''Old & In the Way'' is the first album by the bluegrass band

Old & In the Way Old & In the Way was a bluegrass group formed in 1973. It was composed of Peter Rowan (guitar, vocals), Vassar Clements (fiddle), Jerry Garcia (banjo, vocals), David Grisman (mandolin, vocals), and John Kahn (string bass). When the group was fo ...

. It was recorded 8 October 1973 at the Boarding House in San Francisco by

Owsley Stanley Augustus Owsley Stanley III (January 19, 1935 – March 12, 2011) was an American-Australian audio engineer and clandestine chemist. He was a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area hippie movement during the 1960s and played a pivotal role ...

and Vickie Babcock utilizing eight microphones (four per channel) mixed live onto a stereo Nagra tape recorder. The caricature album cover was illustrated by Greg Irons. It was, for many years, the top selling bluegrass album of all time. Eventually, however, the soundtrack album for '' O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' surpassed its sales.

Critical reception

On AllMusic, Peter J. D'Angelo said, "Soaring multi-part harmonies; fiddle, guitar, banjo, bass, and mandolin lines that seamlessly intertwine with a good-time feel; and exceptionally solid musicianship round out the ten-track effort.... This is the sound of purists re-creating the music they grew up with and it's both enjoyable and inspiring to listen to."

Track listing

Side one # "Pig in a Pen" (traditional) – 2:53 # "Midnight Moonlight" ( Peter Rowan) – 6:17 # "Old and In the Way" (

David Grisman David Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acoustic mu ...

) – 3:05 # "Knockin' on Your Door" (traditional) – 3:36 # "The Hobo Song" (Jack Bonus) – 5:05 Side two # "Panama Red" (Rowan) – 2:57 # "

Wild Horses Wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'' that includes domesticated and undomesticated subspecies. * Przewalski's wild horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'' or ''Equus przewalskii''), a rare and endangered subspecies of wild ...

" ( Jagger–Richards) – 4:19 # "Kissimmee Kid" ( Vassar Clements) – 3:32 # "White Dove" ( Carter Stanley) – 4:45 # "Land of the Navajo" (Rowan) – 6:19

Personnel

Old & In the Way

* Vassar Clements –

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

–

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

, vocals *

–

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

, vocals * John Kahn – acoustic bass * Peter Rowan – guitar, vocals

Production

* Recording engineers –

, Vickie Babcock * Producer, mixing – David Grisman * Editing – David Grisman, Owsley Stanley * Sleeve illustration – Greg Irons * Sleeve layout – Raymond Simone

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Old aand In the Way (album) Old & In the Way live albums 1975 debut albums David Grisman live albums 1975 live albums