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McGuffey Lane
Aqua Dream
Release Date: 1980
Label: Atco

In contrast to the timeless country-rock of their eponymous debut, Aqua Dream sounds more of its time: the production has been pumped up with more electric guitars and keyboards, bringing McGuffey Lane's sound up to the standards of both album-oriented rock and urban cowboy-worshipping country radio. It's a sound that unmistakably evokes 1980, but it's one that still is hard to peg as either strictly country or rock, so it's little surprise that it didn't find a home in either format upon its release. The album begins firmly within the rock camp with the punchy guitars of "A New Beginning" and "It Comes from the Heart," but soon it veers toward smoother territory that would have would have fit alongside hits by Johnny Lee on country radio. Aqua Dream continues to hopscotch all over the place -- there's the skipping down home stomp "Don't You Think About Me (When I'm Gone)" followed by the laid-back soft rock of "Start It All Over," both equally strong on their own merits -- that proves that McGuffey Lane is diverse, almost effortlessly so, but that diversity doesn't necessarily make them easier to market. It does, however, hold up pretty well over the years: the album doesn't necessarily gel, but as a collection of individual tracks Aqua Dream is strong, and it complements McGuffey Lane well, making this a two-fer of overlooked '70s country-rock that's worthwhile for serious fans of the genre. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	New Beginning	McNeiley
2	It Comes from the Heart	McNeiley, Reis
3	Dream About You	McNeiley
4	Tennessee	McNeliey
5	Don't You Think About Me (When I'm Gone)	McNeliey
6	Start It All Over	McNeliey
7	Fair Weather Friends	McNeliey
8	Fallin' Timber	McNeliey
9	Bar of Rags	Bowman, Ragas, Elaw
10	Outlaw Rider	Reis