Customer Reviews

Together Forever

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1978's 'Together Forever' is quite simply the most refined album in the MTB discography retaining all the virtues of the earlier albums, yet having the cleanest sound, best engineering, top notch production, phenominal guitar playing and songwriting by Toy Caldwell, and solid, skilled vocals by Doug Gray.

The album scorches from start to finish, slow or fast, its hard to find faults.

With the 1979 release of 'Running Like the Wind' Doug Gray's vocals were tortured, production included vast amounts of horn work and Toy Caldwell played only token guitar parts. Something had taken a serious toll on the band, even before Tommy Caldwell passed.

Aptly titled, 'Together Forever' is seen by many as their finest hour. Fitting, and very prophetic. MTB are #1.

This is just more good MTB. If you like their music, this is just more good music.

WOW...Marshall Tucker at it's finest! Finding this title was fantastic. Listening to it took me places in my past that are things I never want to forget! "Dream Lover" is SUCH a GOOD song...I can identify with the lyrics! If you are a Marshall Tucker fan and don't have this title, get it now!

I wasn't expecting the follow-up to Carolina Dreams to be in the same league, and... it's not. It's definitely not. A couple of the shorter songs border on generic however, and prevents it from reaching the same level of greatness as its predecessor.

First of all, let me scream BEST MARSHALL TUCKER BAND SONG EVER! I'm of course referring to the opener "I'll Be Loving You". I absolutely love the vocal melody for one thing- obviously very reminiscent of the classic period of the Allman Brothers Band, but the guitar jam... WHAT A JAM! It's only a few minutes long, but my goodness- every single note registers with that special feeling deep within my stomach that lights up with excitement whenever that feeling of awesomeness enters my body, haha. A fantastic song and one of the best songs they ever wrote.

"Love Is a Mystery" has a wonderful saxophone jam at the very end with lots of melody and passion, and, truth be told, the vocal melody didn't win me over at first but now I guess you can say I greatly admire it. It got better the second time around, which is usually a sign I didn't understand it at first. No problem with that- there's lots of music out there that's hard to grasp the first time around. It's still overlong by a few minutes though.

"Everybody Needs Somebody" doesn't appeal to me, to be totally honest. The vocal melody on which the song is based around just feels fairly forgettable and unappealing. Perhaps I feel this way because it's almost entirely a country song without any signs of rock and roll (and missing much needed instrumental features as well, despite a decent guitar solo at the end).

"Change Is Gonna Come" is certainly the second best song on here, and not far behind "I'll Be Loving You" in the "shockingly awesome" department. An extraordinary sax and guitar jam with a catchy vocal melody and... that's not all. There's tasty and creatively written, blues-influenced guitar licks being played *between* the vocal lines, and that's something I absolutely love from 70's rock artists. The Scorpions had a song called "Drifting Sun" which features the same exact thing and that's another excellent, must hear song.

"Asking Too Much of You" is an *extremely* quiet way to conclude a pretty good album. It's based around mellow acoustic work and a vocal melody so soft it's hard to actually make out. "Dream Lover" is memorable for two reasons- the Jethro Tull-like flute work, and the melodic guitar solo at the end.

Overall, a slight drop in quality, which is honestly inevitable in my view because attempting to surpass Carolina Dreams in quality was simply a huge task, so it's understandable that it misses the mark just a little bit. Still, not a bad album by ANY means, though perhaps the worst album they made in the 70's. It's still very impressive- that just goes to show how good the Marshall Tucker Band used to be.

In the cannon comprising MTB records, "Together Forever" stands as perhaps the most "jazzy" MTB album. Certainly, I think it's the most distinct of them all. The C&W/Southern Rock influence, while present, is most interestingly placed in the background in favor of a more jazzed up approach; major 7th/9th chords and diminshed chords take a predominant role. This is actually a good thing, as it breathes new life into the musical formula that got MTB to the top. The vocal interplay between Toy Caldwell and Doug Gray is excellent and the musical trade-offs between Toy and Jerry Eubanks (on woodwinds) is top notch. Toy Caldwell is one of the most underrated guitarists in rock history, yet one of the best. George McCorkle plays a mean rhythm guitar (as usual) and, in a most pleasant surprise, the drumming of Paul Riddle and bass playing of Tommy Caldwell are imbued with a fire not seen since MTB's first record. All of these guys can play the pants off of most musicians with one arm tied behind their respective backs, and it is powerfully refreshing to hear it. This is a much, much better record than its predecessor, "Carolina Dreams," which appears to receive a heap of praise because it contains the hit "Heard it in a Love Song." While that record is merely okay, "Together Forever" is a wonderful change of pace. The singing and musicianship is unparalleled, particularly for the time of its release (1978) when most of the dung passing itself off as music then (as now) was just that ... dung. Kudos also to Stewart Levine (a nice kid from the Bronx, like me), whose production is clean, crisp and just perfect for this record. They don't make 'em like the original MTB anymore. Unfortunately, Doug Gray has now fallen into the trap of fronting a legacy band that pales in comparison to the original MTB; this doesn't help matters as I think it tends to turn-off newer fans and disrespects the back catalogue of great music that he made with MTB's original members. If you want to hear an amazing band and appreciate true talent, pick up "Together Forever" as well as the first three MTB albums - "The Marshall Tucker Band," "A New Life" and "Where We All Belong." You won't be disappointed! The next step is to get these guys, in their original configuration, into the R&RHOF. They deserve it in every respect.

If you are a southern rock fan than this is a must own. This is the

pinnacle of mtb's career. Not to take away from thier other albums,but

this one is a masterpiece of southern satisfaction.

This is a great album..No doubt their best. The musicianship is simply kick---.I'll be Loving You is such a jammer. Love is a Mystery has such a great bass line,Tommy Caldwell shows he is a bass player to be reckoned with.. Asking too Much of You is the vocal highlight, Doug Grays vocals are just right and filled with such emotion!!No letdowns here, all the songs are just great.This album is a must..weather your a Tucker fan or not.This album cooks..enjoy

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE OLDER FOLKS NEED TO GO BACK TO OUR YOUTH,THIS CD DEFINITELY TAKES YOU BACK,LOVE THIS! MAKES 55 SEEM NOT SO BAD.

Been listning to this for 20 plus years and it is to me one of the finest, not only from them, but from this whole genre from the 70's way overlooked!!! every song is worth hearing...over and over
this from not the biggest Marshal Tucker fan,but a fan of great music...not even sure how i stumbled upon this album,think it was in the cut out bin(if anyone remembers those!!) at the local record store...glad i picked it up back then..
peace

First time I heard this album was when it was released in '78. I have always been a MTB fan from Denver since I first saw them on ABC's "In Concert". This album did not disappoint me in the least. "Asking Too Much", "Love is a Mystery", and "Everybody Needs Somebody" will have you singing along with a twang. All of them terrific southern rock ballads. MTB has a distinct sound and this CD exemplifies just that and some. Only gave it 4 stars because it isn't quite as good as their debut or A New Life.