In the liner notes to Sundazed's reissue of Roger McGuinn & Band, the former Byrds leader says, "A band should be a benevolent dictatorship," adding, "Democracy is a great form of government, but it doesn't work in rock & roll." Whether you agree with that statement or not, Roger McGuinn & Band is one album that supports McGuinn's argument pretty well; in 1975, after his first two solo albums were greeted with lackluster commercial and critical response, Columbia Records assigned producer John Boylan to McGuinn's next project, and Boylan brought along a band. While the players turned out to be a solid rhythm section who brought a tight, energetic groove to the sessions, McGuinn decided to let them contribute songs to the album in the name of esprit de corps, and let the record show that none of these guys had ever written a great song for one of America's benchmark rock bands.
Consequently, Roger McGuinn & Band is knee-deep in filler, though not all the blame can be pointed at Roger's bandmates, since "Easy Does It" and "Lisa" don't exactly loom large in his catalog. And while Boylan's production isn't especially intrusive, the results have a bit more gloss than this music needs, and the country-rock and boogie accents don't leave much room for the folk touches that have always been McGuinn's strong suit. Still, "Born to Rock and Roll" and "Lover of the Bayou" are solid McGuinn compositions that deserve wider circulation, and while this isn't one of his better albums, at least it finds him in sharp and passionate form with a good band behind him. He just shouldn't have let them write half of the album, that's all.
by Mark Deming
1. Somebody Loves You (Allen Kemp, Stephen A. Love) - 3:16
2. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan) - 3:20
3. Bull Dog (Richard Bowden) - 1:59
4. Painted Lady (David Lovelace, Greg Attaway) - 3:08
5. Lover Of The Bayou (Jacques Levy, Roger McGuinn) - 3:25
6. Lisa (Roger McGuinn) - 1:59
7. Circle Song (David Lovelace) - 3:04
8. So Long (Richard Bowden) - 3:13
9. Easy Does It (Roger McGuinn) - 2:41
10.Born To Rock And Roll (Roger McGuinn) - 3:21
11.Wasn't Born To Follow (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 2:02
12.Chestnut Mare (Jacques Levy, Roger McGuinn) - 5:50
Bonus Tracks Live 11-12
Personnel
Roger McGuinn - Guitar, Vocals, Bass
Steve Love - Bass
David Lovelace - Keyboards
Greg Attaway - Drums
Richard Bowden - Guitar
1973 Roger McGuinn - Roger McGuinn (2013 Edition)
1976 Roger McGuinn - Cardiff Rose (2013 edition)
1979 McGuinn, Clark And Hillman (2014 Japan SHM Remaster)
1964 The Byrds - Preflyte (2012 Edition)
1968 The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (Double Disc Set)
1969 The Byrds - Live At Fillmore
1971 The Byrds - Live At Royal Albert Hall
1971 The Byrds - Farther Along (Blu Spec 2014 extra tracks release)
1971 The Byrds - Byrdmaniax (2013 Japan Blu Spec edition)
1973 Byrds - Byrds
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