Description
Evening Pastoral is the debut album by the American singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Rob Cassels, released on Sword Records in 1979. (Re-issued by Sword Records the same year, featuring new cover artwork.) The album was recorded May 15 – December 17, 1978 by David Floyd at Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina; with Rick Sandidge producing. Mixed by Floyd at Arthur Smith Studios and by Glen Meadows at Masterphonics in Nashville, Tennessee. All songs written by Rob Cassels. Guitarist Steve Morse appears through Capricorn Records.
Featuring Rob Cassels on acoustic piano and lead vocals backed by a session band featuring Steve Morse on electric guitar, Lenny Stadler on bass, and Gary Rogers on drums. Background vocals provided by Debby Dobbins, Joyous Perrin, and Carolyn Moore.
Pianist Rob Cassels’ first album also happens to be his best. You won’t find quite the same degree of mean Southern boogie riffs that appeared on subsequent LPs – this project reminds me more of Leon Russell (he even possesses a bit of Leon’s drawl). Cassels’ more-than-adequate piano finesse is demonstrated on the jazz instrumental «Lunar Trot». Don’t worry, the Southern influence is still here and Steve Morse has been brought in to handle guitar chops as well as dobro and banjo; and some of those female background vocals sound right outta Lynyrd Skynyrd. Not a spectacular album, but finds its niche among the glut of male solo releases. Two covers exist, one with a full-sized painting of Rob and piano in an outdoor nature scene at night, the other with just a smaller frame of the painting. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]
> Apple Music (Anthology: https://music.apple.com/us/album/rob-cassels-band-classics-anthology/353833161)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Battle’s Won” – 3:28
A2. “Evening Pastoral” – 4:07
A3. “Lunar Trot” (Instrumental) – 2:44
A4. “Windfelt” – 3:27
A5. “Round The Mountain” – 2:22
Side Two
B1. “Baby Song” – 4:26
B2. “Darkness Is A Gonner” – 2:47
B3. “Sherry” (Instrumental) – 3:44
B4. “Know He Loves Me” – 3:58
B5. “Testimony” – 3:55
Note: Later remastered right off the master tapes and re-issued on CD. Remastered and re-issued on CD by Girder Records in 2023 as a part of the 3-CD set Storming the Cassels Gate (limited to 500 copies). Available at Bandcamp: https://robcassels.bandcamp.com/album/evening-pastoral
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