The Marshall Tucker Band: Live from the Garden State 1981

The Marshall Tucker Band, hailing from Spartanburg, South Carolina, was a part of the Southern fusion music scene in the 1970s, along with the Allman Brothers, Wet Willie, and others. Like the Allmans, the Tucker Band (there actually was no member of the group named Marshall Tucker) combined rock, country blues, jazz, and long boogie jams that added up to a muscular yet nimble sound, topped by Doug Gray's soulful and pop-friendly (if occasionally excessive) vocals. This DVD captures a 1981 MTV concert the band performed not long after founding member Tommy Caldwell perished in a car crash. Singer Gray and fellow survivors carry on with an enjoyable 15-song set that includes "Take the Highway," with its martial beat and jazzy fife; the dreamy, sweet "Special Someone"; and stirring renditions of their radio hits "Can't You See" and "Heard It In a Love Song," all presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. DVD extras include the featurette on the band, "Which One Is Marshall Tucker?" Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)