Ozark S04

Following the success of their self-titled debut, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' sophomore release, It'll Shine When It Shines, continues on their already established path of California-style country-rock. This release contained what would ultimately prove to be their greatest hit, "Jackie Blue," which ended up peaking at number three on the pop chart. Although "Jackie Blue" is by far the least countrified track on the album, it embodies the casual, understated groove of the band that could be found on any of the Daredevils' releases. Although when examined closely the album is really three neatly separate albums by three maturing songwriters (John Dillon, Steve Cash, and the underrated Larry Lee), the thread of their relaxed atmosphere and light harmonies runs throughout the album, binding it together as a cohesive whole.

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils spent most of their existence identified as a country-pop band, but when they first got together, they were a country outfit with some specific roots rock influences, closer in spirit to the Byrds of Sweetheart of the Rodeo than to the Eagles or Poco, and more of the real article – as all of the bandmembers were still living in Springfield, MO – than even the Byrds were by 1968. These sessions – dating from the summer of 1972, well over a year before the band first recorded and before it even had a name – represent those roots, and the songs also arguably represent the Daredevils' finest body of work, with sweet and unpretentious harmonies and stripped-down (yet often very sweet) playing (check out "On Our Carousel," which could have been a single and is worth the price of the disc), all within a much purer country idiom than the band later manifested.

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were among the more popular of mid-'70s country-rock outfits, slotting in chronologically and stylistically between the Eagles and Firefall. As exponents of '70s country-rock, the group rode a wave of success for five years on A&M Records and survived in some form into the 1990s, with a following just large enough to justify occasional record releases in their later years…

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, while not being the most successful country-rock outfit, had released five fine albums prior to Don't Look Down. Their sound had changed little over the years, which suited most fans who frankly wanted more of the same…