The Flatlanders – “More A Legend Than A Band”

The Flatlanders’ first album, More A Legend Than A Band, is an essential record for anyone interested in great songwriting, as the LP features the dynamic Texas trio of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock. Early Gilmore classics including “Dallas” and “Tonight I Think I’m Gonna Go Downtown” are balanced by Hancock’s “You’ve Never Seen Me Cry” and “Stars In My Life.” These boys from Lubbock may be flatlanders, but there’s not a flat tune on the disc. Gilmore’s pining voice paints perfectly the picture of lonely West Texas plains and wide-open skies. And no album uses the saw as musical instrument to such effect.