There’s a fascinating documentary making the art house rounds this summer titled Festival Express, comprised of footage from a roving rock festival that traversed Canada by train in 1970.
Although the movie features The Band, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and the Flying Burrito Brothers playing and partying on and off stage, the revelation for some may be an all-hands-on-deck jam on “C.C. Rider”, featuring Ian & Sylvia Tyson and their stellar country-rock backing band, Great Speckled Bird. It’s a revelation because — for a variety of reasons — Ian, Sylvia, GSB and their pioneering blend of roots and rock ‘n’ roll have largely been written out of music history.
Scarcity of releases from that period has contributed to the Tysons’ sketchy reputation. This reissue of Ian’s 1973 solo debut (originally issued on A&M) provides more insight into his undervalued musical contributions.
By this point in his career, Tyson was evidently in transition as an artist. The rocking edge of 1969’s Todd Rundgren-produced Great Speckled Bird album was sanded down in favor of the more temperate mainstream country sound of Ol’ Eon. At the time of its recording, Tyson was hosting the Canadian TV variety show Nashville North, and some of the material here, notably the album opener “Some Kind Of Fool”, got an early airing on that program. “Great Canadian Tour”, enlivened by a spry Pee Wee Charles steel solo, is Tyson’s own slightly jaundiced account of Festival Express.
Although Sylvia Tyson provides some vocal support, the couple’s trademark duet sound is absent. Ian’s resonant voice is nonetheless effective on standout material such as the murder ballad “The North Saskatchewan” and the haunting “Spanish Johnny”.
By the end of the ’70s, Tyson would withdraw from music to focus on ranching in Alberta, and his partnership with Sylvia Tyson would end. He enjoyed an influx of recognition (and royalties) after Neil Young covered “Four Strong Winds” on 1978’s Comes A Time, and by the early ’80s, Tyson had re-emerged as a leading light in the trad cowboy music revival.
So a hole is plugged in Tyson’s catalogue, and that’s good news. Now can someone please give us a fuller accounting of the Great Speckled Bird, both live and in the studio?
