Customer Reviews

Dream

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Originally released in 1975, Dream completed the trilogy of albums that constitute the highwater mark of a band that has been (and still is) making music for more than thirty years. Along with Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy and the double-CD Will the Circle Be unbroken, these three albums represent the zenith of the NGDB's career.

Dream also was the last time (with the possible exception of Circle, vol. 2) the NGDB stayed true to its country-bluegrass roots over an entire album before courting a country-pop audience beginning with American Dream in 1979.

As such, Dream is pure joy from start to finish. The covers are inspired--Jimmy Driftwood's "Battle of New Orleans," Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'" (with background vocals by Linda Ronstadt), the shoulda-been-a-big hit Everly Brothers' cover of "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and J.D. Souther's rousing "The Moon Just Turned Blue." And all four NGDB members (original member Les Thompson quit the group after Stars and Stripes Forever in 1974) contribute strong original material. Jeff Hanna wrote "Bayou Jubilee," which was dedicated to the "ragin' Cajun" Doug Kershaw. Jim Ibbotson supplied the gorgeous "Ripplin' Waters" and the Caribbean-inspired "Joshua Come Home." Jimmie Fadden wrote the rollicking "Daddy Was a Sailor." Even John McEuen contributed the banjo showpiece "Classical Banjo."

It's unfortunate that such a classic NGDB album was out of print for nearly two decades. [My original vinyl copy was barely still playable.] What a delight to hear this album again on CD. Buy this album now before it goes out of print again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This is one of the few albums that I had to buy an another copy of because I wore out the first one. People at cast parties I was at turned it over twice without me even suggesting it! This album has some of the sweetest and most creative music of any album I've ever heard and I used to "dream" that they would put it out on CD. I found a few of the tracks on other "best of" CD's, but assumed that they were going to leave it at that, so I was absolutely thrilled when they decided to release it on digital. "Ripplin' Waters" is one of the meditational pieces of music I've known, and what an absolute joy to hear Leon Russell contribute his considerable talents to "Joshua Come Back Home." I would recommend this album to anyone, NGDB fans and any other, as one of the finest albums to be produced from the 1970's or any decade.

These were the days when the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were at their creative peak. Shortly after the release of this album the band went into commercial pop music and then into very commercial country music. Not that those eras were bad (the Dirt Band didn't do bad) but they were very safe periods for them. But Dream was the pinnacle of their creativity, in my opinion.
The somewhat bizarre rendition of Battle of New Orleans took some getting used to, but I came to appreciate it for what it is. They had already done a straight forward version, now it was time to experiment a bit. Ripplin' Waters is one of the best tunes they ever put on tape, and still sounds fresh to this day. Mother of Love and Bayou Jubilee are very well done rock songs and show that the Dirt Band can rock (in their own way).
All I have to do is Dream shows off the band's harmony abilities to good effect. I like this album very much and it reminds me of seeing the band in concert for the Dream tour in 1975. They were reduced to a quartet with the departure of the very talented Les Thompson. They came out as a four-piece, with no additional musicians and they really brought down the house. Those were good times, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will always be a part of my life. Buy this album and enjoy an excellent band at thier
peak. They weren't a bluegrass, rock, country,or folk band. They were just a damn fine band who could play it all.

This album was the last concept album the band recorded with William McEuen playing a major role in its musical production. Liberty Records heavily promoted this album and distributed it to the radio stations with an interview album and a single sampler. Advertisements appeared in major music-oriented magazines and it received very good reviews from the music critics. Commercially, the album failed to live up to the label's expectations and artistically marked the end the band's direction into the "uncharted" (pun -intended) waters of AOR country rock. Unjustifiably, this album has never received its due for its musical content or concept. It was the last of the NGDB Liberty albums to be re-released by BGO. This is a landmark album that should be in every Dirt Head's collection. (end of sermon...you can return to your lives, citizens)

I have every early NGDB album and this was by far and away their best effort. Anyone who has seen the original NGDB in concert will recognize the blending of styles, the variety of musical choices typical of their fantastic shows. Best of the best. Too long coming to CD.

When I bought this album, 22 years ago, I gave it to all of my friends, as a present, and they all loved it. It is a highly unappreciated record that should have recieved better sales. The production is excellant, great stereo sound and it really rocks, but with a country flavor. It is my favorite ngdb album and one of my favorites of all bands.

This album has two remakes of old favorites on it that are fantastic. One of them features Linda Ronstadt in a duet with Jeff on "Hey, Good Lookin'". I saw her perform with the band at Red Rocks, and it was something else. The other is a really different version of the Johnny Horton Hit "The Battle of New Orleans". Great guitar work on this one. I also really liked "The Moon Just Turned Blue". I've had this on an LP for years, and I dig it out once in a while and just turn it up real loud. Great album.

This album - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 9th - was originally released in 1975. The Dirt Band had their major break-through in 1970 with their excellent 5th album, "Uncle Charlie & his dog Teddy" (which included the hit single "Mr. Bojangles", as well as "House at Pooh corner" and several other memorable songs). "Uncle Charlie" was followed by another excellent album titled "All the good times" (1971). The following year saw the release of "Will the circle be unbroken", a triple-LP concept album, that departed in style from the previous albums, in that it was an all acoustic album, consisting of bluegrass, folk, and old country music, performed by the Dirt Band together with several famous musicians (e.g., Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and others). The "Circle" album is arguably the bands crowning achievement. It was followed in 1974 by a (mostly) live album, "Stars and stripes forever", a slightly uneven album drawing from both the rockier side of the early albums and from the folk/bluegrass/country side of the "Circle" album. The expectations were hence rather high when "Dream" was released the following year. Unfortunately, the "Dream" album does not quite live up to expectations. There are several good to excellent tracks on the album, but also some that leave at least this listener wondering why they were included. If you are new to the Dirt Band's music, buy any of the above mentioned albums (or one of their greatest hits packages or the "Circle II" or "Live two-five" album). The "Dream" album would be a nice addition to your collection if you already have the above recommended albums.

Here is a track-by-track commentary:

- Winterwhite (wind harp): The album opens with church bells and "spacey" sounds that don't do much for me (but it's a short track).

- Raleigh-Durham reel: The first music track is a nice, traditional (bluegrass/folk) instrumental.

- Battle of New Orleans: Next follows a strange version of the Jimmy Driftwood classic. The singer sounds like he's constipated (!). There is a rather nice bagpipe ending to the song, however. I personally prefer the more straight forward version of the same song on "Stars and stripes forever".

- Bayou jubilee: This is a good song with a Cajun feel to it. It leads into the next track.

- Sally was a goodun: A very nice and spirited bluegrass number (with John McEuen on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar).

- Hey good lookin': An uptempo, rousing rendition of the Hank Williams' standard with Jimmy Ibbotson and Linda Ronstadt on vocals.

- Classical banjo I/Malaguena/Classical banjo II: These three pieces go together as one track and consist of John McEuen performing solo on the banjo. This is a little too much like an instructional recording on how to play the banjo for my taste. It also breaks up the mood of the album.

- Daddy was a sailor: Average, nondescript piece of pop music (filler).

- Sleeping on the beach: Another filler track, consisting of an instrumental track performed on music box, harp, bass, and percussion.

- Santa Monica Pier: This track ends the A side of the original LP and sounds mostly like noise (surf, people, etc.) recorded (possibly) at Santa Monica Pier with some harmonium music included. I fail to see why this was included. It doesn't really add anything to the album (unless you happen to LOVE the sounds and feel of a Southern California pier, perhaps).

- Ripplin' waters: A solid song composed by Jimmy Ibbotson.

- (All I have to do is) Dream: This is the old Everly Brothers' hit in a folksy/bluegrassy arrangement.

- Mother of love: A slightly dated, but rather spirited pop/rocker.

- The moon just turned blue: A good rockabilly number.

- Gotta travel on: A nice bluegrass instrumental (albeit with electric bass and drums) that is reminiscent of the music on the "Circle" album.

- Joshua come home: Good song with a solid Caribbean feel. This reminds me of Jimmy Buffett.

- Solstice (wind harp): Miscellaneous noises (e.g., rain, thunder, birds, and "spacey" sounds). Why was this track included?

- Symphonion montage: This is a melody played on a music box. I fail to see why this track was included. It departs from the album and breaks the mood that the music creates.

It was great for me to hear this album again after an absence of about 18 years (my original vinyl is long gone). But if my memory of the original serves me right, then this newly remastered version contains some slight variations from the original sound. For instance, on "Hey Good Lookin'", Linda Ronstadt's vocals are toned way down at one point. Similarly, the mandolin on "Ripplin' Water" is nearly imperceptible. Perhaps my hearing (or memory) has faded a bit with age, but I could swear the sound on the original was cleaner. (Anyone else hear this?) Nonetheless, this is truly a great work.

This is one of my five all time favorite albums, if not #1. I am immediately transported back to my college days, just chilling out listening to wonderfully creative country rock sounds. The Battle of New Orleans is awesome, as is NGDB's version of "Hey Good Lookin". This music inspired me to be a better musician, and to enjoy all kinds of music - folk, country, rock, bluegrass.