New Train

New Train
New Train
	Hybrid Recordings
Producer	Ben Sidran
Paul Pena chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Rolling Stone	link^{[dead link]}

New Train is an album by Paul Pena, recorded in 1973 and released in 2000. The album was recorded at Bearsville Records and produced by Ben Sidran (keyboardist for the Steve Miller Band).

The album

New Train features Grateful Dead member Jerry Garcia playing pedal steel guitar and Merl Saunders (frequent collaborator with Garcia and the Dead) on keyboards on "Venutian Lady" and "New Train",^[1] and the a cappella group The Persuasions singing on "Gonna Move" and "Let's Move and Groove."^[2]

Stylistically, the album runs the gamut from straight-up

Rhythm and Blues

on the standout track "Gonna Move". The Grateful Dead-inspired "Venutian Lady" echoes their hit "Bertha".

Albert Grossman, owner of Bearsville Records, stopped release of the record after a dispute, possibly over the marketability of the record,^[3] or, according to Sidran, Pena's refusal to relocate to the East Coast to work more closely with Grossman.^[4]

Ben Sidran gave an unreleased copy of New Train to

Book of Dreams. The "Jet Airliner" single went to #8 on the Billboard chart

. Pena's primary source of income in his later years were royalties from that single.

The album remained unreleased for 27 years. After years of unsuccessful attempts, Pena's attorney (and original executive producer on the album) Jon Waxman negotiated for the album's release in 2000 on the New York-based

Hybrid Recordings label.^[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Pena except as indicated.

"Gonna Move" – 4:31

"New Train" – 4:53

"Jet Airliner" – 5:42
"Wait On What You Want" – 3:28
"Venutian Lady" – 4:43
"Cosmic Mirror" – 5:23
"Let's Move And Groove Together" (Johnny Nash) – 4:13
"Indian Boy" – 4:37
"A Bit Of All Right" – 3:43
"Taking Your Love Down" – 2:52

Personnel

Special guests

Jerry Garcia - pedal steel guitar on "Venutian Lady" and "New Train"
Merl Saunders - keyboards on "Venutian Lady" and "New Train"
The Persuasions - background vocals on "Gonna Move"
Charles Greene - background vocals on "Let's Move and Groove Together"
Arthur Adams - guitar on "A Bit of All Right"
Dave Woodward - saxophone on "Cosmic Mirror"
Nick DeCaro - arranged strings
The Funky ladies - additional background vocals

Production

Producer: Ben Sidran
Executive Producers: Jon M. Waxman and Gunther Weil
Engineers: Adam Taylor and Bruce Botnick
Mixing: Ben Sidran and Marty Feldman
Mastering: George Marino
Liner Notes: Ben Sidran
Slipcase photograph: Jennifer Cheek Pantaleon
Recorded at Intermedia in
San Francisco

References

^ New Train CD liner notes.
^ "27 Year Old Album Finally Sees Light Of Day" (Press release). Kathryn Schenker Associates. June 8, 2000.
^ "Paul Pena; musician endured difficult life". The Boston Globe. October 9, 2005.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "New Train / Paul Pena". Ben Sidran. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
^ Sullivan, James (October 30, 2000). "Blues Singer Fighting For His Life, Career / Paul Pena's record out despite many setbacks". San Francisco Chronicle.

[CDliner-1] New Train CD liner notes.

[2] "27 Year Old Album Finally Sees Light Of Day" (Press release). Kathryn Schenker Associates. June 8, 2000.

[3] "Paul Pena; musician endured difficult life". The Boston Globe. October 9, 2005.^{[permanent dead link]}

[4] "New Train / Paul Pena". Ben Sidran. Retrieved 2016-01-20.

[5] Sullivan, James (October 30, 2000). "Blues Singer Fighting For His Life, Career / Paul Pena's record out despite many setbacks". San Francisco Chronicle.

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