DREGS OF THE EARTH

Mark Parrish, steps down on keyboards and T Lavitz steps in. The replacement of Mark by T was kind of the equivalent of Howe replacing Banks in Yes. The original person holding down that seat wasn't bad, it's just that the new guy was a better fit.

The Dixie Dregs at this point had kind of developed and almost cliché style of songs at this point for their studio albums. You'd have a proggy bluegrass bit, some rockers, something symphonic prog, something even more classical styled. Really not a bad rut for a band to get stuck in.

Normally I have a hard time writing about instrumental albums but this one is easy. The styles are what really make it so. Here's a track by track:

Road Expense: a rocking opening tune. The title is of course a reference to touring.

Pride O' the Farm: the obligatory proggy bluegrass track. Band makes farm noises at the end. If you don't like or think you like bluegrass. Dregs songs like this might change your mind. So if you need something to change your mind?

Twiggs Approved: a more laid back kind of rocker. Twiggs was their road manager and died in a skydiving accident, which is ironic as their first studio album had the band jumping out of an airplane.

Hereafter: I guess this one fits in more with symphonic prog. One of their obligatory mellow tracks.

The Great Spectacular: an update to a song they put on their college demo album. I find it hard to pigeonhole this one other than it is a nice prog instrumental.

Broad Street Strut: boogie baby. If instrumentals were making hits in those days, who knows?

I'm Freaking Out: if you are a prog rock fan and you don't like this track, there's something wrong with you. Has what I consider to be one of Andy West's coolest bass lines. A little over nine minutes of a trip.

Old World: really good acoustic wrap up to the album. This would be their obligatory classical style piece for this album.