Carolina Dreams
Released: 1977
Chart Peak: #23
1. FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
2. HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG
3. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER STARTED LOVIN' YOU (McCorkle/Tommy Caldwell/Gray)
4. LIFE IN A SONG (McCorkle/Eubanks)
5. DESERT SKIES
6. NEVER TRUST A STRANGER (Tommy Caldwell)
7. TELL IT TO THE DEVIL
* all songs written by Toy Caldwell except as indicated
By 1977 MTB was headlining coliseums across America. Every album they had released to this point had went Gold or Platinum. If the album always placed high on the charts, their singles didn't always perform as well. Sure, Fire on the Mountain cracked the Top 40 and Can't You See had become a rock classic - but a breakthrough single had eluded them. "Heard it In A Love Song" changed all that. From the first time Toy played it on acoustic guitar for Paul Hornsby and the other members of MTB they knew they had something special. And in the Spring of 1977 it reached # 14 on the Pop Charts. It was - and is - the band's biggest single to date. It's infectious flute was fresh and distinctive and the lyrics were bittersweet - and provided a storyline that both men and women could relate to. People across the country were getting turned on to the sextet from South Carolina for the first time but long time fans knew of the remarkable talent of Toy Caldwell and company all along. If the band thought they had experienced success, before they were now in for a whole new ride. This was, indeed, their Carolina Dreams.
"Fly Like An Eagle" - another incredibly infectious tune - jumps starts the album. It takes you back to the days when the River Boat was king and drinking was the best way to get a woman off your mind (still is, isn't it?). When Doug sings the chorus you almost know what it feels like to fly. "Heard It In A Love Song" is the second cut. Both tunes were written by Toy. The album slows down considerably for a heartfelt song written by Doug, George and Tommy. The mournful lyrics tell the story of a heartbreaker who finally has the tables turned on him. The first three songs, which all deal with heartache, are in sharp contrast to the next. Written by Jerry Eubanks and George McCorkle, "Life In a Song" triumphs the success of an independent pair of lovers who live their life, their way - the rest of the world be damned. It acutely captures the spirit that enables many a relationship to work.
The final three songs all reflect the Old West story line that was so much a part of the band's early music. "Desert Skies" is one of the greatest cowboy songs ever written. I hope that someday someone has the vision to release a compilation CD of all the songs that MTB has recorded about the Old West. That would be a real treat and I think a big seller... and this song would be the cornerstone of the album. It captures the romanticism, mysticism and philosophy that embodies the cowboy. If anyone needs proof that Toy Caldwell was a great songwriter and worthy of induction into the songwriters Hall of Fame, this is it. The next song is pore genius as well. A steel guitar captures the mood of the lyrics, penned by Tommy Caldwell, perfectly. They give homage to the Outlaws law and the dichotomy of the lawmen - that is they seem to show the respect that the pursuers had for those they pursued. The album finishes off with another Toy Caldwell song, titled "Tell It To the Devil." The song's subject tells about some of the things in life that get in his craw - all the while admitting he is less than perfect himself!
Carolina Dreams is the band's biggest selling album of original material (only their Greatest Hits package has sold more). The music is definitive Tucker - and it's success is evidence that the boys from Spartanburg were onto something special. Sadly, with the death of Tommy Caldwell three short years after its release, the band and their fans would never get to see where the music would have gone. After Tommy passed, it could never be the same again - so this album represents the band's zenith... and it was incredible for many reasons. MTB's success was unexpected, because they created music like no one else. They were really a genre all to themselves - and this album let a nation experience the magic that was MTB.
- Craig Cumberland