"Down that Country Road" is the name of the album we recorded as Future on the Shamley label. Jim Bunnell, Jim Odom and myself with Wally co-producing with Norm Ratner and Vic Briggs doing the arranging.
"Raggedy Jack"
"Raggedy Jack" is the first cut on side A. It starts with a strong pedal steel guitar part - with some tasty fills on acoustic guitar by Jimmy Burton, and piano by Mike Rubini. The song is about a railroad "hobo" and a drug-crazed train engineer.
"Love is All You've Got"
"Love is All You've Got" like Raggedy Jack is a Holmes/Bunnell composition. It's a poignant lyric about, well, ultimately love is all we really have and it's what we do with it that counts.
"Bittersweet"
"Bittersweet" is one of Wally's songs that let's the studio guys really cut loose. Mike Rubini's piano intro kicks it off with Jim Odom on lead vocals. The guitar solo is is Red Rhodes on pedal steel guitar with a fuzz tone over Jimmy Burton - what a combination!
"Grabbers and Takers"
"Grabbers and Takers" is a song about the contrast between the "haves" and "have nots" of the world. It's basically a one-sided conversation between a "beggar" and someone he's approaching. Runs through all the challenges and responses up to and including a threat of suicide, all in a light-hearted way. Red Rhodes has some great dripping with sugar steel guitar fills.
"Silver Chalice"
The last tune on side one is "Silver Chalice." Not the wierdest song on our album but close. Wally plays some really sweet muted trumpet fills. The switch in style at the chorus certainly gets your attention after the drone almost monotone versus. Dr. John on piano sets off the vocal and again New Orleans style rhythm of the chorus. Toward the end Norm Rater, our producer insisted on joining us with some screams that I think he called "Jewish charismatic."
