The Arrival of the New Grass Revival

AMG Review of The Arrival of the New Grass Revival

Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.
All Music Guide

Even conservative traditions like luegrass have their rebels, and the New Grass Revival, with their long hair and ock & roll repertoire, certainly qualified as such. The Arrival of the New Grass Revival may sound like just another luegrass album today, but in 1973 it created quite a stir. The first incarnation of the band rose from the ashes of the Bluegrass Alliance, and included mandolinist/fiddler Sam Bush, bassist Ebo Walker, banjoist Courtney Johnson, and guitarist/dobroist Curtis Burch. While a track like Bill Monroe's "Body and Soul" was anchored to tradition, the Revival specialized in progressive material like Leon Russell's "Prince of Peace" and Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire." Like a ock band, the New Grass Revival also enjoyed stretching out a piece like "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" to seven minutes, allowing everyone plenty of room to solo. As Jon Hartley Fox points out in the liner notes, two of the strongest pieces, "I Wish I Said (I Love You One More Time)" and "Whisper My Name" were written by the band. Besides strong material, the band plays with so much raw energy that The Arrival of the New Grass Revival almost sounds live. Perhaps the intensity of the band's approach, luegrass with a ock & roll attitude, frightened the old guard at the time. Today, it just sounds like great acoustic music.