What was even better was that nobody fell into the Rock God trap that was too common in those days and went off into twenty-minute solo. Everybody, including the special guests, played like they were members of a band, and the band's performance was the priority not their own egos.
It doesn't mean that these people aren't gifted players, because they are, in fact, I had forgotten how good the members of The Charlie Daniels Band are. From the bass player who can play any style demanded of him, the guitarist who can somehow make his instrument sound like a fiddle without a synthesizer so he can do a fiddle duet with Charlie, the piano player who plays piano not keyboards, the drummers who can keep time and be elaborate, and Charlie who plays an amazing violin and not bad slide guitar.
If there's a drawback or an unfortunate part of this disc it's the fact that it was originally shot on film back in 1975. There's only so much you can do with digital transfer techniques for sound and picture quality, so occasionally neither are what you'd what them to be. But considering the fact it was a live concert twenty-two years ago you can't really complain.
The one thing that did bother me was nowhere on the packaging, or on the disc are there band credits. They list the names of all the performers, but I couldn't have told Dru Lombar from Jimmy Hall if my life depended on it. At the least they could have supplied a song-by-song breakdown of who did what in the liner notes, or added on credits at the end of DVD to that effect.
But aside from that, there isn't much to complain about with Volunteer Jam; it may not be Southern Rock, but it sure is a great example of classic 1970's Rock and Roll.
Article comments
1 - John
I sing this song as an older man who's took his share of drugs
But I as much as anyone else have no sympathy for thugs
But you're new-found anti-drug crusade strikes me as hypocrasy
Do you really want your old friends to swing up from a tree?
REPEAT REFRAIN
2 - John
Charlie Daniels
you used to be one o' my heros//
but you stuck you finger in the air and found out which way the wind blows//
kinda like a chameleon you've become as you've grown old//
and you might have alot of money//
but you sure ain't got no soul//
REFRAIN: And I ain't asking you for nothin'//
if I can't get it on my own//
if you don't like the way I'm livin'// you just leave this long-haired country boy alone.
3 - John
Charlie Daniels, you're old song meant alot to me
but why you had to change your tune is something I can't see
you've become that old Greenteeth that you kicked right in knee
and you can keep your neocon politics the devil away from me
REPEAT REFRAIN
4 - jojo
I've bought the volunteer jam dvd and i shouldn't have done that. It's because i own the real volunteer jam movie on vhs. When i compared the two recordings, i immediately noticed that there were things altered in the new recording. For exemple the music doesn't match with the images. There is a one second difference in sound and image. You see the drummer hitting the drums and one second or maybe less after that you hear the drums. There's no synchronocity with sound and image. Further more. The quality of the recording in the movie is far better than on the new dvd. |I've written Eagle Eye records about this. If you can get the real original volunteer jam movie you're better of.
5 - James In San Diego
I read about it today and ran out to buy it. This movie was shot about 3 months before I was born, and I'm 31 (not 21 like you said). Beyond that I am totally jazzed about this being released at all. jojo if I knew where to buy this on VHS I will. I grew up in Spartanburg SC so Marshall Tucker is like big stuff to me. I want to find the Marshall Tucker movie (long trailer) for LONG HARD RIDE. Film, Videotape, (ugh)Youtube as long as I can finally see it, so if ya'll know anything post it, please?
6 - Joyce
I have waited over 20 years for this DVD to come out. Now that I have it, I can truely say it was worth the wait. My long-time boyfriend, Gary Peacemaker plays drums on some of the songs. He'd told me about the fun, egoless, exciting, free-jam that night and now I can see and feel it myself through the DVD. I've loved this music since the '70's and still do. To whomever made this possible, I send out a huge Thank you!
7 - RomanticKerouac
Does anyone know where I can find the Marshall Tucker Band's performance from this Volunteer Jam? Has it ever been bootlegged, or released? I seen the videos on youtube, would like to have a copy for viewing on my big screen.