

Product Description

""Wanted: Live at Turkey Trot"" celebrates the first new album by The New Riders of the Purple Sage in over twenty-five years and that's mighty-fine 'cause this album truly captures the spirit and music of ""The Greatest Cosmic, Psychedelic Country Rock and Roll Band Of The Universe""! Get your hands on this 90 minute DVD that captures the current New Riders of the Purple Sage live at the Turkey Trot Acres from 2006. Includes the classics ""Henry,"" ""Garden Of Eden,"" ""Panama Red"" and many more. Also included with the DVD is a bonus audio CD of the concert. NRPS is back!!! 

Studio: FA-KA-WEE Productions, LLC 
DVD Release Date: June 12, 2007 

There is a bonus disc with early orders of the CD Where I Come From that includes 4 songs that didn't make it on the original CD due to space limitations.