1. LONG HARD RIDE
2. PROPERTY LINE
3. AM I THE KIND OF MAN
4. WALKIN' THE STREETS ALONE
5. WINDY CITY BLUES (Eubanks/Gray/McCorkle)
6. HOLDING ON TO YOU (George McCorkle)
7. YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME
8. YOU DON'T LIVE FOREVER (Tommy Caldwell)
* all songs written by Toy Caldwell except as indicated
Released: 1976
Chart Peak: # 32
"Long Hard Ride", along with "A New Life", is a very underrated album. Though it continued the band's string of Gold albums and cracked the Top 40 album charts, it hasn't been regarded as highly as it's predecessor, "Searchin' For a Rainbow", which became a million seller and yielded the band's first Top 40 hit, Fire on the Mounatin, or it's follow-up, "Carolina Dreams" - which also went platinum and yielded their biggest hit, Heard It In A Love Song (which peaked at number 11 on the singles chart in the spring of 1977). It did yield the band's only Grammy nomination, for the instrumental title track (in the category of Best Country Instrumental). They lost out to Chet Atkins, but that still puts them in some mighty fine company! It also features some of Doug's best singing ever.
The title track is a real shit kicker and gets the album rollin' It features John McEuen (of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) on banjo and George McCorkle on... lead bull whip! Property Line is another country foot stomper with Toy singing lead vocals. It sounds as fresh today as it did back then.
It's obvious from the theme of several of the songs on "Long Hard Ride" that the band had been logging alot of time on the road. The songs' lyrics reflect a longing for home and loved ones left behind. The first of these is Am I the Kind of Man and is one of Toy's best and most introspective songs ever. This song, along with several others on the album, reflect the band's country roots. A gentle acoustic guitar opens the song and Doug's tender vocals follow. Jerry's flute adds just the right undertone for the song Walkin' the Streets Alone continues the heart-felt theme and it nails the sentiments of "it's over" to the core. It features Toy's climatic lead guitar and Jerry's soulful sax, even though the song is country to the core! The album shifts gears with the up tempo Windy City Blues, another "life ain't so grand on the road" love song. Toy punctuates the gravity of the song with his lead guitar and Doug sends it home with his typically emphatic vocals.
Holding On To You is perhaps George McCorkle's best ballad. It offers the sad optimism that only love can bring. Toy delivers evocative steel guitar work and Jerry plays some sublimely powerful flute which is then underscored by Toy's lead guitar. You Say You Love Me is an infectious song that features a cool, jazzy intro by George on rhythm guitar. It's also one of the few times his lead guitar work is featured by the band. And Jerry's sassy sax work wraps this little package up nicely!
The album ends with a prophetic song written by Tommy, You Don't Live Forever. It's almost eerie listening to it now, but it offers words of wisdom we all should live by! It's an anthem song that you wanna crank up nice and loud. Toy's lead guitar drives the point home unequivocally!
The band and Capricorn did just about everything they could to promote the album, including one of the industries first videos, though they weren't called that yet... for more details check it out by clicking here!
- Craig Cumberland