Search - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band :: More Great Dirt: The Best Of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Vol.2

Terrific Eighties Dirt Band Collection (But Skimpy)

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 04/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For Most of the Eighties (and the Nineties, too, for that matter), the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band decided they were not a jug band/roots rock/bluegrass/country-rock band. Instead, they were a country band. And by and large, country music was all the better for it. Granted, the NGDB's albums beginning with American Dream in 1979 would be of mixed quality (even though I dutifully bought them all). So what you get here on Vol. II are the highlights of those albums. Gems like Bruce Springsteen's "Cadillac Ranch," the joyous "Fishin' in the Dark," the rousing "Baby's Got a Hold on Me" and the melancholy "Face on the Cutting Room Floor." Other highlights are original songs like Jimmy Ibbotson and Jeff Hanna's "I've Been Lookin'," Ibbotson's "Oh What a Love" and Jimmie Fadden's "Workin' Man (Nowhere to Go)." The songs feature impeccable playing, tight harmonies and just enough mandolin, steel guitar and banjo to lend an authenticity lacking in much of Nashville's cookie-cutter approach to country music.If there's any criticism of this disc, it's that it's too short. It's like eating a bag of chips. Each one is so good, you're disappointed when you get to the end. In the CD Age there's no excuse for a 10-track, 34-minute CD, especially when you're talking about a disc that purports to be "The Best of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band." RECOMMENDED"

Good Stuff

K. Fontenot | The Bayou State | 02/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've always enjoyed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They play some great music with nice harmonies and mandolins...yes, mandolins. I'm a sucker for that instrument. This particular greatest hits offering includes some of their biggest hits from the 80's. Just about everybody knows "Fishin' In The Dark," which, in my opinion, is one of the best country songs every placed on vinyl, or a cassette, or a disc. "I've Been Lookin'" and "Baby's Got A Hold On Me" are also here. Those three songs alone are worth the price of this disc.



Other highlights include "Face On The Cutting Room Floor," "Oh What A Love," and "Down That Road Tonight."



In summary, if you're interested in groups like Shenandoah, Restless Heart, and the Eagles, you'll probably enjoy these guys. They are more country than Restless Heart and the Eagles, but they don't have that forced "twang" that lingers on some of Shenandoah's songs.



A definite buy."

Another great NGDB "best of" collection

Ken | Olathe, KS, U.S.A. | 01/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"More Great Dirt is the follow-up to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's previous "best of" collection, Twenty Years Of Dirt. This record, like Twenty Years Of Dirt, consists mainly of hit songs from the '80s, the period when NGDB made a transition from being a progressive country-rock band to a mainstream country act. Like Twenty Years Of Dirt, More Great Dirt is a solid collection of the Dirt Band's hit songs. Indeed, in my opinion, this record tops Twenty Years Of Dirt despite its lack of a "classic" NGDB hit song(for instance, "Mr. Bojangles" and "Long Hard Road"). Even if hardly anybody listens to these songs a long time from now, I think the songs the Dirt Band chose to put on More Great Dirt are among their best. This record may have gotten overlooked by some listeners because NGDB released it in '89, the same year they came out with their platinum-selling Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume 2. After listening to More Great Dirt, however, I don't think you should pass it up. By itself, it's a great record.



Like other Dirt Band records I have, this one has a lot of highlights. It starts out with NGDB's version of "Cadillac Ranch", the classic Bruce Springsteen song, with lead vocals by Jeff Hanna and Jimmy Ibbotson. There are also Ibbotson's joyful ballad "Oh What A Love"; the upbeat summer song "Fishin' In The Dark", which topped the country charts in '87; Hanna and Ibbotson's toe-tapping song "I've Been Lookin'"; "Workin' Man(Nowhere To Go)", charter NGDB member Jimmie Fadden's song about the tribulations of the displaced farmer; and the rocking songs "Baby's Got A Hold On Me" and "Down That Road Tonight". Finally, the Dirt Band, as they did on Twenty Years Of Dirt, included their best songs from the early '80s. Besides "Cadillac Ranch", NGDB's early '80s hits which are on here include "Home Again In My Heart", "I Love Only You", and "Face On The Cutting Room Floor". There are no Bob Carpenter lead vocals here(unlike "Stand A Little Rain" on Twenty Years Of Dirt), but Carpenter's solid piano and accordion work are obvious on most of the songs.



On More Great Dirt, NGDB not only matched Twenty Years Of Dirt, but they did even better. My only criticism of this record--and my gripe is a minor one--is that, like a previous reviewer, I don't think it's long enough. Ten songs don't completely capture NGDB's musical ability, and I think some of my fellow Dirt Band fans will complain that even after a couple of "best of" collections, there are still some NGDB hit songs that haven't made it onto a "best of" album. Still, I don't see how anybody wouldn't like this record. There are no obvious attempts by the Dirt Band to appeal to their "pop" fans(which is what I think "Fire In The Sky" was on Twenty Years Of Dirt). Instead, what you'll get when you listen to More Great Dirt is a great collection of hit country songs by a group who makes high-quality music even if their songs don't always end up on the charts. Don't miss this one--I think you'll be impressed."