Larry Gatlin "Night Time Magic" (Sony Records, 1995)
Cheesy, yet sometimes clever, soft-pop country from the '70s. This collection includes Gatlin's big 1978 hit, "I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love," which is still a great anthemic novelty song. On the opposite end of the spectrum are sappy weepers like "I've Done Enough Dying Today" and "Help Me," wherein Larry croons mercilessly, in one of the most florid, flaccid styles imaginable. Countrypolitan connoisseurs might really dig this; folks looking for a good strong tune to sing along with may be a little less enthused.
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "The Best Of The Gatlins: All The Gold In California" (Columbia-Legacy, 1996)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "16 Biggest Hits" (Sony Records, 2000)
A good, standard-issue best-of set that includes many of their best songs. Great starting place for casual listeners -- and probably as much of the Gatlins as you'll need, unless you turn out to be a koo-koo krazy fan.
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "17 Greatest Hits" (Sony Records, 2008)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Best Of" (Curb Records, 2010)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Greatest Hits/Straight Ahead" (Collectables Records, 2001)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Houston Denver/Not Guilty" (Collectables Records, 2000)
The Gatlin Quartet "The Old Country Church" (Sword And Shield Records, 1962) (LP)
The Gatlins started out as a southern gospel group while still pre-teens and teenagers, and recorded several albums as a quartet featuring brothers Larry, Rudy and Steve, along with their little sister Donna.
The Gatlin Quartet "I Shall Not Be Moved" (Sword And Shield Records, 1963-?) (LP)
The Gatlin Quartet "Tenth Anniversary" (Sword And Shield Records, 196--?) (LP)
Larry Gatlin "The Pilgrim" (Monument Records, 1973) (LP)
Larry Gatlin "Rain/Rainbow" (Monument Records, 1974) (LP)
Larry Gatlin "High Time" (Monument Records, 1975) (LP)
Larry Gatlin "Larry Gatlin With Family And Friends" (Monument Records, 1976) (LP)
Larry Gatlin "Love Is Just A Game" (Monument Records, 1977) (LP)
Larry Gatlin "Oh Brother" (Monument Records, 1978) (LP)
Larry Gatlin "Straight Ahead" (Columbia Records, 1979)
Reissued on a twofer CD, along with the Greatest Hits album...
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Help Yourself" (Columbia Records, 1980) (LP)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Not Guilty" (Columbia Records, 1981)
Reissued on a twofer CD, along with the Houston To Dallas album...
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Sure Feels Like Love" (Columbia Records, 1982) (LP)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "A Gatlin Family Christmas" (Columbia Records, 1982)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Houston To Denver" (Columbia Records, 1984)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Smile" (Columbia Records, 1985)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Partners" (Columbia Records, 1986)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Alive And Well... Livin' In The Land Of Dreams" (Columbia Records, 1988) (LP)
(Produced by Chip Young)
Just absolutely dreadful. A pop-country band a decade past its prime, trying desperately to produce a spark or two, going through the motions and trotting out their same old bag of tricks without any real payoff... The production is both bombastic and bland, one big, overinflated, prefab Nashville arrangement after another with tons of talented people playing their instruments with zero emotionality or artistic conviction. (This includes bluegrassers Jerry Douglas and Bela Fleck, buried somewhere deep in the mix, making a few house payments on Columbia's dime...) A big part of the problem is the songwriting -- all of it from Larry Gatlin -- which is just as empty and dispirited as the performances. Larry Gatlin tries to compensate by vamping and stretching the songs out with repetitive riffs, punctuated by one unnecessary, flamboyant key change after another. Yes, the Gatlin Brothers had a solid family harmony vibe and a few vocal tricks that had worked well for them in the past, and yes, Larry Gatlin had a good set of pipes and could keep pushing into his upper range, but what good is all this if you simply have nothing new to say? I'm not big on trashing records just because they're popular, or too commercial, or overplayed, or any of the other trendy reasons to be mean about things. But this is just a terrible, pointless record, the kind of thing people imagine soulless Nashville pop would sound like. And did.
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Pure 'N' Simple" (Universal Records, 1989)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Live At 8:00 PM" (Universal Records, 1989)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Cookin' Up A Storm" (Capitol Records, 1990)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Christmas" (Capitol Records, 1990)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Adios" (Liberty Records, 1992)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Moments To Remember" (Branson Records, 1993)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Cool Water" (Intersound Records, 1994)
Larry Gatlin "In My Life" (CEMA Records, 1998)
The Gatlin Brothers "Christmas With The Gatlin Brothers" (Brentwood Records, 1999)
The Gatlin Brothers "A Christmas Celebration" (Intersound Records, 2003)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Sing Their Family Gospel Favorites" (Dualtone Records, 2004)
This is a nice Christian country set, if that's a style you go for. Admittedly, Larry is sounding a little long in the tooth and slightly shaky as a soloist, but their obvious sincerity and love of the music lifts this album up, and when they sing in an upbeat jubilee style, the Gatlins can really get your toes a-tappin'. There are also some slower ballads sung in a more modern Southern Gospel style, though almost all the songs are older traditional tunes like "Amazing Grace," "Rock Of Ages," Albert E. Brumley's "I'll Fly Away," etc. Another nice thing is that the musical backup is pretty restrained: they just have the band play as much is necessary to get the message across, and leave the emphasis on their vocals and on the words, which is really where is belongs. Gospel fans and Gatlin fans alike should enjoy this record quite a bit.
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Live At Billy Bob's Texas" (Smith Music, 2004)
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Live At Billy Bob's Texas" (DVD) (Smith Music, 2004)
Larry Gatlin And The Gatlin Brothers are a family harmony band that took the baritone-based Southern gospel/barbershop vocal style of the Statler Brothers and separated it from the nostalgic and novelty aspects of the Statlers. The Gatlins started out as a southern gospel group while still pre-teens and teenagers, and recorded several albums as a quartet featuring brothers Larry, Rudy and Steve, along with their little sister Donna Gatlin.
were very successful in the mid-1970s and early '80s, frequently cracking into the Top Ten, and scoring a trio of #1 hits. Many of their best songs are, indeed, quite irresistible... "Broken Lady," "All The Gold In California," "Take Me To Your Lovin' Place" and "Houston" are all fine examples of their sound, songs that remain as catchy today as when they first hit the charts... Originally a gospel trio, the group's fortunes intertwined closely with the solo career of songwriter and lead singer Larry Gatlin, who frequently leaned towards a softer, more romantic style... There's plenty of material in the Gatlin Brothers catalog that I don't care for, but the songs I do like are lots of fun. They're definitely worth checking out!
