What they’d wanted to do was record a live album, but Capitol wouldn’t go for it and neither would Columbia. As Gearheart explains, “We were trying to get Capitol to let us do a live album. Everyone was telling us, you need to do a live album to capture the excitement. Live we were more eclectic than in the studio,” adding “We had a promoter in Edmonton, Canada that
wanted to do it. It was the same place that Procol Harum did their live album, but it never happened. We weren’t happy with the Columbia album although it had some of our best songs, but we’ve since re-recorded them.”
commercial. After the first album their sound was perhaps not as adventurous, probably a case of trying to fit in, but there are some gems, notably the ecology slanted ‘The Corn Won’t Grow, So Rock And Roll’, from Welcome To Goose Creek which is still a staple of their live set and, from the Words album, the rollicking ‘Guitars Pickin’ Fiddles Playing’ which segues into ‘Orange Blossom Special’.
The band had a fair amount of publicity by playing at the ’70 Atlanta Pop Festival. They toured around the country playing on bills with just about everyone as Gearheart
remembers. “We have played with everyone from Bill Monroe to Alice Cooper, because the promoters loved it. They could put us on with anyone. We even did The Atlanta Pop Festival with Hendrix.”
Despite the exposure they failed to make the next level mostly due to the fact that Capitol didn’t know what to do with them. So, they switched to Columbia for the fourth album Do Your Thing But Don’t Touch Mine. The label decided they needed a producer in Ron Hafikine, which they clearly didn’t! Shortly thereafter the band took a hiatus... a really long one that lasted almost 17 years.
The band spent time raising families and occasionally getting together to play music. Then in the early ‘90s they came back (musically sounding like they’d never been away), and lo and behold they sound almost contemporary. The Goose Creek story brings new meaning to “you were ahead of your time.”
The Goose Creek Symphony may not be the biggest name in country-rock but they certainly deserve a special mention.
All their albums –with the exception of the Columbia disc –are still available from their website
www.goosecreeksymphony.com.
COUNTRY ROCK HEROES✪PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE T
he earliest incarnation of Pure Prairie League began in Ohio in the late ’60s – the name coming from the fictional women’s temperance union in Errol Flynn’s 1939 Western Dodge City. Like many other early country rock acts (Poco
and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band spring to mind), Pure Prairie League have undergone many line-up changes and released numerous albums, but it’s their first two RCA LPs that stake their claim to classic country rock status. Their eponymous debut and magnificent follow-up, Bustin’ Out, are instantly recognisable by their covers, unique cowboy paintings by Norman Rockwell, one of the masters of American illustration.
The essence of the early PPL was two mid-western guitar playing singer/songwriters, Craig Fuller and George Powell. Fledgling RCAA&R man Bob Ringe took a shine to them, and ended up producing their first two albums. The first, from 1971, has a strong country feel; John Call’s pedal steel is much in evidence and the tunes include a lot of traditional influences.
Although they were reportedly a fine live band, PPL found it difficult to find the right sort of gigs, often supporting much heavier headliners. Their sweet country harmonies weren’t the kind of thing the largely Hispanic, streetwise crowd wanted to hear when they debuted in New York, opening for Santana. Although the LP and live shows garnered good press, US sales were low, but to RCA’s credit they bankrolled a second album, which was recorded in Toronto. The title was probably inspired by the Rockwell cover painting of an old cowboy being hurled through a saloon door, but Bustin’ Out is also an apt
steel is mostly absent but the strong country harmonies are still present. The songs bubble over with an infectious pop joie de vivre and some excellent upfront rock guitar. The tunes anticipate the direction Fuller was later to follow with the fine and under-rated American Flyer, and the album is as good as early ’70s country influenced rock gets. The driving ‘Leave My Heart Alone’ is one of Powell’s best songs, with fine electric guitar whereas ‘Early Morning Riser’ takes several unexpected turns, all of them inspired. And the harmonies and infectious melody of ‘Amie’
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description of the way the album breaks away from the musical confines of traditional C&W.
The album bears a fantastic and unselfconscious mix of influences. Always a great vocalist with a warm and distinctive voice, Craig Fuller matured as the principal writer, creating some enduring melodic tunes that blended pop, rock and country influences. The pedal
have made it a regularly covered and well-known song over the years.
Producer Ringe’s RCA and Bowie connections brought Mick Ronson to the project. Ronson quickly warmed to the band and the friendly vibes at their idyllic rented ranch house outside Toronto. He stayed for a few weeks, adding sympathetic string arrangements, backing vocals and bass on ‘Amie’.
Although versions of PPL played on through the ’70s and early ’80s, Bustin’ Out is the band’s finest moment. A conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, Fuller had to temporarily quit playing to work in a Kentucky hospital. He returned to the PPL story when the band reformed in 2006.
Phil Suggitt
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