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The Big Ball

Various Artists

Initial release : 1970

Warner Brothers PRO 358

A Warner Brothers/Reprise double LP loss leader sampler that includes an edited version of Turn On Your Lovelight from Live/Dead. Also includes a track by Eric Andersen.

album cover
Tracks / Musicians The tracks and musicians on this compilation are as follows.

Side 1

  • Nice Folks - The Fifth Avenue Band
  • Red-Eye Express - John Sebastian
  • This Whole World - The Beach Boys
  • New Orleans Hopscop Blues - Geoff & Maria Muldaur
  • Coming in to Los Angeles - Arlo Guthrie
  • I Was the Rebel, She Was the Cause - Eric Andersen
  • Jubilee - Norman Greenbaum
  • Ivy - Savage Grace
Side 2
  • Caravan - Van Morrison
  • Oh Well (Parts 1 & 2) - Fleetwood Mac
  • Sally Go Round the Roses - The Pentangle
  • Nothing Is Easy - Jethro Tull
  • Flying - Small Faces
  • No Mule's Fool - Family
  • When I Turn Out the Living Room Light - The Kinks
Side 3
  • I'm on My Way Home Again - The Everly Brothers
  • Happy Time - Tim Buckley
  • Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
  • The Loner - Neil Young
  • Approaching Lavender - Gordon Lightfoot
  • Mama Told Me Not to Come - Randy Newman
  • Fire and Rain - James Taylor
  • Sit Down Old Friend - Dion
Side 4
  • The Illiad - Ed Sanders
  • Kansas and the GTO's; The Captain's Fat Theresa Shoes; The Original GTO's - The GTO's
  • Ella Guru - Captain Beefheart
  • WPLJ - Mothers Of Invention
  • The Taster and The Story of the Taster - Wild Man Fischer
  • Footnote - Pearls Before Swine
  • Turn On Your Lovelight - Grateful Dead
Turn On Your Lovelight is taken from the Grateful Dead double LP Live/Dead. At the time of the recording of this LP the Grateful Dead comprised;
  • Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
  • Phil Lesh - bass guitar, vocals
  • Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
  • Mickey Hart - percussion
  • Bill Kreutzmann - percussion
  • Tom Constanten - keyboard
  • Pigpen (Ron McKernan) - congas, organ, vocals
Credits

For the compilation;

  • Cover photography - Rod Dyer
  • Art direction - Ed Thrasher
  • Review - Richard Goldstein (Vogue March 1, 1970)
For the original recording of Turn On Your Lovelight;
  • Producer - The Grateful Dead, Bob Matthews, Betty Cantor
  • Engineer - Bob Matthews and Betty Cantor
Notes

This was the third of the Warner/Reprise loss leader compilations. The liner notes explain the purpose behind the release;

We're right proud and happy to introduce our third double sampler album (following our sort of internationally famous Songbook and Record Show samplers).

Our ulterior motive behind these samplers, as we've confessed many times before, is the profit-motivated desire to instill in you, through these introductory tracks, the compelling urge to rush forth and buy the full albums by the artists you want to hear more from. Should you find yourself in a record store that does not have a Randy Newman album, or has never heard of Norman Greenbaum, make a scene. Have them order it for you. If they son't, write us and make a scene.

This release is in a double gatefold sleeve with a 4 page booklet attached to the inner spine of the gatefold. The booklet lists the contents and provides brief information about each performer or band. The entry for the Dead is as follows;
The Grateful Dead remain every bit as downright irresistible today as they were in the days when they were riding around in a funny psychedelic bus with noted author Ken Kesey and a gaggle of what Tom Wolfe affectionately refers to as Day-Glo crazies. Guitarist Jerry Garcia in particular seems none the worse for wear, this in spite of the considerations that he has cut off his once renowned Haight ST. freak curls and grown a somewhat Arabic beard, and has taken to playing thirty-five minute guitar solos without first plugging in his famous guitar, Lucy.

This extravagantly soulful rendition of Love Light is performed for your listening enjoyment by Mr. Pigpen.

In addition to the booklet the record sleeves display a view of Burbank in 1917 and information about other releases in the loss leader series.

Related releases

Turn On Your Lovelight is an edited version of the track on;

  • Live/Dead, Grateful Dead, 1969, Warner Bros. 2WS-1830
This same edited version of Turn On Your Lovelight was included on; I Was the Rebel, She Was the Cause was originally released on; The other tracks on this compilation are from the following releases;
  • Nice Folks - The Fifth Avenue Band, The Fifth Avenue Band
  • Red-Eye Express - John B. Sebastian, John Sebastian
  • This Whole World - Sunflower, The Beach Boys
  • New Orleans Hopscop Blues - Pottery Pie, Geoff & Maria Muldaur
  • Coming in to Los Angeles - Running Down The Road, Arlo Guthrie
  • Jubilee - Spirit In The Sky, Norman Greenbaum
  • Ivy - Savage Grace, Savage Grace
  • Caravan - Moondance, Van Morrison
  • Oh Well (Parts 1 & 2) - Then Play On, Fleetwood Mac
  • Sally Go Round the Roses - Basket Of Light, The Pentangle
  • Nothing Is Easy - Stand Up, Jethro Tull
  • Flying - The First Step, Small Faces
  • No Mule's Fool - A Song For Me, Family
  • When I Turn Out the Living Room Light - Previously unreleased, The Kinks
  • I'm on My Way Home Again - Single, The Everly Brothers
  • Happy Time - Blue Afternoon, Tim Buckley
  • Big Yellow Taxi - Ladies Of The Canyon, Joni Mitchell
  • The Loner - Neil Young, Neil Young
  • Approaching Lavender - Sit Down Young Stranger, Gordon Lightfoot
  • Mama Told Me Not to Come - 12 Songs, Randy Newman
  • Fire and Rain - Sweet Baby James, James Taylor
  • Sit Down Old Friend - Sit Down Old Friend, Dion
  • The Illiad - Sander's Truckstop, Ed Sanders
  • Kansas and the GTO's; The Captain's Fat Theresa Shoes; The Original GTO's - Permanent Damage, The GTO's
  • Ella Guru - Trout Mask Replica, Captain Beefheart
  • WPLJ - Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Mothers Of Invention
  • The Taster and The Story of the Taster - An Evening With Wild Man Fischer, Wild Man Fischer
  • Footnote - These Things Too Pearls Before Swine

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