When I walked into Reprise in 1977 and played Oceanside-Countryside for the company, Mo Ostin and Lenny Woronker were the listeners. I trusted their musical tastes then and still do. They were a sounding board for me for many years.
Oceanside Countryside was a record I felt really good about. It was quite a personal record, mostly made up of acoustic songs which had no bass or drums. I made the lion’s share of it in Ft Lauderdale, just playing myself, singing the songs and overdubbing a few acoustic instruments. I was alone and went in to Triad recording studios there daily for a while, laying these new songs down. I got seven tracks there, including overdubs I added to Pocahontas, recorded previously at Indigo Ranch in Malibu. That version ended up on Rust Never Sleeps.
Following Triad, I went to Nashville and recorded at Crazy Mama’s. (JJ Cale’s studio) with Rufus Thibiodeaux- fiddle, Ben Keith-dobro, Karl Himmel-drums and Joe Osborne -bass.
Zeke, Rufus and I in Nashville 1977-ny
It was my first recording with Joe Osborne and he was great, laying it down. What a feel. He is legendary. I’m glad I got to feel that. The tracks were all done on one day, mixed and finished. Bobby Charles, writer of ‘See you Later Alligator’ and ‘Walkin to new Orleans’ to name a couple, was with us there too, cheering us on in the control room, laughing and joking, playing the part of the Wizard. We cut one of his incredible songs, “You’ll always live inside of me,” as well. I gave it to Bobby for his own record.
The resulting record was what I took to Warner Brothers in Burbank. Listening, they thought that the songs were good but they missed the drums and bass that I had not used on the seven acoustic tracks and were asking me if I thought I could do those songs with a rhythm section to make it sound more like a record and not a demo. I trusted them.
“OK. I can go to Nashville and do some more there. It would be fun,” I told them.
I did that; and also recorded a few more songs at Woodland Studio in Nashville. The result of that trip was the album, ‘Comes a Time’. It’s an album I know a lot of folks enjoyed. But….. it was not Oceanside Countryside.
Yesterday, listening to Oceanside Countryside in the car with John Hanlon, I drank a beer and smoked a little weed. I listened to it for the first time in forty years. That album was so free and open, unencumbered by the rhythm overdubs I had added to it in Nashville. The record was alive and breathing, with all the space in the world. The acoustic guitars I had layered on at Triad were all there, in my original mixes, just as i had originally envisioned them. Hearing them made me feel so good.
Unchanged and unheard for years since I first made it in Fort Lauderdale, the album was a breath of fresh air. It was a real album and it got to me. Listening to it gave me a an uplifted feeling, so heartfelt. I could see those Countryside faces in my mind; those great musicians. What an amazingly true sound and feeling it was!
I am happy that I will be sharing it with you soon. OCEANSIDE-COUNTRYSIDE.
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