The Flatlanders - The Flatlanders

Notes by Jeff Schultz who nominated Hall of Fame winner #5.

"The Flatlanders album is the great country album that never was. This eponymously titled album featured Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, all of whom have gone on to create tremendous works of their own. They have carried country music into rock and roll in a way that is personal and real. And, the coup-de-grace of their first record, as a band and as professionals, is that the Flatlanders' album was only released in the 8-track format! As a combination of great music, a mythic meeting, and as a rarity, this album is a must for the hall of fame. FYI: the album has been re-released by Rykodisc on the CD format for those (as unlucky as myself) to have missed the 8 track."

Other notes on The Flatlanders from Richard D. Parker "Jimmie Dale and the Flatlanders" was originally scheduled as Plantation PLP17 and rescheduled as PLP20 - due to no Texas offers forthcoming it remained unreleased (What a waste, letting one of the best country albums ever, to sit and gather dust).

Eventually an 8-track was released on the Plantation label. In 1980 the UK Charly label released the full 15 tracks on vinyl "One More Road" CRM2038 ( the CD-CHARLY 192, was released 1989)

The release in 1990 of "More A Legend Than A Band" on the Rounder label, included 13 of the original 15 tracks. "Waiting For A Train" and "Hello Stranger", being the two omitted tracks.

The Flatlanders is hereby inducted into the 8-Track Hall of Fame on August 1, 1997.

Additional notes by John Conquest [3rdcoast@sbcglobal.net]: " Very cool that you have The Flatlanders in the 8 track Hall of Fame, but there are a couple of errors in the notes. The Charly LP (and, therefore, I presume, the original Sun 8 track) had 17 cuts, not 15, so the Rounder (NOT Rykodisc) CD was four short, the other two omissions being Not So Long Ago and I Know You."