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Steve Young is an American country music singer-songwriter.
No Place To Fall has the distinction of being the first album in Steve Young's career not to be released on a new record label - his first four had all been on different labels, but his fifth for once stuck with the same label as its predecessor (RCA). It continued in the same outlaw country style, with backing from veteran Nashville session musicians including steel guitarists Buddy Emmons and Lloyd Green, fiddler Buddy Spicher, multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy (on harmonica), drummer Kenny Malone, and many others. It had some strong original songs, plus four fantastic covers - the title track by Townes Van Zandt, "I Got The Same Old Blues" by JJ Cale, the Mentor Williams classic "Drift Away", and an absolutely stunning rendition of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right". It also featured two new recordings of earlier Steve Young songs - "Montgomery In The Rain", and another version of his oft-covered "Seven Bridges Road" (bringing the total he had released by 1978 up to three).
Renegade Picker (1976) <|> To Satisfy You (1981)
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Steve Young is an American country music singer-songwriter.
His fourth album on his fourth record label (RCA), Renegade Picker was more fantastic country music from the much underrated Steve Young. It featured music in both the traditional country style and a harder-edged 'outlaw country' style, with covers including Merle Haggard's "I Can't Be Myself", Guy Clark's "Broken Hearted People" and J.D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road". Also featured a new, more rock-styled recording of his own "Lonesome, On'ry And Mean" (originally on Seven Bridges Road). As always, it was his stunning voice that dominated the record, though with some considerable assistance from session musicians including Johnny Gimble (fiddle/mandolin), Buddy Emmons (steel guitar), Terry McMillan (harmonica), Bobby Wood (keyboards), Mike Leech (bass), Karl Himmel (drums), and guitarists Jerry Shook, Dale Sellars and Mac Gayden.
Honky Tonk Man (1975) <|> No Place To Fall (1978)
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Steve Young is an American country music singer-songwriter.
Honky Tonk Man was Steve Young's third album, on his third record label (Mountain Railroad). Like on his second album, it features new versions of some of his exsisting songs. Perhaps this was because of all the different labels - maybe which each new one he was hoping to make a fresh start, and decided to update his best material? Who knows. Anyway, Honky Tonk Man features his second recording of Utah Phillip's "Rock Salt & Nails" (which he originally did on his 1969 album of the same name), and a new version of his own "White Trash Song". The album itself is divided into a side of covers, and a side of originals.With the exception of the title song (a Johnny Horton number), the album has a darker sound than his first two records, touching on more folk and blues styles. The arrangements are more sparse, and this allows Young's fantastic acoustic guitar playing to come to the fore (whilst before he had been strictly a rhythm player, with top session guys such as James Burton playing lead for him). Two of the songs ("Traveling Kind" and the traditional adaptation of "Sally Goodin'") are actually solo live performances, and both these let him show off his breath-taking picking technique - coupled with his powerful voice, it makes for a truly stunning solo sound.The covers include the aforementioned numbers by Johnny Horton and Utah Phillips, as well as Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" and The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". On the latter he is backed only by a host of backing singers and his own guitar, and it's surely one of the greatest interpretations of this oft-covered song.
Seven Bridges Road (1971) <|> Renegade Picker (1976)
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Steve Young is an American country music singer-songwriter.
It seems a crime that an underrated musician such as Steve Young's best album is apparently out of print, and if you do track it down there are at least three different versions of it floating around, each with different tracks due to various confusing re-issues.The title track was originally released on his debut album for A&M Records, Rock, Salt & Nails. It had also been recorded by Joan Baez. His second album (on Reprise Records) had a new version of it. Perhaps this was because his first record had gone mostly unnoticed, and he felt like making a fresh start with his new label, and didn't want his best song to remain forgotten. But Young has re-recorded his own songs continuously throughout his career as he hopped from label to label (he would do "Seven Bridges Road" again in 1978), and this was just the start of it!Also included on the album are his other two most well-known songs - "Montgomery In The Rain" and "Lonesome, On'ry And Mean". These two are best known through their covers by other more established country artists, the former by Hank Williams Jr. and the latter by Waylon Jennings. The Eagles also had a major hit with "Seven Bridges Road" in 1980.The album itself is some first-class country music to rival his spectacular debut. However it sunk without a trace, and he was soon on to his third record label.This is where it gets confusing. The album was re-issued by Blue Canyon in 1973, with a considerably different track listing. Presumably these new songs were recorded during the original sessions but became outtakes, which is odd as most of them are far superior to the ones on the original album. The 'new' songs included a version of Bob Dylan's "Down In The Flood" with slide guitar from Ry Cooder, and a stunning solo version of Terry Gilkyson's "Wild Goose". And then in 1981 another version was put out by Rounder Records, with a new version of the title track replacing the old one (bringing the number of versions of "Seven Bridges Road" by Young himself to four by that point!). And then there was the CD re-issue...There are alot of versions of Seven Bridges Road to be found, but which is the best? That's actually a very tricky question, as despite the brilliance of the original, the reissues are arguably even better, and have far superior sound quality (there was definately some remixing happening along the way). But whichever version you listen to, Seven Bridges Road is surely Steve Young's best album and his crowning glory.
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NOTE - The version of the original album is obviously from a vinyl rip and isn't in the best of shape. The original Reprise record seems very hard to find, and I would love to get hold of a cleaner version if anyone can find it!
Steve Young is an American country music singer-songwriter.
Steve Young was born and raised in the south, having lived in Georgia, Alabama and Texas throughout his childhood. By the 60s he had absorbed the musical heritage of his surroundings, performing music that blended country, folk, blues and gospel influences. He spent time as part of New York's Greenwich Village folk scene before moving to California in 1964. He was briefly with a band called Stone Country, before he decided to pursue a solo career. He was signed to A&M Records, and his debut album came out in 1969.
Rock, Salt & Nails was turned out to be a brilliant record, rootsy and soulful, and is often considered an early classic of the country-rock and outlaw country genres. A lot of the songs werere covers, including the title track by Utah Phillips, Hank Williams’ “My Sweet Love Ain’t Around”, Roosevelt Jamison's "That's How Strong My Love Is", Johnny Horton's "I'm A One-Woman Man" and John Lee Hooker’s “Hoboin’”, but among the originals was “Seven Bridges Road”, which he would later re-record for his second album of the same name. It’s his best known song, and has been covered by loads of artists, including Joan Baez, Ian Matthews and The Eagles. Young played acoustic rhythm guitar, and among the assorted musicians backing him on the album was guitarist James Burton, bassist Chris Ethridge, fiddler Richard Greene, drummer Hal Blaine… It even had brief appearances from Gene Clark on harmonica and Gram Parsons on organ. But it's his stunning voice that stole the show from start to finish. Sadly it didnn't get much recognition and had to remain an underground favourite, a fate that would shadow all his albums throughout his career.
|> Seven Bridges Road (1971)
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No Place To Fall has the distinction of being the first album in Steve Young's career not to be released on a new record label - his first four had all been on different labels, but his fifth for once stuck with the same label as its predecessor (RCA). It continued in the same outlaw country style, with backing from veteran Nashville session musicians including steel guitarists Buddy Emmons and Lloyd Green, fiddler Buddy Spicher, multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy (on harmonica), drummer Kenny Malone, and many others. It had some strong original songs, plus four fantastic covers - the title track by Townes Van Zandt, "I Got The Same Old Blues" by JJ Cale, the Mentor Williams classic "Drift Away", and an absolutely stunning rendition of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right". It also featured two new recordings of earlier Steve Young songs - "Montgomery In The Rain", and another version of his oft-covered "Seven Bridges Road" (bringing the total he had released by 1978 up to three).
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