Crazy Horse's Scratchy: The Complete Reprise Recordings

Crazy Horse has recently released their complete Reprise recordings on a compilation cleverly titled "Scratchy".

Each of the limited edition of 2,500 copies from Rhino Handmade is individually numbered. Although we ordered our copy shortly after the announcement, Thrasher was surprised to have received #1,605.

And last we checked, the entire limited edition run has sold all of the 2,500 copies.

The packaging is really nice and contains a booklet with some interesting notes from Barry Alfonso:

"In a better world than this one, Crazy Horse changed pop music history with their 1971 debut album. All the elements were there -- inspired songs, tight arrangements, a palpable energy that crackled through every track. It blew away the haze of mellowness that was setting down upon American rock in those days and blazed a trail for others to follow. The Crazy Horse LP yielded hit singles like "Downtown" and "Gone Dead Train", filling the airwaves with the band's tough yet tender brand of soulful country-rock."

Of course, that's how history should have been. But alas it didn't quite turn out that way.

"Come On Baby, Let's Go Downtown"
Danny Whitten of Crazy Horse
Billy Talbot writes in the liner notes:

"With Neil, our sound is very rustic. It's thrown up like a log cabin that still has bark on it, and that's great. But Danny and Ralph and I had our own thing, and it wasn't exactly the way we were with Neil. It wasn't just three-chords, bashing-away Crazy Horse."

Disc one of contains remastered versions of Crazy Horse and Loose in their entirety. Disc two includes previously unreleased tracks from the Crazy Horse sessions, as well as a previously unreleased version of Neil Young's "When You Dance You Can Really Love," a 1971 radio spot, and the A- and B-sides of the Danny & The Memories single "Can't Help Loving That Girl," released in 1962 on the Valiant label.

More on Crazy Horse: Tales of the 3rd Best Garage Band in the World.

---