New Riders of the Purple Sage (Columbia C-30888, 1971) is the debut album from the psychedelic country-rock group Jerry Garcia co-founded as a side project to the Grateful Dead, and the only New Riders studio record to feature Garcia throughout as a full member, playing pedal steel guitar and banjo. John "Marmaduke" Dawson (guitar, vocals) and David Nelson (guitar, vocals, mandolin) formed the creative center alongside Dave Torbert (bass, vocals) and Spencer Dryden (drums). Produced by the band with engineer Steve Barncard, the album reached #39 on the Billboard 200 and defined the cosmic country-rock genre — pedal steel anchoring the sound while Dead-era looseness kept it from settling into Nashville convention. Garcia's commitments to the Grateful Dead soon made continued membership impossible, but this debut captures the partnership at its fullest.
Tracklist
- 1 I Don't Know You 2:28
- 2 Whatcha Gonna Do 3:17
- 3 Portland Woman 3:36
- 4 Henry 2:36
- 5 Dirty Business 8:20
- 6 Glendale Train Source Recording 3:01
- 7 Garden of Eden 4:33
- 8 All I Ever Wanted 4:38
- 9 Last Lonely Eagle 5:13
- 10 Louisiana Lady 3:05
- 11 Down In The Boondocks - Live 4:03
- 12 The Weight - Live 7:37
- 13 Superman - Live 4:04