Cashman and West--American City Suite (1972)

     Terry Cashman and Tommy West has have found success in songwriting, recording, and producing as a duo in the early/mid 70's, most notability for Jim Croce.  When they went their separate ways, Cashman began writing songs about his true passion, baseball (before going into music, he was a minor league baseball player in the Detroit Tigers organization). The song, "Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke)" became a cult hit in 1981 and fans of the sport keep the song alive today. He has since written albums based on the sport. West has spent much of his days as a producer and owner of High Harmony Records, which he launched in 1992.
     Their crowning achievement, (at least for me) was this 4 song suite called, "American City Suite". Cashman came up with the idea of writing a song about his New York City, and what he saw at the time as it's slow demise. It comes across as a song for a friend, and in a way it was, as he recalls his fond memories as a child growing up, and it ending with him as an adult watching the city (and other east coast cities at the time) dying. The song was almost 10 minutes long, and even after editing for single release was over 7. However, this was the days where longer songs like, "Nights in White Satin" could garner radio play. One has to think however that it's length kept it from being even more popular. As it was, it still reached #27 in the fall/winter of 1972.
     It never made much of a dent on the charts here in the midwest, but it had such an impression on me, that it was very easy to recall the first time I heard it. Hope you enjoy as a much as I have...below is the entire suite. Happy Friday!