Anthology: The First 30 Years

The first collection to feature hits from their entire career!

Along with Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band is the definitive Southern rock band. Over their storied career, they’ve seamlessly blended rock, country, jazz, pop, blues and soul into a beguiling blend of the best music that The South — and America — has to offer. The 2-disc Anthology is the first collection to pull together the highlights from their 30-year career.

It contains not only their biggest hits—"Fire On The Mountain," "Heard It In A Love Song," "Last Of The Singing Cowboys," "Can’t You See," "Take The Highway"—but also such fan favorites as "Where A Country Boy Belongs," "I Should Have Never Started Lovin’ You," and "Cattle Drive." Since MTB’s on-stage prowess is legendary, a live video clip has been included as a bonus.

There have been plenty of attempts to anthologize this venerable Southern band's extensive catalog, but this is the first one to get it right. Spreading 32 tracks from just over 30 years of albums across two discs, the immaculately sequenced compilation plays like a well-conceived piece. From the flute-dominated "Take the Highway," the opening cut of their 1973 debut, the Marshall Tucker Band avoided the typical Southern-boogie-rockin'-guitar path later epitomized by their more rowdy brethren the Outlaws, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Molly Hatchet. Rather, Tucker presented a more laid-back, country-based approach, highlighted by the jazzy playing of woodwind player Jerry Eubanks and drummer Paul Riddle.

Although the Capricorn/Warner Bros. decade that ended in 1983 accounts for the bulk of these selections, the last half of the second disc presents a revamped lineup led by sole original member/lead singer Doug Gray, continuing the musical legacy with remarkably engaging results. The 24-page booklet featuring a detailed history, a live CD-ROM track, and crisply remastered sound further enhance the experience that finally bestows upon this underrated band the comprehensive, classy, and long-overdue retrospective it deserves. --Hal Horowitz