Anthology: The First 30 Years (CD - 2005)

The Marshall Tucker Band: Toy Caldwell (vocals, guitar); Ronnie Godfrey (vocals, piano, keyboards); Tommy Caldwell (vocals, bass instrument); Doug Gray (vocals); George McCorkle (guitar); Clay Cook (flute, saxophone, keyboards); Jerry Eubanks (flute, saxophone); Don Cameron (keyboards); Franklin Wilkie, Pat Elwood (bass instrument); Paul Riddle, B.B. Borden, Ace Allen (drums).

Liner Note Author: Barry Alfonso.

There's little question that Shout! Factory's double-disc compilation The Marshall Tucker Band Anthology: The First 30 Years is exhuastive. It spans 32 songs, sampling from 20 albums, running more or less in chronological order, and giving a good idea of the group's narrative. While that's a lot of ground, some charting singles are still missing -- 1975's "This Ol' Cowboy," 1978's "Dream Lover," 1980's "It Takes Time," 1983's "A Place I've Never Been," 1987's "Hangin' Out in Smoky Places," and 1993's "Walk Outside of the Lines" are all absent, which is kind of puzzling for a collection of this size, and will certainly be frustrating for listeners who know of MTB primarily from the radio. That said, for the serious fan who wants a thorough overview this is still a pretty good choice, since it does illustrate the arc of the group's career. For less dedicated fans, this will be a bit too much Marshall Tucker Band, and they may be better sticking with the group's definitive eponymous debut, since there is no good single-disc hits compilation on the market. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize