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, 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.