This CD combines two excellent albums from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bands' mid-80's work. "Long Hard Road", one of my favorites, starts things off nicely. This song has some heartfelt, memorable lines..."Mama played the guitar then and Daddy made the saw blade bend and raindrops played the tin roof like a drum." Great phrasing too. Another all time favorite that should have gotten some airplay is "Old Upright Piano". This one will bring a tear to your eye. If you enjoyed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in your younger days, pick up this nice bargin. It is sure to make you smile. The musicianship and great harmonies shine through, even on the less memorable tunes.

We finally get 2 great collections of work from the NGDB on one CD. About time. From the crystal clear notes of "Long Hard Road -(Sharecroppers Dream)" to the original "Partners Brothers and Friends," it is SO nice to finally hear these songs on CD. But quick, put the CD in and scan up to track #14. Does the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band get ANY better than they do on "Telluride?" I think not. Get this CD. Now.

Plain dirt fashion, the first album here, dates from 1984. While the music of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band always had country influences (not forgetting their bluegrass album, Will the circle be unbroken?), this album was the first to put them in the country mainstream. There are wonderful country cover versions of two songs that may be familiar to rock music fans, these being Two out of three ain't bad (Meatloaf) and Cadillac ranch (Bruce Springsteen). Of the other songs, it's hard to pick out which are the best, but the opening track (Long hard road - the sharecropper's dream) is a very touching Rodney Crowell song, while other highlights include Face on the cutting-room floor (co-written by Steve Goodman), Video tape (written by Steve Goodman), I love only you and High hopes; however, the whole album is very enjoyable.

Partners brothers and friends, the second album here, dates from 1985 and was the follow-up to Plain dirt fashion. Dedicated to the memory of Steve Goodman, it includes a song that he co-wrote, Queen of the road. Similar in style and quality to its predecessor, the great songs here include Other side of the hill, Home again in my heart, Old upright piano, the title track and Redneck Riviera.

Because of their long history of recording in a variety of styles including rock and bluegrass, some people have always doubted the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's country music legitimacy. These two albums surely dispel any doubts regarding their ability to record mainstream country. While these albums had a contemporary edge, they had more of a traditional feel than some of the music coming out of Nashville then and since.