Last of The Easy Riders - Unto The Earth

Ok, so let's start this one with a question - how many albums do you have in your collection that, due to various logical reasons should not qualify as a classic, or even exceptional, but you just catch yourself playing them on almost any occasion because in its grooves it contains music that is simply something that perfectly suits you?

It might not be the most astoundingly original music, but it is music that reminds you of something, whether it is your youth, university days, love situations, or just a moment you want to remember. And usually turns out to be an album or albums you would certainly keep over any album proclaimed as an absolute classic by any number of critics.

I just added such an album to my indispensable list - Unto The Earth by The Last of the Easy Riders. And yes, the bands name certainly gives a definite clue what you can expect to hear - The Byrds from Notorious Byrd Brothers or, CSN with and without Y, and certainly Y himself, all those jangly guitar bands inspired by Tom Petty, or The Doors, but also the more modern-day variations like The Beechwood Sparks, and even The Teenage Fanclub  (try “Turn The Tide”, for example).

And no, The Last of the Easy Riders did not come up with this sound themselves, but frankly, I don’t care, because the composers, Christopher Minarik and guitarist Bradley Gear along with bassist/vocalist Dan Duggan and drummer Mitch Mitchum and producer George Szegedy, who actually contributed a song to the album (“It Won’t Be Long”), have come up with a perfect, and I mean perfect country rock concoction that certainly reminds me that in my collection I still have the albums by bands like Poco, Orleans, Firefall…

Still, all this would not amount to much if The Last of the Easy Riders did not come up with some quite amazing sounds, without even sacrificing the lyrics (while the sunlight's fading /we're running along the edge my friend/and the dust is at our heels/savor the evening's twilight hour/ through the lavender fields - “Unto The Earth”).

The debate about originality will never cease, but with most pop/rock music it just might be pointless, particularly if it is as good as Unto The Earth. It certainly is not an album that fits the official description of a classic, but I certainly don’t intend to give it away. And that is why it gets a top mark as far as I'm concerned.