New Riders of the Purple Sage - Before Time Began (1986)
Tracklist front / back album covers
Part 1 – Early New Riders
"Henry" (John Dawson) – 3:39
"All I Ever Wanted" (Dawson) – 4:28
"Last Lonely Eagle" (Dawson) – 4:47
"Cecilia" (Dawson) – 4:06
"Garden of Eden" (Dawson) – 3:09
"Superman" (Dawson) – 2:19
Part 2 – The Backwards Tapes
"Deh Rominap" (Peter Rowan, David Nelson) – 1:48
"A Handful of Brains" (Nelson) – 2:43
"I'm Through with the Fish, Harve" (Nelson) – 1:44
"Och Tamale" (C. Merle Waterman, Nelson) – 1:25
"A Handful of Brains Part II" (Nelson) – 4:49
"Where Discipline Comes In" (Nelson) – 2:52
New Riders of the Purple Sage Band Members / Musicians
John Dawson – acoustic guitar, lead vocals
David Nelson – electric guitar, vocals
Jerry Garcia – pedal steel guitar, vocals
Phil Lesh – bass
Mickey Hart – drums
Marmaduke and friends (John Dawson, Jerry Garcia, and some members of Doug Sahm's group)
David Nelson – guitar, vocals
David Nelson – producer
George Horn – mastering
David Nelson – cover art
Before Time Began is the 11th studio album and thirteenth album overall by the country rock group the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was released in 1986 on the Relix Records label.
The first half of the album contains very early recording sessions by the New Riders. Some of the songs are performed by the original lineup of the band, which consisted of John "Marmaduke" Dawson, David Nelson, and three members of the Grateful Dead — Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart. The second half of the album contains experimental music created by David Nelson, called "The Backwards Tapes".
