Live in Japan by J.D. Crowe and the New South, recorded in Tokyo in 1979 and released on Rounder (0159) in 1982, captures one of the most celebrated touring editions of the band before a famously attentive Japanese audience. The lineup paired Crowe's driving banjo with a young Keith Whitley on guitar and lead vocals, Jimmy Gaudreau on mandolin, and Bobby Slone — a document of the New South exporting progressive bluegrass to listeners who received it with an enthusiasm that sometimes exceeded what the band found at home. Crowe's ensemble playing is locked and propulsive, and the audience's hushed respect during instrumental passages lends the recording an unusual concert-document quality. For students of the New South lineage — the band that launched Whitley, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and others — it is a valuable snapshot of how this music sounded on stage and how far it traveled.
Tracklist
- 1 She' Gone, Gone, Gone - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 2:42
- 2 Don’t Give Your Heart to a Rambler alt version 3:49
- 3 Shuckin’ the Corn alt version 2:06
- 4 Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 2:54
- 5 Railroad Lady - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 3:40
- 6 Sugar Coated Love - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 2:48
- 7 Memphis Mandolin - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 2:54
- 8 Rose Colored Glasses - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 3:42
- 9 Red Rockin' Chair - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 2:55
- 10 The Martha White Theme alt version 2:00
- 11 The Ballad of Jed Clampett alt version 2:58
- 12 Foggy Mountain Breakdown alt version 2:20
- 13 My Window Faces South - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 2:08
- 14 I'm Walkin' - Live From Kosei Nenkin Sho Hall, Tokyo, Japan / April 18, 1979 2:29
