The Charlie Daniels Band – Million Mile Reflections (1979)

Million Mile Reflections is the 10th studio album by The Charlie Daniels Band, released on April 20, 1979. It is best known for the hit single “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. The title refers to the band having passed the million mile mark in its touring. The song Reflections is a tribute to Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, and Ronnie Van Zant. Daniels dedicated the album to Van Zant, who had died in October, 1977 in a plane crash.Million Mile Reflections is the 10th studio album by The Charlie Daniels Band, released on April 20, 1979. It is best known for the hit single “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. The title refers to the band having passed the million mile mark in its touring. The song Reflections is a tribute to Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, and Ronnie Van Zant. Daniels dedicated the album to Van Zant, who had died in October, 1977 in a plane crash. (by wikipedia)

If you are one of those people who only have Charlie Daniels Greatest Hits you are missing some of his best work. Albums like Million Mile Reflections and Fire on the Mountain are solid from beginning to end. When you get past the many hits you will find some good Jams. And “Jams”, is what they are. You can’t call it Country or Country Rock or Jazz, although atributes of those genres are mixed in, it’s just a jam. This album contains CDB’s biggest hit, Devil Went Down to Georgia which may have caused other tracks on this album to be passed over. Reflections is a haunting ballad worthy of more attention. Blue Star is an outstanding song. You owe it to yourself to check out these CDB albums from the 70’s and getting to know the classic talent that is Charlie Daniels Band. (Mr Peabody)

Don’t expect pure Country or pure Country-Rock: This one has a little bit of everything from touching ballads to Blues inspired to a romp into Jazz intrumental. And yes, it also has some Country/Country-Rock… You won’t be dissappoint!! (Mark T. Pollock)

Personnel:
Tom Crain (guitar, vocals)
Charlie Daniels (guitar, fiddle, vocals)
“Taz” DiGregorio (keyboards, vocals)
Fred Edwards (drums, percussion)
Charles Hayward (bass)
James W. Marshall (drums, percussion)
+
Terry Mead (trumpet on 07.)
+
Lea Jane Singers (background vocals on 03. + 05.)

Tracklist:
01. Passing Lane (Daniels/Crain/DiGregorio/Edwards/Hayward/Marshall) 3.18
02. Blue Star (Daniels/Crain/DiGregorio/Edwards/Hayward/Marshall) 3.40
03. Jitterbug (Daniels/Crain/DiGregorio/Edwards/Hayward/Murray) 3.12
04. Behind Your Eyes (Boylan) 3.56
05. Reflections (Daniels/Crain/DiGregorio/Edwards/Hayward/Marshall) 5.26
06. The Devil Went Down To Georgia (Daniels/Crain/DiGregorio/Edwards/ Hayward/Marshall) 3.37
07. Mississippi (Daniels) 3.11
08. Blind Man (Crain) 3.46
09. Rainbow Ride (Daniels/Crain/DiGregorio/Edwards/Hayward/Marshall) 7.24

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Mose Jones – Get Right (1973)

The Band formed in 1972, with core members from the Florida band “Stonehenge”. The band name derived from jazz great “Mose Allison’ and a family dog named “Jones”. Initially the band was created with Clay Watkins on keys, then during the recording of their first album, replaced by long-time friend Steve McRay (keys and vocals), who had just returned from his stint with the US ARMY and serving in Vietnam.

In 1972 Mose Jones was the first band signed by Al Kooper for his startup Atlanta label “Sounds of the South” on MCA Records. Al’s “Blues Project” was chosen, and a band named “Elijah”. The last band signed was a little band from Jacksonville that had been playing in Atlanta – that band’s name was “Lynyrd Skynyrd”. (by java-monkey.com)

And here´s the first album of Mose Jones:

It’s a great quality rip, so thanks to whoever made this available. It’s quite a lovely record. First released on Al Kooper’s ‘Sounds Of The South’-label, this record was launched with the label, along with Skynyrd’s “Pronounced” album.

An important part of Southern Rock history, cause this is when Southern Rock started to become the kind of music that we know and love so well. When it became a big thing. Unfortunately Mose Jones never made it big, but it is a nice album. I prefer it to the “Mose Knows” album. It’s hippy-ish rock at times, but there’s some passionate singing going on. I quite enjoyed myself, listening to this album.  The song “Old Man trouble” features slide guitar by Lowell George, and is one of the better songs. Nothing bad about this.(by skydog)

This a real pretty good album … a forotten jewel in the history of Southern Rock

Personnel:
Bryan Cole (drums, vocals)
Randy Lewis (bass, vocals)
Steve McRay (keyboards, vocals)
Jimmy O’Neill (guitar, mellotron, vocals)
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Lowell George (slide guitar on 04.)
Al Kooper (synthesizer on 03., background vocals)
Clay Watkins (organ on 10.)

Tracklist:
01, Get Right (Kooper) 1.45
02 Here We Go Again (Cole/O’Neill) 4.26
03. Kiwi Stumble Boogie (O’Neill) 3.16
04. Ole Man Trouble (Jones) 7.08
05. What Kind Of Woman Would Do That (Kooper/O’Neill) 4.20
06. Barroom Sweeper (Cole/O’Neill) 3.13
07. It’s A Whole Lot Of Fun (Cole/O’Neill/Lewis) 2.31
08. Ode To Drugan (Nuttycombe/Lambert/Drugan) 4.49
09. All That I’ve Got (Preston) 3.07
10. Julia’s Beautiful Friend (Cole/O’Neill) 6.22
11. Get Right: Reprise (Kooper) 0.16

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Sea Level – Cats On The Coast (1977)

Cats on the Coast was the second album by American rock band Sea Level. It was released in 1977 on Capricorn Records.

The leadoff track, “That’s Your Secret”, reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100, the band’s only charting single.

The cover photo of Sea Level’s sophomore album, 1977’s Cats on the Coast, depicts nearly twice the number of musicians as the cover photo of the band’s eponymous debut album released earlier that same year. There’s a lot of promise on display, and the music largely fulfills expectations. In addition to the quartet introduced on Sea Level — keyboardist/vocalist Chuck Leavell, drummer/percussionist Jaimoe, bassist Lamar Williams, and guitarist Jimmy Nalls — the band now includes singer/songwriter and saxophonist Randall Bramblett, guitarist Davis Causey, and drummer George Weaver (the latter featured prominently since Jaimoe only plays congas, and only on three tracks). This lineup bears remarkable similarity to the then-disbanded Allman Brothers, from whom Leavell, Jaimoe, and Williams had departed: two guitarists, two percussionists (well, sometimes), a bassist, a keyboardist — and, importantly, Bramblett, a proven session man, saxophonist, and singer/songwriter with two acclaimed but underappreciated solo albums (1975’s That Other Mile and 1976’s Light of the Night) under his belt. Cats on the Coast wastes no time introducing the new singer with the Bramblett/Causey co-written leadoff track “That’s Your Secret,” building from pure Southern R&B/soul/funk into dual-guitar fireworks (Causey in one channel; Nalls in the other) that any Southern rock fan could appreciate. Bramblett’s somewhat oblique lyrics may lack the emotional immediacy his writing often possesses, but Sea Level clearly weren’t about to introduce the singer with anything remotely approaching a downer (“This Could Be the Worst” could wait for the next album, On the Edge).

Leavell takes over the mike on the soul shouter “It Hurts to Want It So Bad,” featuring the Muscle Shoals Horns, and Bramblett and Leavell trade off verses on the down-n-dirty Louisiana swamp blues-funk of “Had to Fall,” which collapses into utterly unhinged howling derangement at the end. The mood is far calmer in “Every Little Thing,” Bramblett’s “let’s-talk-it-over” display of sensitivity later in the track list. But Sea Level’s instrumental skill was the main attraction on the debut, and here they arguably up the ante. Leavell’s “Storm Warning” stands with his best jazz-rock fusion numbers, but with stinging dual lead guitars the likes of which hadn’t emerged from a Capricorn studio date since the Allmans left their blues at home on Idlewild South. Bramblett’s soprano sax here, and his soulful alto on Neil Larsen’s “Midnight Pass,” add even stronger jazziness to the band’s palette. Best of all is the two-part instrumental title track, with Nalls’ slide approaching Duane Allman territory and Bramblett’s soprano answering him in a stunning call and response; after a full-band climax, Jaimoe and Weaver take the track out under a flurry of simulated seagull cries. The album then concludes with the brief “Song for Amy,” a lovely and unexpected coda featuring Leavell on piano accompanied by a string quartet. Some great music from Sea Level was still to come, but the best moments of Cats on the Coast wouldn’t be topped. (by Dave Lynch)

Personnel:
Randall Bramblett (organ, saxophone. vocals, percussion)
Davis Causey (guitar, background vocals)
Jai Johanny Johanson (percussion)
Chuck Leavell (keyboards, clavinet, percussion, vocals)
Jimmy Nalls (guitar, background vocals)
George Weaver (drums)
Lamar Williams (bass)

Tracklist:
01. That’s Your Secret (Bramblett/Causey) 5.12
02. It Hurts To Want It So Bad (Feldman/T.Smith/S.Smith) 3.33
03. Storm Warning (Leavell) 5.23
04. Had To Fall (Bramblett/Nalls/Williams) 4.35
05. Midnight Pass (Larson) 6.32
06. Every Little Thing (Bramblett) 4.43
07. Cats On The Coast (Causey) 5.39
08. Song For Amy (Leavell) 1.42

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Drive-By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera (2001)

Southern Rock Opera is the third studio album by the alt country band Drive-By Truckers, released in 2001. A double album covering an ambitious range of subject matter from the politics of race to 1970s stadium rock, Southern Rock Opera either imagines, or filters, every topic through the context of legendary Southern band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The record was originally self-released on Soul Dump Records. The album was re-released on July 16, 2002 by Lost Highway Records. The album was financed by issuing promissory notes in exchange for loans from fans, family and friends of the band.[citation needed]Southern Rock Opera is the third studio album by the alt country band Drive-By Truckers, released in 2001. A double album covering an ambitious range of subject matter from the politics of race to 1970s stadium rock, Southern Rock Opera either imagines, or filters, every topic through the context of legendary Southern band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The record was originally self-released on Soul Dump Records. The album was re-released on July 16, 2002 by Lost Highway Records. The album was financed by issuing promissory notes in exchange for loans from fans, family and friends of the band.

The idea for Southern Rock Opera pre-dates the band’s formation in 1996. Southern Rock Opera began in a long discussion between Drive-By Truckers’ frontman Patterson Hood and former Truckers bassist and producer Earl Hicks, during a road trip. The pair discussed writing a semi-autobiographical screenplay about growing up in the South and about the plane crash that almost ended the career of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, taking singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and Gaines’ back-up-singer sister Cassie Gaines.

Soon after this discussion, Hood formed Drive-By Truckers. The Truckers recorded two studio albums and one live album during the four years between their formation and the actual recording of Southern Rock Opera. During these years, Drive-By’s principal songwriters Hood, Mike Cooley, and Rob Malone continued to contribute songs to “The Rock Opera”, as they had come to call it.
After the release of their live album Alabama Ass Whuppin’, Drive-By Truckers began recording what they hoped would be their magnum opus: Southern Rock Opera. According to Patterson Hood, “(the album) was recorded in Birmingham, upstairs in a uniform shop during an early September heat wave, with no air-conditioning. We had to turn the fans off when we were recording, and we worked from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. So Southern Rock Opera was fun to write, but we had a miserable time making it.”

After the album was finished, however, the troubles continued for The Truckers when they ran out of funding for the immense project. To resolve the problem, and to avoid “any fine print crap”, as Hood put it, the band took a non-traditional approach. The Truckers made a prospectus and solicited investors, with a promise of 15% interest, to pay for the manufacturing and distribution of Southern Rock Opera. The approach worked. Through their fan-based online news group and by sheer word of mouth, The Truckers were able to raise $23,000. This allowed them to print about 5,000 copies of the album, and buy a “new” used van for touring. Notably included in the group, dubbed “The DBT Investors”, was Widespread Panic bassist and fellow Athenian Dave Schools.

Southern Rock Opera was finally released on September 12, 2001 on Soul Dump Records.
The critical praise for Southern Rock Opera created no shortage of buzz around the album and the band. The Truckers didn’t have the means to press the necessary amount of copies of the album on their own.
In order to meet demand, Drive-By Truckers signed a large-scale distribution deal with Lost Highway Records. Southern Rock Opera was re-released, this time worldwide, on July 16, 2002. (by wikipedia)

Don’t be deterred by the rather misleading title. Not a rock opera in the sense of Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar, this sprawling double disc is more akin to a song cycle about Southern rock, in particular Lynyrd Skynyrd. Almost six years in the making, the Drive-By Truckers have created a startlingly intelligent work that proudly stands with the best music of their obvious inspiration. Largely written and conceived by lead trucker Patterson Hood (son of famed Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood), who sings the majority of the songs in a torn, ragged, but emotionally charged twangy voice somewhere between Tom Petty and Rod Stewart, these 20 literate tracks encapsulate a remarkably objective look at what Hood calls “the duality of the South.” Rocking with a lean hardness, the story unfolds over 90 minutes, but the savvy lyrical observations never overburden the songs’ clenched grip.

While bands like the similarly styled Bottle Rockets have worked this territory before, never has a group created an opus that’s thematically tied to this genre while objectively exploring its conceptual limitations. The two discs are divided into Acts I and II; the first sets the stage by exploring aspects of an unnamed Southern teen’s background growing up as a music fan in an environment where sports stars, not rock stars, were idolized. The second follows him as he joins his Skynyrd-styled dream band, tours the world, and eventually crashes to his death in the same sort of airplane accident that claimed his heroes. The Drive-By Truckers proudly charge through these songs with their three guitars, grinding and soloing with a swampy intensity recalling a grittier, less commercially viable early version of Skynyrd. A potentially dodgy concept that’s redeemed by magnificent songwriting, passionate singing, and ruggedly confident but far from over-the-top playing, Southern Rock Opera should be required listening not only for fans of the genre, but anyone interested in the history of ’70s rock, or even the history of the South in that decade. More the story of Hood than Skynyrd, this is thought-provoking music that also slashes, burns, and kicks out the jams. Its narrative comes to life through these songs of alienation, excess, and, ultimately, salvation, as seen through the eyes of someone who lived and understands it better than most. (by Hal Horowitz)

In other words: A masterpiece !

Personnel:
Mike Cooley (guitar, vocals)
Earl Hicks (bass)
Patterson Hood (guitar, vocals)
Rob Malone (guitar, vocals)
Brad Morgan (drums)
+
background voclas:
Kelly Hogan – Anne Richmond Boston – Jyl Freed – Amy Pike

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Days Of Graduation (Hood) 2.37
02. Ronnie And Neil (Hood) 4.53
03. 72 (This Highway’s Mean) (Cooley) 5.26
04. Dead, Drunk, and Naked (Hood) 4.51
05. Guitar Man Upstairs (Cooley) 3.17
06. Birmingham (Hood) 5.03
07. The Southern Thing (Hood) 5.00
08. The Three Great Alabama Icons (Hood) 6.51
09. Wallace (Hood) 3.27
10. Zip City (Cooley) 5.17
11. Moved (Malone) 4.17

CD 2:
12. Let There Be Rock (Hood) 4.18
13. Road Cases (Hood) 2.43
14. Women Without Whiskey (Cooley) 4.20
15. Plastic Flowers On The Highway (Hood) 5.05
16. Cassie’s Brother (Malone) 4.58
17. Life In The Factory (Hood) 5.28
18. Shut Up And Get On The Plane (Cooley) 3.38
19. Greenville To Baton Rouge (Hood) 4.12
20. Angels And Fuselage (Hood) 8.00

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Gov’t Mule – Same (1995)

Gov’t Mule (pronounced Government Mule) is an American southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of The Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov’t Mule simply as Mule.

The band released their debut album, Gov’t Mule, in 1995, and have since released an additional nine studio albums, plus numerous EPs and live releases. Gov’t Mule has become a staple act at music festivals across North America, with both its members and frequent guests boasting members from other notable bands, adding various funk and blues rock elements to the band’s sound.

When The Allman Brothers Band reformed in 1989, partially in response to the popularity of their Dreams box set, Warren Haynes was added as a permanent lead guitarist and vocalist, and Allen Woody was recruited as bass guitarist. The two shared a love for 1960s power trios like Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, the James Gang, and Mountain. Haynes, Woody, and drummer Matt Abts, who played with Haynes in Dickey Betts’ band, came together as Gov’t Mule during Allman Brothers breaks. They released their debut album Gov’t Mule, produced by Michael Barbiero, in 1995

Gov’t Mule is the self-titled debut studio album by southern rock jam band Gov’t Mule. The album was produced and mostly recorded live by Michael Barbiero in Bearsville Recording Studios with many tracks running into each other. “Mule” is still a concert favorite, and “Rockin’ Horse” was later recorded by The Allman Brothers Band when Warren Haynes rejoined the group for the album Hittin’ the Note.Gov’t Mule is the self-titled debut studio album by southern rock jam band Gov’t Mule. The album was produced and mostly recorded live by Michael Barbiero in Bearsville Recording Studios with many tracks running into each other. “Mule” is still a concert favorite, and “Rockin’ Horse” was later recorded by The Allman Brothers Band when Warren Haynes rejoined the group for the album Hittin’ the Note. (by wikipedia)

Gov’t Mule’s self-titled debut is a scorching set of heavy blues-rockers. Although they have some difficulty coming up with memorable original material, the band is loose, funky, gritty, and real. They have enough burning licks to make the record a worthwhile listen for guitar fanatics. (by Daevid Jehnzen)

Gov’t Mule live in New York, October 1995

Personnel:
Matt Abts (drums)
Warren Haynes (vocals, guitar)
Allen Woody (bass)
+

Hook Herrera (harmonica)
John Popper (harmonica)

Tracklist:
01. Grinnin’ In Your Face Eddie (House) 1.36
02. Mother Earth (Chatman)Simpkins) 8.13
03. Rockin’ Horse (Allman/Haynes/Woody/Pearson) 4.07
04. Monkey Hill (Haynes/Woody) 4.39
05. Temporary Saint (Haynes) 5.45
06. Trane (Haynes/Woody/Abts) 7.28
07. Mule (Haynes/Woody/Abts) 5.40
08. Dolphineus (Haynes/Woody/Abts) 2.03
09. Painted Silver Light (Haynes) 7.07
10. Mr. Big (Rodgers/Fraser/Kirke/Kossoff) 6.08
11. Left Coast Groovies (for FZ) (Haynes/Woody/Abts) 6.53
12. World Of Difference (Haynes) 10.16

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Allman Brothers Band – Brothers Of The Road (VHS rip) (1982)

In 1978, Gregg Allman and Walden first approached Betts with the idea of a reunion. Their first public appearance together came at a Great Southern show in New York’s Central Park that summer, when Allman, Trucks, and Jaimoe joined the band for a few songs. Williams and Leavell declined to leave Sea Level, so the Allman Brothers Band hired two new members: guitarist Dan Toler and bassist David Goldflies. The band reunited with Tom Dowd at Criteria Studios in Miami to cut their reunion album, which was released in February 1979 as Enlightened Rogues, a term Duane had used to describe the band. While the band “tried to make it happen,” they later concluded that the chemistry was not there; the album was a minor commercial success, which was credited to the production work from Dowd. Betts filed a lawsuit against Walden for nonpayment of record and publishing royalties, and Betts’s lawyer, Steve Massarsky, began managing the group. Betts won the lawsuit, and the rest of the band filed suit while Capricorn declared bankruptcy that October. Massarsky led the successful effort to sign the band with Arista, which pushed the band to “modernize” their Sound. “[Arista founder] Clive Davis destroyed any hope that we had that we could make the thing work again,” said Trucks later. “He wanted us to be a Southern American version of Led Zeppelin and brought in outside producers and it just kept getting worse.”

Their first Arista effort, Reach for the Sky (1980), was produced by Nashville songwriters Mike Lawler and Johnny Cobb.[93] Bonnie Bramlett, who toured with the band near the end of the decade, sang lead on one song. Lawler soon became a part of the band’s touring ensemble, incorporating center-stage keytar solos “that most fans consider the band’s nadir.”[93] Drugs remained a problem with the band, particularly among Betts and Allman.[96] Although the album was made with the intention of creating a hit single, the genre of Southern rock was waning considerably in the mainstream.[94] The band again grew apart, firing longtime roadie “Red Dog” and replacing Jaimoe with Toler’s brother Frankie, who had been a member of Great Southern. The main point of contention was Jaimoe’s insistence that his wife and manager, Candace Oakley (Berry’s sister), handle his business affairs. “One of the real blights on the history of the Allman Brothers Band was that Jaimoe, this gentle man, was fired from this organization,” said Allman later.[98] Not long after, “the band changed managers, hiring the promoter John Scher after Massarsky eased himself out, reportedly saying, ‘It’s a million-dollar headache and a quarter-million-dollar job.'”

For their second and final album with Arista, Brothers of the Road (1981), they collaborated with a “name producer” (John Ryan, of Styx and the Doobie Brothers), who pushed the band even harder to change their Sound. “Straight from the Heart” was the album’s single, which became a minor hit but heralded the group’s last appearance on the top 40 charts. The band, considering their post-reunion albums “embarrassing”, subsequently broke up in 1982 after clashing with Clive Davis, who rejected every producer the band suggested for a possible third album, including Tom Dowd and Johnny Sandlin. “We broke up in ’82 because we decided we better just back out or we would ruin what was left of the band’s image,” said Betts. The band’s final performance came on Saturday Night Live in January 1982, where they performed “Southbound” and “Leavin’.” (by wikipedia)

Even this was not the best period of The Allman Brothers Band … this is a real good show with many goodies from the early Seventies … a decade Southern Rock became famous … Long live this Music and enjoy the very intimate sessions in a hotel and in a studio.

Recorded live in Gainsville FL, University of Florida 10-26-1980

 

Personnel:
Gregg Allman  (keyboards, vocals, guitar)
Dickey Betts (guitar, slide-guitar, vocals)
David Goldflies (bass)
Mike Lawler (piano)
Dan Toler (guitar)
David Toler (drums)
Butch Trucks (drums)
+
background vocals:
2 unknown female background singers

Tracklist:

Gainsville FL:
01. Pony Boy (Betts)
02. Jessica (Betts)
03. You Don’t Love Me (Cobbs)
04. Blue Sky (Betts)
05. Never Knew How Much (I Need You) (G.Allman)
06. Statesboro Blues (McTell)
07. Whipping Post (G.Allman)

Hotel Jam:
08. Let Me Ride (Betts)
09. Danny Blue (unknown)
10. The Preacher (unknown)

Studio Jam:
11. Melissa (G.Allman)
12. Come & Go Blues (G.Allman)

Total time: 55.21

 

 

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Charlie Daniels Band – Fire On The Mountain (1974)

Fire on the Mountain is the fifth studio album by Charlie Daniels, released in 1974, appearing on the record label Kama Sutra Records, then later in 1976 by Epic Records. Most of the tracks on the album are studio recordings, while the last two songs are live performances, recorded at the War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee on October 4, 1974. Early pressings contained a three song, seven inch, 45 RPM disc. Side one contains Volunteer Jam Part (1) and side two contains Volunteer Jam contd. Part (2) and Volunteer Jam contd. Part (3). The catalogue number of this disc is KSBS-EP-10. (by wikipedia)

Four albums in, Charlie Daniels — now fronting the Charlie Daniels Band — finally found a way to not just synthesize his various influences, he found a way to streamline them and polish them, turning them into something proudly Southern and redneck yet commercial with Fire on the Mountain. This means that he’s toned down the wild, messy eclecticism that he displayed on his ignored debut in favor of a bluesy, jam-oriented country-rock owing a great deal to the Allman Brothers. The change is brought into sharp relief because he revives two of the best songs from Charlie Daniels — the rampaging rocker “Trudy” and the sweet ballad “Georgia,” both given more direct arrangements here; the originals were ragged and right, but these have more of a rock feel, even if they’re not as loose as those on the debut.

And that pretty much sums up the difference with Fire on the Mountain — here, Charlie Daniels and his band have fused their Southern-fried country to a rollicking, jam-intensive blues-rock, where it plays like rock but feels like redneck country. It’s a rather brilliant move, because it’s every bit as jam-oriented as Capricorn bands like the Alllmans or the Marshall Tucker Band (the latter are thanked in the liner notes, while Dickey Betts of the former cameos on this record), but the CDB have yet to give themselves over to playing for the sake of playing (which they soon would with Saddle Tramp). Instead, they focus that energy into the songs, which are all top-notch, and the result is probably the best balance of songs and performances that the Charlie Daniels Band ever did. They would wander into longer jams and Daniels would become unapologetically redneck later, but here the mix is just right, which is why this is the quintessential Charlie Daniels Band album. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Personnel:
Gary Allen (drums, percussion)
Barry Barnes (guitar, vocals)
Charlie Daniels (guitar, vocals, slide-guitar, banjo, fiddle)
Joel “Taz” DiGregorio (keyboards, vocals)
Fred Edwards (drums)
Mark Fitzgerald (bass)
+
Richard Dickey  Betts (dobro on 02.)
Jaimie Nichol (congas on 05., 07. + 08.)

Tracklist:
01. Caballo Diablo (Daniels) 4.29
02. Long Haired Country Boy (Daniels) 4.04
03. Trudy (Daniels) 4.52
04. Georgia (Daniels) 3.07
05. Feeling Free (Barnes) 4.11
06. The South’s Gonna Do It (Daniels) 4.00
07. New York City, King Size Rosewood Bed (Daniels) 3.26
08. No Place To Go (Daniels) 11.24
09. Orange Blossom Special (Rouse) 3.01

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