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Here they are. The six vinyl discs with all those wonderful tunes and stories. And we also have the CD that Bill and the guys did back in '90, and the latest (and hopefully not last) release, American Spirit! We haven't included any of the various "Greatest Hits" albums or CDs, cause... well, cause we're too lazy too.
Click on the album cover to get to the page for that record. There you'll find a track listin', the complete liner notes, and a bigger image of the cover, along with any other artwork from the jacket. You can click on the title of any song to go to the page with the lyrics. Some of the lyrics pages have (or will have eventually) pictures too. Now these lyrics were transcribed by ear, so if somethin' doesn't look quite right to ya, it's probably cause we weren't usin' your ear. Bad news is, none of the original six albums have been (or are ever likely to be) released on CD. There's two compilation CDs out there - The Very Best Of C.W. McCall, and C.W. McCall's Greatest Hits. They're both readily available from most online music retailers. The Real McCall may still be available direct from American Gramaphone. You'll need to call 'em to see. All the albums show up pretty regularly on eBay, many times sealed. If ya got a good sound card, a turntable, and a CD burner, ya can make yer own CDs. |
This is the one that started it all. It was released in 1975, and contained "Old Home Fill'er-Up An' Keep On-A-Truckin' Cafe" which had been recorded the year before, as a single. I wonder just where that car wash with the old building behind it was? I wonder if they really did? Whaddaya think? |
The second album, released in 1976, was named for the song about one of the most heinous JEEP trails in all of Colorado. Now I know the "fella by the name of Kuboske" is real, and I've seen a "rock as big as a hall closet" in the middle of the trail, but I wouldn't never give the dog peanut butter, so I think Bill was funnin' us just a tad about some of it. |
This album sets the standard for me. All the songs are about nature or life. The things that matter most to Bill. By the way, Crispy Critters is Bill's comic account of the time a bus load of hippies tried to invade Ouray. They run 'em off, so they all went over to Telluride and settled. Hmm... |
This album is a wonderful alter-ego to Wilderness. Released the same year, it's almost entirely songs about truckin' and the plains. We pick up the tale of the Rubber Duck, just after he's "crashed the gate, doin' ninety eight" and follow him on a hilarious trip around the globe. Colorado isn't completely left out though. Put on the headphones, close your eyes, and listen to the ghostly, stereo echo of the miner's jack in "Campbird Mine". |
This is the first album where we find songs that Bill and Chip did not write. Notable exceptions are Gallopin' Goose, another song about Colorado's eclectic narrow gauge railroads. And you'd better have the Kleenex handy when you listen to Sing Silent Night and Old Glory. Any of you who have enjoyed the Fourth Of July parade and festivities in Ouray will appreciate Old Glory all the more. |
The last of the original six albums finds even fewer songs by Bill and Chip. As Bill will say later, he had run out of stories to tell. But he gives us some very good advice about living life, not just passin' through it, in "The Little Things In Life". After this album, Bill went off to do just that. |
I remember fairly near goin' nuts when I heard that there was gonna be another C.W. McCall album, and on CD no less. They didn't just digitize the old recordings either. They re-did 'em, and added lots of little subtle musical goodies. Check out Campbird Mine, and Columbine. And the new tune about Alfred Packer is... well... to die for. |
In the weeks and months immediately following 9/11, I spent a lot of time listening to CW, and Mannheim Steamroller. Old Glory in particular, was one of the few songs that made me feel better. I remember thinking, "I sure wish Bill and Chip would do a patriotic album, something to lift the nation's spirit". I'll bet there were many more CW fans wishing for the same thing. Well our wishes have come true. This will bring a tear to your eye, and make you proud to be an American. Ed Floden said it first, and he's 100% right - Play this LOUD and Play it PROUD! |
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Written and maintained by: Miles A. Lumbard
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