A fitting finale for the Burrito’s. After the departure of two band members Chris Hillman recruited the then unknown pedal steel and lead guitarist Al Perkins and at the same time he added session fiddler Byron Berline and bassist Roger Bush (both former Country Gazette members) to give the Burritos a self-contained bluegrass drive (mandolin, banjo, fiddle and acoustic bass). With a seven-man lineup (represented on this album) they toured until October, 1971. ‘Last Of The Red Hot Burritos’ reveals an unbelievably tight band. There are some fantastic bluegrass numbers like “Dixie Breakdown” and “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down”. The renditions of Burrito’s classics are all great as well and are probably their best live recordings available.
The Burritos had evolved into a solid bluegrass band and this magical performance, recorded in Amsterdam in January, 1972 fulfilled their record label contractual obligations. This amazing performance was recorded, then pirated on vinyl and then officially released with the band's management blessings. First time available in the U.S. and unavailable anywhere for over 50 years.
Unlike what we might expect, traditional music is not one-size-fits-all. Each song has its own story, history and characters which the singers must serve, rather than themselves. On his new album, Look Over The Wall, See The Sky, John Francis Flynn delicately unpicks these traditional songs and rearranges them with an emotional force that sometimes leaves them unanchored, floating in a surreal space between the past and the present, the analogue and the digital, between love and tragedy.