The Smiley Smile Message Board

I'm going through a Dylan phase at the moment and i'm loving Nashville Skyline more than ever before. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight from John Wesley Harding and (Another) Self Portrait are probably as close as Dylan got again to that sound.

Can anyone recommend any other non-Dylan albums that have a similar sound/style? What kind of musical influences went into the songwriting and production?

p.s. I have all of Mike Nesmith's solo stuff from this era, as well as Byrds/Burritos/Gram Parsons.

Honky Tonk Masquerade by Joe Ely.  He's known for being rootsy, folksy, americana-y -- but his first 3 LPs and especially "HTM" have that pedal steel sweetness (and drive) as well as open air Texas poetry courtesy of Ely and particularly Butch Hancock.

Bright Lights and Country Music (1966) and Country Fever (1967) by Rick Nelson, both available on one cd from Edsel. The Stone Canyon Band albums have some of that same feel, but there's more of a rock element on them. The two albums above are just straight country, albeit recorded in LA.

You might want to look into Gene Clark's post-Byrds albums. Your post mentioned the Parsons-related Byrds and non-Byrds material, but Clark also had some great material in a similar vein in the late 60s and early 70s.

Early Townes Van Zandt will get you stoked. Try Watchin' TV by Barefoot Jerry, a lot of the guys who were Dylan's Nashville buds from Blonde-Skyline era's band, they also had another great project Area Code 615 (which they formed while on the clock sitting around cutting NEZ monkees sesions). Check out the sessions Dylan did with Johnny Cash (18 tracks plus the Johnny Cash show appearance). Hearts & Flowers both LPs - also larry murray's solo "sweet country suite", byrds did buglar off that one. The first 3 Chris Darrow LPs are classic psych country folk weirdness (his stuff in the US Kaleidescope is great too). He also had a side project whose 45 Nez produced - the corvettes. The Red Rhodes & Bert Jansch LPs NEZ produced at this time are killer too. Mickey Newberry's American Trilogy. The 2 Flatt & Scruggs albums of (mostly) Dylan covers from the same era, plus the Earl Scruggs Family & Friends tv special & album (with guests nitty gritty, emmylou, mcguinn etc). First few Emmylou Harris albums are killer. Um, Great Speckled Bird is amazing -- first rock band in Nashville, produced by Todd Rundgren -- Its Ian & Sylvia's country rock band. Byrds stuff you know....have you heard Skip Battin's solo Lp from byrds era that clarence white is on. Also late clarence white. Everly Brothers Roots is a stunning country psych masterpiece. Beau Brummels Bradley's Barn too. Johnny Cash - Bitter Tears is amazing. First New Riders Of The Purple Sage LP with Jerry on steel... There are multiple masterpieces that aren't coming to mind, country psych rock is a favorite genre of mine though hopefully this sends you off down a few paths

There is a bootleg of the Dylan-Cash sessions that might be of interest if you can track it down. Kind of very unrehearsed stuff as I recall.

definitely check out the Dillard & Clark albums if you haven't yet. the first one (Fantastic Expedition) is an absolute masterpiece.

the Dylan Bootleg Series Vol 1-3 has some gems on it too. but you probably knew that.

*cough* check your personal messages *cough*

Good call on Gene Clark. Rec my favorite Byrd's album, "The Notorious Byrd Brothers". Gene Clark came back and did some harmony vocals. Interesting album because, despite David Crosby leaving mid-way thru; Michael Clarke leaving, coming back, and leaving; then Gene Clark coming in and leaving, the album is brilliant. Though no Dylan covers this time around and not really in the vein you are seeking.

And one album you missed that started that period, "The Basement Tapes" Lotta gold there, released and unreleased.

Hey guys, thanks very much for your suggestions and input, I appreciate them all.

I'm a fan of a few of the suggestions already given (you've all clearly got great taste), plus a few others that came to mind after i'd posted, things like Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Willie Nelson, Stanley Brothers, Grateful Dead, Manassas, just to add them to the list of artists in this thread.