Where We All Belong Explained

Where We All Belong is the third album by the Marshall Tucker Band. Released in 1974, the double album consists of a studio album and a live album; the former focuses on progressive country songs, while the latter focuses on jazz rock and Southern rock jamming. Musician Charlie Daniels guests on two songs, one from each album.^[1]

Composition

Where We All Belong is a double album, consisting of a studio album and a live album.^[1] The staff writers of Classic Rock had differing opinions on where the style of the studio disc placed, with one writer opinining that, despite the band's status as a Southern rock group, the studio recordings were not Southern rock at all, but somewhat jazzy, commercial rock music, comparable to the band Chicago.^[1] Another staff writer within the same piece said that the studio recordings were progressive country.^[1] The live recording fits the categorization of Southern rock more definitively, as well as falling into the genre of jazz rock.^[1]

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote for AllMusic, "Although it runs a little long, Where We All Belong captures the sound of The Marshall Tucker Band coming into its own".^[2] The staff of Classic Rock magazine gave the album a score of 6.88 out of 10 from 59 votes, with one writer opinining that the album was at its strongest in its rock and blues-oriented material, and at its weakest in its country songs.^[1]

Track listing

All songs written by Toy Caldwell, except where noted.

Side one

1. "This Ol' Cowboy" - 6:42
2. "Low Down Ways" - 3:00
3. "In My Own Way" - 7:17

Side two

1. "How Can I Slow Down" - 3:19
2. "Where a Country Boy Belongs" - 4:32
3. "Now She's Gone" (Toy and Tommy Caldwell) - 4:20
4. "Try One More Time" - 4:46

Side three

1. "Ramblin'" - 6:13
2. "24 Hours at a Time" - 13:57

Side four

1. "Everyday (I Have the Blues)" (Peter Chatman) - 11:48
2. "Take the Highway" - 7:26

CD reissue bonus track"See You Later, I'm Gone" (Live at Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco, CA, September 1973) - 3:13

Personnel

• Doug Gray – lead vocals, percussion
• Toy Caldwell – electric and acoustic guitars, steel guitar, lead vocals on "This Ol' Cowboy" and "Everyday (I Have the Blues)"
• Tommy Caldwell – bass guitar, backing vocals
• George McCorkle – electric and acoustic guitars, banjo
• Jerry Eubanks – flute, alto, baritone and tenor saxophone, backing vocals
• Paul Riddle – drums

Additional musicians

• Charlie Daniels – fiddle on “24 Hours At a Time” and "This Ol' Cowboy"
• Elvin Bishop – slide guitar on "Where a Country Boy Belongs"
• Johnny Vernazza – slide guitar on "Where a Country Boy Belongs"
• Billy Sanders – harmonica, rhythm guitar
• Paul Hornsby – piano, organ, clavinet
• Earl Ford – trombone
• Jerry Joseph – conga
• Steve Madaio – trumpet
• Sam McPhearson – harp
• Andy Stein – fiddle

References

1. Web site: Marshall Tucker Band: Where We All Belong - Album Of The Week Club review. Staff . January 24, 2022 . Classic Rock . 2023-07-22.
2. Web site: Where We All Belong Review. Erlewine. Stephen Thomas . AllMusic. 2023-07-22.