Judged by the Cover - Music Discovery 2.0 - The Outlaws

Josh Wilhelm
May 2
2 min read

Updated: May 6

Have you ever stumbled upon a musical treasure that completely caught you off guard? That's exactly what happened on the latest episode of the Judged by the Cover podcast. Hosts Josh and Phil embarked on an exciting journey of music discovery, proving that sometimes the best finds come from the most unexpected places.

Record Store Day Discoveries: Unearthing Southern Rock Gems

Josh and Phil kicked off their latest podcast episode by recounting their recent Record Store Day adventure. The bustling atmosphere at Yellow Racket Records left them slightly unprepared but excited to see music lovers lining up for physical albums.

"It was awesome to see people waiting in line to get physical copies of all these albums," Josh enthused. "We just got to talk to a few people and just like, hey, what are you getting? What are you excited about?"

Music Discovery 2.0

three records for music discovery podcast Judged by the Cover

The duo then dive into their music discovery segment, a favorite from last year's episodes. Josh presented three mystery albums he'd picked up at For the Record in Northgate Mall, letting Phil choose one based solely on the cover art.

Phil's choice? The Outlaws' self-titled debut album from 1975.

"Outlaws. All right, so outlaws it is," Josh declared.

After a quick listen, both hosts were immediately hooked. "As soon as that needle hit and it started playing, it was just like. We were both like, we dig this. This is awesome," Josh said.

The album surprised them with its blend of southern rock and country vibes, featuring tight guitar work and three-part harmonies. They were particularly impressed by the epic closing track, "Green Grass and High Tides."

"We had to go over to the turntable, and look how thick the freaking. The band was on the turntable. This song's like, that thick. I was like, this thing's for another 10 minutes," Phil marveled.

Digging deeper, they discovered The Outlaws were from Tampa, Florida, and had opened for legendary acts like the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Eagles. Even more surprising, they were the first act signed to Arista Records by industry icon Clive Davis.

Phil shared his own Arista connection, recalling a meeting his band once had with the label.

Cover Art...?

The hosts then analyzed the album's cover art, noting its sepia tones and intriguing imagery. "The main thing is this Outlaws logo with the. With the longhorn outline going around it. Just a really cool logo in my opinion," Josh observed.