Rick Nelson - Garden Party (1972)

Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

In 1972 the country-rock sound Rick Nelson had been pursuing for the past few years (with no chart success to show for it) finally paid off. The song in question was a self-composed number, "Garden Party", which told the story of the frosty audience reception he received at a Rock N Roll Revival concert, reportedly for playing his new material rather than the oldies they had come to hear. The song became his first Top 10 hit for almost ten years, charting at #6 on the pop chart. The album that accompanied it (again recorded with his own Stone Canyon Band) was another fine example of his polished country-rock style.

However his comeback proved to be short-lived, as "Garden Party" was his last ever Top 40 hit. The Stone Canyon Band also split from him around this time, though he soon formed a new group and continued to record.

Rudy The Fifth (1971) <|> Windfall (1974)
More from Rick Nelson

Download

Rick Nelson - Perspective (1968)

Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

1968's Perspective was Rick Nelson's second album in the soft, orchestrated pop style he briefly experimented in the late 60s in an attempt to re-ignite his career. It didn't work, and the album sunk without a trace. Nevertheless it wasn't a bad album at all. It consisted almost entirely of covers, including numbers by Paul Simon, Harry Nilsson, Richie Havens and Randy Newman (in fact the second side of the album was almost entirely made up of Newman songs). It had some very nice highlights, most notably the Motown-esque "When The Sun's Shined Its Face On Me" and a wonderful reading of Nilsson's "Without Her". Though this period of artistic uncertainty is by no means essential listening for any but the most dedicated of Rick Nelson fans, the album still endures as some nice period pop music.

Another Side Of Rick (1967) <|> In Concert (1970)  
More from Rick Nelson

Download

Rick Nelson - Another Side Of Rick (1967)

Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

By the late 60s Rick Nelson's music was very much out of step with modern trends, and was no longer selling (his last Top 40 single had been in 1964). During these wilderness years he released many albums of varying quality. He had made a very artistically successful foray into Bakersfield-style country in 1966 and 1967, though these albums too had not managed to dent the charts. 1967's Another Side Of Rick was another attempt to re-ignite his career, this time with orchestrated pop. However it had little to offer for either the rock crowd (to whom it must have appeared as sugary and overdone) or the younger pop crowd (for whom an older Rick Nelson held no interest). Unsurprisingly it did not chart, nor did any of the singles taken from it.
Nevertheless it is not a bad album, and one that reveals certain charms through careful listening. In particular it has some good cover material - The Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream", the Hoagy Carmichael classic "Georgia On My Mind, and three numbers by rising singer-songwriter Tim Hardin.

Country Fever (1967) <|> Perspective (1968)
More from Rick Nelson

Download

Rick Nelson - Best Of The Rock & Roll Era (1957-1963)

Compilation
Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

Ricky Nelson had a good head start to his music career, as he was born into a musical family (his father Ozzie was a big band leader, and his mother Harriet a singer). Not only that, but his parents starred in their own radio sitcom, The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet. Ricky joined the show himself in 1949 at age eight, and the show made the move to TV in 1952. In 1957 he told a friend that he was going to make a record to impress her, and then with his father's help he was signed to Verve for a one-record deal. He then made his musical debut on the TV show, performing Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'", and earned himself a host of devoted teenage fans. His single ("A Teenager's Romance" backed with "I'm Walkin'") was released shortly afterwards and made it to #2. His music career had begun!
He was then signed to Imperial Records, where he recorded his first album aged just seventeen. He then formed his own band with musicians his own age, including electric guitarist James Burton. He had three more Top 10 hits, and then hit #1 with "Poor Little Fool" (incidentally it was the first #1 single on the newly-created Billboard Hot 100 chart).
Nelson went on to have a total of thirty Top 40 hits from '57 to '62, making him one of the most successful musicians of the rock & roll era. However he began to feel unhappy with his 'teen idol' image, and in 1961 changed his recording name from Ricky to Rick, signalling his growing maturity and desire to be viewed as a 'serious artist' rather than just a pop star. His last big hit of the 60s was 1963's "For You", and from that point onwards his commercial fortunes dwindled as the changes happening in music throughout the decade left him somewhat behind. He spent many years in the wilderness, unsure of his musical direction, until he finally made a comeback of sorts in the early 70s with a maturer country-rock style.
This compilation covers his early years, when he was at his commercial peak and seen as one of the young stars of the rock & roll genre. Includes such classics as "Poor Little Fool", "Hello Mary Lou", "Travelling Man", "It's Late", "Young World" and "Teenage Idol".

More from Rick Nelson

Download

Rick Nelson - Rudy The Fifth (1971)

Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

Rudy The Fifth was Nelson's third album with The Stone Canyon Band, as he continued with his newly constructed country-rock sound after years in the wilderness. It's actually a more musically diverse record than its two predecessors, mixing rock, folk, pop, country, gospel and even classical. Two excellent Bob Dylan covers ("Just Like A Woman" and "Love Minus Zero/No Limit") and the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women" sit alongside some fantastic original material, the sublime "Sing Me A Song" and the riff-driven rock of "Gyspy Pilot" being particularly noteworthy (the latter being the heaviest rock song he had recorded).
Sadly, despite its merits, the album went absolutely nowhere on the charts, and none of the singles released even charted. Pity, as it's definately among the best of Nelson's latter-day albums, and perfect evidence of him being more than just a relic of the rock & roll era.

Rick Sings Nelson (1970) <|> Garden Party (1972)
More from Rick Nelson

Download

Rick Nelson - Rick Sings Nelson (1970)

Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

Rick Sings Nelson was his second album (and first studio album) with The Stone Canyon Band (now consisting of guitarist Allen Kemp, bassist Jim Cetera, pedal steel guitarist Tom Brumley and drummer Patrick Shanahan). It followed the formula of its predecessor In Concert, consisting of up-beat country-rock highlighted by strong vocal harmonies, though it differed in that it consisted of all new original Nelson compositions. It wasn't exactly a chart success - none of the singles from the album charted, and the album itself didn't reach the top 100. However it was surely an artistic triumph for Nelson. For most of the mid-to-late 60s he had been somewhat lost artistically, as his original rock & roll style had lost its market, and he himself was maturing as an artist and had wanted to distance himself from his earlier teen idol image. For many years he floundered, but with his new Stone Canyon Band he had found a new sound to call his own, and they now had two strong, consistent albums under their belt (even if they hadn't lit up the charts).

In Concert (1970) <|> Rudy The Fifth (1971)
More from Rick Nelson

Download

Rick Nelson - In Concert (1970)

Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

By the late 60s Rick Nelson’s chart-topping days were long gone. The once rock & roll teen idol had not had a single in the top 40 since 1964, as the changes in music throughout the 60s had pretty much left him behind. However he had continued to make music throughout the decade, most interestingly releasing two underrated country LPs in ‘66 and ‘67 (Bright Lights & Country Music and Country Fever). In August 1969 he finally jumped on board with the folk-rock movement (albeit four years too late) with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs To Me”, and reached a modest #33 on the singles chart.
The album that followed proved to be a comeback of sorts, re-introducing Nelson to a new fan-base and reaching #54 on the album charts. In Concert was recorded live at The Troubadour in L.A. with a country-rock band consisting of Allen Kemp (lead guitar), Tom Brumley (pedal steel guitar), Randy Meisner (bass, backing vocals, previously from Poco) and Patrick Shanahan (drums), dubbed The Stone Canyon Band. The material included old songs from his early days (“Hello Mary Lou” and “I’m Walkin’”) and newly written material, alongside songs from contemporary singer-songwriters (Tim Hardin’s “Red Balloon”, Eric Andersen’s “Violets Of Dawn” and no less than three Dylan songs). It also had a cover of Doug Kershaw’s “Louisiana Man”, which he had originally recorded on Bright Lights & County Music.
I have added the single version of "She Belongs To Me" to the end of the album as a bonus track.

Perspective (1968) <|> Rick Sings Nelson (1970)
More from Rick Nelson

Download

Rick Nelson - Country Fever (1967)

Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

Rick Nelson continued his excursion into country music with 1967's Country Fever. It had much the same sound as its predecessor (1966's Bright Lights & Country Music), and no doubt was recorded during the same sessions - both featured the same lineup of top backing musicians, including guitarists James Burton and Clarence White. The two records have been reiussed on CD as a double album, and they fit together perfectly.
Like Brights Lights & Country Music, Country Fever featured alot of covers of songs by well-known country artists (including Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and Jimmie Rodgers), alongside some lesser known numbers (including Gib Guilbeau's "Take A City Bride"). It also featured two original compositons, the rock & roll classic "Mystery Train", and a then-unreleased Bob Dylan song ("Walkin' Down The Line", which had also been recorded by The Dillards, Joan Baez and others).
It would have been interesting to see Nelson pursue this country direction further, but by his next LP he had moved on to pastures new. Nevertheless these two albums remain as some great near-forgotten country-rock.

Bright Lights & Country Music (1966) <|>Another Side Of Rick (1967)
More from Rick Nelson

Download

Rick Nelson - Bright Lights & Country Music (1966)

Rick Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, who originally emerged out of the rock 'n' roll era as a teen idol, scoring nineteen top-ten hits between 1957 and 1973.

Ricky Nelson is best remembered as a teen idol of the rock 'n' roll era, in the late 50s and early 60s. However in 1961 (his 21st birthday), he officially changed his recording name from 'Ricky' to 'Rick', signalling a move away from being a pop star and towards recording as a 'serious artist'.
In the mid 60s he started to move away from his rockabilly sound towards country music, after his artistic freedom had begun to stagnate in a dying music form. 1966's Bright Lights & Country Music is often considered an early example of country rock, though technically it was straight country, just without the gloss of Nashville production. The music itself was truly fantastic, as his voice fit the style perfectly, and it had a bold, punchy sound throughout, with lots of great dobro from James Burton, electric guitar from Clarence White, piano from Leon Russell and Glen D. Hardin, and backing vocals which hark back to his pop roots. The songs themselves were mostly covers of well-known songs such as Terry Fell's "Truck Drivin' Man" and Doug Kershaw's "Louisiana Man", though Nelson did contribute the fantastic original "You Just Can't Win".

Love And Kisses (1965) <|> Country Fever (1967)
More from Rick Nelson

Download