Giant Sand's classic Ramp album getting deluxe vinyl reissue

Fire Records' new version of Giant Sand's Ramp comes with a bonus record featuring the Mad Dog Studio sessions from 1991.

Here's the scoop...
A firm fan favourite, Giant Sand’s essential 1991 album ‘Ramp’ was the second of three revered albums that Howe Gelb and company released in the early 90s. Now set for a remastered special indie store exclusive, the new Fire Records edition (released on  July 17th) comes beautifully repackaged in a gatefold sleeve with new artwork and expanded liner notes from MOJO’s covermount CD comp curator Dave Henderson (of Leicester's Disco Zombies infamy).

‘Ramp’ is a magical trip with regular cast members Joey Burns and John Convertino (later of Calexico) joined by special guests including Victoria Williams, Rainer Ptacek and Pappy Allen. Featuring piano lounge music for an off-world colony interrupted by an onslaught of guitar when needed with reverb on and fuzz friendly. Up to 11, it’s light and dark and the better for it, a musical journey on a road less travelled. All sounds are welcome; banjo, dobro, pedal steel, plaintive harmonica, whistling all wrap themselves around the flow of consciousness; those truly memorable words. The Tucson sound at it's very best.

Writes Howe Gelb...

Happy to see this one dusted off and shoved out into the world again for several reasons 

1. It features the only known recordings I know of the late great good pal Pappy Claude Allen of Pappy & Harriets fame. We sing the original penned for he and I “Nowhere” and the classic brilliantly executed “Welcome to my World”. 
2. It features a song I wrote for new buddy Victoria Williams called “Wonder” who at the time was falling for drummer partner John Convertino and that as well as daily life living up at Rimrock Ranch ( up the road from P & H ) was beautiful captured by famed NYC rock photographer Laura Levine in here first ( and only ? ) music video ever ! 
3. The album and video also features newest member Joey Burns who would then go on to form Calexico once I dragged he and John back to Tucson in 92. 
4. What else .. oh yeah .: the session also featured Paula Jean Brown on electric bass, which I have to admit has always been my favorite electrical bassist that gave my guitar exploration a real boost up. .. the way she seemingly & seamlessly melded with John’s drums and provided a spring board for guitar solos. It kinda shows off why she beat out a field of 200 applications to become ‘The Go Gos’ new bassist before joining up with Giant Sand. 
5. That said, the album also features our baby Patsy Glob handling some self penned blues along with parents and godfather Convertino. 
6. One more thing .. it should be noted production wise I was experimenting with bridges of songs whereby they were recorded at a different time and space acoustically so that when we recorded the song electrically, the engineers at the time ( Michael Dumas & Eric Westfall ) would be standing by for my signal ( while playing !) to then punch the DAT player that had the pre recorded bridge cued up in hopes that it might possibly mesh with the electrical version we were then recording. And it kinda did. On “Warm Storm” and. .. another one I can’t remember off hand. But you can investigate it to figure it out 
7. And of course, last but the opposite of least, features some good ol’ Rainer on a coupla tracks

PS: Although the album was recorded primarily at 2 studios, the newer Westwood in Tucson, AZ and the older Mad Dog in Venice, CA .. the cover photo I snapped was outside of Jemez, New Mexico when renting a double there for a minute. .. right about the time John and I were called in for duty by music supervisor Nicola Freegard to assist Keanu Reeves and Sarah Trigger in how to act like they’re playing their instruments in that second Bill & Ted flick originally titled “Bill & Ted goes to Hell”.
Thanks to #FireRecords ( or is it #Fire_Records ) for making it available again
And a shout out to #PappyandHarriets

Pre-order Giant Sand's Ramp right here. Listen to "Romance of Falling" after the sweet 1992 video clip of "Wonder" featuring Victoria Williams shot by Laura Levine.

Giant Sand - Ramp 
LP 1
1 Warm Storm
2 Romance Of Falling
3 Wonder
4 Welcome To My World
5 AntiShadow
6 Neon Filler
7 Jazzer Snipe
8 Z.Z. Quicker Foot
9 Seldom Matters
10 Resolver
11 Nowhere
12 Always Horses Coming
13 Patsy's Blues

LP 2: Live At Mad Dog Studios – January 30, 1991
1 Back To The Black And Grey
2 Trickle Down System
3 Bible Black, Book II
4 Still Too Far
5 Romance Of Falling
6 Can’t Find Love
7 Shadow To You