One of the Lost Gems
Tommi Hietavuo | Vantaa, - Finland | 01/18/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This great album shared the same destiny with Poco's equally superb "Under The Gun" (1980). Changing musical business trends together with the great divide between "country" and "rock" listeners dropped both albums from both main genres. Too rock for rednecks, too country for rock radio - and so on. Stupid but true, and also a problem for The Dirt Band, The Outlaws, the whole bunch. Country rock kind of died around 1980 - afterwards people talked about "alt. country" or "alt. rock"...
Many of these bands did, however, make some of their finest albums exactly during those days. Most either wanted to, or were forced to move more into rock space to get radio play (which they never got due to having "wrong profiles", or whatever). This Ozark album is no exception. It definitely rocks, and is probably also the band's most hit-potential album since their earliest days. The songwriting is mostly good, even very good, and the production is also solid. Despite the harder edge compared to most of OMD's other works, this album still sounds very much like The Daredevils. The trademark sound and atmosphere is there, just behind some harder electric guitars and more commercial production. The magic is there. Personally, I even prefer this album to most of the band's "classic" albums - right because of the extra punch in the songs. Maybe not quite a southern rock classic, but a very good album, one of the best in its class."
Thank God it bombed
Garry Daniel | Knoxville, TN United States | 04/29/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"No doubt the Daredevils thought their signing with Columbia was the start of a shining new phase of their career. It might have turned out that way if Columbia had allowed them to be themselves. According to the (rather sparse) liner notes on the Cd, Columbia wanted a different sound from the band. Gone were the fiddles, banjos,and, yes, the spirit of the previous albums on A&M. Instead, we hear a curious mix of the Daredevils familiar vocal phrasings and decidely un-daredevilsish, slick commercial music.
Even the humorous lyrics of some of the songs seemed forced, and non too genuine. I understand a band wanting to change a bit and try some new or (for them) different style of music. I have no problem with that. I'm sure Daredevil fans didn't want them to make the same album over and over (leave that to the Rolling Stones), but still, ONE decent song out of TEN?
The song I speak of is FOOL'S GOLD. A gem of a song, if I must say so.
When I bought the album in 1980, and played it, FOOL'S GOLD is the only song on the album I played more than once. I bought the Cd when it finally came out, thinking perhaps I had given the album a bum rap. Nope, I was right. It's not very good. And again, FOOL'S GOLD is the only song I play from the CD.Now, do not take me wrong, I love the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. From the quilt album to 13, I have bought everything I could get ahold of. I bought all the A&M albums when they were re-released and even eagerly awaited the release of the 1980 Columbia album, hoping there would be a previously unreleased gem, as there are on all the others, but there's not even that. Just the straight album. No new photos, piddling liner notes, nothing else. It's almost as though New Era, the Daredevil's label, is not very fond of it either. Thank God the album bombed, and they were never tempted to do another like it. May the Daredevils keep on churnin' for a long, long time.
And never sign with a major label again."
One of the Best
D. Kinser | 11/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"OMD took a shoot of new music, everyone writing down to four. Broke away from country and did more Pop rock than counry. I play this CD more than any in their catalog. Great songs that stick in your head. Beware of some of the live CD's they are poor quality, this one was a class A studio CD.I recommend this one for people who like the group America, this one reminds me of that style of music."