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THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND
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| Musicians : Doug Gray - lead vocals / Toy Caldwell - lead guitar & lead vocals / Tommy Caldwell - bass / George McCorkle - rhythm guitar Jerry Eubanks - flute, saxophone & percussion / Paul T. Riddle – drums |
| Titles : CD1 : 1 - Fly Like An Eagle 2 - Long Hard Ride 3 - Searchin' For A Rainbow 4 - I Should Have Never Started Lovin' You 5 - Heard It In A Love Song 6 - Take The Highway 7 - Fire On The Mountain 8 - In My Own Way CD2 : 1 - Never Trust A Stranger 2 - 24 Hours At A Time 3 - Ramblin' 4 - Can't You See 5 - This Ol' Cowboy 6 - Will The Circle Be Unbroken DVD : 1 - Fly Like An Eagle 2 - Long Hard Ride 3 - Searchin' For A Rainbow 4 - I Should Have Never Started Lovin' You 5 - Heard It In A Love Song 6 - Take The Highway 7 - Fire On The Mountain 8 - In My Own Way 9 - Never Trust A Stranger 10- 24 Hours At A Time 11 - Ramblin' 12 - Can't You See 13 - This Ol' Cowboy 14 - Will The Circle Be Unbroken |
| Moment of nostalgia with the release of that 1977 document about the golden years of the Marshall Tucker Band, recording during the ‘Carolina Dreams Tour’. We can bet that some of us will sure find some moving souvenirs that were in their heads. We have a big shock when you look at the quality of these shows. How can’t we be impressed by Toy Caldwell guitar style ? There are so much that can be said about this band ! What a group ! This testimony offers us two cds and one DVD, very moving, even is the quality of the images is a little bit old-fashioned. However the fans will sure enjoy 30 years later what was a Marshall Tucker Band show. Great and unforgettable are these interpretations of ‘Searching for a Rainbow’, ‘Fire on the Mountain’, ‘Can’t you see ?’ or ‘Heard it in a Love Song’, and a special mention for ‘Ramblin’ that is, for me, my favourite Marshall Tucker band song. Toy Caldwell play is incredible, he’s such a guitar hero with the help of a power band ! Today, and after so many difficult moments, the Marshall Tucker Band is still on the road, and only Doug Gray of the original band is still present. But we can believe that, where are Toy, Tommy and George in Southern heaven, they sure enjoy to what they can hear, and, because of this testimony, we still think about them ! John Molet |
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THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND
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| Musicians : Doug Gray - lead vocals / Chris Hicks - lead guitar & vocals / Stuart Swanlund - guitar & vocals / Pat Ellwood - bass David Muse - keyboards, saxophone & flute / Barry Borden - drums & vocals / Clay Cook - steel guitar, vocals & guitar Additional musicians : Paul Hornsby - piano & organ / Steve Keeter - organ / Ronald Radford - steel guitar & mandolin / David Johnson - fiddle, guitar & steel guitar Melvin Seals - organ & piano / David "Ace" Allen - drums / Gabrielle Gray - lead vocals / Michael B. Smith - guitar / Keith Glenn - tambourine Tony Heatherley - bass & guitar / Al Shaver - congas / Buddy Strong – guitar |
| Titles : 1 - The Guitar Playing Man / 2 - Come Runnin' Like A Friend / 3 - Travelin' Man / 4 - I Love You That Way / 5 - Cold Steel 6 - Why Am I Crying? / 7 - Down The Road Before II / 8 - A Sad Cowboy Song / 9 - Crossroad / 10 - Jesus Never Had A Motorcycle |
| A new Marshall Tucker Band’s album is right now a good new, but just like Charlie Daniels Band’s, you have to listen to it first before to know which style will dominate (or not) in the new delivery: rock, country-rock, bluesy, jazzy, patchwork ? All is possible with musicians of this stamp. This time, no problem to make up one’s mind : “The Next Adventure” is clearly a country adventure, oddly tinted with country-rock. Except Malvin Seals’ “baby”: “Travelin’ Man” (nothing to do with “Skynyrd”’s one) goes and visits more bluesy landscapes. Chris Hicks shines especially here in slide guitar, harmonica and lead vocals, supported by a relentless, even a tiny bit heavy, bass/drums duet. For the rest, country everywhere, and not so excited: all is quiet, I should even say very quiet, with an omnipresent pedal steel (only two songs without it: “Travelin’ Man” precisely, and “Crossroad”), played in alternation by Clay Cook (just for one song !), David Johnson et Ronald Radford, a strong presence of mandolin, in four songs, and/or fiddle, in three songs. That’s something like colouring strongly enough the sound of the album. The ballades dominate widely, classical enough in their country form (“Come Runnin’ like A Friend” and its fiddle solo, the edifying and nostalgic “A Sad Cowboy Song”, from which the harmonica player is unknown (Chris Hicks again ?), and where Doug Gray supplies well finished vocals, “I Love That Way”, where Chris Hicks shares the lead vocals with Gabrielle Gray, already seen on the X-mas record, and getting into the habit of breaking in on Papa Doug’s records, and “Down The Road Before II”, written and sung by BB Borden and its inimitable and very recognizable tone quality). ”Where Am I Crying ?”, the most original one, and Toy Caldwell’s work, is marked off by its calm rhythm, with a sweet jazzy swing, on which pedal steel and fiddle pour out, and with another beautiful vocal prestation coming from Doug Gray (pleonasm?). Nevertheless, so many ballads play a great part in setting up a kind of soothing atmosphere. “The Guitar Playing Man” illustrate a brisker country, more sprightly, also very classical in spite of David Muse’s efforts to inject some originality in the flûte’s part, but very pleasant, with a contrast in the fills between accoustic guitar and pedal steel. The other songs sound a litle more rock, moderately for “Cold Steel”, taking benefit from a very good overdrive guitar, but getting excited only during the refrain, owing precisely to this guitar’s support. “Crossroad” represents this album’s most rock side, with superb guitar harmonies, on which Chris Hicks wouldn’t have broken in, if the cover’s note are exact, and owed in fact to Stuart Swanlund. David Muse grand us here a sympathic sax solo. A good song, pleasantly bodybuilded, but without excess: we are far from “Black Molly” ! « Jesus Never Had A Motorcycle », between country rock and bodybuilded ballade, ended in a not very convincing way (in spite of a funny title) a middle album, a little “soft”, a little too much classical, even if the band clearly wanted this very “classical country” (commercial?) trend, but well done, always easy to listen to and very fluid owing the musicians’ ability. The problem setting now is the one of the musicians’ inspiration, involvement and envy. We don’t feel this record crossed by a great energy. Clay Cook plays only one instrumental part and steps in on three backing vocals, and Stuart Swanlund takes part in only four songs. The guests’ multiplication doesn’t hide very well an unity and creativity problem: only three titles out of ten give the actual members credit for the writing: « A Sad Cowboy Song », signed only by Pat Elwood, « Down The Road Before II » due to BB Borden et Chris Hicks’ joined talents, and « Crossroad » where Doug Gray and Chris Hicks are mentionned beside Buddie Strong. Next to that, four titles are supplied by departed members: in addition to Toy Caldwell’s signature for « Why Am I Crying ? », we find again the missing George McCorckle’s know-how in three songs (« The Guitar Playing Man », « I Love You That Way », et « Jesus Never Had A Motorcycle »). George had at least the pleasure to see and hear this album, but it’s a little tight to prepare the continuation... From that time, we can have some interrogations about the band’s future and about the next album, that I will wait for myself with a real eagerness, because I’m waiting clearly now for a reaction from this great southern band. In spite of the presence of sparkling musicians in the line-up (gathered not often enough to elaborate together their own music ?), it seems to listen too much to the commercial managers’ mermaids, and we long for a prominent work, for an enthusiasming record blazing a trail, after two very pleasant records (don’t let me say what I haven’t said) and very well finished, but poorly innoventing: a successfully done X-mas album and this half tinted one. Look out for the fall in triteness ! 2008, « Marshall Tucker Band »’s sounding awakening ? Yves Philippot |
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THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND
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| Musicians : Doug Gray - lead vocals / Toy Caldwell - lead guitar & lead vocals / Tommy Caldwell - bass / George McCorkle - rhythm guitar / Jerry Eubanks - flute, saxophone & percussion / Paul T. Riddle - drums |
| Titles : CD1 : 1 - Running Like The Wind / 2 - Last Of The Singing Cowboys / 3 - It Takes Time / 4 - Cattle Drive 5 - See You One More Time / 6 - Sing My Blues / 7 - Take The Highway / 8 - Heard It In A Love Song / 9 - Ramblin' CD2 : 1 - Fire On The Mountain / 2 - In My Own Way / 3 - Desert Skies / 4 - 24 Hours At A Time 5 - Can't You See / 6 - Searchin' For A Rainbow / 7 - This Ol' Cowboy |
| Here's this famous New York concert, famous because just few days later died the bass guitar player Tommy Caldwell in a car crash, that mean the end of the band original line-up, the end of a group at the top of fame, playing a Southern country-rock full of life and colour, as we can listen to in this show. First let's notice the abilities of the band and Doug Gray wonderful vocals, and obviously the beautiful Mr Toy Caldwell music jewels, without forgetting Jerry Eubanks on saxophone. This two-cd live album should be officially protected, because nowadays play like that. So just for fun, remember that this band offer us famous and historic songs such as "Cattle Drive", "Take The Highway", "Ramblin'", "Searchin' For A Rainbow" and the beautiful "In My Own Way". Let's remark too a long but not boring "24 Hours At A Time", with its precise and the Band's label groove. So I stop now because the MTB is a great coup de Coeur for me. I'll always regret to miss the show they made at the Pavillon De Paris, the only show in France until now. So you got the game, let's listen to these two cds, and let's hope they soon come in Europe, maybe at the Swiss Gstaad festival for instance… Jacques Dersigny |
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THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND
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| Musicians : Doug Gray - lead vocals Chris Hicks - lead guitar & vocals Stuart Swanlund - guitar & vocals Pat Elwood - bass David Muse - keyboards, saxophone & flute B.B. Borden - drums Additional musicians : Paul Hornsby - piano & organ Clay Cook - piano & background vo |
| Titles : 1 - White Christmas 2 - Christmas In Carolina 3 - I'll Be Home For Christmas 4 - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 5 - Let It Snow ! Let It Snow ! Let It Snow ! 6 - Silent Night 7 - Snowfall In Georgia 8 - Christmas In Custody 9 - Jingle Bells 10 - Merry Christmas Baby 11 - Leave The Christmas Light On 12 - 'Twas The Night Before Christmas |
| A Christmas album, one more ? This kind of production is going to be a tradition for Christmas in the Southern business, and it is not always a bed of roses, with different line-ups ( Lynyrd Skynyrd Christmas album has a song of .38 Special and one of Charlie Daniels, for instance!). Is Marshall Tucker band Christmas album a good one or not ? My answer is incontestably Yes !, one hundred times Yes ! We don’t wait for Southern rock, even to crazy Country. The main feeling here is a king of very smart jazzy swing, that shows how gifted the musicians are. So we are not in the same way as Molly Hatchet, for instance. This album will be a pleasure for the Southern music fans, especially for those who enjoy a kind of family and friendly environment, with the presence of previous musicians such as Jerry Eubanks and George McCorckle. The Marshall Tucker Band family has been reunited again and invites you to the Christmas evening. The way the musicians play allows us to enjoy this reunion that could have been too sweet for our ears. The beginning is great : Doug Gray with Paul Hornsby piano, seems to offer us a traditional ‘White Christmas’ but it soon swings hard, maybe closer to ‘I know a little’ than Sinatra. It is the same for ‘Christmas in Carolina’ written and sung by Chris Hicks in a great orchestra way. This ain’t sweet and reminds us of what did the Paul McCartney Wings some years ago, with a great saxophone sound. Gabrielle Ray Leopard, Doug’s daughter, come to sing on the third title and we do enjoy the way she sings, in a quiet rhythm, slowly, and she brings us to a kind of jazz universe, with lazy acoustic guitars. Dong Gray comes back to sing as a crooner on a song where an electric guitar can be heard with a free saxophone (Jerry Eubanks is back). Doug shows again how the gifted singer he is. Then Clay Cooks come to say hello on a swingy ‘Let it snow’. And Chris Hicks gives us a powerful ‘Silent Night’ with a beautiful saxophone solo. He sings again on the next song ‘Snowfall in Georgia’, that is closer to what usually does the band, and where we can listen to a beautiful flute sound. A new surprise on the next song, with a deep bluesy voice on an acoustic guitar and harmonica music : B.B.Bordan has created this song that fast becomes a great swing blues title. We do enjoy this song ! Not so bad, even if his voice looks a little bit like Keith Richards’ one. Contrast then : Doug Gray is back with a happy and classical ‘Jingle Bells’, with bells and everything ! You kids sure enjoy it. Maybe you won’t, but that’s Christmas magic. Then we get the moving ‘Merry Christmas Babe’, a sweeping slow blues in a traditional way, but in a real great interpretation. Words are happy, but the music is deep and dark. Christmas is not for everybody and, when you open your presents, you wonder what kind of paradise you will have. Chris Hicks again and Doug Gray play together on a beautiful acoustic ballad written by George McCorkle. The album ends on a text read by Doug Gray on Steve Keeter’s electric piano , where Doug wishes us a merry Christmas from the whole band and family. That’s over, it is time to go to bed, kids ! Yves Philippot |
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MARSHALL TUCKER BAND
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| Titles : 1Take The Highway - 2 Heard It In A Love Song - 3 Tell The Blues To Take Off The Night - 4 It Takes Time 5 Special Someone - 6 Rumors Are Raging - 7 Bob Away My Blues - 8 Fire On The Mountain - 9 Something's Missing In My Life 10 The Time Has Come - 11 Ramblin' - 12 Can't You See - 13 This Ol' Cowboy - 14 Searchin' For A Rainbow 15 Blue Ridge Mountain Boy |
