Country rock was born out of the fantasy and mythology of the old west and if you think about it the only place that it could have started was the west coast of California. The 1960s saw the major record companies relocating operations there, seduced by the climate and glamour of Hollywood. Add to that a desert landscape just an hours ride from Los Angeles and you had all the elements that were a marketing man’s dream and a musicians playground.

Musically it was a melting pot of styles. From dust bowl migrants who brought Texan swing music from Oklahoma and Texas in the late 40s mashed together with influences from the burgeoning folk boom of the late 50s and early 60s and pioneered by the likes of Pete Seeger and the Kingston Trio. Add to that a smattering of bluegrass and rockabilly and a new generation of musicians influenced by the Beatles and watch the pennies roll in.

Well it wasn’t quite like that. Like punk rock there has been a lot of revisionism as the decades roll by. Bands like Poco, The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers actually sold diddly squat during the Country Rock heyday. But no matter in amongst the iron pyrites of the era this exhaustive compilation has panned us some pure gold.

‘Before The Gold Rush’ chronicles the early days of the North American country rock scene, from the pioneering efforts of established names like Rick Nelson, the Everly Brothers and Jerry Lee Lewis to a new wave of proto Americana acts that stretched from the Flying Burrito Brothers to Poco and the Dillards. The band that profited most was of course the Eagles who distilled and refined the work of visionaries such as The Byrds, Richie Furay and Mike Nesmith to name but a few and set the blueprint for Clint Black and Garth Brooks in the 90s and beyond. Their genesis is laid bare within this compilation.

Featuring four hours of music across 76 tracks it’s truly the last word on this fertile period. Cherry Red really have got these box sets down to  fine art. They not only look at the familiar but also shine a light on the deep dark recesses of the genre and to top it off include informed comment alongside period photos and ephemera.

Lyndon Noon.

www.cherryred.co.uk