Essentials: The Top 10 Americana Tracks by the least likely suspects

Before you shout at me remember this is supposed to be fun….

I have opened up and bared my soul on a couple of occasions about my past as a teenage rocker in the 1970s, with a be-patched denim jacket, hand-painted with a Blue Öyster Cult symbol and embroidered (by my Nan, who had no idea what it meant) with the Led Zeppelin logo. Indeed I still own it, but it no longer does up around my midriff and lives in the wardrobe, but I digress. In those simpler times attending a rural Grammar School, you were judged by your musical taste, carrying around 12” square plastic bags, bulging with your vinyl records – the more obscure the better. You also found your tribe and aligned yourself with them in subtle coded ways – if long hair and flares were still subtle in 1977! But even then I had a more eclectic taste than that jacket showed courtesy of my Uncle. This was my father’s youngest brother who was only 15 years or so older than me and my older brother. He had lent us a stack of vinyl, including the Beatles, Moody Blues, Cream, and Eric Clapton, when most of our peers were listening to glam rock.

Through this seminal influence at a formative age, I began to explore for myself and with the help of other friends, singer-songwriters, pop, white blues and prog. All of which in turn led me to discovering some of the bands that are recognised as the roots of what we now know as americana; Neil Young, Nils Lofgren, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, The Band…. This latter was most intriguing as they clearly melded a whole range of influences, folk, country, blues, soul and Jazz, into a new “rootsy” sound with story-based songwriting. I could begin to see why Eric Clapton, amongst many others, had left behind the blues and rock guitar-based sounds of Cream and Derek and the Dominoes, which I loved, for Delaney and Bonnie and a rootsy and laid-back solo career.

In the winter I played Rugby in the cold and wet, in the summer, as an asthmatic, I sat indoors and played vinyl and read my trusty edition of The Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock. This wonderful tome helped me join the dots and led me to checking out various artists and styles of music. Some I loved like Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan, some I didn’t enjoy like Bob Dylan….. I was still buying vinyl and going to gigs by primarily heavy rock and prog bands though and bought Sounds and its offshoot Kerrang on a weekly basis; but I had developed a healthy interest in variety – all music is good music, there is just some you love and some you don’t was my mantra.

Jump forward a frankly depressing 40+ years and I maintain a similar wide interest in a variety of styles of music, 2,500 pieces of physical media and counting. Today there is probably less heavy rock (but of new bands I do love Rival Sons), more prog (traditional, neo and modern) and a healthy obsession with americana – Chuck Prophet, The Drive By Truckers, Counting Crows, The Delines and Jesse Malin amongst others. My reading matter has included Mojo and Uncut as well as Classic Rock. I love the fact that americana continues to bring in new influences, with punk, grunge and indie all impacting the genre.

So when I came to write my first article under the Essential banner, I thought I would try and represent that eclecticism by selecting americana – country, folk, gospel, acoustic blues – styled tracks by the least likely exponents. So where the Band pulled their sound from folk, gospel, blues, soul and country, I have looked at predominantly English prog and heavy rock bands who have essayed an attempt at a roots-based number. I made this harder for myself by setting rules: That basic acoustic ballads such as most heavy rock bands put out did not count, neither did straight English blues or English folk. The tracks needed to have that eclectic americana vibe and lyrical content. As you will see – they didn’t need to be good, just interesting. I also discounted many American bands as they often had an element of roots in their make-up already – Kansas should have been a shoe-in, a firm favourite of mine, playing hard rock and prog, but with a violinist in the band and early albums with a rootsy approach, this was too close. Two of the bands you will meet below are American, but I will explain how this fits my own logic – and frankly it is my list. The bands you will meet below you will know but the tracks chosen may well generally surprise you. The selections are clearly recognisable as being from the artist in question, this was important, I wanted a blend not just an authentic attempt at country. The ranking is a purely personal one, arguably from the least successful to the most – the number one is a fantastic melding of americana and prog into something quite stunning. But I get ahead of myself; let’s start at the bottom in time-honoured fashion.

Number 10: Yes – Abilene

Whilst it is the clear number 10 in this list, for reasons I will explain, ironically this is the track that started me thinking about this subject. Listening to it, it was clearly a hybrid of styles but didn’t quite work, which led me to wonder if anyone else had done it more successfully.

Abilene was released as the “B” side to Don’t Kill The Whale, the lead (and not terribly successful single) from Tormato in 1978. Much as this album is now decried by the band as being a mishmash of styles and poorly recorded, it was the second album of theirs that I bought, and I still have a soft spot for it. I was swapped the single by a friend who moaned – “don’t even listen to the B side!!”  

It starts with a horse neighing , the sound of the wind and presumably tumbleweed. The guitar kicks in with a tasteful country lick, and then the vocals come in. I am not going to deride Jon Anderson’s vocals, but his lyrics have left many Yes fans bemused over the years. To say that after 40 years I have no idea what it is actually about and why they wanted a country vibe is possibly all you need to know. The rest of the band sound equally baffled by what they are playing on and the early promise is lost.

The guitar work from Steve Howe though is exemplary and surprisingly he has form in this style of music. On Going for the One the main riff is played on a pedal steel guitar, and whilst this is in no way country or americana it shows an intriguing and virtuoso use of the instrument. On his second solo album a year after Tormato he played a track called Cactus Boogie on a 6 String Banjo and pedal steel. He is an incredibly adaptable player in this regard. 

The best I can say about this track is that I am intrigued by what they were thinking, I don’t actually dislike it and it is mercifully short – unlike Tales From Topographic Oceans.

Number 9: Led Zeppelin – South Bound Saurez

Track two from In Through The Out Door and released in 1979, this is a definitely Aamericana-flavoured track from the progenitors of English blues-based riff rock. The album came at a troubled time – Page who normally led on songs and production was in the grip of a full-blown heroin addiction and John Bonham was fighting his own demons, so it was left to Robert Plant and John Paul Jones to pull much of the album together, with Jones in particular having writing credits on 6 out of 7 tracks. This led to some interesting variations in the core Led Zeppelin sound and much more use of keyboards to lead and define the tracks.

South Bound Saurez kicks off on an electric piano riff, not unlike their earlier Trampled Under Foot. Where that track had a Stevie Wonder soul vibe, albeit much heavier, this settles into a very rootsy vibe. The guitar playing is spare, at times Steve Cropperesque and sounds like a Telecaster. Robert Plant, who has more recently embraced more fully a world and roots vibe, certainly looks to not employ the full range of his voice and sings the song in a lower register. As such it is an intriguing entry into their canon.

They have form in taking in eclectic influences, starting as a blues band and defining the structure and style of heavy rock for a generation; they famously took in English folk influences, West Coast rock, acoustic blues and boogie-woogie. On this album they also essayed an attempt at a humorous rockabilly number Hot Dog – it is generally disliked by fans and critics alike.

In Through The Out Door routinely comes second to last in any list of officially released Led Zeppelin albums – just ahead of Coda. In fairness, whilst as an album it does not stand up to the others, it is intriguing as it points a way for the band to take themselves into the 80’s with perhaps a refreshed view of who they were. If Jimmy Page had been more on it, if the material was a little stronger and ultimately if John Bonham had not passed away on the eve of a European tour in support of the record – who knows where this record may have gone or where Led Zeppelin would be today.

I have a soft spot for the album as they are trying something different, and this track is actually an interesting take on a range of roots forms.

Number 8: Jethro Tull – Farm On The Freeway

Jethro Tull are another of the quintessentially English bands who bestrode the English and American charts through the 70’s and part of the 80’s. Ian Anderson has been quick to say that they aren’t a prog band despite or because he wrote an album which is one continuous piece of music in Thick As A Brick, ostensibly to take the mickey out of the prog form. Whatever, I think much of their style can only be called rock with a progressive bent. They quickly moved away from the blues form on the not unrealistic grounds that there were other bands out there better at it. They forged a style of literate rock and folk-based songs with powerful riffs and Anderson playing the flute with vigour.

As such, you feel that they should have a range of tracks that take in a rootsy americana feel – but no, they predominantly stuck to an English folk feel until Crest of a Knave landed in 1987. This album followed Under Wraps, perhaps Ian Anderson’s most experimental album, which was very much keyboard and electronica-led in a nod to the times it was released into. It was not received well and Crest of a Knave, with its punning and English folk referencing title can be seen as an attempt to reclaim their traditional territory. In actual fact, it was possibly their most American rock-flavoured album. 

Crest of a Knave was controversial in two ways. Following on two years after Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms, the Tull faithful were up in arms over two tracks which sounded very like that album. Said She Was A Dancer and Budapest do in fairness reflect similar stylings to Dire Straits and are two of my favourite tracks. They were strong contenders for this article but I decided “sounding like Dire Straits” does not make a track americana. If you like Dire Straits I urge you to check them out. Secondly Crest Of A Knave was awarded the first ever Grammy in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental category, beating Metallica’s And Justice For All. This upset the metal cognoscenti and greatly amused Ian Anderson – who it has to be said was as baffled as everyone else as to how as the album had set out to incorporate more roots and world music.

I have chosen Farm On The Freeway for this list in part for the lyrics and song subject regarding compulsory purchase of the protagonist’s farm, which predates Drive By Trucker’s Sinkhole and Uncle Frank for subject matter. Whilst it is very clearly rock with the trademarked big Tull riffs courtesy of Martin Barre, it does explore American roots and country music in it’s style. Starting with ominous keyboards and flute, and initially understated country guitar licks, even Anderson has a slight American drawl to the vocals. It throws in a number of American references in the lyrics, from 6-lane highways to broken-down pick-up trucks.

I love this track and it works to the rules being recognisably Tull with riffs and flute to the fore, but also with that americana vibe. It only sits at number 8 as there are tracks that bring that style out stronger further down the list.

Number 7: Queen – 39

Queen, bang on the money for this article, being one of the biggest rock bands on the planet before the untimely death of their charismatic frontman Freddie Mercury. They were capable of turning out straight down the line heavy rock, prog-tinged epics and under Freddie’s stewardship, a range of musical styles from music hall to opera, soul to metal, funk to heart-wrenching balladry. However, the flamboyant nature of Freddie couldn’t turn itself to the more austere stylings of roots Americana – could it?

The answer is, well, sort of…. 39 is from A Day At The Races, which spawned a little-known operatic number called Bohemian Rhapsody. A massively varied album, the middle of side 1 has the track 39, a Brian May written number. Ostensibly an acoustic-driven folk ballad, it is accompanied only by acoustic bass and a choir of harmony vocals, unusual in the Queen canon. It seems to be about volunteers leaving for the new world in sailing ships, it is actually a science fiction number about leaving in space ships knowing that due to Einsteinian physics, they would come back only a few years older and everyone they knew would be gone. So folk rock and time debt based balladry from the world’s foremost guitar-wielding Physics PhD.

It is a lovely song and deserves a spot on this list, albeit not too high as it doesn’t have the full roots-based americana feel I am looking for

Number 6: Blue Oyster Cult – In Thee

We hit number 6 in the list and we hit the first of my two American Artists. In my defence here, Blue Oyster Cult were diz busting heavy metal heroes formed in New York City, putting out a trio of corrosive rock albums Blue Oyster Cult, Tyranny and Mutation and Secret Treaties before aiming for more commercial recognition. Unlikely candidates for an americana based track you might think. However, they had some previous. They had started life as a more psychedelic band called the Stalk Forrest Group, before briefly working as Soft White Underbelly. Meeting with rock critic and guru Sandy Pearlman, he rechristened them Blue Oyster Cult and began to mould them into an American answer to Black Sabbath. However, from the off, there was more to them than that. With a sense of humour and a style that stayed just the right side of pastiche, they forged a following that focused on their motorcycle gang ethos and penchant for lasers in light shows. But there were interesting and relevant tracks along the way. Redeemed on the first album was an out and out country rock track; their biggest hit Don’t Fear the Reaper mined the jangle rock style of the Byrds …. With more cowbell lest we forget. 

Donald Roeser, alias Buck Dharma, the lead guitarist, also confused the metal hordes at the recording of Stars by Hear’n’Aid. Masterminded by Ronnie James Dio this was the metal community’s answer to Band Aid, raising money for Ethiopia. As well as every well known metal singer taking turns in singing a line, a range of guitarists were given four bars to solo over. As you can imagine this was the chance for all the hip gunslingers to try to outdo each other. Not Buck Dharma, who caused jaws to drop by turning in a stop-start, twisty, country-tinged solo. More than one singled him out in interviews after the release.

In Thee comes from Mirrors; released in 1979, this was their most commercially targeted album to date. Maybe to some extent trying to hit gold with a follow up to Reaper. It didn’t strictly work and In thee is one of the lesser known songs on a lesser known album. It is however a quite beautiful folk rock ballad with country guitar licks and a string backing. There is a country rock guitar solo before the middle eight, which is short and effective. It has subsequently made it to some of their myriad greatest hits albums and has been rerecorded for the Heaven Forbid album so the band must have some affection for it. I only have it at this point in the list because there are better tracks that are more on the feel I was looking for, and well, because of what is at number 2…..

Number 5: The Who – Squeeze Box

And here is one delivered by a rock and roll band from Shepherds Bush – The ‘Oo.

The Who had gone through a number of changes since their formation and initial links with the Mod movement and Maximum R&B; short, sharp songs indebted to blues and Motown with art rock auto-destructive climaxes. They had put out A Quick One as a first attempt at linking disparate pieces of music into a suite, and Tommy followed as a full on rock opera continuing to scratch Townsend’s art rock itch and beginning to get some of the ideas he had picked up from Meher Baba into play. Touring Tommy and making the movie with Roger Daltrey in the lead roll established The Who as one of the big rock acts of that period, with Daltrey giving Robert Plant a run for his money in the leonine lead singer stakes. Townsend had then tried to get his next concept, a planned multimedia extravaganza called Lifehouse, off the ground, and it nearly broke him and the band. However, it did spawn Who’s Next, a condensed version of songs written for Lifehouse and recognised as a classic rock monster from the off. He next wrote Quadrophenia, another rock opera focused on a Mod called Jimmy who has a personality split into four, representing the four members of the band. This again was a huge rock album in sound and complexity. The Who could make a helluva racket for a four-piece.

For The Who By Numbers, Townsend focused on quieter more personal songs and a more varied approach to his songwriting. An alcoholic, the songs However Much I Booze and How Many Friends reflected on the challenges in his life at that time and were country flavoured and soul searching. The single from the album, though, was Squeeze Box, a double and single-entendre-laden song to Mama, who has a squeeze box, and Daddy not sleeping at night. In contrast to The Who’s art rock and heavy musicianship image, this was unashamed fun. It is also from the first chord a country hoe down although unmistakably The Who, with Moon’s scattergun drumming and Entwistles growling bass holding down the rhythm. The guitar lick just prior to the middle eight and the picked guitar solo afterwards placing the song firmly in americana territory. As a single it peaked at number 10 in the chart

Released in 1975, Townsend went on to make the fantastic Rough Mix album in 1976 with his old mate Ronnie Lane. This is a fabulous country folk album with both songwriters penning beautiful songs and deserves an article of its own one day.

Number 4: Genesis – Me And Virgil

So, we have been through a selection of rock’s biggest beasts and return to pastoral English prog for the next track, and several steps above Yes in the ranking.

The story of Genesis is well known. Hailing from the English Public School system and producing complex and beautiful prog rock epics, they were also quintessentially English in their approach. They had a charismatic and artistic frontman in Peter Gabriel, who, after leaving the band, took an idiosyncratic route through art rock into world music and beyond. With Gabriel’s departure the drummer stepped up to the mic setting somewhat of a trend in prog circles. Phil Collins was a more than able vocalist and established a style somewhere between everyman and his stage school background in contrast to Gabriel’s art rock side. With four musicians, Genesis turned out two more hugely successful and well-received prog albums, before Steve Hackett decided to move into a solo career. Electing to stay as a threesome, Genesis began to move away from the English pastoral symphonic prog epics to something more varied, shorter and pop oriented. 

The received wisdom is “Phil made them a pop band”. The reality is much more complex – particularly if you read anything about Tony Banks (keyboards); he would not have gone anywhere he didn’t want to. He also ensured that even their more simple and direct-sounding singles had strange rhythms and “interesting” chord sequences. Tellingly, following the Duke album, which had the last tracks solely credited to one of the band, they produced music as a threesome by jamming. The first results of this were on the 3×3 EP which followed Duke being issued in 1982. Led off by the insistent and upbeat track Paperlate which featured the Earth, Wind and Fire horns and You Might Recall, a nice pop ballad, the whole second side of the EP was given over to Me And Virgil at over 6 minutes. Anyone flipping the EP looking for a Genesis epic to set against the pop stylings of the first two tracks would have been surprised and confused. Which may go some way to explain why in a recent listing of all Genesis’s tracks, it came last.

It is a story set on a farmstead in the Old West in the 1880s, played out against a country-styled backing. Being Genesis, this is still a complex and epic song in construction, with two or three stages. In Genesis’ hands it sits somewhere between prog and americana, particularly the section where the brothers leave the farmstead and set off across the desert, which is pure prog with a typical Banksian keyboard riff leading to a niggly guitar solo, before settling back to original chunky melody and rhythm. I love it in a strange and perverse way, probably because I also sit in this slightly unusual position of loving prog and americana. Unlike the Yes track, this works as a piece of music although I can see why Genesis fans don’t get it. Along with the Yes track this was one of the progenitors of this article, partly because it was much more successful in melding styles and partly as I felt that with a different audience it might gain some love….. or not. 

I also strongly believe that if it were covered in a sympathetic manner by a more established Americana artist with a slightly more roots or indie feel, it would be a quite fabulous song. Listen without prejudice …

Number 3: Deep Purple – Painted Horse

Back to the big beasts of English rock, and perhaps none bigger or more revered than Deep Purple. Whilst they are best known for THAT riff (admit it, it is running through your mind as you read), they have a long and storied history in the rock world. Having been around for 58 years and still recording well-received albums today – indeed, the latest was released on 3rd July this year and heralded as the hardest and heaviest for some years. The best known line up – Blackmore, Gillan Glover, Lord and Paice – still known as the mark II lineup, produced heavy rock songs tinged with a little prog and focusing on the exemplary musical skills of all the band. The Mark III lineup saw David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes join, bringing more blues and soul to the band. Since then, there have been multiple lineup changes, with all the principals apart from Paice leaving at some point.

Despite the longevity of the band and the occasional emotive rock ballad (When a Blind Man Cries is a personal favourite) they have not entered into the world of folk or country…. Much. This track is the only occasion that I am aware of, though I am prepared to be corrected. Even this track is a bit of a mystery, first being released on an EP, New, Live and Rare Vol 1, although it is thought to have been recorded around the time of the Who Do We Think We Are album. However, it is a doozy and hence why it has hit the dizzy heights of number 3 in this listing.

Recorded by the Mark II line-up, it starts off with a solo Blackmore guitar riff, before the bass and mouth harp cut in. Jon Lord is on piano rather than Hammond organ and apart from the main riff, Blackmore’s licks are very country-flavoured until the solo kicks in – but even that is at the melodic end rather than screaming and overdriven. The song sounds like an undiscovered country rock track, but unmistakably Deep Purple with the instrumentation. The lyrics are maybe a little of their time, but they are sung by Gillan at the lower end of his register – no silver-throated screaming here.

All in all another track I like although I suspect it is largely ignored by even Purple fans

Number 2: Albert Bouchard – Astronomy

Ok, the immediate question here is who is Albert Bouchard and how then does he fit into this list? Bouchard was the drummer for Blue Öyster Cult from their days as Stalk Forrest Group, through their metal days and their commercial phase, leaving after their Fire Of Unknown Origin album was released in 1981 – apparently after an acrimonious dispute with the rest of the band over the level of influence his girlfriend was having. He had been one of the key songwriters, working with Sandy Pearlman and others to joint write Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl), The Red And The Black, Dominance and Submission and Astronomy amongst others.

There was a period of silence, then it became apparent that he had been working to bring Pearlman’s Imaginos song cycle to life. Imaginos was billed as a “Random access myth”. This meant in practice that a number of songs that were already written and recorded were apparently linked to this story along with new ones. The chief problem here was being a relatively unknown artist, once the songs were in place, the record company asked Blue Oyster Cult to help complete the record and it was issued under their name. For this album, released in 1988, two tracks were rerecorded – Subhuman, originally written by Eric Bloom and Sandy Pearlman, was retitled Blue Oyster Cult and Astronomy. Both tracks were substantially rearranged. Despite coming out under the Blue Oyster Cult name and having a suitably strange concept story (and being frankly genius in my personal opinion) the album sank without trace.

Cut forward to 2020 and there was news that Albert Bouchard was to release his own version of Imaginos called ReImaginos, it will be a double album and, it has been rearranged and rerecorded in an americana vein. Good Lord was the response from the metal fraternity. I tried it with some trepidation and, was quietly stunned. One of the original complaints by the record company had been that Bouchard had no voice, which has a tendency to stand out against pristine rock tracks; But set it against a more roots-based backing, and it adds texture. The whole album is worth listening to, it has all the original Imaginos album and some additional tracks written for the album, set in interesting americana styles and has retained the completely insane story line. If it grabs you, there are two more Imaginos albums from Bouchard, probably less rootsy than the first but still a hoot and highly recommended.

So why have I picked Astronomy to represent this album? Astronomy has gone through the most changes. Originally released on Blue Öyster Cult’s third album, Secret Treaties, it was the band’s entry into the slow-build epic ending with a fantastic guitar solo. Live it assumed even more epic proportions stretching out past the 8 minute mark. The lyrics are poetic and beautiful and essentially add to the mystique. Even in the context of Imaginos, the track is described as “The rhythm of events on-rushing; the gallop of events in the saddle; the Invisibles visible at last and manifest; no mere hints and traces, but their agent unleashed to forge a new destiny; he is Imaginos called Desdinova.” I have never had the slightest clue what the lyrics were about and this adds nothing to that position. Notwithstanding it has always been one of my favourite songs ever.

On this version from the 2020 ReImaginos, it starts with the main riff picked out by guitar. The vocals kick in with handclaps for rhythm and a small choir of backing vocals. The guitar work remains sparse and picked, and the song still builds, breaking back to a sparse backing again halfway through. Where the original big guitar solo would kick in at the end is only rhythm guitar playing a shuffle and the build is accomplished with harmony vocals only. In comparison to how it has been recorded previously this is fabulously different and calls (loosely) to mind Chris Whitley… and I still love it.

Number 1: Steve Hackett – Underground Railroad.

Hurrah, we are at number 1 and what a track this is. Steve Hackett was the guitarist with Genesis through their imperial prog phase. He left during the mixing of their Seconds Out live double album, to follow up his first solo album released a couple of years previously, feeling that he couldn’t get the opportunities he wanted within the democratic band dynamic. Since then he has ploughed a steadfast furrow, releasing beautiful and melodic prog albums, acoustic classical music and even world music with Djabe a Hungarian jazz-rock band. He plays what he wants and his albums can be hugely eclectic covering many styles although remaining prog. His guitar work is tasteful and virtuoso, but always subservient to the song. 

Despite this, I could initially find little evidence he had done anything that might fit this brief. He has released a full blues album and admitted that his first big love was harmonica, but this was too blues for what I wanted. As far back as his second solo album, he had a beautiful soul ballad sung by Randy Crawford and two tracks sung by Richie Havens. Then, looking through his recent stuff, I discovered this gem on his At The Edge Of Light album released in 2019. Underground Railroad writes about the hidden routes whereby slaves escaped the South to the North and freedom. It wasn’t a literal railroad, but the lyrics and the music both pick up railroad and train motifs.

It starts with mournful harmonica and picked acoustic, before the McBroom Sisters come in with their famed gospel vocals. Hackett sings the first verse against a finger-picked guitar before other vocalists come in for traditional harmonies. The picked element turns more electric and then there is a strong electric riff coming in. There are elements that refer back to the railroad motif, with train whistle and a drum rhythm that echoes the train. At the end an exuberant and hooky song of freedom kicks in with the gospel vocalists back wailing over the top. An unashamedly prog and tasteful guitar solo takes us to the end. It is a stunning song and quite beautiful. In true prog style it goes through a number of changes, but each feels like a natural development of the song and 6 minutes passes by too quickly.

So why is this number 1? There are songs in this list that have a much clearer link to country or folk rock, but this one I felt had the best mix of americana stylings and prog such that neither was dominant and led to a stunning song. In that sense it best reflects what americana is about: melding new styles together. 

Americana UK has ongoing running costs. If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider supporting us for £2.99 a month.