1969 saw Eric Andersen travel to Nashville to record a country-rock album, or at least one featuring full band arrangements that relied heavily on pedal steel guitar. It was a good idea, as his light, poetic singer-songwriter fare suited the countrified arrangements well, and let him fit in with the country-rock trends which were prevalent among the singer-songwriters of the day. An experienced team of seasoned Nashville musicians backed him on A Country Dream - Andy Johnson (guitar), Weldon Myrick (pedal steel), David Briggs (piano), Norbert Putman (bass), Kenny Buttrey (drums) and Charlie McCoy (various instruments including harmonica and banjo). Alongside some good new original material were covers of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" and the old classic "Lovesick Blues".
Eric Andersen's fourth album saw him embrace the folk-rock movement with a new set of songs, after the cop-out of 1967's 'Bout Changes 'n' Things Take 2, which had been just new rock-based recordings of earlier songs. More Hits From Tin Can Alley had the sound of a singer-songwriter seeing what he could do once he had moved outside the borders of acoustic folk. As well as drums and electric guitars, it featured horns, strings, honky tonk pianos, and more. The musicians featured included a number of familiar names, among them guitarist Amos Garrett, drummers Kenny Buttrey and Bobby Gregg, keyboardists Paul Griffin and Paul Harris, and Al Kooper.
By 1967 folk-rock had well and truly taken over and was already transforming into psychedelic rock. As of such, Eric Andersen's electric folk-rock debut was a year or two late to really make an impact on the genre (two years had passed since Dylan famously plugged in). The way he approached folk rock was also very odd - rather than pressing on with new material, he simply re-recorded his second album (1966's 'Bout Changes 'n' Things) with new band arrangements. No doubt this was to try and gain a new, more rock and pop orientated audience, as the boundaries between folk and rock & roll were now so blurred. Those who had been fans of Andersen since his first two albums probably felt conned, as they would have preffered some new songs, whether they were electric or not. The band arrangements themselves (with Paul Harris on piano and organ, Harvey Brooks on bass and Herbie Lovelle on drums) weren't exactly revolutionary, so the album didn't so much re-invent the songs as it did embellish them a little bit. Nevertheless it's still a great album of mellow singer-songwriter fare, featuring many of his best-known songs ("Violets Of Dawn", "Thirsty Boots", etc).
Eric Andersen's second album was a continuation of sorts from his first. His poetic singer-songwriter material was still clearly rooted in folk music, but at the same time it's clear he was leaving traditional music behind, following in the wake of Bob Dylan, as most folk singers were by 1966. Almost all the songs were originals, though it does include a cover of the rock & roll classic "That's All Right Mama". Whilst Today Is The Highway was all performed solo, 'Bout Changes 'n' Things saw Andersen backed here and there by electric bass from Harvey Brooks and extra acoustic guitars. It included some of his best-known and most highly regarded compositions, such as "Violets Of Dawn", "Thirsty Boots" and "Close The Door Lightly When You Go".
Andersen came from the same New York folk scene that spawned Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Fred Neil and others. By the time his debut album came out, Dylan had led the move away from traditional folk songs into self-penned material. Eric Andersen emerged as one of the first singer-songwriters - with the exception of the blues standard "Baby Please Don't Go", all the songs on Today Is The Highway were originals, demonstrating his highly poetic songwriting style. The whole album was performed solo, with just Andersen on acoustic guitar and harmonica.
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