''The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage'' is an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It contains a selection of songs that had previously appeared on the band's first seven albums, which were recorded between 1971 and 1975. It was released by Columbia Records in 1976. According to the biography of the band on their official web site, "Just about this time, the music business was entering another era and the New Riders ended their relationship with Columbia Records. The subsequent release of ''The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage'', with its infamous cover, fulfilled their obligation to Columbia and the band then signed with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

in 1976.""The History of NRPS"
at the NRPS official website. Five of the ten songs on ''The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage'' were taken from the band's self-titled first album. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead plays pedal steel guitar on those tracks.

Expanded re-release

In 2006, ''The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage'' was re-released with five additional songs. Four of the "bonus tracks" had been previously released on the Columbia albums. The fifth is an alternate version of "Linda", from the '' Gypsy Cowboy'' recording sessions.

Track listing

#"I Don't Know You" ( John Dawson) – 2:29 #"Glendale Train" (Dawson) – 3:02 #"

Hello Mary Lou "Hello Mary Lou" is a song written by American singer Gene Pitney first recorded by Johnny Duncan in 1960 and in the following year by Ricky Nelson. The song was recorded by Ricky Nelson at the famous United Western Recorders Studios on 22nd Ma ...

" ( Gene Pitney, Cayet Mangiaracina) – 2:59 #"Louisiana Lady" (Dawson) – 3:06 #"Kick in the Head" ( Robert Hunter) – 2:33 #"Panama Red" (

Peter Rowan Peter Rowan (born July 4, 1942) is an American bluegrass musician and composer. Rowan plays guitar and mandolin, yodels and sings. Biography Rowan was born in Wayland, Massachusetts to a musical family. From an early age, he had an interest ...

) – 2:49 #"Last Lonely Eagle" (Dawson) – 5:14 #"You Angel You" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

) – 2:45 #" I Don't Need No Doctor" (single version) (Jo Armstead,

Nick Ashford Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

Valerie Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

) – 3:09 #"Henry" (Dawson) – 2:36 Re-release bonus tracks: #

"Linda" (Dawson) – 3:14 #"

Farewell, Angelina ''Farewell, Angelina'' is the sixth studio album by American folk singer Joan Baez, released in late 1965. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. History The album represented a further shift from the strictly traditional folk mu ...

" (Dylan) – 2:42 #"She's No Angel" (Wanda Ballman, J.W. Arnold) – 3:13 #"Sunday Susie" (Dawson) – 2:34 #"Groupie" (

Dave Torbert David Edwin Torbert (June 7, 1948 – December 7, 1982) was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the ses ...

) – 2:43

Original releases

The New Riders' first seven albums and the songs that were selected from them for ''The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage'' are: *'' New Riders of the Purple Sage'' (1971): "I Don't Know You", "Glendale Train", "Louisiana Lady", "Last Lonely Eagle", "Henry" *''

Powerglide The Powerglide is a two-speed automatic transmission designed by General Motors. It was available primarily on Chevrolet from January 1950 through 1973, although some Pontiac models also used this automatic transmission after the fire at the Hyd ...

'' (1972): "I Don't Need No Doctor" (the shorter single version is used on ''The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage'') *'' Gypsy Cowboy'' (1972): "Linda"* (a previously unreleased alternate version appears on ''The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage'') *'' The Adventures of Panama Red'' (1973): "Kick in the Head", "Panama Red" *'' Home, Home on the Road'' (1974): "Hello Mary Lou", "She's No Angel"*, "Sunday Susie"*, "Groupie"* *'' Brujo'' (1974): "You Angel You" *'' Oh, What a Mighty Time'' (1975): "Farewell, Angelina"* *expanded edition bonus track

Personnel

New Riders of the Purple Sage

* John Dawson –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

* David Nelson – guitar, vocals * Jerry Garcia – pedal steel guitar on "I Don't Know You", "Glendale Train", "Louisiana Lady", "Last Lonely Eagle", and "Henry" *

Buddy Cage Buddy Cage (February 18, 1946 – February 5, 2020) was an American pedal steel guitarist, best known as a longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

– pedal steel guitar on "Hello Mary Lou", "Kick in the Head", "Panama Red", "You Angel You", and "I Don't Need No Doctor", "Linda"*, "Farewell, Angelina"*, "She's No Angel"*, "Sunday Susie"*, "Groupie"* *

– bass, vocals on "I Don't Know You", "Glendale Train", "Hello Mary Lou", "Louisiana Lady", "Kick in the Head", "Panama Red", "Last Lonely Eagle", "I Don't Need No Doctor", "Henry", "Linda"*, "She's No Angel"*, "Sunday Susie"*, "Groupie"* *

Skip Battin Clyde "Skip" Battin (February 18, 1934 – July 6, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, bassist, performer, and recording artist. He was a member of the Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Εarly life C ...

– bass, vocals on "You Angel You", "Farewell Angelina"* *

Spencer Dryden Spencer Charles Dryden (April 7, 1938 – January 11, 2005) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Jefferson Airplane and New Riders of the Purple Sage. He also played with Dinosaurs, and the Ashes (later known as the Peanut B ...

– drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

*expanded edition bonus track

Additional musicians

* Mickey Hart – drums, percussion on "Last Lonely Eagle" * Commander Cody –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

on "Last Lonely Eagle" *

Bill Kreutzmann William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued to ...

– percussion on "I Don't Need No Doctor" *

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

– piano on "I Don't Need No Doctor"

Production

*Ed Lee – design *

Eric Meola Eric Meola (born 1946 in Syracuse, New York) is an American photographer. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1968 and is self-taught in the art of photography. In New York he apprenticed under photographer Pete Turner, who influenced Meola' ...

– photo *Gerard Huerta – lettering *Richard Kenerson – lettering

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Of New Riders Of The Purple Sage 1976 greatest hits albums New Riders of the Purple Sage compilation albums Columbia Records compilation albums 1976 compilation albums