Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72

Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72
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
Boston Music Hall, 12/5/72 (2003) Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72 (2004) Armadillo World Headquarters, Austin, TX, 6/13/75 (2005)

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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.

Springfield Creamery Benefit

The Springfield Creamery Benefit, sometimes called the Field Trip or Kesey's Farm, 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 was documented in the unreleased film Sunshine Daydream.

CD production

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.

Track listing

1. "Truck Drivin' Man" (Terry Fell) – 2:56
2. "Rainbow" (John Dawson) – 3:40
3. "Lochinvar" (Dawson) – 4:51
4. "Groupie" (Dave Torbert) – 3:08
5. Stage Announcement – White Bird Tent – 2:08
6. "Whatcha Gonna Do" (Dawson) – 3:40
7. "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)" (Max Fidler, Joe Maphis, Rose Lee Maphis) – 3:37
8. "Hello Mary Lou" (Gene Pitney) – 3:08
9. Stage Announcement – Field Tripping – 0:56
10. "Whiskey" (Dawson) – 3:52
11. Stage Announcement – Salt Tabs & Blue Acid – 1:35
12. "Runnin' Back to You" (Dawson) – 4:14
13. "I Don't Need No Doctor" (Jo Armstead, Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson) – 6:25
14. "Linda" (Dawson) – 5:21
15. "Louisiana Lady" (Dawson) – 3:56
16. "Last Lonely Eagle" (Dawson) – 6:07
17. "Willie and the Hand Jive" (Johnny Otis) – 10:38

Personnel

New Riders of the Purple Sage

• John Dawson – rhythm guitar, vocals
• David Nelson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dave Torbert – bass guitar, vocals
• Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
• Spencer Dryden – drums

Production

• Produced by Rob Bleetstein
• Mixed and mastered by Stephen Barncard
• 16–track transfer by Jeffrey Norman
• Recorded by Bob Matthews and Betty Cantor
• Bus blotter art by Zane Kesey
• Event photos from the film Sunshine Daydream courtesy of Canis Major / Sam Field
• Stage announcements by Ken Babbs