Paradise Bar and Grill

This band was way ahead of thier time and this album is the pinnacle of their success. Give it a spin on vinyl from the days when music was mixed for quality not volume levels.

I first heard this recording close to 40 years ago when a friend played it after purchasing the record from a cut out bin in a department store. I was glad to see it re-released as a CD, still a favorite and nice to see it on the CD format.

a wonderful improvement on their 1st lp, which is also good. i'd give this 4.5 stars, to their earlier quite bizarre and sometimes discordant psychedelic material( reminiscent of country joe and the fish, the youngbloods, and quicksilver) , which is still evident in tunes such as academy cemetary, they add a heavy dose of 'americana ' reminiscent of creedence, the band, etc. the title track is an absolute country rock gem with incredible lyrics. also of note is ' they brought sadness',revolution's in my pockets, cherokee queen, and just about everything else. the band featured two fine vocalists in guitarist lawrence hammond and drummer greg dewey. the band veers from off kilter almost deranged bluegrass stuff to gentle, understated country ballads, with doses of angular acid rock guitar thrown in for good measure and parts that are kind of jazzy but not quite. mad river were/are very obscure compared to other bay area aggregations,but their lyrics are as imaginative as any of them. fans of the dead circa workingman's and american beauty should enjoy this thoughtful and impressive disc, as should haight ashbury enthusiasts and fans of 60s early 70s rock both their lps are recommended as is the berkeley eps , shared with country joe and the fish, and the fine s.f. 60s bands frumious bandersnatch and notes from the underground...

This times music speaks louder than words. I've been searching for this album for years. Net-trading is Amazin' or should we say AMAZON!My finest Regards Knud Borum DK / EUR.