Marshall Tucker

[Dave W]

All I know about the Marshall Tucker Band is that they had two big hits, Can't You See and Heard It In A Love Song. Marshall Tucker must be the leader. right? Nope. Never knew the backstory until today.

Marshall Tucker, Namesake of Iconic Southern Rock Band, Has Died

[westen44]

I never knew anything about the Marshall Tucker Band, either.  Until I saw an article about them a few days ago, I also thought Marshall Tucker had been a member of the band.  I'm a fan of Southern rock, but never got to see the Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd, only Marshall Tucker.  I was never a fan, though, and probably even less of one after seeing them in person.  They came to my college and some friends wanted to see them, so I went along.  Their musical style, whatever it is, is just not my kind of Southern rock.  I've never tried to cut them down, but have never been interested in them, either. 

[uwe]

I knew a little about them and have two or three  of their albums I think (they're etched in my memory as  "the Southern Band with the flute") - I always assumed that Marshall Tucker was a band member if not necessarily the band leader (sort of like J. Geils Band or Spencer Davis Group). So now I know they are actually Jethro Tull with no Jethro among them!

When I think of Marshall Tucker I invariably think - besides the flute - of Charlie Daniels Band (he was/is actually a band member and leader!), Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws and 38 Special. All those bands in the wake of the Allman Brothers where two or more lead guitarists play harmonized solos in major keys. 

I once auditioned with a German band project wanting to focus on Southern Rock, cheesy Confederate flag and all. I had issues with that for various reasons, but I really broke their heart when I made them aware that Battle Hymn of the Republic (which they wanted to run as their intro music) was NOT a Confederate song, but the opposite. They wouldn't believe me, looked it up and where flabbergasted. I couldn't help commenting: "Ever given it a thought that the Confederacy was what it said on the tin and not a Republic?"

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=battle+hymn+of+the+republic

Ah yes, a high point in my amateur muso career, the woke bassist not joining, but still ruining the intro song for them. They pretty much thought I was a US historian. 

They also didn't really know the dif between a major and a minor key solo, "Wanting to play Southern Rock, I think you'll run into issues with that ..." I helpfully and selflessly contributed upon packing my gear together.

[uwe]

Ha, found it, the "flute song" I heard first from them.



I actually thought their music nicely eclectic.

And another one.



Got to know them via a drummer who was a huge fan of theirs. Unlike the Allmans, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet, they weren't really a household name in Germany.

[4stringer77]

Tommy Caldwell was better with one thumb than most bass players were with two fingers.

[Rob]

That was great!

[gearHed289]

I'm pretty much with Uwe here. I remember the flute and some of the (very nice) hit tunes. But I think I too got them crossed with the Charlie Daniels Band.

RIP to Mr. Tucker.

[Pilgrim]

I saw the Marshall Tucker band live at the Greeley Stampede, a big rodeo near here.  I thought they did a really good show and they did more than southern rock.  Really enjoyed it.

That was also the show when I figured out not to sit near the top of the stands in an arena with a roof. 

At the start of the show, a friend of mine and I were sitting just a couple of rows down from the top in the bleachers which had a roof.  The sound was muddy and hard to understand.  I happened to make a bathroom run, and I noticed that for every couple of rows I walked down the bleachers, the sound improved.  When I got back I waved my buddy to come down to the field level, and when he did he noticed the same thing.  We ended up staying there and the sound was great.

After that, I won't buy tickets for seats more than half-way up any venue, and I strongly prefer to be on the first level.

I don't know why it took me so darn long to figure that out!  Sound bounce off the roof in any venue can screw up the sound in upper seating areas quickly. 

[uwe]

Yeah; I've had that at a Springsteen gig in a huge arena, the sound was abysmal in the back, especially with the E-Street Band not exactly having invented sparse playing.

[Dave W]

Yeah; I've had that at a Springsteen gig in a huge arena, the sound was abysmal in the back, especially with the E-Street Band not exactly having invented sparse playing.

That was the artist's fault, not the venue. 

[westen44]

That was the artist's fault, not the venue. 

I think you may be right.  I would rather listen to Marshall Tucker than Bruce Springsteen. 

[morrow]

Those who shall not be named are the ones that simply nailed stadium rock.

[westen44]

I've seen videos of tribute bands who play songs by those who shall not be named.  Sometimes I really enjoy that.  Not so much because I like the music, but because it just looks like so much fun.  I'm not laughing at them, but with them.  Most of the time they seem so lighthearted.  I doubt if I can find the specific videos I'm thinking of, but if I do, I'll post them. 

[uwe]

That was the artist's fault, not the venue. 

In a sense you're right, Springsteen live is a wall of sound that is a lot less neatly constructed than, say, those-who-shall-not-be-named-but-sound-anything-but-cluttered. But I've also seen Billy Joel and, yes, Bon Jovi (the wife!!!) at the same venue, Commerzbank Arena Frankfurt,



and the sound was awful every time, echo billowing around in the arena like lost souls (whether the technically fancy roof is closed on top or not, has no effect on the sound). With Joel we even sat in the front rows before the stage, it was a painful barrage of noise at times and feedback echo all the time.

High marks for Jon Bon Jovi for stepping up to the mike early in the Bon Jovi set at the time and rightfully declaring: "I'm really sorry. This place sounds like ... SHIT !!!"

I avoid the Commerzbank Arena like the plague by now. Only a reunion of The Beatles original line-up with Jim Morrison reading his poems as the opener could possibly drag me there again.

[Pilgrim]

In Denver there is Ball Arena where the NBA Nuggets and the Avalanche hockey team play.  There are three levels of seating, and years ago I heard McCartney, Springsteen and Bob Seeger - all sitting on the third level.  I hadn't learned about the ceiling issue yet.

Now I will only go to a concert there if I'm seated on the first level. 

But there's another factor that's so obvious we miss it - concert halls are built for acoustics.  Sports stadia are built to cram in people, not for acoustics.  If I attend a musical event in any sports venue, I want to be seated as close to ground level as possible so I have the best chance at getting decent sound.