Dog Days wasn't Blue Mountain's first album, but it was the first one that gave a clear picture of just how good the group could really be. Unlike their self-titled and self-released debut, Dog Days paired Blue Mountain with a sympathetic producer, and Eric Roscoe Ambel beefed up the band's sound in the studio without cluttering up their style; Cary Hudson's guitar now roared with the sweet thunder it deserved, and the simple but muscular support from bassist Laurie Stirratt and drummer Frank Coutch pushes the songs forward with just the right degree of insistence. If Hudson's guitar work at this point showed a very clear Neil Young influence, it fit his songs like a glove, and as a tunesmith he had a knack for telling stories that was all his own, from the populist rabble-rousing of Jimmy Carter and the rough-and-ready exploits of A Band Called Bud to the beatific wanderer's tale of Blue Canoe and the sweet-and-sour romance of Wink. And while Dog Days connects like a Louisville Slugger when the band cranks up on the album's rockers, the acoustic-based numbers have an emotional strength that keeps them from sounding like the band is taking a breather. While Blue Mountain never gained the same degree of semi-fame as their alt-country contemporaries like the Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, and Whiskeytown, they were regarded by many educated observers as one of the best acts on the scene, and Dog Days shows why -- they could write, sing, and play with passion and street smarts, and every song on this album hits its target dead on. It's a minor masterpiece of the genre. [In 2008, Roadrunner Records gave Dog Days an unexpected but welcome reissue in an expanded and remastered edition. While the original version sounded good enough, Scott Hull's new master is crisp and well detailed, with Hudson's guitars well served. Six bonus tracks have been added for this edition -- one tune from the sole album by the Hilltops (the band Hudson and Stirratt worked with before Blue Mountain), two from Blue Mountain's long out of print debut, an unreleased track from the Dog Days sessions, and two numbers from the group's fourth album, Tales of a Traveler (which presumably isn't scheduled for a similar upgraded reissue). Dog Days was already Blue Mountain's best album, and this new edition treats it like the great record it is; longtime fans who need to replace their old copy will be happy with the upgrade, and folks checking out the band for the first time get a worthwhile history lesson along with the original 14 songs.] ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

1		Mountain Girl
2		Let's Ride
3		Blue Canoe
4		Soul Sister
5		Wink
6		Slow Suicide
7		A Band Called Bud
8		Epitaph
9		Zzq
10		Eyes of a Child
11		Jimmy Carter
12		Let's Go Running
13		Hippy Hotel
14		Special Rider Blues
15		Broke Down & Busted
16		Song Without a Name
17		Westbound
18		Hermit of the Hidden Beach
19		My Wicked, Wicked Ways
20		To a Toad