Top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums

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Our Top 10 Marshall Tucker Band albums look back at one of the top 5 Southern rock bands of the 1970s. The top five, in no particular order, were The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Charlie Daniels Band, The Outlaws, and The Marshall Tucker Band. Looking back, the Marshall Tucker Band was closer musically to The Allman Brother Band than any other band because of their long extended jams that incorporated many fusion and jazz elements within their southern rock and country grooves. They were incredibly innovative for their time. There were many other great Southern Rock County rock bands, but those five were in a league of their own. The Marshall Tucker Band was a group that had a huge loyal following. They had a powerful emotional sound. They had fans all over the United States. As many fans as they had in the South, they had up North.

Music was the great equalizer in the 1970s, and bands like The Marshall Tucker Band were responsible for much of that harmony between music fans. And there were also a lot of rowdy party nights to go along with it. Seeing The Marshall Tucker Band in concert was a good time affair. It was not laid back and trippy like a Grateful Dead Concert or a bang-you-head against-the-wall Black Sabbath show. No, a Marshall Tucker Band concert was a good time all around. The music made you feel good and their playing as musicians would just blow your mind.

The original Marshall Tucker Band released their first album in 1973. The Marshall Tucker Band at the time was made up of Doug Gray on lead vocals, the legendary Toy Caldwell on lead guitars, his brother Tommy Caldwell on bass guitar, George McCorkle on rhythm guitar, Jerry Eubanks on flute and sax, and Paul Riddle on drums. The original lineup would release a decade of fabulous albums that defined the Marshall Tucker Band’s classic sound.

Most of this top 10 Marshall Tucker Band album list will concentrate on their 1970s glory years. The group did not call it quits after the 1970s; they continued despite the loss of key members like Tommy Caldwell, who was killed in a car accident in 1980. Little by little all the original members left the band over the years. Nonetheless, the group has continued to perform with only original lead vocalist Doug Gray still in the group.

The Marshall Tucker Band released twenty-two studio albums between the years 1973 and 2007. The group has also released seven live albums and over a dozen greatest hits albums and compilations. All of their releases have been issued on vinyl and CD. Since the band was such an incredible live group, we have chosen two of their live records to be included in our Top 10 Marshall Tucker Band albums list. If you are unfamiliar with this group, these are the albums that we think would be a great starting point in discovering one of classic rock’s all-time great southern rock bands.

# 10 – Tenth

We open up our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List with the group’s tenth album in the tenth spot entitled Tenth. This is an excellent Marshall Tucker Band album to open up this list. Sadly, it was also the last Marshall Tucker Band album to feature founding member Tommy Caldwell, who would lose his life in an automobile accident the same year the album was released. The album was released in 1980. The album hit number thirty two on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums Charts. Standout tracks included the album opener “It Takes Time” as well as “Cattle Drive,” “See You One More Time” and “Foolish Dreaming.”

# 9 – Long Hard Ride

Continuing with our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List, we move on to the band’s fifth album, Long Hard Ride. The album was released in 1975. While the album may not have spawned any big hits or classic Marshall Tucker Band songs, overall, the entire album was a very even affair of great rock and roll southern songs played with solos and licks that were a step above almost everyone else. The Long Hard Ride album hit number thirty two on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums Charts.

# 8 – Running Like the Wind

We present the album Running Like the Wind in the number eight spot on our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List. The album was released in 1979. The title track would become one of the Marshall Tucker Band’s most popular songs. The album also featured the classic song “Last Of The Singing Cowboys.” There was less jamming on this record and more focus on crafting well-written Southern rock songs with a pop feel. Some fans liked this direction the band was headed, while others preferred the earlier, more jam-based songs. We thought it was good to mix it up and keep the sound fresh. The album hit number thirty on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums Charts.

# 7 – Carolina Dreams

At the number seven spot on our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List, we present the album entitled Carolina Dreams. The album was released in 1977. While disco raged out of control and punk music became very popular, The Marshall Tucker Band held their ground and released an album that spawned the biggest hit of their career. The track “Heard It In a Love Song” would become the band’s only top 20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. While some people didn’t like that the band had shifted a little more towards the pop side on the record, the rest of the record produced a selection of well-written and produced songs that made for a great and enjoyable listen. “Desert Skies” is another highlight of the album.

# 6 –Live on Long Island 04-18-80

Landing in the number six spot on our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List, we present the album entitled Live on Long Island 04-18-80. The band was on fire at this point in their career, and they were playing in a section of New York on Long Island where they had a huge fan base in the 1970s. I was at this show and many other shows they played on the Island in the 1970s. Words can’t describe just how great this band was in concert. This album is a perfect primary audio source that defines how special this band was during those roaring classic rock years.

# 5 – Just Us

At the halfway point on our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List is the album entitled Just Us. The Marshall Tucker Band signed to Warner Brothers Records in 1979 and released seven albums for the label in the 1980s. Just Us was the strongest of the lot, and it stands as one of the band’s best albums ever released in the post-70s period. The Just Us album was released in 1983. Unfortunately, Just Us was the first Marshall Tucker Band album of their career not to break into the top 100 of the US Billboard Top 200 Albums Charts. Still, it was a solid record that dived deeper into the blues than their most recent album had done.

# 4 – Searchin’ for a Rainbow

At the number four spot on our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List, we present the album Searching for a Rainbow. The album was released in 1975. Searching for a Rainbow is the Marshall Tucker Band’s highest charting album of their career. The album hit number fifteen on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums Charts. It’s the band’s only album to break into the top 20 of the Billboard Top 200. The album’s first single, “Fire on the Mountain,” was a top forty hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Searching for a Rainbow was a short album with only seven new songs. Because of its short length, Capricorn Records included a great live version of “Can’t You See” as the album’s closing track.

# 3 – A New Life

Moving along on our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List, we present the album A New Life. The album was released in 1974. This was the second Marshall Tucker Band album release. The band crosses many musical genres on this spectacular album. Elements of jazz, blues, rock, and country are all layered in and out of the arrangements of some fantastic songs fueled by incredible playing and great jamming. The standout track “24 Hours at a Time” would become a southern rock staple. A New Life hit number 37 on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums Charts. It was the group’s second straight gold-selling album.

# 2 – Where We All Belong

Just of the top spot on our top 10 Marshall Tucker Band Albums List we showcase the phenomenal album Where We All Belong. The album was released in 1974. Where We All Belong was the Marshall Tucker Band’s third album. Capricorn Records, the band, and anyone who had ever seen the group live knew how good the band sounded and wanted to get some of those live performances on vinyl and in the hands of record buyers. At the same time, releasing a live album after the band had only released two studio albums seemed maybe a little early. The result was a two-record set where one vinyl record was live, and the other was a brand-new studio album. With Charlie Daniels playing fiddle and the band tearing it up in both the studio and on stage, the live songs and new studio recordings made for a smash of a double LP that stands easily as one of The Marshall Tucker Band’s greatest releases.

# 1 – The Marshall Tucker Band

We hate picking a band’s first album as their best album, but in this case, we have no choice. The Marshall Tucker Band’s debut album remains the strongest effort of their career. It’s one of the all-time great Southern rock albums ever released. First issued in 1973, the album was fueled by a collection of songs that would become classics. At the top of that list were the songs “Take The Highway” and “Can’t You See.” These would become two of the most loved songs in the Marshall Tucker Band catalog. Yet, there were so many more great songs on their debut album. Other standout tracks included the songs Losing You,” which closed out the fantastic first side of the album, “Hillbilly Band,” “See You Later, I’m Gone,” and the scorching song “Ramblin.'” Southern rock music doesn’t get much better than this album.