Search - Marshall Tucker Band :: Stompin' Room Only (Unreleased Live Recording)

Disappointing and Pointless-somewhat of a rip off

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 03/18/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"WARNING: 30 MINUTES OF THIS CD COMES FROM OTHER ALBUMS.

ONLY 41 MINUTES OF "NEW" MATERIAL.



....Somebody really hates what I wrote. But, I am just telling you what the CD is about, so you know what you will be getting if you buy it. I do have some opinions here, but most of what I list is basic fact. It is a disservice to the buyers to say what a great CD this is, without explaning all of the issues with it.



People who give this CD 5 starts are rating the concept and not the reality. We all loved our experiences seeing Marshall Tucker live. I am as excited as anyone about a chance buy a CD with more live material. Unfortunately, this CD is a huge disappointment. Sound quality is uneven; editing is poor; some of this material is already on other albums and there are better versions available of other songs.



The best tracks on this CD are already available on other albums. Ramblin' and 24 Hours At A Time come right off of the album, Where We All Belong (they are the exact same tracks). The Thrill is Gone came off of one of the Volunteer Jam albums (admittedly, that album is hard to get right now). So, over 30 minutes of the 72 minutes of this CD is from other albums.



There are other live versions of Take the Highway (Where We All Belong) and Can't You See (Searching For a Rainbow) that are longer, better and have superior sound quality.



The versions of Fire On the Mountain, This Old Cowboy and Hillybilly Band are nothing special, and I think the studio versions are actually better and more lively.



The sound quality on this CD is uneven. It is good on the "old" material taken from other albums. It ranges from OK to fair on the "new" material. The mix is poor in some parts, making it hard to hear the vocals. The editing between tracks was poorly done in some instances (I could do a better job on my PC).



But, there are some great moments on this CD. The Thrill Is Gone is one of the best songs Marshall Tucker has done, and up until now, it has been hard to get. I rank it right up there with 24 Hours At A Time. Searchin' For A Rainbow is done in a great funky style. Blue Ridge Sky and Long Hard Ride are also very good.



This single CD is rather expensive (Allman Brothers recent 3 CD set is cheaper). For the price, you get 3 very good songs (about 15 minutes of music) that have not been available anywhere. If you don't already have it, it is also your chance to get the incredible 10 minute Thrill Is Gone. You can decide if it is worth it.



It is such a disappointment, since we all know how great Marshall Tucker could be in concert. They had some incredible jams, like on Never Trust a Stranger. It's a shame that a CD with that time of material has not been released. And, now it is possible.



This album was originally to be released as a 41 minute LP back in 1976. But, Marshall Tucker was changing record labels and this album got lost in the transition. But, it is a good thing it wasn't released, because it probably would have tarnished the band's reputation.



All of Marshall Tucker's tapes were lost for a long time. The first CD's released by Marshall Tucker had poor sound quality. A couple years ago, someone found all the Marshall Tucker master tapes, plus tapes with hundreds of hours of live material. The tapes were put up for auction on Ebay. But, whoever had the tapes, did not have the license to the music, so some sort deal would need to be worked out with the license holder, whoever that is. (I know, I saw the auction and half way considered bidding on it, but I don't know what I would do with the tapes.)



The original band stayed together for an unheard of 9 years, until Tommy Cadwell died in 1980. The band continued on for a few more albums with a new bass player and then broke apart. Vocalist Doug Gray and reed man Jerry Eubank reformed the band, with Eubank eventually leaving. The group has experimented with all kinds of music styles from straight up country, gospel and blues. I have heard the country and gospel albums and did not like them. I haven't heard the blues version of the band.



Toy Cadwell went off on his own solo career and released a studio album. He also "has" a live album called "Can't You See", which is kind of rough but certainly better than Stompin' Room Only. However, Cadwell's widow is not happy with the release and I don't think the family is receiving any residuals from it. Toy Cadwell died in 1993.



Marshall Tucker could be uneven in concert. The first time I saw them as a headliner in an arena, they only played 20 minutes. Then they came back and did a 20 minute encore. The next time I saw them they played 2 hours (they played with Fleetwood Mac in front of 70,000 fans when both groups were at the top of their popularity). Next time I saw them, 3 years later, their popularity dropped to such a level that they were playing in bars.



The Allman Brothers have always been the kings of the Southern Rock jam bands. No one comes close to being on the same level as the Allman Brothers. Musically, the Marshall Tucker Band was the next best Southern Rock band. They had a great sound, with Tommy Caldwell's bass guitar being a very important part. He had more to do with a band's sound than most bass guitarists. Jerry Eubanks reeds added a depth that no other band had. Any one of the musicians could create a great backdrop of rhythm or come up front and take a lead.



READERS OF AMAZON REVIEWS TYPICALLY GIVE A "NOT HELPFUL" VOTE TO A REVIEW THAT GIVES A LOW RATING FOR SOMETHING THEY LOVE. I THINK IT IS SOMEWHAT OF A RIP-OFF TO ADVERTISE "UNRELEASED LIVE RECORDING" WHEN ALMOST HALF OF THE MATERIAL HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED."

FINALLY! THANK YOU MUSIC GODS!

12/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a must have for Tucker Boys fans or "southern rock" fans in general. To me the highlight is "Blue Ridge Mountain Sky", which includes a 3-minute plus solo by thumb-picking master Toy Caldwell. Long-time fans will really appreciate that song plus outstanding veresions of "This Ol' Cowboy", "Searchin' For A Rainbow" and "Hillbilly Band". On a down note, I am not quite sure why they had to include two songs already released from a July '74 show in Milwaukee. But...what the hell. One thing you can definitely feel is the driving force of Tommy Caldwell in most of the songs. You can feel his bass, plus on many songs he enthusiastically sings harmony with Doug Gray in the chorus. Now, Tommy (along with Toy) was not the BEST singer, but he sure seemed to enjoy what he was doing.I am not sure if the reviewer who gave this 1 star actually has heard this CD, but please do not let him/her dissuade you. I am a fan of the original (and only) MTB, and I have no axe to grind. To me the band ended with Tommy's untimely passing in 1980. Nonetheless, this is a treasure. Enjoy!"

Real Southern Rock !!

clems97 | Laurens, SC United States | 01/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Marshall Tucker Band - Stompin' Room Only (Ramblin' Records, 2003)
CD Review by: Joe (Skydog) Clem of Skydog Music1. Long Hard Ride
2. This Ol Cowboy
3. Fire on the Mountain
4. Searchin' For a Rainbow
5. Take the Highway
6. Can't You See
7. Blue Ridge Mountain Sky
8. The Thrill Is Gone (Jimmy Hall & Guests)
9. Ramblin'
10. 24 Hours (Charlie Daniels on fiddle)
11. Hillbilly Band Deja vu ...All of a sudden I'm back in the South of 1976. The ol' Skydog was a Senior in high school. Back in those days, and I guess it still is today, everybody had their little cliques. Some were the "disco ducks"... you know, polyester pants and the whole bit. Listened to the mindless dance music that was beginning to take over; drum machines and synthesizers were replacing musical talent and feeling. Then there were the "Metal Heads", the ones with the Led Zep shirts and the dark attitudes. Over in another corner were the "good ol' boys"...we'd discovered a new type music (or so we thought) coming from of a bunch of bands from right around us. No English accents, no weird clothes or even weirder haircuts. Folks just like us. Jeans and cowboy hats and boots...and we could actually understand what they were saying ! It all just felt right...Southern pride was on the rise...Charlie Daniels said the "South's Gonna Do It Again" and , by God, we believed him !!
Spartanburg, and the whole state of South Carolina for that matter, had a treasure called the Marshall Tucker Band...everybody tried to figure out which one of them was Marshall Tucker, but we sure did dig the music ! Absolutely killer guitar lines and a singer who really had a southern accent. This was "our music." Find a convenience store that wouldn't card you, buy up a few six-packs, find a hay field way out in the country...and it was party time !
When I put "Stompin' Room Only " into the CD player...see, even us good ol' boys have joined the modern age, it was `76 all over again. It's hard to believe the tapes have sat somewhere all these years...ought to be a crime, in my humble opinion. Probably a Yankee conspiracy !
All the classic MTB songs are here. Mostly recorded during a European tour in the mid-70's, SRO catches the Tucker boys in their prime, before the tragic loss of both Tommy and Toy Caldwell. "Can't You See" brings back the sweet guitar lines of lost loved ones like Toy and Tommy. "Take The Highway" and "24 Hours At A Time", just to name a couple, have that fire and drive that is so lacking in today's music. And Doug Gray still makes you hurt when he hits the high notes on "The Thrill Is Gone"(from the 1975 Volunteer Jam)...damn, that musta' stung...probably scarred him for life !
This is not the Marshall Tucker Band of today, except for vocalist Doug Gray. These songs were recorded when Southern Rock was at it's zenith...new and fresh and strong. Each and every one should stand as a benchmark for any band who wants to call themselves "Southern" rock. You can almost see Toy and Tommy grinnin' at each other across the stage.
In summary, GET THIS CD...if you ever jammed on the radio to the MTB, ever fortunate enough to see them live, or just don't feel the fire when you listen to the latest media favorite...this is your salvation !"