There is a clicking noise right at the start of Side A before the music kicks in, but starts the side off with the wrong expectation as it is in excellent condition. The cover is super. Cleaned on a VPI Cyclone RCM. For photos and music review, see my .com site

VINYL: Ex

LABEL: Ex

COVER: Ex

Side A

1. Wheatfield lady
2. Kansas rain
3. You can’t look back
4. The pirates of stone county road
5. The runaway fool of love

Side B

1. Roll away the stone
2. July, you’re a woman
3. The last campaign trilogy

Side C

1. Oldest living son
2. Little road and a stone to roll
3. Kansas
4. Cody
5. California bloodlines

Side D

1. Mother country
2. Cops
3. Never goin’ back (to Nashville anymore)

You can understand why this music is popular. For some / many it hits the home belt. It allows you to dream, reminisce, sway towards those ‘good ‘ol days’ which of course weren’t, but the memories fade the bad and embellish the good. Epitomised by ‘Stone county road’ where Stewart’s voice is shown off to its ultimate (with an added tearful accompaniment ‘calling for Henry’ which adds to the pulled strings) you know what you are getting from the first track.

You realise quite quickly that the songs are actually pretty short (bar the finale). And this is a little more than a Live LP. At least you gain an insight into him and an American way of life as the stories in between the tracks are lapped up by the audience. Well received, they maybe don’t mean much to a non American audience 40 years on (or even at the time), but it does give you a feeling of ‘being there’ and sharing what was clearly a warmly received evening of music.