cc_rider wrote: 
Given the sad beauty of this ballad, I can only hope that your use of "retooled" conceals an absolute corruption of another good Ramsey song into the unspeakable human rights atrocity known as "Muskrat Love", a toxic sicky-sweet soul killer. 

The Captain and Tenille are wanted in 53 countries for that crime against humanity.  

Lovely.  Just lovely.

 spindrift wrote: 

True...exactly!  I was taken aback by how gorgeously one complemented the next.

 cc_rider wrote: 
Austin lore has it that when Willis Alan was asked when he would release another album he replied... 'Why? Wasn't that one good enough?' or something along that track.

Oooo, been too long since I've heard this. Great. Thank you!
 

 JerseeeGirl wrote: 
Guess that I  purchased  in 1971 & '72 and still possess both rhose fine albums.  

Nice to wake up to this album while sipping my coffee... something I did 39 years ago after I purchased this album.

Wow... Beautiful 

Truly a sad song.

Just beautiful.
 

fine recording all the way through.    I have it on CD.    i got it about 10 years ago

 btt wrote: 
it's my 2nd time, i think. and i really like it.

I saw Michael Hedges a few times back in the mid-80's and at least once he played 'Watermelon Man.' He introduced it as being by W.A.R., "one of his favorite songwriters."  The album was impossible to find, but somewhere we came up with a tape of the LP and we wore that thing out.  Great album from beginning to end - play more, Bill!

 snoodle wrote: 
Sure, but it's still a nice story. My knowledge of this song comes from Jimmy Buffett, who covered it faithfully. I like the original better now though.

 stunix wrote: 
W.A.R. is famous for two reasons: his amazing first album, and maybe the worst case of writer's block in history.

He also wrote 'Muskrat Candlelight', which was retooled as 'Muskrat Love' by a number of notable artists.

Another bunch of performers who don't like to rush into anything are The Flatlanders. Their sophomore effort came out a few years ago, something like 30 years after their first album. But they've been busy working. Mr. Ramsey, not so much.

did Bill just say something like
"his first release and he has been working on a followup album since its release ..... in 1972!"

I almost choked on my coffee!

 btt wrote: 
Same here.......

 Randomax wrote:  There's another great singer/songwriter living there: Susan Gibson. She wrote 'Wide Open Spaces', and The Dixie Chicks have sent her a LOT of money for it. I saw her recently at the dedication of an AA meeting place, she is a great musician, writer and performer.

I have this on vinyl. Found in bargain bin, in the second hand record store under what is now Whitcoulls on Queen St, Auckland, it has the price - 50c - written on the cover. This is the only place I have ever heard this record played. Except maybe the good old Border Radio show on Bfm years back. (I know, you didn't need to know all this)

Never heard of, a great tune, thanks RP!

This is the first time I`ve ever heard this - a whopping 39 years after its release . The song has aged better than I have .

I thank my uncle for teaching me all these great Ramsey songs - he used to play them when I was a kid. He lived out in Idaho and was the coolest uncle I knew.

He also taught me guitar.

 k_trout wrote: 

Northeast women standing up, beat the other lyin' down...

What a great song!

Interesting segue from Ane Brun to this man.  A little of the old yin and yang.

I agree 

strick wrote: 

 k_trout wrote: 

He went to highschool in San Antonio.  I have a friend that went to school with him.  As said below, he wrote all these songs in his senior year and has had writer's block since.  He has become known as a writer's writer and quite the iconic figure in that world.  He is hermiting around in Wimberley, Texas with his wife (a great singer in her own right).  He's a neighbor.

if he wrote "muskrat love" he can afford to be a hermit.