Marshall Tucker Band Together Forever CD

Together Forever boasts a more mainstream rock approach than any of its predecessors, halfway between the country-tinged Long Hard Ride and the pop-oriented Carolina Dreams. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Together Forever boasts a more mainstream rock approach than any of its predecessors, halfway between the country-tinged Long Hard Ride and the pop-oriented Carolina Dreams. Although the band sounds good, the songs don't match the strength of their performances. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The expanded reissue of Marshall Tucker's Together Forever, originally issued in 1978 and the follow-up to the platinum-selling Carolina Dreams, was not so much a change in direction, but a musical expansion of their various strengths. Working with veteran jazz producer Stewart Levine, the Tuckers looked outside the Southern rock paradigm a little farther for inspiration and sustenance. Jazz had always been a fringe element of the band's sound, and here, Levine brought it closer to the surface. That is not to say that Marshall Tucker abandoned their rock & roll aesthetic, far from it. They just deepened the open-ended nature of their tunes to include more improvisation and took a more textural approach to composing and recording. The set opens with Toy Caldwell's stellar "I'll Be Loving You." His stiletto-edged guitar is the catalyst for the song's drive, but the gorgeous suspended and major sevenths that created new harmonic vistas made Doug Gray's highly emotive vocals sound as if they were coming from the land itself. Likewise, "Love Is Mystery" was progressive country at its best in the 1970s. The jazzy stroll of "Dream Lover," with its lilting funk undertones, was something from outer space. The 2004 expanded remaster includes a live reading of "Bound and Determined," which is jazz-funk cowboy music. And if that sounds awful, its groove is over the top and riddled with knots and grease. The recording quality on the tune isn't so great, but the performance is so inspired it's a welcome addition here. ~ Thom Jurek

Reissue W/ 1 Live Bonus Track

Audio Remasterer: Keith Blake.

Audio Remixers: Kurt Kinzell; Rik Pekkonen.

Liner Note Author: Barry Alfonso.

Recording information: Armadillo World H.Q., Austin, TX; Criteria Studio, Miami, FL.

Photographer: David Alexander .

The Marshall Tucker Band: George McCorkle (guitar); Tommy Caldwell (bass guitar); Jerry Eubanks, Paul Riddle, Toy Caldwell, Doug Gray.

Personnel: Toy Caldwell (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, steel guitar); Doug Gray (vocals, percussion); Tommy Caldwell (acoustic guitar, electric bass, background vocals); George McCorkle (acoustic guitar); Jerry Eubanks (flute, alto saxophone, percussion, background vocals); Paul Riddle (drums).