State Of Our Union

The Long Ryders were formed in 1982 by young American musicians influenced by Gram Parsons, C&W, The Byrds, and the punk scene found in their hometown of Los Angeles.

The Long Ryders were an anecdote to formula stadium rock and wimpy synth-pop. The band featured Sid Griffin on guitar, autoharp, and harmonica, Stephen McCarthy on guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, and banjo, Tom Stevens on bass, and Greg Sowders playing drums and percussion.

With a sound reminiscent of the Buffalo Springfield and The Flying Burrito Brothers, but with a harder edge, they anticipated the alternative country music of the 1990s by a decade. This 3-CD version overseen by Tom Stevens contains the re-mastered album, a set of demos from the band’s archive, and a legendary show from London’s Mean Fiddler.

Re-mastered by Andy Pearce, the recordings, in Sid’s opinion, have never sounded so good. A new booklet designed by Phil Smee contains many rare photos and memorabilia from the band’s own collections as well as liner notes by bassist Tom Stevens.