Entertainers...On and Off the Record (1978) by The Statler Brothers

-- The 18th studio album by this unique country quartet, it contains some of my favorite gems from their 1970s output, and it is very pleasant to my ears any day of the year.

I grew up hearing a LOT of Statler Brothers music. My father owned 25 of their albums spanning 1966 to 1987, and later I helped him complete his collection with 7 of the albums he was missing (mostly more recent ones) and then ensured he had their final two albums (from 2001 and 2002). In the midst of this, I attended a live concert when they came to our region's Fair to perform, and that is when I began to be truly interested in them. They seemed to me to be among the most down-to-earth, relatable humans I had ever seen, their song topics were mostly wholesome, their lyrics witty, and their arrangements beautiful. I will doubtless be reviewing more of the albums on here, but I wanted to start with this one.

Why I love this album

1. Like most Statler Brothers albums, this one has a good mix of nostalgia, clever wordplay, lost love, and hope

2. It is less "typical country" than many of their albums, in part because 9 of the 11 tracks are original tunes, but also in its instrumentation, featuring some gentle electric keyboards and well-harmonized strings. Yet, not nearly as pop-rock as acts from the same time (such as The Oak Bridge Boys) that featured heavy drumbeats and electric guitars. The Statlers had a unique sound and this was its apex.

3. The four-part harmonies and 4-voice unison moments are, in my opinion, the most gentle and gorgeous of their entire career

Album Highlights (the titles are YouTube links)

• Do You Know You Are My Sunshine: While it is definitely NOT an obscure track -- it was their first #1 hit in the USA Country charts (having previously come close with two #2 hits and one #3) -- and definitely "country"-sounding. But it is also an all-around fun and uplifting story song that exemplifies their best work. In the story, the title phrase was initially a song request from an audience member: Do you know "You are My Sunshine?" but later becomes a memory from the singer about her: "Do you know, you are my sunshine, do you know what your smile did to me?"

• The Best that I Can Do: A beautifully-orchestrated ballad, this is a sweet prayer, asking the Lord to check on the singer's estranged love, wherever she might be, to comfort her, to let her know she is loved.

• Tomorrow is Your Friend: Featuring tinkling keyboards in music-box fashion, this is a tender, cute lullaby. A nice solo verse by baritone/2nd tenor Phil (who so rarely gets solos). No matter what disappointments happened today, close your eyes and "You'll wake and find tomorrow is your friend."

• Who Am I To Say: A keyboard riff opens this #3 hit song, a wistful tune about past regrets and how the singer could have acted differently in his relationship so that it would not have ended. "If I'd only been more loving when she needed a best friend, If I'd only patched up pieces That she needed me to mend." The swelling chorus couldn't be any more touching. "All she wanted was to love me, But all I did was turn away. If I'd known how much she needed me She might be here today, and If I'd only been more open and understood her ways, She might be in my arms tonight, But who am I so say?"

• When You Are Sixty-Five: Starting with the quartet singing unison over a flowing piano rhythm, this tune features some of most tear-wrenching pedal steel guitar I've ever heard. Later some background organ adds to the depth. A different perspective on long-ended romance: what will you remember or think about me when you are 65 years old? "Will you wonder if I'm living or dead in pauper's grave? Will you come by some old picture or something you might have saved? Will you tell, should I be famous, your children of me? Or at sixty five will you rather let old mem'ries be?"

• Before the Magic Turns to Memory: One of only two waltzes on the album, I cannot resist the pleading quality of the chord progression in the chorus. Very much a country waltz, but with some nice bell-tones. A "seize the moment" song, it works perfectly as an album closer.

Honorable mentions: to be honest, all of the other tracks (except perhaps "I Dreamed About You" - I really don't like that one). I promise, it is purely coincidence that my favorites above are perfectly alternating (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11). But others may find more in common with tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, or, 10 - the Statlers were as good as any at penning day-to-day, real-life emotions.