New Year's in New Orleans! (2 CD set)

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When THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND played their 12/31/78 show at The Warehouse in New Orleans it was simulcast on over 150 radio stations nationwide, making it the most widely heard rock concert of its time. Now, Ramblin’ Records is wide releasing the concert for the first time. Following a limited, exclusive release in conjunction with Record Store Day, New Year’s In New Orleans: Roll Up ’78 And Light Up ’79! is now available on all digital platforms and gatefold double LP and 2-CD sets.

New Year’s In New Orleans: Roll Up ‘78 And Light Up ‘79  was sourced from the original 24 track tapes which were placed in good hands and given the white-glove experience. Executive Producer Ron Rainey called upon the band’s original producer Paul Hornsby--who also played keys, piano and organ on their early records--to mix the record. The double live album set also includes original photos of the band at The Warehouse by the venue’s official photographer, Sidney Smith.

Of the new release, Goldmine’s Lee Zimmerman wrote, “Indeed, the band’s in fine form and the well-restored recordings suggest that their efforts were both powerful and potent. Given that the energy and enthusiasm never wavers, this particular performance not only represents them well, but also provides proof that they were, and still are, among the best bands Dixie’s ever delivered.” (November 2019).

In 1978, the Marshall Tucker Band--Tommy Caldwell, Toy Caldwell, Jerry Eubanks, Doug Gray, George McCorkle and Paul Riddle--were one of the biggest groups around and one of the best live acts in the business having toured non-stop for years supporting a string of six gold and platinum records with huge hits like “Heard It In A Love Song” and “Can't You See.”

In a live review of their Madison Square Garden show just six weeks prior, the New York Times’ Robert Palmer wrote, “The Marshall Tucker Band does not play conventional southern rock, although by now the group is successful enough to be setting conventions of its own...So, unlike many southern bands, which tend to get locked into narrow blues grooves, the Marshall Tucker Band soars. Most of the tunes turn into more or less extended jams led by Toy Caldwell, whose lead guitar work builds from short, cleanly articulated phrases into high note barrages with a sure sense of pacing. Thursday night’s show was crisp and energetic. It was the kind of show the band used to give at the Palladium or in Central Park...the music worked handsomely, and the crowd was on its feet through most of the show. The Marshall Tucker Band has managed to become a major group without compromising its original stylistic integrity and without resorting to theatrical staging or other tricks of the trade.” (11/12/78)

2-CD set Track List

Disc 1
Fly Like An Eagle
Long Hard Ride
Fire On The Mountain
Heard It In A Love Song
Dream Lover
Blue Ridge Mountain Skies
Can’t See You
Hillbilly Band
Ramblin’
This Ol’ Cowboy
Desert Skies
24 Hours At A Time

Disc 2
New Year’s Countdown/Old Lang Syne
I’ll Be Loving You
Searching For A Rainbow
Will The Circle Be Unbroken

"That tangible working-band instinct, nurtured by endless touring over their (at the time) six-year existence, is readily apparent on this two-disc set, particularly on extended takes such as the 13-minute “24 Hours At A Time.” Not to mention how those stretches of improv served to fuel a distinctly liberating party-in-New-Orleans atmosphere- illustrated so perfectly by the booklet photo of longhaired countdown revelers in the front row raising bottles of liquor overhead. At once, this terrific addition to The Marshall Tucker Band’s archival catalog is both a full-color sonic photograph of 40 years ago and a current notice, perhaps, of a group that deserves a second listen in these times to fully appreciate just how good, and unique, an ensemble they were as they rolled up ’78 and lit up ’79."

- Jambands.com

"This album’s version of “Blue Ridge Mountain Sky” may be the best on record, and Caldwell gets down in it, and then sails to the heavens. The tapes of this show have been expertly restored, with a final stamp by the band’s original producer and auxiliary piano player, Paul Hornsby. That level of care, and the band’s hot performance, places it among Tucker’s top live albums, right next to the classic 1974 pieces appended to the seminal “Where We All Belong” album."
Tom Clarke, TahoeOnStage.com