Music from Sid Griffin, The Long Ryders, The Coal Porters and some Prima Releases are available as digital downloads via the following links.
Sid Griffin
The Journey From Grape To Raisin
The Journey From Grape To Raisin is Long Ryders’ cofounder Sid Griffin’s first solo album in a decade. It was recorded in Nashville with his trusted producer Thomm Jutz (Nanci Griffith, Otis Gibbs, Steve Young) and dear friends such as legendary bassist Mark Fain (Ricky Skaggs, Chris Hillman) and session whiz Tammy Rogers (Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood).
Its eleven songs include ten Griffin originals and one campfire cover of, get ready, the Velvet Underground’s Femme Fatale. When asked about the sessions and the album as a whole Griffin smiles and calls The Journey From Grape To Raisin
“my career highlight, the best work I am ever likely to do. Heaven forbid I should go but if I did I’d die happy.”
“It’s a great record, it really is, my best songs ever. Yes, I am an American who lives in Europe but my heart resides south of the Mason-Dixon and it shows on this album.”
Sid played mandolin on two tracks, guitar on about six more, but the core of the band was Mark Fain from Ricky Skagg’s Kentucky Thunder outfit on bass, the great virtuoso Sierra Hull on mandolin, Paul Griffiths on drums, Thomm Jutz on guitar, Justin Moses on banjo, fiddle and dobro, and gospel legend James T. Brown on backing vocals.
Around spring 2002 Sid was asked to put some rare live tracks on the free exclusive CD with respected Italian music magazine Il Mucchio Selvaggio. This would amount to a free Sid Griffin Solo Album so immediately Sid and a buddy went through the last six years of live performances checking cassettes, DATs, CD-Rs and even videotapes for songs worthy of inclusion.
This album, WorldWide Live, is the result of their archival trawl. Consider it Sid Unplugged and play it around dusk on after wonderful day while you enjoy a glass off Chianti Rufina.
Sid Griffin’s long awaited second solo album, his first in eight years, provides a glimpse into his private life and thoughts.
Originally released Sept 25, 2005 this is melodic acoustic alt-country at its finest although one track, Just Let Her Go, is a Western Electric reunion and not only features the powerful drums of Dave “the Cockney Cowboy” Morgan and the sharp string work of Neil Bob Herd but is an unreleased song from the late Doug Sahm (Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornadoes) which also features ex-Small Face Ian MacLagan on keyboards.
Recorded in Sid’s living room and in Louisville, Kentucky no other Sid music explains him better.
Released in 1997 the UK and in 1998 in the USA by Country-Town Music this album is Sid Griffin “unplugged” with a collection of new material with the third track being an acoustic reworking of a Long Ryders classic.
Recorded with a core band of Sid and UK C&W star Wes McGhee, it includes duets with Billy Bragg and Steve Wynn. The album also features an unreleased track from the late, great Phil Ochs entitled Sailors And Soldiers.
Sid Griffin Right Before The Long Ryders
The Unclaimed was my pre-Long Ryders band. We formed April 1979 in my L.A. apartment, lasting until Barry Shank and I left Thanksgiving Weekend 1981 to form what became the Long Ryders. You can read all about it in Pete Frame’s great book, More Rock Family Trees (Omnibus Press). We played 1960s garage band music and other than the Chesterfield Kings I reckon the Unclaimed were the first to see true merit in the performance of such material.
Our look was based on that of the Music Machine. As this band was my first band in California to have an identifiable West Coast following my days with these guys are understandably precious to me…even though our friends called us The Unacclaimed!
The three songs here on Bandcamp are the only three originals I wrote for The Unclaimed which were recorded in a proper studio so here they are again some forty years later.
The Long Ryders
We recorded most of “Down To The Well” long distance. The band emailed sound files back-and-forth till we had something we all liked. Some of the basic tracks were recorded live in Richmond, Virginia. Stephen’s lyrics really seem fit the times we are all trying to survive.
Sid’s beautiful ballad “if you want to see me cry” is a remix from the Psychedelic Country Soul album. Our long-time producer Ed Stasium gave this one a different feel.
A killer Tom Stevens’ song, a strong ensemble performance; a real true thrill to be back in the saddle again, riding high with The Long Ryders, my musical home away from home.”
– Sid Griffin
Penned by bassist/vocalist Tom Stevens and produced by Adrian Olsen and The Long Ryders Bear in the Woods is the first new Long Ryders song in 30 years!
Native Sons is the album which Jeff Tweedy, Chris Robinson, Kurt Cobain and Gary Louris all bought and loved, influencing their own styles.
Arguably the most influential and long-lasting release of Sid Griffin’s career Native Sons is now re-released with the entire 10-5-6- EP added as well as three tracks fromt the abandoned 5 By 5 sessions at A&M Studios, the Long Ryders’ first three demos and the B-side Close To The Light, a completely different mix to the LP version. This is the LP which kickstarted Americana and put the “alt” into Alt-Country!
State Of Our ReUnion – Live 2004
For their first live gigs in seventeen years (!) the Long Ryders knew the pressure was on. But they kicked ass and took names and you can hear the results on this stellar recording from their London gig. Cut on a hot summer night the sold out venue turned punters away and the result was a classic live album which can be filed next to Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out, Live At The Apollo or Kick Out The Jams.
Three Minute Warnings – The Long Ryders Live in New York City
A great recording of the Long Ryders show at the Bottom Line in New York City on 7th May 1987 which was broadcast live on FM radio.
This is rock & roll which emphasises the “roll” part as much as the rock! This album is hotter than a pepperoni and jalapeno sandwich with horse radish.
A compendium of live tracks, out takes and snippets of radio interviews. The original release was an 86 minute Long Ryders authorized fan club cassette, which was edited for CD reissue by Overground and, more recently, Prima Records.
Fun-filled blistering rock’n’roll from the heart of the Paisley Underground this was praised by Rolling Stone in the USA when originally released back in 1988.
The Coal Porters
No. 6, produced by John Wood, the legendary British folk-rock mastermind who recorded the classic albums of Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, Beth Orton and Squeeze features four new Sid songs, three new Neil Bob Herd originals, and Kerenza Peacock contributed her first recorded lead vocal on a very personal song with Play A Tune. The album goes out on a high note with the band’s warm-hearted cover of the Only Ones’ classic hit Another Girl, Another Planet.
Produced by British folk-rock legend John Wood, the man behind the early classic LPs by Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, and later on recording both Squeeze and Beth Orton, Find The One features five fine Sid Griffin songs and a trio from Scottish guitarist Neil Robert Herd. Sid’s harrowing tale of a slave family’s escape on the Underground Railroad, Hush U Babe, features the astonishing guitar of ex-Fairport Convention guitar guru Richard Thompson (!) and listeners will also hear a formal DJ introduction of Sid’s love ballad Ask Me Again by the BBC’s legendary Brian Matthew.
Recorded during two fruitful weeks in the mountains right outside the Colorado town which gave the album its name this is the fourth and best “alt-bluegrass” album by ex-Long Ryder Sid Griffin’s outfit, The Coal Porters. Featuring the amazing fiddle of Carly Frey, the songs and mandolin of writer/author/broadcaster Sid Griffin and the production of the legendary Ed Stasium (Ramones, Smithereens, Belinda Carlisle, the Long Ryders, Jeff Healey Band).
The birth of Alt-bluegrass! Featuring new songs from the Coal Porters and a startling cover of Gene Clark’s Silver Raven. Turn The Water On, Boy! arrived to rave reviews in Uncut, Mojo, Word, Maverick and Q magazines featuring ex-Byrd Chris Hillman on mandolin and mixed to a sonic sheen by Ed Stasium (Ramones, Smithereens, Belinda Carlisle, Jeff Healey Band). This is bluegrass for both traditionalists and the Clash fan on your block.
The Chris Hillman Tribute Concerts
A classic tribute album to one of the key people in the development of folk-rock, psychedelia, long curly hairstyles on men, and country-rock. 16 great songs from various stages of Chris Hillman’s career recorded live and in acoustic bluegrass style.
This is an important release in Sid’s catalog containing previously released tunes and some new stuff. It is the bridge between the electric country-rock of The Coal Porters and the ‘country & eastern’ Sid recorded in 2000-2002 with Western Electric. In fact Emily In Ginger is a Western Electric song and twenty years after its release Sid still refers to it as his best song. Period.
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM PRIMA RECORDS
The eponymous debut album by Western Electric.
A very elegant combination of trip hop grooves and country soul and twang. Sid Griffin says this is his most accomplished, most fully realised music ever. Three years in the making, the album Western Electric breaks new ground by blending cool, shimmering western guitars, ambient tones, electric 12 strings, sound bites, pop/dance rhythms, pedal steel, mandolin and psychedelia.
One of the most adventurous rock/Americana releases of the year, both genre-bending and genre-expanding, their debut CD was stunning and the reviews were proof. (Mojo magazine named “Western Electric” as their Americana Album of the Month.)
All Prima released product by Sid Griffin and The Coal Porters, plus some Long Ryders material, is available for digital download from a number of other sources worldwide including Amazon and Apple.
Bandcamp: Prima Records
Amazon downloads: Long Ryders – Sid Griffin – Coal Porters
Apple downloads: Long Ryders – Sid Griffin – Coal Porters
