Sunday, February 21, 2016

Blast From The Past: The Long Ryders - Looking for Lewis and Clark

"Looking for Lewis and Clark" is one of the finest tracks recorded by The Long Ryders. It was released as a single in 1985 and was the lead track of their second album, "State of Our Union".

The Los Angeles based four-piece had made its debut two years earlier with the EP "10-5-60", mixing psychedelic and garage rock with country and folk influences. They were considered part of the '60s psychedelic-rock influenced Paisley Underground movement, along with fellow L.A. bands like The Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade. The strong country and folk rock elements of their sound makes The Long Ryders one of the key bands in preparing the way for the alternative country movement which flourished in the '90s.

Along with "State of Our Union", the band's discography includes two more excellent albums, 1984's "Native Sons" and 1987's "Two-Fisted Tales". All the material from these three LPs and the EP, as well as singles, demos and rare live recordings can be found in the new, 4-CD box set "Final Wild Songs", released a few weeks ago by Cherry Red Records. Highly recommended!

The Long Ryders -  Looking for Lewis and Clark

Check out The Long Ryders tour dates here.

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