Green On Red - Gravity Talks (Hol) [CD]

The best Green on Red album, and a great example of mid 80's California "western" sound. A blend of psychedelia, 60's folk, and 70's country-rock, but with the Velvet's drone creeping in constantly and with down and out lyrics. Dan Stuart penned lyrics with immediacy while aspiring to Lou Reed-like poetry. On this record, Stuart's vocals sound a bit like a more strident, more intense (and less tuneful) Neil Young. Meanwhile, Chris Cacavas provided keyboards that evoked the best of the psychedelic 1960s. There is a lot of complexity on "Gravity Talks" and it builds from start to finish, from the ragged and unpolished (but still charming) opener/title track through the reflective "Old Chief" and on to the driving and very western "5 Easy Pieces". This stuff holds up completely.