Kenny Rogers and First Edition – The ballad of Calico (1972) CD

Kenny Rogers and First Edition – The ballad of Calico (1972) CD

01. Sunrise Overture
02. Calico Silver
03. Write Me Down (Don’t Forget My Name)
04. The Way It Used To Be
05. Madame De Lil And Diabolical Bill
06. School Teacher
07. Road Agent
08. Sally Grey’s Epitaph
09. Dorsey, The Mail-Carrying Dog
10. Harbor For My Soul
11. Calico Saturday Night
12. Trigger Happy Kid
13. Vachel Carling’s Rubilator
14. Empty Handed Compadres
15. One Lonely Room
16. Rockin’ Chair Theme
17. Old Mojave Highway
18. Man Came Up From Town
19. Calico Silver (Reprise)

The album begins with the instrumental “Sunrise Overture(1)” then enters “Calico Silver(2)” which is about a man who leaves
his farm after a flood to take a job in the silver mines near the town of Calico.
“Write Me Down(3)” is about people who were forgotten over time “The Way It Used to be(4)” talks about everyday life
in Calico. “Madame De Lil and Diaboilical Bill(5)”, the Saloon manager who scares her boyfriend out of town when he finds out
that you are stealing
It begins with “School Teacher(6)”, the teacher who faces being an old maid(The teacher, Virginia Merritt, really
she was 20 at the time and married after leaving Calico).
“Road Agent(7)”, is about an agent with no way out. “Sally Grey’s Epitaph(8)” was based on a tombstone in the town cemetery.
“Dorsey, the Mail-Carrying Dog(9)”, the dog that delivers the mail to the disabled admin.
In this song each member of the group barks like a dog (which ends in laughter). The last song ends suddenly
with the phrase “your carrying dog” cut out (corrected in mp3).
It starts with the missing phrase (on the lp, not the mp3) and immediately enters the first song, “Harbor for My Soul(10)”.
“Calico Saturday Night(11)” is instrumental,
followed by “Trigger Happy Kid(12)” which talks about a young man who idolizes gunmen.
It ends with “Vachel Carling’s Rubilator(13)”, which is about a man who creates a new invention, which he seizes
from town.
“Empty Handed Compadres(14)” is one of the explorers who returned with nothing. “One Lonely Room(15)” tells of a man who never leaves
the town after it became a ghost town.
“Rockin’ Chair Theme(16)” is a short instrumental piece that leads into the next song, “Old Mojave Highway(17)” about the
road that crossed the desert (now Interstate 15). “Man Came up from Town(18)” talks about the remains of a man
primitive found in the mountains. The album closes with “Calico Silver (reprise)(19)” in which the silver runs out and the town
it becomes a ghost town.