Roger McGuinn is probably best known for his work with The Byrds as the group’s frontman and developing a unique style of electric guitar playing that involved different bluegrass and jazz elements. This album, Roger McGuinn (1973) is his McGuinn’s first solo album, which featured all of the founding members of The Byrds, as well as Graham Nash and Bob Dylan, to name some of the many other musicians that were featured on the album. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
Oh wow, “I’m So Restless” starts out with such a great folksy sound with the gently descending acoustic guitar chord progression and a harmonica that reminds me of Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde (1966). Wow, I’m going to really enjoy this album if this song is any sort of indication of the tracks ahead. Wow, the folksy flavors in this track has such a wholesome sound. I might have to pick up this album on vinyl for this song alone. Wow, awesome track.
Holy smokes, “My New Woman” starts out with a bit of a free-form folk rock backing track between the electric guitar and rhythm from the drums and bass, which is soon joined by a flowing, improvisational saxophone. Wow, I’m really picking up a lot of flavors from The Byrds on this track, with a style that almost has undertones of Steely Dan. I really dig the drum track on this one, which evokes a sort of turning sensation with the playing. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Lost My Drivin’ Wheel” feels like a bunch of folk rock and country rock flavors washed together to create a super groovy, nearly psychedelic, twangy soundscape. Oh wow, the drum track really keeps the song both steady and dynamic with the different movements, which seems to reel in the many twangy guitar parts into a centralized location. Wow, this track is super flavorful. I’m not sure that I’ve ever listened to something that is representative of a country folk rock tune as much as this song. Wow, awesome track.
“Draggin'” starts out with what sounds to be air blowing out of an air conditioner of sorts for a moment, and then the saxophone comes in and drops the track right into place. Oh wow, I really dig the style with which the keyboards seem to swish around in the background. Oh wow, this song is pretty sweet. Holy smokes, there was what seemed to be a skidding sound for a moment. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “Time Cube” starts out with a combination of moog synthesizer and a plucky banjo, which are both soon joined by some vocals of McGuinn that sound like he’s harmonizing with himself. If there’s such a thing as a cosmic folk tune, it might be this track. Wow, the storytelling element of this track is awesome. So far this album has been a very unique listening experience in terms of the combinations of genres, and I’m digging it. Great track.
Oh wow, “Bag Full of Money” starts out with a pedal steel guitar that seems to paint a country sky into the background of the soundscape, while the acoustic guitar and drums seem to almost have a folksy waltz feel to them. Oh wow, I just noticed the bass line as the song went into an instrumental segment. Oh wow, the tune seems to become folksier as the music progresses. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Hanoi Hannah” has a really interesting, bright, country folk bluesy feel. The acoustic 12-string really creates a lot of steady and bright movement in the soundscape. Holy smokes, the bluesy lines played by the electric guitar (which is possibly also a 12-string or a double-neck of sorts) really adds a ton of mellow, bluesy feel to the soundscape. Great track.
Oh wow, “Stone (The Lord Loves a Rolling Stone” starts out with such a flavorful, nearly melancholic flavor from the piano, which seems to amplify as the children’s church chorus vocals enter the soundscape. Oh wow, the beat feels super spacious and weighty with the snare and kick combined. I really dig McGuinn’s vocals, which seem seem to harmonize with a version of himself from a different dimension. Super sweet track.
Holy smokes, “Heave Away” has that Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde (1966) feel again with the acoustic guitar and harmonica introducing the track. Oh wow, the chorus vocals add a super interesting flavor that makes the tune even sweeter. Holy smokes, the counterpoint of the different guitar parts gives such an interesting feel to the soundscape. Wow, awesome track.
Oh wow, “M’ Linda” has a super playful, island-like feel with the light acoustic guitar and the exotic-sounding percussion. Oh wow, all of the vocals seem to have some sort of Caribbean accent, though this is especially prominent int the chorus vocals. The guitar work kind of reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot. Oh wow, the clapping enters the soundscape and brings a super wholesome feel as the track comes to an end. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “The Water Is Wide” has a really bittersweet, singer/songwriter sort of feel at the start of the tune with the vocal performance and weighty instrumentation. Holy smokes, the pedal steel guitar that enters the soundscape brings such a flavorful country sound to the track, which seems to get the tune grooving in a higher gear. Super sweet track.
“John, John” is the first of the two bonus tracks on this version of the album, which brings a super sweet singer/songwriter feel as the vocals are the main focus with light accentuations from two different acoustic guitar parts on both sides of the soundscape. Super sweet track.
“Jamaica, Say You Will” begins with a super light combination of a bright 12-string acoustic guitar and some warm keyboard on the other side of the soundscape. Oh wow, the drums come into the soundscape and get the tune grooving along super nicely. Oh wow, the tune feels like it’s nearly coming to a slow-building crescendo to end the album on a super sweet note. Wow, great track, and a great way to end this album.
Holy smokes, this album is super sweet. The mixing of country rock and folk rock felt completely seamless throughout the album, which were also mixed with elements of singer/songwriter and vague psychedelia at times. At some points in the album, the instrumentation reminded me very much of Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde (1966). The resulting album is one that I would like to get on vinyl soon. If you’re into folk rock and country rock, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A