Veneta, Oregon (album)
| Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72 | ||||
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| Live album by New Riders of the Purple Sage | ||||
| Released | September 21, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | August 27, 1972 | |||
| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Length | 70:23 | |||
| Label | Kufala | |||
| Producer | Rob Bleetstein | |||
| New Riders of the Purple Sage chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72 is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was recorded live on August 27, 1972, at the Springfield Creamery Benefit concert, at Temple Meadow, near Veneta, Oregon. It was released on September 21, 2004. It was the third complete New Riders concert that was recorded in the 1970s and released in the 2000s as an album on the Kufala Recordings label, and the only one to be released as one disc instead of two.
The Springfield Creamery Benefit, sometimes called the Field Trip, was a benefit concert for a dairy owned by Chuck Kesey, the brother of Ken Kesey, and his wife Sue. The New Riders of the Purple Sage were the warm up band for the Grateful Dead. Despite challenging technical conditions — the weather was unusually hot, and many of the people present were under the influence of LSD — the Dead's performance that day is highly regarded by tape traders. The concert is documented in a film and an album, both called Sunshine Daydream.
According to the CD liner notes, Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72 "was produced from the original 16-track analog master tapes running at 15 i.p.s. We've tried to preserve this day as it was.... An outdoor event on an extremely hot day with an assortment of Merry Pranksters on the loose." The album includes several sets of stage announcements that were made during the course of the New Riders' performance, as well as some onstage remarks by members of the band.
On Allmusic, Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. said, "While the New Riders were always much more straightforward in concert than the Dead, and thus lacked the jam band appeal, they were nonetheless a formidable force. And while they are often remembered for combining country and rock, they sound like a good old-fashioned rock band here, even on a country song like "Truck Drivin' Man". Specifically, David Nelson's guitar work and Buddy Cage's steel work add pizzazz to even the most mundane song, while Dave Torbert's bass adds infinite bottom end. For whatever reason, Veneta seems even tighter, more musically together, than previous [live archival] releases."
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