Outlaws - Lady In Waiting (1976)

The original Outlaws were only together for two albums: their spectacular, eponymous inaugural LP (#13) and Lady in Waiting, their commercially less successful follow up (#36).

The quintet featured three rock guitarists: Hughie Thomasson, Billy Jones, and Henry Paul. Bassist Frank O'Keefe and drummer Monte Yoho rounded out the unit. This early lineup didn't have a keyboard player.

Some reports indicate O'Keefe was fired after this LP. Others say he left because he broke his neck after falling into an empty swimming pool. He eventually became dependent on pain killers for the rest of his life that ended in 1995 after an unfortunate overdose.

Lady in Waiting is very similar to Outlaws' ten song debut. The three axmen could blow the doors down with sheer volume - as they did with "Green Grass and High Tides" from the earlier set - but their beautiful, three-part harmonies reminiscent of the Eagles - often made them sound much smoother and poppier than many of their Southern rock contemporaries. Their voices sometimes gave the arrangements just a little bit of a country flair. 
I wrote way back in 2009 that the group's debut is one of my all-time favorite rock albums, and it still is. This sophomore outing isn't as compelling because it lacks standouts like "Green Grass" and their #30 hit, "There Goes Another Love Song," but there's still a lot to like here.

The record opens with "Breaker Breaker," a song that took full advantage of the of the blazing, mid-70s, CB radio craze that eventually faded from the scene. It's a good track but a product of its time. Paul wrote the pretty, country-rock ballad "Girl from Ohio." Mark Lindsey, formerly of Paul Revere and the Raiders, wrote the aggressive "Freeborn Man" with songwriter-guitarist Keith Allison. Side two closes with "Stick Around for Rock & Roll," the band's attempt to do another "Green Grass and High Tides," and it almost succeeds.

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