The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage
| The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Greatest hits album by New Riders of the Purple Sage | ||||
| Released | 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1971–1975 | |||
| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| New Riders of the Purple Sage chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Allmusic |
 (re-release) |
| Robert Christgau | (D+) |
The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It contains a selection of songs that had previously appeared on the band's first seven albums, which were recorded between 1971 and 1975. It was released by Columbia Records in 1976.
According to the biography of the band on their official web site, "Just about this time, the music business was entering another era and the New Riders ended their relationship with Columbia Records. The subsequent release of The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage, with its infamous cover, fulfilled their obligation to Columbia and the band then signed with MCA Records in 1976."
Five of the ten songs on The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage were taken from the band's self-titled first album. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead plays pedal steel guitar on those tracks.
In 2006, The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage was re-released with five additional songs. Four of the "bonus tracks" had been previously released on the Columbia albums. The fifth is an alternate version of "Linda", from the Gypsy Cowboy recording sessions.
Re-release bonus tracks:
The New Riders' first seven albums and the songs that were selected from them for The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage are:
*expanded edition bonus track
*expanded edition bonus track
...
Wikipedia