Herb Pedersen
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 () - Herb Pedersen -- vocals, guitar
supporting musicians (1976) - Mike Baird -- drums, percussion - Larry Carlton -- guitar - Edward Carter - bass - Gary Coleman -- percussion - Jim Gordon -- drums, percussion - Josh Graves -- dobro - James Guerin -- drums, percussion - Emmylou Harris -- backing vocals - David Lindley -- fiddle, lap steel guitar, zither - Al Perkins - pedal steel guitar - Ray Park (RIP) -- fiddle - Mike Post -- moog, piano - Linda Ronstadt -- backing vocals - Leland Sklar -- bass - Chris Smith -- guitar - Dean Webb -- mandolin
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- Bluegrass Reunion - Country Gazette - The Desert Rose Band - Here Today - Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen - John Jorgeson Bluesgrass Band - The Laurel Canyon Ramblers - The New Kentucky Ramblers - Old and In the Way - The Pine Valley Boys - Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen - Johnny Rivers and His L.A. Boogie Band
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Genre: rock Rating: Title: Southwest Company: Epic Catalog: PE-34225 Country/State: Berkeley, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: includes original lyric inner sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $20.00
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So here's a country-rock album that truly surprised me. I grew up listening to radio just as country-rock was breaking into the commercial big time. As a result I own plenty of country-rock albums, but as a genre I've always found it to be under-whelming. So much of it just sounds similar. One pedal steel solo blurs into another.
For a guy born and raised in California I've always been fascinated by singer/multi-instrumentalist Herb Pedersen's musical career. Prior to being signed with Epic Pedersen had been sort of a musical wanderer. He started his first bluegrass band, The Pine Valley Boys while still in his teens. BY the time he as 17 he was living in Nashville where he attracted some attention playing on the local Carl Tipton's Bluegrass television program. That led to stints with David Grisman's Smokey Grass Boys, backing the duo of Vern and Ray, Earl Scruggs and starting in the late-'60s, replacing Doug Dillard in The Dillards. Returning to California Pedersen became an in-demand sessions player, appearing on dozens of albums and occasional hitting the road as a touring musician. In fact, supporting Jackson Browne on his 1975 "Late for the Sky" American tour seems to have brought Pedersen to the attention of Epic Records.
Produced
by Mike Post, 1976's "Southwest" featured a largely
original collection of Pedersen originals. There were two covers - an
unexpected cover of The Beatles 'Paperback Writer' and a less surprising
cover of the Bill Monroe classic 'Can't You Hear Me Calling'.
Best known for scoring television show themes (The Rockford Files, Magnum
PI, Law & Order, etc.), Post was an i
For anyone interested, Pedersen has a website at: www.herbpedersen.com
"Southwest" track listing: 1.) Paperback Writer (John Lennon - Paul McCartney) - 2:43 rating: **** stars Opening up an album with a Beatles cover doesn't seem like the most original concept. That said, powered by Pedersen's twangy voice and Al Perkins' pedal steel guitar, his country-tinged cover of 'Paperback Writer' was so quirky that it was actually kind of entertaining. The remake stayed fairly close to the original melody, but the country flavorings, including David Lindley's fiddle made it just different enough to be entertaining. The track was released as a promotional 45:
- 1976's 'Paperback Writer' (mono) b/w 'Paperback Writer' (stereo) (Epic catalog number 8-50368)
2.) Rock & Roll Cajun (Herb Pedersen - Nikki Pedersen) - 3:09 rating: **** stars With Pedersen showing he could turn in a tasty electric guitar performance, 'Rock & Roll Cajun' was a nice example of mid-'70s country-rock. With bands like Firefall and The Flying Burrito Brothers enjoying mid-'70s radio success, this is the track I would have picked as a single. This was the first of three tracks co-written with wife Nikki Pedersen. 3.) If I Can Sing A Song (Herb Pedersen - Nikki Pedersen) - 2:08 rating: **** stars I'd argue Mike Post's heavy orchestration was unnecessary, but overlooking that, 'If I Can Sing A Song' was a pretty little ballad. Pedersen's multi-track vocals were to-die-for pretty. 4.) Our Baby’s Gone (Herb Pedersen) - 2:50 rating: ***** stars If you're a parent 'Our Baby’s Gone' is a song you should hear in order to take a moment to thank your God for the blessing he'd given you. As the parent of two adult sons, it will also remind you just how fast time flies by and there are no second chances. I'm pretty cynical, but have to admit this song got to me. Backing harmonies from Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt make this song magical.
- 1976's 'Our Baby's Gone' b/w 'Jesus Once Again' (Epic catalog number 8-50309)
5.) Harvest Home (Herb Pedersen - Nikki Pedersen) - 2:50 rating: *** stars Written years ahead of Willie Nelson and the Farmers Aid movement, 'Harvest Home' seemed to be about the struggles of farmers. Opening up with some forlorn trumpet the track sported another pretty melody which underscored how unexpectedly commercial Pedersen's voice was. Post's orchestration was again needless.
(side
2)
2.) Jesus Once Again (Herb Pedersen) - 4:18 rating: *** stars I guess there's some sort of written rule that every country-rock album has to have at least one "Jesus" song. Welcome to 'Jesus Once Again'. The funny thing is propelled by Post's keyboards, Leland Sklar's pounding bass and a tasty Larry Carlton guitar solo this was one of the album's most conventional and commercial tracks. This was another tune that would have made a nice single, though the song reappeared as the "B" side of Pedersen's 'Our Baby's Gone' 45. 3.) Younger Days (Herb Pedersen) - 2:52 rating: ** stars The album's least country tune, the heavily orchestrated ballad 'Younger Days' would have been perfect for a mid-'70s single, or a television show theme song. It has the same "sad, broken-hearted guy" vibe as some of the material being churned out by the likes of Rupert Holmes, Terry Jacks, Andy Kim, etc. The song was apparently featured on an episode of Greatest American Hero (never seen the show). 4.) Can’t You Hear Me Callin’ (Bill Monroe) - 2:59 rating: ** stars Anyone who bought the album expecting to hear true country and bluegrass was finally rewarded with the authentic sounding cover of Bill Monroe's 'Can’t You Hear Me Callin’. I wasn't one of those folks so this one didn't do much for me, though you finally got to hear Pedersen's banjo work. Funny this one always reminded me of The Soggy Bottom Boys' 'I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow'. 5.) Wait A Minute (Herb Pedersen) - 4:18 rating: **** stars Perhaps the album's prettiest composition, 'Wait a Minute' fell clearly in the Dan Fogelberg country-rock niche. The song was nice enough with a pretty melody and standard "I miss you so much" lyrics, but the multi-tracked vocals pushed it into memorable territory. I'm not a big pedal steel fan, but Carl Smith's solo was simply beautiful.
© Scott R. Blackerby
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nteresting
choice to produce Pedersen. His pop-roots certainly seemed at odds with
Pedersen's country background. Luckily,
with the exception of some heavy-handed orchestration on tracks like 'Harvest
Home' and 'Younger
Days' and the ill-advised, sappy pop
ballad 'Younger Days' the contrasting styles seldom got in the way.
Backed by a sterling collection of Southern California studio musicians and
friends including guitarist Larry Carlton, multi-instrumentalist David
Lindley and appearances from Emmylou Harris and Linda
Ronstadt, the results were surprisingly impressive. Hardly known for
his voice, Pedersen showed he'd been gifted with a strong and highly
commercial voice. Demonstrated by tracks like 'Our Baby's Gone' and
'The Hey Boys' as a songwriter he had a knack for showcasing his country and
bluegrass roots, while adding enough pop and rock to the mix so as to make
it palatable to a wider audience. You wouldn't have though it would work,
but the opening cover of The Beatles 'Paperback Writer' was a great example
of his ability to mash-up genres. Exemplified by the country-rocker
'Rock & Roll Cajun' and the pretty ballad Wait a Minute'' Pedersen was
also capable of slugging it out with the likes of Firefall, Poco and other
top-40 country-rockers.
I
first stumbled across 'The Hey Boys' on The Dillard's 1968 "Wheatstraw
Suite" album (Elektra catalog number EKS-74035). Pedersen's
remake stands as one of the hidden treasures in the album. Thanks to
the pop chorus he inserted which made it perfect for top-40 radio, his
version was not quite as country as The Dillards' version. Never been
able to figure out if the vocals Pedersen being multi-tracked or there were
some un-credited backing singers. If there's such a thing as country
music for people who don't like country, this might be it. YouTube has
a nice cover by The John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band with Henderson on a vocals
and guitar: