Goldrush Releases Re-Mastered 1974 Recording
In 1971 Bob Lucas, Brian Lappin and Nell Levin formed Goldrush, ostensibly a “bluegrass band” but one that was always pushing the envelope, as this never before heard, recently discovered and remastered, CD reveals. After a stint in Aspen, Colorado, they trio migrated back to their home turf of Bloomington Indiana where they were joined by young mandolin wizard Tim Duran and the best bassist in town, John Orie Stith. They recorded this long lost tape at Gilfoy Studio in 1974 but it was never released. The original engineer, Mark Hood, found the tape in his basement in December 2016 and then worked tirelessly to find the equipment to decode it and remaster it up to modern standards.
The result is a sparkling analog recording of the band at the height of its powers. Bob Lucas’ astonishing vocals evoke the strength and soul of former New Grass Revival singer John Cowan. Bob’s songs have been recorded by Cowan and Alison Krauss. Brian Lappin is a pedal-to-the-metal banjo player who did a stint in Jimmy Martin’s band and won the bluegrass banjo contest at Bill Monroe’s Bean Blossom Festival in 1975. (Goldrush won the Beanblossom band contest in 1974.) Nell Levin shines on backup vocals and fiddle and takes a turn as a lead singer on “90 Miles An Hour,” an Hank Snow classic that morphs into a bluegrass raveup. Nell is joined on fiddle by John Sommers (John Denver Band who wrote “Thank God I’m A Country Boy”). Tim Duran’s effortless viruosity on acoustic and electric mandolin sparkles. John Orie Stith is an impeccable bass player, always in the right place at the right time. John Hedgecoth (banjo) and Tom Britt (pedal steel) also make contributions.
Mark Hood has written an in-depth article describing all the equipment that was used on the original recording, the process he went through when he discovered the Goldrush tape in his basement and had to reconstruct parts of it by hand, and the mastering process that he undertook, with the help of his colleagues at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where Hood now teaches recording technology. For all the recording nerds out there, Mark’s article is invaluable. It makes one realize how special this collector’s item CD really is. Only 300 copies were manufactured and they are moving fast. It comes with a history of the band, including photos. It is available at www.shelbysong.com. Mark Hood’s story can be read at the Goldrush 1974 Facebook page. Here’s a free download of Goldrush doing “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight.”